Help me w/ anxiety w/ driving from NY! Questions

[fairytinkerbell]

We are renting a car w/ insurance for 10 days (pick up charge day before we leave, and have to return it on Monday.).

The total came to $778.

Unlimited mileage, SUV

We could get a full size, but it's only $150 less. THey said to check back and it might go down $100 by then (fall)

We figured we'd be driving 17hrs to FL, so more space would be more comfortable.
Are there tunnels from NY to WDW??

The longest drive we ever did was 12 hours and we new we had good weather.

We are leaving from FL to NY to go home on a Sat and have to be at work on Monday. What would we do if it was ponding on roads, bad rain, weather, etc.?? How do we know how I-95 is miles and miles north before we get there??? What do you do to plan this? Any help appreciated!!!!

I need to know what we would do/plan B so to speak....

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

We've driven from NY many times. We usually stop and sleep on the way down. DH likes to leave early and drive all the way through on the way home. It is a long exhausting ride home. There is a tunnel in Maryland and a bridge in Delaware. One year we did hit a lot of traffic in Maryland due to an accident. Another year we went in November and hit a snow storm on the way home.
So when driving, anything can happen. If you are leaving Saturday, you should be home Sunday night. Happy driving!

 

[tms295psu]

We are renting a car w/ insurance for 10 days (pick up charge day before we leave, and have to return it on Monday.).

The total came to $778.

Unlimited mileage, SUV

We could get a full size, but it's only $150 less. THey said to check back and it might go down $100 by then (fall)

We figured we'd be driving 17hrs to FL, so more space would be more comfortable.
Are there tunnels from NY to WDW??

The longest drive we ever did was 12 hours and we new we had good weather.

We are leaving from FL to NY to go home on a Sat and have to be at work on Monday. What would we do if it was ponding on roads, bad rain, weather, etc.?? How do we know how I-95 is miles and miles north before we get there??? What do you do to plan this? Any help appreciated!!!!

I need to know what we would do/plan B so to speak....

What part of NY are you traveling from?
We travel from Lehigh Valley area of PA... and find 18 hrs is a good estimate of "comfortable" driving time. But can be done in less... My grandfather owns a freight company, and has multiple tractor trailers driving up and down i-95 daily (Miami to Maine)

There is a tunnel in Baltimore MD, but you can avoid it... plan to travel thru the Philly/Baltimore/DC area early morning (completely thru before 6 am) Or late evening (after 8pm) otherwise you can and hours to your trip with traffic. Mid day is okay on the weekends also... just avoid the "cities" near normal rush hour times.

Watch the weather channel or log online to check before departing... you national weather would let you know of anything going on. And 2 full days is more than enough time to drive home. Even with heavy rain! I-95 is a major route... not much slows it down!

If it makes you feel any better... you could get a portable CB radio @ radio shack or similar. Truckers are really good about "sharing" what's ahead on the road... including Police Radar (speeding), accident delays, etc. Granted you may want to turn the volume down @ times... there are occasions of "non-family friendly" jokes. You might even get a recommendation of a good (or too avoid) stop/place to eat along the way. FYI- Channel 19 is were most of them chat.

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Thanks for the tips! We bought a Mid land Travel Emer radio for the trip.
How do u handle driving in bad weather? flooding? or ponding? heavy rain? snow?
Like, if we see that on Sat (when we have to head home) it will be heavy rain on east coast, do we leave on Friday?? We have to be at work for Monday.

 

[faindrops27]

Tink,

We are driving down the end of August, from Long Island. We will be driving straight through to get the most vacation time. This is the furthest we have ever driven. But, we look forward to spending the family time on the road together. We will leave @ 6 p.m. Will hopefully arrive the next day @ 11-1p.m depending on gassing up and bathroom breaks. I will pack a cooler full of foods, snacks, drinks. As for the weather, if it is raining just take it slow. You should be just fine. Happy & safe travels!!

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Wow, I never thought of leaving on that Friday night. I don't think DH would want to, he gets up very early for work and is falling asleep by 8pm.....
I guess we can leave by 5am that Saturday.

