Driving from NJ to WDW

[DarleneW]

We are driving from NJ to WDW the end of October. We have done this many times before and the drive down isn't so bad (we leave around 3:45 a.m.) but the ride home is horrible as soon as we are in Virginia getting around DC and also all through MD and we leave WDW either around 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. Is there a way to avoid going on I-95 through this whole area that would be a better choice to avoid the always present traffic?

 

[BC1836]

Check out the "For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" thread.

We just returned home and posted NJ to WDW info.

All the best.

 

[amcnj]

We are driving from NJ to WDW the end of October. We have done this many times before and the drive down isn't so bad (we leave around 3:45 a.m.) but the ride home is horrible as soon as we are in Virginia getting around DC and also all through MD and we leave WDW either around 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. Is there a way to avoid going on I-95 through this whole area that would be a better choice to avoid the always present traffic?

The last time I left WDW around 8 AM and was in the DC area around 9 PM. While the roads were far from deserted, I can't recall any real traffic delays. Of course that meant getting home a little after midnight. Depending where in NJ you live, some people go the "inland route" and avoid that area of 95. There are variations to that inland drive too. I have never taken it as it does not work for where I live, but many on the thread referenced in the previous post do take that route regularly and can give you advice.

 

[artesian]

Need to know your start point. I've done the 78-81 way and only added an hour and avoided all the traffic spots. I wouldn't recommend that way if you are south of the Driscoll.

 

[DarleneW]

Need to know your start point. I've done the 78-81 way and only added an hour and avoided all the traffic spots. I wouldn't recommend that way if you are south of the Driscoll.

I live in Ocean County.

 

[BigTigger]

I live in Ocean County.

Heading north to your area of NJ, I'd suggest you cut off at Emporia, VA and take Rt 58 over to Norfolk and take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel to Rt 13 north. You can take the Lewe's ferry over to Ocean County or go up to I-95 and over the Delaware River Bridge. This is a nice alternative to the I-95 mess and you save in miles enough to make the time a wash.

 

[artesian]

Heading north to your area of NJ, I'd suggest you cut off at Emporia, VA and take Rt 58 over to Norfolk and take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel to Rt 13 north. You can take the Lewe's ferry over to Ocean County or go up to I-95 and over the Delaware River Bridge. This is a nice alternative to the I-95 mess and you save in miles enough to make the time a wash.

This is an option for sure. Personally I'd shy away from the ferry and take either 195 or the AC expressway to 95 and wind through Delaware. I find the overall trip time about the same or better than taking the ferry and you're removing any chance of an issue at the ferry.

 

[richmo]

A little north of Richmond you can cut over on VA-207 that takes you over to US-301, which will take you a little east of DC. From there you can either continue on 301 into Delaware and eventually over to DE-1, or pick up I-97, which will hook you back up to I-95 near Baltimore.

 

[capegirl]

We just did this drive. We are from MA, but we stayed at a hotel off the NJ Turnpike in East Windsor to avoid the NYC traffic. We left our NJ hotel at 5am, on a Thursday, and we did not encounter any delays between NJ and SC where we stopped for the night.