Dad wants to make your drive to Orlando a peaceful easy feeling… (sing it Glenn) An easy journey down life’s highway… A ride to remember (in a good way)…
So let’s get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure, or whatever comes our way… (Yeah, I know, enough with the song lyrics already.)
How Much Does it Cost to Drive to Orlando?
Let’s look at how to figure out prices to drive to Orlando. Here’s a really neat website that will calculate the price of fuel for your trip. It’s GasBuddy.com. It will not only calculate the price of fuel, it will show you where to stop to get the cheapest fuel.
Just fill in the blanks and out will pop your Total Trip Cost.
Maps
The map GasBuddy.com uses is a Google map. It’s real handy because you can change routes just by dragging the blue route to another area. This will cause the map to refigure your route, time and distance.
Google map Edmond, OK to Lake Buena Vista, FL
You can use this map by entering your address in A and clicking on Get Directions.
The map looks something like this –
You might want to bookmark both of those sites. I think they’re really helpful.
To figure the cost of flying just enter prices below go to Dad’s Flights to Orlando page and compare.
How Do We Get to Orlando?
There are 3 ways to drive to Orlando. Number 1 is the NASCAR way. Number 2 is the Mac Davis way. The third way is let Amtrack do the driving.
The NASCAR way
Put the pedal to the metal and don’t stop for anything but gas, and only stop for gas right before you run out.
Growing up this is the way we traveled. My Grandparents lived in Colorado and we lived in Oklahoma. Dad would pack us up, and we’d leave after work. We’d drive all night. (I’m sure he did this because there were 5 of us kids and we would all sleep while he and mom drove.) We’d wake up almost to Grandma’s. It wasn’t very fun, but it was effective. (It might not work too well on a Disney trip.)
Most of us end up driving the NASCAR way. We can’t wait to get there, or we don’t have any extra time off. Sometimes it’s a necessity.
Dad recommends that you drive to Orlando the…
Mac Davis Way
Stop and smell the roses.
It’s a good motto for a Disney World vacation. It’s easy to get caught up in “Commando Disney” vacation mode, where everything has to be done right now. No, son, we can’t stop to have fun, “The Plan” says we have to…
We had one vacation where we actually had time to stop along the way and experience some of the world outside of Disney. (I know, I’m speaking sacrilege again. Please forgive me Walt…)
Another Way to Get There
Let Amtrack take your car for you. Yes, you can ride the train and take you car. Amtrack has a special train that goes from Lorton Virginia to Sanford Florida. It has a section for cars. (No, you don’t have to stay in the car.) So you get to ride on the same train as your car.
The train leaves Lorton/Sanford at around 4:00pm and arrives Sanford/Lorton at around 9:30 the next morning. So while you sleep, Amtrack does the driving. And when you wake up, you and your car are at Disney World.
If you live anywhere close to Lorton you might want to consider the Auto Train (clever name).
Things to Do On Your Drive
Every two-bit town in America has something to attract tourists. Tourists mean dollars. Over the last 20 years a lot of tourist traps have gone out of business because flying has replaced driving for a lot of people. But there are still some great places along the way to stop and see amazing sites.
Over the years, on our drive to Orlando, we’ve made stops at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, the USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, and probably every McDonalds between Texas and Florida.
If you’re coming down the east coast, you might want to check out Asheville, North Carolina, or look at the great Carolina beaches. Coastal drives sound just great.
Listen to Mac – try one of the cool distractions along the way as you drive to Orlando. Look for things that will be fun for the whole family and plan to spend a few non-Disney hours looking at America. You won’t regret it.
Trust me…
Here are some links to state tourism sites on the drive to Orlando.
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
Dad’s Favorite Detour
I’m hungry. Where are we going to eat? Foley, Alabama, that’s where. Yes, I said Foley Alabama. Several years ago, we discovered Lambert’s Cafe. It is one of our favorite places anywhere. Lambert’s has the absolute best fried potatoes anywhere on the planet.
On our last drive to Orlando, we decided to take a little (30 miles) detour and stop at Lamberts in Foley Alabama.When we got back on the road, let’s just say it wasn’t very long until Dad was the only one awake.
Dad’s Bottom Line
It’s the little detours that make life worth living. – Dad (renowned author)
Being from the middle of the country, we are used to driving everywhere. When we were younger, we wouldn’t think twice about jumping in a car and driving 20 hours to get to Orlando. Driving to Orlando isn’t as appealing as it used to be, but hey, it might be fun. Hey, Mrs. Mom …