I am assuming this schedule, tell me what u think please:

(I'll post it in Transportation)

Ps: How do u handle the weather and driving? If it calls for heavy flooding rain, do u continue driving or leave a day early??? How do u know where it floods???

 

[JMSMommy]

Do you have a smart phone? Both Android and iPhone have "google maps" apps that show roads with bad traffic along the route. The other idea is to bookmark the state road condition websites (like the state dept of transportation)...warning, they are really slow most of the time.

If you are leaving on Saturday...then you are giving yourself enough time I would think.

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Thanks. DH has a itouch. Would that work? Do u think we should fly?
THe rental car is $800 and flight is $700. Plus rental in Orlando $500 week.
So I guess it evens out?



Would you consider leaving a day early if the forecast called for bad weather???

 

[Goofygirl17]

When is your trip?

I've driven twice from CT with my two DDs (9 and 12) without DH. We had a great time! The first time we took 95 down and back, stopping for 2 nights- so driving 3 days. Last summer we drove down in 2 days only stopping for one night. We took the inland route through Pennsylvania the second time. I liked that route a lot better because there was less traffic and it was a much more relaxing ride (lots of corn fields to look at )

The first trip we stopped in Myrtle Beach the first night on the way home and hit a pretty bad rainstorm for an hour or so somewhere in North Carolina the second day. I just drove slower until the rain let up.

If you would like a more relaxing ride with less worry I would take the inland route.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Thanks, in October.

How do u take the inland route?? I95?
Were u concerned about flooding?

 

[Rhonda922]

Hello! Just chiming in from New Jersey. We're not drivers - we always fly. I like the 2 hour & change flight out of Newark. What makes everybody drive down to Florida from the north east? I would never have the patience. I have to hand it to you all that can drive all that way to Florida but why the long drive? Just curious.

 

[tms295psu]

Thanks. DH has a itouch. Would that work? Do u think we should fly?
THe rental car is $800 and flight is $700. Plus rental in Orlando $500 week.
So I guess it evens out?



Would you consider leaving a day early if the forecast called for bad weather???

Are you planning on staying ON-site @ Disney? If so, definitely fly (into MCO) and use the Magical Express (free ride to Disney Property).

 

[bluezy]

Hello! Just chiming in from New Jersey. We're not drivers - we always fly. I like the 2 hour & change flight out of Newark. What makes everybody drive down to Florida from the north east? I would never have the patience. I have to hand it to you all that can drive all that way to Florida but why the long drive? Just curious.

We always drive from Southeast PA and we do it for a few different reasons.

1. We have 5 kids -- so the airfare for 7 people is much higher than the cost for driving. When we drove last June only 3 of our kids went with us so I once again looked at airfare thinking *maybe* it would be closer to the cost of driving for us. The lowest airfare I could find was about $1300 for the 5 of us. And that was before baggage fees and parking the car for the week. It cost us under $500 (for gas and 2 hotel nights) to drive.

2. My husband does not like to fly. Period. He does it for business, but gets extremely stressed about it to the point where he is miserable to be around for the 2 days before he has to fly. He has been like this since I met him nearly 20 years ago so it has nothing to do with 9/11. He just doesn't like to fly. Our vacation would not be very pleasant if we flew there since he'd be worried about the flight home for the last few days of the vacation. Even if we got free airfare, I would have to think long and hard about whether it would be worth it for us, emotionally, to fly. My husband would do it if I asked him to, but I probably never would.

3. We enjoy driving. The kids travel very well and we like the anticipation of getting closer and closer to Disney World -- taking in the sites along the way. We've had a lot of fun conversations in our van on long drives. And for the drive home, it's a nice 2-day transition back into reality.

4. We don't have to worry about how much we pack or how heavy our suitcases are (not that we over pack, but it's one less thing to worry about for us.).

I know for some families, the driving time would cut into their park time but for us, we plan how long we want to stay at Disney World on that trip and then add the driving days to that. I know some families just don't enjoy driving -- I have friends whose kids fight constantly even on a 3-hour flight so the thought of being in a car with them for 16+ hours isn't appealing. I get that. Driving works great for our family but I know it's not for everyone.

