Pre-made trip plan
Charlotte to Disney with Grandparents Joining
A multi-generation Disney trip the easy way: parents and kids drive from Charlotte, grandparents fly to Orlando, everyone arrives at the resort within a few hours of each other.
- Days
- 2
- Total drive
- 640 mi
- Drive time
- 10.5 h
Steve’s take
Lisa's parents (the actual Griswold grandparents) have done plenty of Disney trips with us, and one thing we figured out fast: a 9-hour drive isn't fun for them anymore, AND they don't want to be the reason we stop every 90 minutes. The split-the-trip move solves both: parents and kids drive, grandparents fly direct to MCO and Lyft to the resort. We get road-trip memories with the kids, the grandparents skip the back pain, and everyone meets at the pool by Friday afternoon. This itinerary is the parents-driving half — slower pace, plenty of rest stops, easy on/off Hampton overnight in Savannah. The grandparents' itinerary is one Delta flight and an Uber.
Who this trip is for
- ✓Multi-generation families where the grandparents shouldn't be in the car for 9 hours
- ✓Parents who still want the road trip with the kids
- ✓Anyone with grandparents flying in to Orlando — the meet-at-the-resort logistics
Day-by-day
Day 1
Charlotte → Savannah
280 mi · 5 hr
Easy half-day. One Carolina BBQ stop, walk-around afternoon in Savannah. Grandparents land at MCO around the same time and Uber to the resort tomorrow.
Lexington BBQ, Lexington NC (or any Eastern NC BBQ)
Mile 80 · Stretch / break
If you've never had Carolina-style BBQ, this is the trip. Real chopped pork, vinegar sauce, hush puppies. Worth the 15-minute detour. Tell the kids it's an experience.
70 mi · 1h 15m to next stop
- Pedro's South of the Border (5-min photo stop)
Mile 150 · Stretch / break
You'll see it from I-95 — pull off, take the photo, get back on the road. Don't eat. Don't shop. Just the photo. Trust me.
130 mi · 2h 19m to next stop
Embassy Suites Savannah Historic District
Mile 280 · Overnight
Suites = privacy, separate room for the kids. Walk to River Street for dinner. Savannah at night is genuinely beautiful and the kids will think it's a movie set. Free breakfast in the morning and you're out by 9.
Sleep at: Savannah, GA
Day 2
Savannah → Walt Disney World (meet grandparents at the resort)
360 mi · 5.5 hr
The home stretch. Grandparents land at MCO around lunch, Lyft to the resort, drop bags at bell services. You roll up around 3 PM. Pool by 4. Dinner together at the resort.
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Florida Welcome Center (I-95 SB)Mile 90 · Stretch / break
tourist welcome center in Florida, United States
Free OJ, the Florida photo opp, real bathrooms. Quick — keep the day moving.
40 mi · 37m to next stop
Lunch in Jacksonville — Maple Street Biscuit Co.
Mile 130 · Stretch / break
Detour 10 minutes off I-95. Family-friendly, full menu, Southern comfort food. The kids will love the biscuit-with-everything-on-it situation. Back on the road in 45.
230 mi · 3h 31m to next stop
Walt Disney World — meet grandparents at the resort lobby
Mile 360 · You arrive!
Grandparents have been at the resort since around 1 PM, parked at the pool, sipping a Mickey-shaped drink. You walk in, hugs all around, you check in, drop bags, change for the pool. Family dinner at the resort. Day 1 in the parks tomorrow with everyone rested.
Sleep at: Disney resort hotel
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Pre-fills with: Charlotte (28202) → WDW · 2 adults + 2 kids (7, 10) · grandparents flying in · scenic-route pace
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From the real Griswolds · with Pixie Vacations
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