Driving from NJ

[staceywj]

Having such anxiety driving this summer from NJ with DH, DD6 and DD10. (DD10 had health issues and was not cleared to fly.) So, we are going to do this. I do not know where to start...should I have places mapped out so we can get out and stretch? Then, have about 3-5 areas where I think we will stop for the night and then see where we end up?

Any suggestions on where you stopped and which hotels are appreciated!

 

[jskacoc]

We've never driven there as a family so I don't have personal experience but my DH just drove from NJ to Fla yesterday/today for work. I came across this page when seeing how much more he had to go. Seems helpful.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/V-I95.htm
(shows it's part of Dis so hoping it's ok to post)

 

[JPM3]

Back in the day when my family drove down to Orlando from North Jersey, we took our time and made overnight stops in Virginia (forgot which town, hehe) and Georgia (Savannah). There was no rush to get to Orlando, and we figured that time should be spent visiting some of the Southern States since it was our first time seeing those areas.

You'll be on I-95 all the way down, and there are plenty of stops from which to choose, depending on your schedule. Lodging, rest stop, and accommodations signs are posted continuously. A family road trip is always great for the memories. A plan is great to have before leaving, and I'm sure you will also see various stops along the way that catch your attention - opportunities for photos, some sightseeing, and the like.

I always felt that it was kinda exciting just driving through new territory on our way to the prize that was WDW, and if you take your time, it will be enjoyable.

 

[amcnj]

Not sure where in NJ you are starting from, but I am about an hour and ten minutes from DE, as reference. I leave early, 2:30AM and go straight through, arriving in the WDW area by 6:30 pm or so, depending on stops, traffic, weather, etc. I think it has been as early as 5:30 PM and as late as 8:30 PM. Everyone else sleeps for the start of the trip, and it may be NC or even SC before they awaken! I can't handle overnight drives, and get up early for work anyway, so rising a couple of hours earlier and leaving works best for me.

I think the first time driving down we did leave later and stayed in the Jacksonville area. And other times we spent the first night in Winter Park or Altamonte Springs, but now go to Orlando itself, then check in at WDW the next morning.

Also we have stopped sometimes on the way home, as no one but me wants to leave WDW 2:30 AM, and stopped in VA (usually the Emporia area, or a little further north). But sometimes we are making good time (hitting that usual stopping area at say 6:30 PM) and made it home a little after midnight after having left WDW 8 AM.

Check the cancellation policies for any hotels you book. A couple of the major chains started requiring 24 hour advanced cancellation to avoid charges (up till 11:59 PM the day before check-in), instead of allowing you to cancel up till 6PM the day of check-in.

 

[BigTigger]

I drove from Jersey City to Orlando just before Christmas. It was a two day trip with an overnight stop in NC.

You mention summer in your timing, so I can suggest two things to consider to make the first half of the drive (NJ to VA) go smoothly.

1) If you do not like traffic and rush hour type driving, then do everything you can to not drive through MD/DC/VA from 7 to 10 am or 3 to 7 pm. I'm not sure where you'll start from in NJ, but if I-95 is your road of choice then consider leaving at 6 pm on the first day and shooting to make it to either Fredericksburg, VA area (just north of Richmond) or Rocky Mount/Wilson, NC area for your first overnight stop. You can make it to Fredericksburg, VA by 11 pm and Wilson, NC by 1 am. You will have to check road construction taking this route in the summer. HOV lanes and road expansion construction seems to consume travel lanes from White Marsh Road just north of Baltimore through to the DC beltway split. Depending on what is happening you can either sail through or spend 2+ hours stuck in traffic. Day 2 of this route will get you to WDW by 6 pm if you leave by 7 am and make the usual stops every 2-3 hours for stretching the legs, gas, and food.

2) Consider taking Route 13 through the DelMarVa peninsula over the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel and then across Norfolk and lower Virginia on interstates and divided highway 58 to Emporia where you'll pick up I-95 again. While this route has some lights and stop and go, it is much more relaxing than I-95 and has lots of food choices along the way to eat at. MD and VA also have nice rest areas to stop in and the bridge/tunnel is a man made wonder. I drove over it at sunset last trip and the views were amazing. If you take this route you can stop in WIlson, NC as noted above or even further down into the Carolinas. NC and SC each take about 3 hours to drive through and have lots of easy on / easy off places to eat, fill-up, and stay.

 

[staceywj]

Thanks everyone! Having this as a guide is very encouraging along with thinking of it as making memories. I will check out the link too.

BigTigger, we are neighbors - we live in Bayonne.

 

[DizDaD7]

I've driven twice. Both times leaving from Bergen County at 4:00 pm. The key to this (like a pp stated) is getting to wash. D.C. past rush hour. Once past ,we stop eat quick , kids get changed into pj,s and then by 8:30 or so until 6 am they were asleep. That's when a great chunk of the driving was done. We would wake them up grab breakfast and complete the journey. Arriving in WDW roughly 11 or so the next day. 18 hour drive.