 

[rwdavis2]

Thanks, in October.

How do u take the inland route?? I95?
Were u concerned about flooding?

Just curious, why are you so concerned about flooding? I've never heard of I-95 ever flooding. October whether should be just fine for traveling the east coast.

 

[vicki_c]

rwdavis - just noticed your avatar photo & your Pgh dad quote in your signature- hilarious! I just found him the other day when someone pointed me to one of the videos (the one where he is scraping out the margarine container at the dinner table). So funny - and familiar for some of us! I will be watching more!

Sorry for the hijack OP.

(And by the way, I also don't know why you would be worried about flooding, or even weather on I-95 in October, but based on your posts, you seem to be very nervous about driving, so flying might be a better option for you. you don't need to rent a car, so you could save that $$ as well).

 

[Ed J]

Do u think we should fly?
THe rental car is $800 and flight is $700. Plus rental in Orlando $500 week.
So I guess it evens out?

If you can get everyone there with $700 for flights I would never even think of driving.

$700 for the flights + $200 for a car (you can get a mid or full size in the fall for way less than $500) + gas $50 + parking if your staying off site puts you +/- $1000 for transportation.

$800 rental +$300 to $400 in fuel and tolls + parking if your staying off site puts you +/- $1100 for transportation.

Unless you want to see the south of boarder signs for 250 miles, there is no choice other than to fly.

 

[rwdavis2]

Also: Sorry for the hijack OP.

rwdavis - just noticed your avatar photo & your Pgh dad quote in your signature- hilarious! I just found him the other day when someone pointed me to one of the videos (the one where he is scraping out the margarine container at the dinner table). So funny - and familiar for some of us! I will be watching more!

It's probably the funniest thing I've seen on the web ever. This guy nails the Pittsburgh thing. Accent, attitude, you name it. Have you watched the one where he watches the Steeler game? That's my family to a tee.

I'm originally from outside of Pittsburgh (Kittanning), went to Pitt and moved here in 1980. Tried moving back in early 90's and realized Pittsburgh is a nice place to be from. Still go back for Pitt and Steeler games and to see family.

 

[Desnik]

I'm also curious why you are so nervous about flooding?

We've driven from NY a bunch of times, a few times in the fall and we've never had a problem with weather. If it'll cost you the same amount to fly, then fly. You seem to be so nervous and stressed about driving so I would just fly.

You didnt mention what part of NY you are from but if you are going to drive you'll be fine getting back to work on Monday if you leave on Sat.

 

[chartle]

I'm also curious why you are so nervous about flooding?

We've driven from NY a bunch of times, a few times in the fall and we've never had a problem with weather. If it'll cost you the same amount to fly, then fly. You seem to be so nervous and stressed about driving so I would just fly.

You didnt mention what part of NY you are from but if you are going to drive you'll be fine getting back to work on Monday if you leave on Sat.

I was just about to post the same thing. Do you not drive much in "New Yawk" (your term so I'm thinking NYC (?)) ? Everyone of your posts has referenced flooding and bad weather.

One thing that I don't think you have posted is your dates.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Thanks. DH has a itouch. Would that work? Do u think we should fly?
THe rental car is $800 and flight is $700. Plus rental in Orlando $500 week.
So I guess it evens out?



Would you consider leaving a day early if the forecast called for bad weather???

Honestly I would fly! Think of all the vacation hours spent just driving to/from WDW. Thats a lot of time! Plus your price for the rental car verses airfare is not a big difference. The rental car in Florida will come down in price. If you look about a week to 10 before your trip you can get a great rental car rate. Just look over the other threads for the April rental car deals and you will see that those folks got great rates. I book a car the week before we leave and last year we paid $84 for weekly rental of a mid size at Alamo. And this year we paid $87 for a mid size weekly rental.
Here is a link to the above mentioned trip report
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907120&highlight=kentucky

I just read someone trip report the other day and they were 45 minutes into their trip when the husband lost control of their car on wet roads. Needless to say the car was a total loss. A family member came to get them and drove them to a rental car center so they could rent a car and continue their trip. So they had a delay in getting on the road to start their long haul from Ohio.