This summer we took an amazing road trip, driving from our home in the greater Toronto area to “The Most Magical Place on Earth” and one of our favourite all time destinations – Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It had been five years since our last trip to the house of mouse and Disney did not disappoint! If you have ever considered driving to Walt Disney World from the Toronto area, it can be a great experience.
Driving to Florida from the greater Toronto area is just under a 20 hour road trip. While I know many people who choose to drive from the GTA to Florida straight through, we decided to break the trip up over a few days. If you are driving to Disney from Toronto, the quickest route is to cross the border in Niagara Falls (though you can also cross at Windsor and take the I-75 south). We chose to cross in Niagara Falls as we know the route well and it’s a little bit shorter. My son was also playing in a tournament in the Falls the weekend we planned to leave so it made more sense for us to go from there.
Whenever we cross the border in the Niagara Falls area, I always check the border wait times on the U.S. Customs & Border Services website, and we also rely on our GPS (either google maps or Waze) to let us know the best place to cross between the Peace Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston Bridge. In most cases, when heading further south, crossing at the Peace Bridge into Buffalo is the most direct route. From there you’ll take the I-90 west towards Erie, PA and I-79 South towards Pittsburgh.
Because of my son’s tournament, our first day of travel started in the afternoon. We left Niagara Falls around 3pm and drove for about 5 hours to Morgantown, West Virginia. We weren’t sure how far we were going to travel the first day so we were kind of playing it by ear… we knew there would be places to stay around Pittsburgh and further south, and I checked ahead of time on my Hilton Honours app to make sure there was availability. We almost exclusively stay at Hilton properties when we travel – most of the time selecting Hampton Inn. We find the service and the cleanliness is pretty consistent at most Hampton Inn locations – and it pays to stick with one hotel brand as much as possible in order to collect points. Based on our family road trip activity (plus tournament stays over the year), we had enough points to redeem for our two hotel stays on the way to Disney.
The next day was our longest drive with nine hours of driving time. I had already made a reservation (at a Hampton Inn of course) in Savannah, Georgia for the second night of our trip. I chose Savannah because it’s about a four hour drive from Savannah to Walt Disney World, and I picked a Hampton Inn location that was just off the interstate. I had planned this so an 8am departure would have us arriving at Disney’s Beach Club Resort by noon. Savannah is a beautiful and historic city that we have visited before, however, this time we stayed just off the I-95 so that we would be ready to go in the morning.
We arrived at Disney’s Beach Club Resort the next day around noon as planned. The Beach Club is our favourite Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and has an amazing pool area – complete with a water slide, lazy river and sand bottom pool for little ones. While I will often look at prices and availability on Disney’s website, I always book our Disney World stays through a travel agent. Our favourite Disney Travel agent is Kirsten at Pure Magic Vacations. Using a travel agent does not cost extra (in fact – a travel agent is usually aware of the best deals and promotions), and travel agents are a wonderful resource in planning your trip – especially if it is a first time stay.
Overall the drive seemed pretty easy – especially as we were all very excited about getting to our destination. If you are considering driving to Florida from the GTA, keep in mind that time of year makes a big difference. The drive is much easier in the summer as the weather is more predictable and there are more daylight hours. We have driven to Florida in the winter a couple times and personally I am not a fan of driving through the mountains in the dark.
Depending on how you decide to break up the drive, there are a number of places to stop and stretch along the route. As a shopper, I always enjoy a stop at the Grove City Premium Outlets in Grove City, PA (plus there is no sales tax in Pennsylvania!). There is also great shopping in the Cranberry, PA just north of Pittsburgh. One of our favourite rest stations is a place called Tamarack, in Beckley, West Virginia. This is a great place to stop and stretch your legs. It is an indoor marketplace for local artisans and also serves delicious homemade hot meals cafeteria style. It has been a family favourite stop for years. We also us the “search along route” function frequently on google maps to look for our favourite stops that are not available at home including Olive Garden, Chick-fil-A, Sonic and Panera Bread. We look for locations that are right off the highway or close to our stop for the night.
Although we will sometimes drive until we’re tired, if you are travelling during a busy time of year I highly recommend planning your stops ahead of time to make sure you have a place to stay for the night. Again, we find it’s always best to stick with one hotel brand/chain whether it’s Hilton, Marriott, IHG, etc. in order to earn points for your stays. I will always research hotels on tripadvisor.ca but when I book I always book through the hotel brand directly (either through the Hilton Honors app, the Marriott Bonvoy app or the IHG app). Booking through the app almost always guarantees the best price and the best cancellation terms if your plans change.
Once we arrived at Disney World, we had an amazing vacation. It was extremely hot (I guess that was to be expected for Florida in July), but we still made sure to do all the things! We visited all the parks, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, we rode and LOVED all the new rides since our last visit (plus the old ones too), we had our fair share of Dole whip from Aloha Aisle (plus plenty of other Disney treats). We also thoroughly enjoyed our time at Disney’s Beach Club Resort – our favourite Walt Disney World hotel.
Driving to Disney from the Greater Toronto Area can be a great experience. When making your decision to fly or drive there are a number of considerations to keep in mind:
- The total number of travellers and the price of flights - Flight prices fluctuate and there are often good deals available (especially if you are willing to fly out of Buffalo). However, with three or more travellers, the cost of driving will almost undoubtedly be lower, even when you factor in your hotel stays and the current high price of gas. This past summer there were also a number of cancelled flights and a strike that impacted air travel.
- The time of year (both for weather and daylight driving hours) – Driving to Florida in the spring/summer is typically a much better experience than in the winter months. A significant portion of the drive is through the mountains and while we have done this drive several times now, I much prefer the trip in the daylight than the dark. You also never know what type of weather you might encounter in the winter. If you choose to drive to Disney over Christmas or March Break, just make sure you are prepared for winter driving conditions (for us this is always worse on the way home!)
- Total time available for your trip – If you have a limited number of days, flying might be your best option. However, if you have a couple extra days to spend to get to and from your destination, driving is a great way to spend quality family time together and to make lasting memories.
- Whether or not you will need a car when you arrive – If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel and you plan to spend your vacation at Disney, you will not need a rental car. There is transportation available from all the Walt Disney World hotels to all the Disney parks and Disney Springs shopping and entertainment area. However, it’s also good to know that if you drive and you are staying at a Disney hotel that your parking is free for the length of your stay.
This was a fantastic family road trip. We had a great time both on the journey and when we got to our destination. Walt Disney World is truly a magical place. Despite just getting back, we are already thinking about our next visit to the most magical place on earth!!!
Fun Family Road Trips 