Driving 12 hours with kids - would you do it?

[minerva78]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

[lovebelle]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

 

I grew up with a dad who refused to fly and so we drove everywhere. I think the longest was 4days from NY to Alberta Canada when I was 8 and my younger sister was 3yrs old. We were fine. My parents just made sure we had plenty to entertain us (and being 1980s this was prior to ipads, dvd players etc..). I think your kids will be fine and if they get antsy, you can stop and let them run around for a bit. My stepdaughter who is 7, isnt great on long rides either and gets car sick, but managed the long drive from Fl to Rhode Island.

 

If the cruise on the Breeze is what you want, I say go for t. 12 hrs really isnt that bad.

[MandynJim]

We pretty much drive everywhere, I would definitely do a 12 hour drive to save money.

[fragilek]

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

Could you drive through the night- they might sleep for most of it - that's what we used to do and we regularly drove more than 12.hr for holidays. We have family in Italy and would drive from the UK for a visit. :D. In fact we have to drive 5hrs to even get to an airport if we want to fly long haul - to the states. Then its a 9 hr flight or more to visit family in the cayman

 

Another thing we used to do is have a bag of little gifts wrapped up for each one. Things they would probably use on holidays or on the journey- I spy books, sticker books, cd of songs for the car, bubbles to play with at a rest stop. and at the end of every 1hr (1/2 if they were starting to get very board we would let then take one out of their bag and open it up - That used to keep them going until it was time for the next gift.

[backnine05]

My fiancé and I are driving to NOLA (17 hrs) this summer for a cruise. I gave her the option, either the flights for this cruise, or another cruise we can drive to was in the budget. She chose the second cruise (so would I) I don't think driving is a big deal. My family would take me and my sibs to the beach every year (13 hrs) No problem. Maybe a little bickering between kids, but that's childhood. Also, including nighttime in part of the drive is a big plus for me. Kids sleep, and less traffic. Just make sure you take some coffee :)

[cruise_girl2002]

I would book the cruise, since it sounds like you want to go anyway. when do you want to sail? my brother and I took 2 days to get to Jacksonville. We left Wednesday night, drove 5.5 hours to Indianapolis and stayed overnight and picked up our cousin, drove 7 hours to Atlanta and stayed overnight, then drove 6 hours to Jacksonville and stayed overnight. (I drove with 2 boys..20 and 25 for 18 hours..ugh lol)

 

If you drove 6 hours one day and overnighted at a cheap hotel, then drove the other 6 and stay overnight in Miami (I always get to the port the day before..you never know what can happen)...its not that bad. stop every 2 hours just to get out of the car and stretch.

[backnine05]

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

Could you drive through the night- they might sleep for most of it - that's what we used to do and we regularly drove more than 12.hr for holidays. We have family in Italy and would drive from the UK for a visit. :D. In fact we have to drive 5hrs to even get to an airport if we want to fly long haul - to the states. Then its a 9 hr flight or more to visit family in the cayman

 

Another thing we used to do is have a bag of little gifts wrapped up for each one. Things they would probably use on holidays or on the journey- I spy books, sticker books, cd of songs for the car, bubbles to play with at a rest stop. and at the end of every 1hr (1/2 if they were starting to get very board we would let then take one out of their bag and open it up - That used to keep them going until it was time for the next gift.

 

Very good idea for the gifts! Taking a 6 hr drive with my 3 yr old DD this fall. Think I may just do that.

[momof4girls]

We just cruised out of Galveston, and it was an 11 1/2 hr drive (so basically the same thing, plus we had 4 kids). It wasn't as bad as I would have thought (and it's a boring drive at that). We had portable DVD players, and my youngest two watched a couple movies each. Then they both slept a few hours too. I was more afraid that one of them would get car sick (the girls are prone to it). I had medicine but didn't need to use it. We made 1/2 hr stops for both lunch and dinner too.

 

So IMHO, I would definitely do it, especially if it meant trying out the Breeze vs. going on a ship out of Tampa.

[jcearth]

We just drove from Atlanta to Northern New Jersey with our 6, 4, and 3 year old boys. Frequent stops, fun distractions (dvd's, kindle, etc), plenty of snacks, and other things to keep them busy are essential, but I think the best thing to do would be to split up the driving, if possible. If driving to Miami, stopping for the night in Orlando would be an option, as there are plenty of hotels that are nice and relatively inexpensive. In the morning, you would only be three and a half hours away from the port.

[sunshine252]

We drove 12 hours to TN for Thanksgiving with a 4 year old and a 3 year old this past year. Would I do it again for a cruise? Absolutely! :D Children are quite a bit more resilient than people give them credit for...

[ch27088]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

I think driving will be fine. Help get them excited about the trip and purchase some books, apps for the Ipads that they won't know about. Keep those things secret, and then when on the road when they get a little antsy, pull out the new things for them. All in all, I truly believe they will be fine. Like someone said, if it gets a little much, stop and let them stretch their legs and walk around a bit. They will be fine and enjoy the trip.

[patchofheaven]

I know people that do this all the time and live to talk about ;)

 

My friends told me that their trick for traveling with little ones is to make the longest part of the drive at night...the kids slept the majority of the trip.

[somesong12]

We are driving from Chicago to Miami in January. It is a long drive but saves quite a bit in cash from flying.

 

We drive to Orlando from Chicago at least once a year, sometimes twice! :-) I think it would be ok! :-)

[LadyObiwan]

We're driving to Miami from Dallas (~20 hrs) with our 4 and 6 year olds for a 6 day on the Breeze. We've driven to Washington DC twice (~20 hrs) and Colorado (~13 hrs) over the years, and countless small trips (3-5 hrs). We're just a driving family. 4 plane tickets can add up fast. We just plan for lots of entertainment (iPads, dvd player, etc), coloring books (with triangular shaped crayons so they don't roll all over the place) and snacks. And we have a portable potty in case of emergencies!

