"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

[ddluvsdisney]

We may be driving Sunday night straight through if our flight is cancelled due to the storm.
I'm a teacher and am looking so forward to this trip. I NEED a vacation. It's just DH and I getting a little getaway. I'm pretty much convinced the flight will be cancelled and I am so bummed. My DH said to me today when I got home from work - "I'm getting you to Disney even if I have to pull an all nighter" I love him!!!
I'm still crossing my fingers that we fly but at least I know I'm still going no matter what !

 

[minnie mum]

Ugh. It has just occurred to us that we will be arriving in Orlando right around dinner time on a Monday night. Driving down from Ontario, so we'll be on I4 all the way thru the city during rush hour. Any way to get around all that traffic? Our hotel for that night is just off exit 68.

 

[sea nymph]

We will be making our 3rd WDW driving trip in April. We are in SE Pa, south of Allentown, and have always driven the 95 route. We leave on a Friday evening anywhere from 6:00-8:00 pm and go straight thru. Fortunately, we make excellent time going down. Coming home is a different story. Delays seem to be common on 95 on a Sunday. This trip, we will be contemplating going home on 95/26/77/81?

 

[nono]

Hi guys I'm a long time lurker.
So I've read all the threads on the drive to Disney. The only question I haven't seen an answer to is, how to you prepare for the straight through drive? (sleep wise)

I'm a marathon runner, and for me to perform well, the sleep two nights before is often more important than the night before. (for a marathon or a drive to WDW-kinda the same thing!). So, I focus on that night having optimal sleep, and then of course, I also aim for the night before too. When we do overnight, we catch the last ferry over. I send everyone else upstairs to play, and I stay in the car for about an hour's nap during the crossing. If things are going in my favor the day of, I'll also try to catch a 45 min nap around lunch time.

 

[Jfsag123]

Jumping in! We drove to WDW from TX in 2013 and are doing it again next month. We had the chance to fly this time and still decided to drive because we like the freedom it provides. Many think we're crazy, but I feel like I fit in here.

 

[pwdebbie]

Ugh. It has just occurred to us that we will be arriving in Orlando right around dinner time on a Monday night. Driving down from Ontario, so we'll be on I4 all the way thru the city during rush hour. Any way to get around all that traffic? Our hotel for that night is just off exit 68.

Look at 417. It is a toll road. We took it on our way home last time and it is a wonderful road. Much better than I-4. Drawback is you have to pull off and pay a toll multiple times.

 

[minnie mum]

I'll take a look at that. Thanks!

 

[BC1836]

Jumping in! We drove to WDW from TX in 2013 and are doing it again next month. We had the chance to fly this time and still decided to drive because we like the freedom it provides. Many think we're crazy, but I feel like I fit in here.

"Crazy?" Nope. "Freedom?" Indeed!

When you drive, you don't have to take off your shoes and have them examined before you start your vehicle; you can open the window (difficult to do at 30,000 feet); you can get out and stretch your legs (see previous comment); you can use a highway rest stop (instead of a box-like airplane restroom); you control who sits next to you and behind you; you can eat your own food whenever you want (or you can stop at a roadside restaurant or fast food place); there's no turbulence; you can play your favorite tunes at any volume level; and you can see the USA!

All the best!

 

[deedeew80]

Those of you who prefer to drive.....Why? LOL! DH has been so adamant this whole time about driving and not flying. The other day he says if I can find a flight for under $750 then he will consider flying instead. (I've already found a flight for under $700 a few weeks ago, but nothing less than $1000 now) I've wanted to fly all along. So now I don't know what to do. I have been putting all thought into driving & now there's a chance I could fly!! Maybe it's time for a Pros & Cons list of Flying VS Driving! LOL!

 

[Jfsag123]

"Crazy?" Nope. "Freedom?" Indeed!

When you drive, you don't have to take off your shoes and have them examined before you start your vehicle; you can open the window (difficult to do at 30,000 feet); you can get out and stretch your legs (see previous comment); you can use a highway rest stop (instead of a box-like airplane restroom); you control who sits next to you and behind you; you can eat your own food whenever you want (or you can stop at a roadside restaurant or fast food place); there's no turbulence; you can play your favorite tunes at any volume level; and you can see the USA!

Those of you who prefer to drive.....Why?

See the post above yours also quoted for a wonderful overview.

 

[disneysteve]

Those of you who prefer to drive.....Why?

I think many have already answered this. The post right above yours addresses this question.

Driving is so much more relaxing than flying. There's no schedule to adhere to. There's no security checkpoints. There's no limit on what we can pack. We leave when we're ready. We take anything and everything that we want to take. We have a comfortable van as opposed to being squeezed into a tiny airline seat for 2 hours or more. We pack snacks to enjoy along the way. We listen to whatever we want - usually the DIS Unplugged at least part of the time. We stop when we need a break. We eat where we want to eat. When we arrive at our rented condo or house, we pull up right outside the door and unload. No baggage claim. No buses. No rental car hassles. While in Florida, we can come and go as we please. No buses. We can shop for groceries, eat wherever we'd like, etc. We can leave the park and be back in our condo while others are still waiting for a bus (I once timed the drive from Animal Kingdom to our offsite resort at 4-1/2 minutes). Even when we have stayed onsite, we still drive everywhere so we need a car no matter what. So much better to have our own, especially when DD was little and we had to transport her stuff, stroller, car seat, etc. So much more convenient - and safer - than dealing with Disney transportation

 

[Brewersprts]

So I'm a little late to the party but I made yet another 2000+ trip. From 11/21-12/15

The trip was actually 3594 miles.

I would upload pictures but the new upload photo feature says my pictures are too big. I guess they don't automatically resize. Dang, when I heard about that feature on the podcast, I was very excited. Maybe they'll get it fixed soon or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

Anyways, that was a lot of miles.

