Hi-We have now had our '10 Winter Gray Metallic Prius for 2 days now and absolutely love it!!! (This will be replacing our FX35). In about 2 weeks, our family will be taking a road trip from South Florida to St. Augustine and then to Charleston, SC. We will be traveling with our 10 month old (in a Britax Marathon car seat) and our 5 year old (in a Britax booster), our luggage and a Maclaren Quest Stroller. Any advice, packing, trip and travel tips would be much appreciated. This is our 1st time going anywhere farther than Orlando with both kids. Believe or not, our FX was not a whole lot roomier than the Prius, as far as packing, cargo and room in the back seat. And, 50 or so MPG vs. 16 MPG just can't be beat. If the time arises that we need to pack our 85 lb labrador and/or 20 lb beagle and take them with us, we will rent a minivan. Thanks in advance for your replies!
Dont forget to use the storage space under the main hatch. You can stuff a lot of things under there.
Congrats on the purchase, I'm still waiting on mine to come in. We are from Jacksonville, and St Augustine is a very special place for me and my wife. How long are you staying there? There is a lot to do, but the length of stay determines priority of activites. The main things we like are Saint George Street downtown as it is a closed boulevard with all kinds of shops and restaurants. The environment there is pretty nice and you can walk a lot around that whole area. A few blocks away are the Ripleys Believe it or Not museum which is cool and the Fort at San Marco. The Fort is pretty nice and like I said its all within a few blocks, so you can cruise in EV mode (just kidding because parking spaces are hard to find) or park in one place and walk the whole area. Make sure to eat there as there are some good restaurants (our favorite is Columbias). If you are staying the night, there are a lot of bed and breakfasts there and those are a treat to stay in (a little pricey vs a regular hotel). Let me know and I can provide more ideas.
Hi~ I live in St. Augustine, and there are a lot of things to do and see...just depends on how busy you want to be. Sometimes just having beach time is all that is needed. There is a great small fort south of town on A1A South called Fort Matanzas. The park guides boat you over to the small fort and you get to climb around in it, then boat back. Fun for kids and adults. There is a fun kids park over by the downtown parking garage. The kids might like to climb around and run off some energy. Yes, Saint George Street is great for shop looking, having an ice cream cone, and wandering the old streets. You can ride the trolleys around to the sights, too. In the evening is the Ghost Tours. Have a wonderful trip! FL2MI
Put your 10 mo old behind the person with the shorter legs since they still should be rear facing. The rear racing seat will limit how far back the front seat can go without hitting it. We usually put it on the passenger side of the car ourselves to make sure the driver was comfortable. Although, you may be able to put the 10 mo old in the middle and your 5 yo on the side? May or may not work depending on your booster seat and how much room your 5 yo needs. Another benefit if you can do that is that one of you could then sit in the back and entertain the kids.
Like LRKingII said, remember there's an underfloor storage for thin/shallow/short items (e.g. a small folding table or chair). There's also a side bin for bags, bungee cords and other small items so that can free up the main cargo area for the big items.
Be prepared not to have to stop at gas stations, so timing of potty breaks are crucial, especially for middle aged men and five year olds. Be prepared for your gas gauge to stay on full for at least 200 miles. We just took a trip to Niagra Falls Canada, driving from Ohio and went 247 miles before the the gauge moved one pip. Be Safe
Try to record any cruise control managed legs with: start/stop locations, miles, start/stop times, and MPG from one of the trip meters. Things like weather conditions would help too. Thanks, Bob Wilson
Thanks everyone so far for the replies. Good tips, and thanks for the St. Augustine info. We will be there for 3 days and in Charleston for the remainder of the week. We are very excited and very curious to see what MPG we get. As I've posted before, this car beats the heck out of the 16 MPG on our FX, and seems to be a much smoother ride, believe it or not. Overall, very pleased.
Let us know how you do space wise; you may be space challenged. Pack light and do some laundry. I left our dogs at a kennel; what do they call those things where one leaves their kids?