Oh and we're also stopping in Destin, FL for 3 days on the way home to extend the vacation and break up the drive.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I don't think 12 hours is too bad. As said, the trick is to leave in the middle of the night. They will sleep through a large part of the trip.

[5Hawkeyes]

It's a right of passage to take the family truckster on a long vacation drive:) They'll be fine. We've done the Iowa to Orlando many times and it's always part of the adventure. It's what you plan and make of it. I completely agree with others driving at night is a great way to make big chunks of progress while they sleep (if they sleep:)).

 

Good luck!!!

[lingram001]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

Just drove 12 hours to Jacksonville with my 18 month old. We have a DVD player in the car and it's a great. Plus, we only did 6 hours at a time, thats the max I can do at a time.

[kimmimom]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

you can "teach them" to drive long trips. We have done Disney, which is about 11 hour dr for us 2 out of 3 years starting when my oldest was 3, she is now 19 and I also have currently a 10 and 13 yo. We have driven to PC to cruise, also about 11 hours. They know the routine. We leave early (6 am), stop at 9 am for breakfast, 12 for lunch, 3 for ice cream, arrive about 6. We did it long before electronic items were available to entertain.

[Carnival_Brides]

Our parents taught us to be good car riders. My parents drove from the Baltimore to Woodstock, New Brunswick in when me and my siblings were 2, 4, 5 and 14 in the age before GameBoy let alone iPad and we survived. This trained us for the summer we went from Baltimore to Boca Raton, FL to Bloomington, IL and back to Baltimore AND a different summer when we went from Baltimore to Wisconsin/Minnesota and back.

 

I personally travel a lot with my five year old niece (train and car) and would totally drive to Miami with her for a cruise (17 hours). We are currently discussing taking her to Oklahoma this summer (21 hours) and scouting a Disney cruise out of Port Canaveral for next fall. I would travel overnight to cut down on her number of awake hours in the car though.

[Athankfulheart]

We drive all over the country with 8 and always have. The only trip that we flew with them was Hawaii. Driving takes longer but is far more relaxing and predictable, especially these days. Our kids are 6,8,10,12,15,17,19,20 now but we've been traveling with them since the beginning. We are cruising the Dream again in January and will be driving 19 hrs from SW Missouri to PC. My kids don't have any "i" technology but we do have a DVD system in our van plus old fashioned games and activities :) You can do it !

 

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

[evandbob]

I'm still having a hard time deciding what to do for a family cruise next year. I think a 5 day Bahamas would be best for a first cruise for our girls, my husband really wants to do a 7 day Western Caribbean, which I wonder if it will be too port intensive for a first cruise with a 5 and 6 year old, even though I know I would like it again.

 

So one option I found is a 6 day on the Breeze that goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and has 2 sea days. This would probably be a perfect cruise for us - hubby gets part of his western itinerary, the girls would have more low key days, and I could get to experience this new ship. :) Problem is, going to Miami, it's a 12 hour drive. My oldest is not the best at car rides, but by then they would have their own iPad and my other girl could use mine, so I know that can keep them occupied for several hours. Flights for the 4 of us I think would be too expensive. Normally I would just do a 5 day out of Tampa, but that ship doesn't have balconies, and having a balcony to go to would be important for me.

 

Would you do a 12 hour car ride for this itinerary on the Breeze, or am I just insane for even thinking about driving that far with young kids?

 

 

Absolutely not, I wouldn't drive 12 hrs by myself, forget about it with kids.

[AFAMILY]

I'm starting to think today's young parents could never have survived traveling with kids in the 50's and 60's, when I grew up. Back then we sang songs, read books, kept track of all the different license plates we saw and overall had a great time on long trips. There were 4 of us kids all crammed in the backseat of an old Oldsmobile. And all without DVD players, Ipads, Ipods or video games. Those were the good ole' days.

[CruisingwithAutism]

Is it really 12 hours? Or is that what MapQuest says? After we stop a bazillion times for potty breaks/gas/food it ends up being so much longer. Have you thought about other ships? Maybe from Port Canaveral? 3 to choose from there. Or Jacksonville on the Fascination? That's a 5 day but it has the awesome Waterworks that our kids enjoyed. And it just got some 2.o upgrades in Jan. We are super excited about sailing on the Dream (our kids are 6 & 9) and not having to drive all the way to Miami.

[BeachChik]

My family used to make the drive from Florida to New York every summer. Depending on the timeframe there were two to three kids along. My parents always brought plenty of activities that we could do in the car and we never had any major issues.

[skittl1321]

Just keep in mind, kids add time to any drive.

 

We drive to Texas all the time, 17 hours straight through. We walk the dog at gas stations, eat in the car. My sister in law did the same drive with her kids and the stops they required to go the bathroom and eat (one was too young to eat in the car) added 4 hours to the drive, so they had to do an overnight stop.

 

As a kid, we drove Texas to New Jersey (with overnight stops) many years. My parents packed a cooler and we ate lunch in the car to minimize stops. When we switched from the Buick where my sister and I shared the cramped back seat to the conversion van where we had our our "Captain's Chairs"- man, that was a comfortable road trip! Lots of songs, games, books, videos, and we actually even did have a nintendo (the original, not a handheld) in the car- just 2 hours a day on it though!

 

That said- to me, 12 hours is nothing. I'd drive for sure. 18 hours (with a switch off driver) is my max for one day.