 

[Brewersprts]

Ok. Here we go. Odometer sitting in my driveway before leaving.



And after pulling into the driveway after driving all night.



We averaged 16.3 mpg for the whole trip. I'd say that's pretty good considering it's a big supercharged range rover with 5 people and the rear loaded to the absolute top. Plus I definitely am not a slow driver.

 

[nono]

Those of you who prefer to drive.....Why? [snip] Maybe it's time for a Pros & Cons list of Flying VS Driving! LOL!

This is a "Pros" only thread. You can find the "Cons" on an "Autotrain" or "I love to fly" thread!

For us, it's being able to be flexible. We own a small business. Our days don't run according to a regular schedule. So, if things clean up early, and we can leave a half day or full day ahead of schedule, we do. If a customer needs help and we can't leave until the following morning, we can help the customer and make a few more $$ for our trip, and make up the difference by making a straight run of it.

And living in the southern tip of NJ, it seems like all of us take off to FL when we can, and a lot of us drive. It's just a regular part of our lives. I like flying to distant places, but I like the 16 hour road trip to FL more than I do flying to FL. Maybe it just makes Florida seem "just down the road apiece."

 

[Dirt65]

[QUOTE="amcnj, Are you planning on an early departure this trip, or an overnight drive?[/QUOTE]

We are planning to leave at around 3:00 am and drive straight through.
I was thinking its about 16 hours so we should get there sometime around 8 pm.(barring any traffic.) Theres 3 drivers so we should be able to do it. I have gone 12 before no problem, so the other 2 can just jump in while I catch a nap.

 

[BC1836]

Hmm. Let's see. We're invited to a wedding in Raleigh, NC in June. That's almost half way to WDW. Hmm.

All the best.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I

Hmm. Let's see. We're invited to a wedding in Raleigh, NC in June. That's almost half way to WDW. Hmm.

All the best.

would definitely go for it. You're practically there lol!

 

[C&G'sMama]

Disney 2,300 Mile RT 2015 (a little late)
Hey all, I had anticipated writing while on the road but figured better late than never.
We left South West Michigan on Thursday January 29th and returned on Wednesday February 11th.

Our route is US-31 to Indianapolis. and then picking up I-65 to I-24 to I-75 to the FL turnpike.
So we left on Thursday at about 4:00 to get a head start. We stopped in Carmel Indiana for the night.
On Friday we left at about 8:15 and stopped for the night in Macon, GA. From there we drove to WDW. Our original plan was to meet up with friends on Saturday but they ended up going out of town so we booked a room at AS Sports for the night. The next day (Sunday) we checked into our Family Suite at ASMu.

My in-laws flew Allegiant Air from Concord NC. So we drove to the Orlando/Sanford Airport to pick them. The tolls are high but it was worth it to avoid I-4.

Here's what I love about driving. We can choose when to leave (within vactation limits.) Our original plan was to hit the road on Monday 9th after going to Breakfast at Hollywood and Vine and enjoying a couple of rides. The day started out sunny but then turned cold and rainy fast. It appeared that we would face a lot of rain on the road that day, so... we bought ponchos (our 2nd set of the trip) and booked at Standard room at ASMu for the night.

We got up the next morning and were on the road at about 7:45. It was clear sailing the whole day but for a stretch on I-75 where the was a tractor trailer accident that meant we traveled 2 miles in one hour (with an 11 yo that had to go the bathroom). I can't remember what time we left but we hit Atlanta at about 3:45 and as we used the HOV lane it wasn't too bad. The kids wanted to stop and we're like, nope, not until we get North of Atlanta . We drove 732 miles that day and stayed in Franklin KY for the night. On the way down we hit it at about 7:00pm on a Friday. It was slow going but not too bad and so pretty at night. We timed dinner before hand so we'd get there no earlier than 7.

We made it back home on Wednesday the 12th at about 4:30.

Unfortunately it was cold and snowy when we got home, fortunately we didn't go through any bad weather.

There were also several stops to Chik-Fil-A as the closest one to our home is 50 miles away and my DP is a Chik Fil A mom so we figured we'd help her contribution to the cause by eating there. Yum!


Also, so many people just can't believe we drive and how awful it must be. We have done it several times over the last many years. We love it. Some of our best memories and silly family moments come our time spent on the road together. Wouldn't trade that for the world!

'til next time I will live vicariously through those that are traveling before our next trip.

 

[ParrotBill]

Look at 417. It is a toll road. We took it on our way home last time and it is a wonderful road. Much better than I-4. Drawback is you have to pull off and pay a toll multiple times.

We monitor Orlando traffic on every drive, not just rush hour. If there's any yellow or red on Google Maps then we take 417. You'll need around $6 for tolls if I remember right but it's clear sailing all the way. It takes about 5 minutes longer than I-4 IF, and that's a big IF, you have a clear path on I-4. Otherwise it's equal or faster to take 417.

I bought a SunPass since I also drive the non-attended expressways in Miami and Tampa sometimes, so even better with that. Without one you must pull to the side through the toll booths about 4 times.

 

[minnie mum]

Thanks for the info on the 417. Looks like I'll need to stock up on my supply of quarters. The last time we drove we got stuck on I4 during rush hour and a rain storm. It took us over 2 hours to get through!

We're now having to change our driving plans. We were going to leave on Sat. morning, drive to Hagerstown, then to Orangeburg on Sun. and arrive in Orlando on Mon. But they're forecasting snow in upstate NY and everything from rain to snow and ice all the way down the 77. So now we think well leave on Friday to get ahead of the weather and cut over to the 95 at Richmond to avoid winter conditions on that scary descent near Statesville.