Driving from New Orleans to Orlando with Toddlers (Editted with Update)

We left at about 1 AM or so last year. We stopped for gas and lunch at some park. We never make firm plans. Just stop somewhere that has a park where our kids can play and use some energy.

That's why we're flying. My daughter would drive me batshit in a car that long.

Done this twice before with the kids and will do it again in November. Kids this time are ages 5 and 8.

I don't have any firm plans, but generally...

Put kids to bed at 9 pm

At 12:45 am, carefully transfer asleep kids to car, wife and I hop in, and take off by 1 am. Have a softsided ice chest with diet coke and water and a bag of snacks in the front seat.

Stop at the Love's in Defuniak Springs. This is about 4 hours from NOLA. Fill up gas tank, take kids inside and everyone uses bathroom.

Then stop usually in Madison, lots of stuff off the exit here. This is about 2.5 hrs drive time but 3.5 hours clock time with the time change. Get gas, get breakfast, usually McDonalds if we want to be fast, or Denny's if we want to take a break. However, this time, with the new Busy Bee open in Live Oak (sort of like a Buc-ees) we may try to push all the way to Live Oak which is another 25-30 min away. Busy Bee has a Dunkin Donuts.

Then we stop in Ocala usually for an early lunch - Exit 350 has a Chick Fil A right off the I-75. This takes about 2-2.5 hours to get to if you stop in Madison, depending on traffic and road construction. I usually will top off gas tank here as well, if I do this, I generally don't have to buy gas until I'm well into my drive home. Gas around disney world can be pretty pricey.

Coming home, we just play it by ear as the kids are usually alternating between cranky and sleeping. We usually try to leave the resort by 9 am. Probably will try to push to again, near Busy Bee for lunch, a stop for gas and bathrooms in middle of panhandle, then I try to push it for dinner all the way to Dreamland BBQ in Mobile.

Bring stuff for them to do in the car - age appropriate toys, etc. But nothing that makes too much noise, LOL. Also at every stop, everyone uses the bathroom and I top off the gas tank. Wake the kids up if you have to. Trust me, you don't want a kid to wake up with a poo emergency in the middle of the panhandle of Florida where there is nothing for miles.

It's a brutal drive. If you can head to the beach for a day and break it up the whole family will be happy, especially the driver.

Fly southwest nonstop. Just hope the engines make it.

Yeah, all these people saying to fly, I just don't get it. My kids are terrible at flying. Plus, the cost is way higher, especially if you are going at a peak time.

One time we went and we stayed in Marianna. But we couldn't leave NOLA until like 6 pm, so we were only in the hotel for a few hours, and it was not worth it to me. If you can leave like around noon, get there, have dinner, let kids play, etc, it make it easier, for sure.

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However, this time, with the new Busy Bee open in Live Oak (sort of like a Buc-ees) we may try to push all the way to Live Oak which is another 25-30 min away. Busy Bee has a Dunkin Donuts.

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Totally worth stretching the drive there. Incredibly clean restrooms and a ton of snacks and drinks from which to choose.

I'm going to try this itinerary when we go for Mardi Gras. Thanks

Update to this plan. We were driving to Disney from NOLA, leaving in the very wee hours of the Thursday before Thanksgiving (i.e 8 days before turkey day) and driving back the day after Thanksgiving, two kids, 5 and 8. Were renting a car which is what we always do when we drive distances.

Well, Tuesday night my wife found a pretty good price for airline tickets on Frontier, direct from NOLA to MCO. For the four of us, with my wife and kids getting reserved seats (I'll just go wherever) and two checked bags each way (we can easily do that, I think), total cost was $550. For all four of us. To rent the car and gas we were looking at about $500. Even if we do end up having to add a third checked bag (I think we will) at another $60 RT for that, we would be at $610. I don't think that is too shabby.

We did have to make one slight change to our trip. Our package is Thursday through following Friday, since we were not planning on arriving on site until mid-day Thursday. The flight we are taking gets us there in the evening on Wednesday. So we booked an additional one night room-only resort at All Star Sports, which is where we are staying. Considering we will probably all crash when we get there Wed night because we have work/school all day, I figure Thurs we can hang out at the resort or Disney Springs or something - which is something we don't usually do a lot of.

And while my oldest has flown once (when she was 2, also to Disney), my youngest has never flown. So that should be neat for them.

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Yeah, all these people saying to fly, I just don't get it. My kids are terrible at flying. Plus, the cost is way higher, especially if you are going at a peak time.

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Fly Southwest direct. You get there in under 2 hours instead of an all day or multi day drive. Round trip for us in December is a little over $220 a person. Well worth it.

I don't see how that isn't preferable to 14-15 hours in a car with toddlers but I can't stand whiny arse kids.