This year I have an extra week of vacation to spare, so I may try something different. We might leave on a Friday morning at 3:00 am, drive to Santee, S.c. Or about. Then stop off roughly around 2 , grab a clean motel, let them swim, and refresh, eat dinner, early to bed, then continue the journey the next morning around 7. Hopefully getting to vero beach at like 1 or so.

 

[DCbride]

We drive every August and have done so since DD was 2. We head straight down rt95. We usually spend the first night in VA to see relatives then drive to Jacksonville. But we have done NJ to Fayetteville or Lumberton, NC or Florence SC. Then hit Disney the next day because DH doesn't like to drive past 8/9.

There are lots of travel aps that can help you plan and keep the kids busy. We usually pack DD a bunch of new small items and let her begin something new every few hours.

 

[BC1836]

And all who have driven (or expect to drive) from NJ to WDW are invited to join the "For 2,000+ Mile Round Trip Drivers Only!" thread. We share a lot of information and look forward to new drivers sharing their experieces/asking questions.

We are in the middle of our 35th drive from NJ since 2002.

All the best.

 

[njmom76]

We drove fromNJ this summer & stopped in Florence, SC on our way down. We stopped in Savannah on the way home, but left from West Palm area. We had a 6 yeaor old & 18 month old with us and found plenty of places to stop that were clean & well lit at night. Safe travels! When we had an idea on the road of where we wanted to stop, I called from my cell & made a reservation. Both times when we got to the hotel around 11 pm, they were sold out so try to book ahead.

 

[Tiggerette]

I imagine the thread, "For 2,000+ Mile Round Trip Drivers Only!" would have already posted info about the Auto Train, but since I didn't see it here (or missed it), I thought I'd mention a few words. We've driven directly from New England to New Orleans, and New England to Orlando, both 25+ hour trips. After doing that, we've discovered that for us the Amtrak Auto Train's benefits outweigh its burdens when traveling to/from the Florida area.

- Booking early on the AutoTrain enabled us to get a bedroom at a price that was similar to paying for a hotel room, meals and gas.
- The AutoTrain saved the time we would have spent sleeping at a hotel, and allowed us to walk about and have some "down time."

We only used it one way, because we wanted to detour to some Southern cities on our way down to Orlando. We really enjoyed it on our way back, and it ended up being a relaxing way to recover from a fun stay in Orlando.

All best for your travels! -Krista

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We drive down from central jersey. I have an 8 year old and a 1 yea old. We took the 1 year old last time when he was only 8 months old. I was having the same sort of anxieties as you.we chose to drive bc it was just easier to throw everything in the back of the truck and go. Plus it was A LOT cheaper. Anyways you will drive 95 practically the entire way there. There are a million rest stops a long the way so stopping to stretch and use the bathroom or eat are not a problem. We drive down to Florence, sc and stay over night and then drive the rest of the way to Orlando the next day. We usually leave at 6:00am. The first day with stops and eating and stuff it usually takes about 10-11 hours or so. The next day it only takes us about 6-7 hours with stops and stuff. I would rather drive further on our first day than the day we are arriving in Orlando. It's not a bad drive. We usually bring DVDs and books and stuff to keep the kids busy. Don't worry about it. You will drive yourself crazy. It's just something you need to get into your car and just drive lol.

 

[staceywj]

Thanks everyone, great suggestions and advice that I am going to research!

 

[jen19806]

There's an I95 ap that we found helpful. It's not interactive, but it provides a list of I95 exits in order with what amenities are at each one. It was nice to be able to look ahead in the car & plan which exit we wanted to use since we weren't familiar with the area. Ie which ones had three gas stations, 4 hotels & every fast food option known to man vs the ones with one gas station and a convenience store.

 

[NJFireman22]

Having driven from South Jersey over 30 times, we have found that leaving around 5pm and driving thru the night has worked for us. We have been doing this since our 3 kids were in diapers. We stop at just about every states 1st rest stop, to stretch etc. or when gas is needed. We have never had a problem finding gas in the wee hours of the morning. We usually drive in to our home around 10am. We swap drivers every 3-4 hours.

 

[edbo77]

There's an I95 ap that we found helpful. It's not interactive, but it provides a list of I95 exits in order with what amenities are at each one. It was nice to be able to look ahead in the car & plan which exit we wanted to use since we weren't familiar with the area. Ie which ones had three gas stations, 4 hotels & every fast food option known to man vs the ones with one gas station and a convenience store.

Any idea what the name of the app is? Just did a quick search on the Apple store and didn't see anything.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Any idea what the name of the app is? Just did a quick search on the Apple store and didn't see anything.

I-95 Exit Guide by Starsystems
https://appsto.re/us/GL1-x.i

This is the name of the app for I95

 

[staceywj]

Thanks for the app. I wish there was a crystal ball app to determine if my 6 year will behave throughout the drive.

 

[kandb]

When we drove, I would buy a bunch of stuff at the dollar store and take a few things out when the kids would get antsy. I would blow up balloons, let them color on them with markers, get
other crafts that they could do sitting and get some good movies for our dvd player. Try to keep kids interested in some things and it shouldn't be too bad.