Am I crazy? Driving from OKC to DL

[cnelson9]

I have wanted to take my kids (4) to DL or DW for a LONG time, but have pushed the idea to the side, because of travel costs. For our family of 6, air travel just isn't in the budget.

So driving from OKC to anaheim is approximately 19 hours. Distance is relatively the same from okc to orlando.

How do i decide which one (dl or wdw) to go to? Is 19 hours in a car with 1 husband and 4 kids going to send me over the sanity edge? Has anyone else made this trek.... I can use all the advice and positive encouragement you have.

 

[endy]

I've driven from Calgary to San Diego for the last 9 or 10 years. It's a 25 hour drive each way. Me the only driver and DS is now 14. Twice with an extra kid.
Make the drive half the fun. Stop and smell the roses. We've seen lots of things that weren't planned, we stopped at bear world one time and it was so cool we've done it three more times, looked for opals in Idaho, stopped at Calico a couple of times really enjoyed it but it was so hot in August. We'll stop at an outlet mall for an hour just go get out of the truck and move around. We stop at a video store in Utah just to buy some cheap movies and that keeps him entertained for a few more hours. And then we're there.

I drive for the savings. It costs approx $600 to drive vs $5-600 each in air plus rental car. We tent camp usually, that saves a ton. I can get the tent and air mattresses set up in 20 minutes. We've stayed at 2 campgrounds in Anaheim (around $50/night) and the campground in SD is the same price.

Never been in your neck of the woods or travelled with 4 kids before.
Set the rules ahead of time, mine was you're not allowed to ask how much farther. I taught ds how to read road signs and figure out how long to such a place. Then he could look at a map to see our progress.

 

[Resendizfamily]

We actually live in Jenks/Tulsa and have drove to WDW 3 times. We leave early in the morning around 5am and sleep south of Atlanta. Then straight to Orlando by lunch. We have 2 kids 8 & 11 and the ride there is usually a lot more smoother because of the excitement. I will say the cost of a WDW trip compared to a DL trip is significant. we are planning a trip to DL this summer since the kids have never been there. (hubby and I grew up by there) Disneyland is charming but Disney World is spectacular. The drive is worth it!!

 

[skiingfast]

Endy has good ideas about breaking up the trip. Also he drives roughly the same route as me, and I for one can be envious of the pleasant driving weather across the south. But you can't beat Bear World if you want to see bears that have had one too many picnic baskets.

OP, since your question is more about driving to DL or WDW, have you been to either? DL is usually a few day visit and you can see some of LA. WDW is usually a week visit and you probably won't see anything else. This choice gives some flexibility on length of trip and cost associated with it.

 

[Bastiansmom]

I work in OKC (that's where I was picked up to start the trip) and we drove straight thru to DL this summer. It was me, DH, my dad, and DS7. The thought was that since there were 3 drivers, one person could drive, one person could keep the driver company, and one person could sleep. Spoiled DS got to do whatever he wanted! LOL! It didn't work out this way; DH drove about 15 hours and I drove the rest. Dad didn't drive at all. We made really good time, in fact, we had to ask for early check in at the hotel because we were soooo tired and check in wasn't for another 6 hours or so.

The drive was really nice. There were a few areas of construction, but nothing major. You will be jealous of how well some other states maintain their highways; OK roads are awful. I overpacked with food, sandwich stuff, snacks, etc. We did not spend any money (other than for gas) on the way down (over) there. We stopped in a gas station parking lot about 11pm, ate sandwiches, stretched our legs and got back on the road. The trip was really nice for us and not stressful at all. (DH and I did have a little help from Red Bull and Five Hour Energy )

How old are your kids? Are any of them old enough to keep the driver company or drive? That is what I would suggest. Plus it would be a good way to spend some quality time with your older kids.

We flew to DL in 07, flew to WDW in 2009 and drove to DL in 2010. DL and WDW are completely different. Both have their charms, but you definitely need more time to see WDW.

I feel like I am rambling, so I will stop now, but feel free to ask questions!

 

[katman2540]

We are driving to DL from CT this summer so if you are crazy we must be insane!

 

[sheltonsluvdisney]

No you are not crazy, our family does it quite a bit. We are in the Jenks/Tulsa area as well and have driven to both DL and WDW. We only have one child, but the drives have been enjoyable and like the other posters have said, you can always make stops along the way. On the trips to WDW we have spent the night at the halfway point on both the drive to and from. We combined the DL visit with an event in Las Vegas first, and visited the Grand Canyon on the way home. My brother has 6 kids and they have made the trek to WDW multiple times, this last time they drove straight through with only a few stops for gas and food. We are going to drive to WDW this Sept and hope to drive to DL for Cars Land next year and visit the San Diego area as well. If you have not taken your kids to either WDW or DL and only want to spend time at the Disney parks, I would recommend WDW. We really like DL and are looking forward to Cars, but we Love WDW and there is much more to do. You also have more options for Disney on-site hotels and a lot are cheaper than DL. If you want to spend more time seeing things along the way, I would say go with DL.