For 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers only!

[BC1836]

What time are you leaving? This could be a huge factor in avoiding the congestion. We left at 7:30pm going down and 5am coming home.

We departed the Jersey Shore on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007 at 5:05 a.m. We crossed the Potomac into Virginia at 8:42 a.m. and made Florida by 6:54 p.m. We went a bit further and stayed overnight in Palm Coast, FL after an uneventful 990-mile drive. Had it been in the spring with the sun up for a couple of more hours we would have driven straight through to WDW. In fact, we're going to start a half-hour earlier in the spring and give it a try!

We left WDW yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 at 8:58 a.m. and made to Emporia, VA at 8:32. Departed VA this morning at 9:15 a.m. and made it home by 3:54 p.m.

So, we did over 6,000 miles during three 2007 round trip drives to WDW and home! Yet, I'm ready for the next one in 2008!

 

[BC1836]

I live in North Jersey and just had my best time yet. I left at 3:30a and was at Saratoga by 8:30p. With 3 kids, yes we did stop a few times just made them quicker. It was nice to have dinner when we got there. We drove twice this year. Some years more or les depending on airfare. I am jealous of you guys in south Jersey-2 hours closer!!!

Not exactly. We used to live in East Hanover (and Whippany before that) and know what you mean about your Morris County-based start. We have a bit of an edge on you but not by much since we're at the shore. We have to link up with routes 72 and 70 before getting on I-295. But folks in the Cherry Hill area, for example, jump right on I-295, and in about a half hour are crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Now THAT's a head start.

 

[4 DZNY NUTZ]

Not exactly. We used to live in East Hanover (and Whippany before that) and know what you mean about your Morris County-based start. We have a bit of an edge on you but not by much since we're at the shore. We have to link up with routes 72 and 70 before getting on I-295. But folks in the Cherry Hill area, for example, jump right on I-295, and in about a half hour are crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Now THAT's a head start.

That would be me. I live very close to the entrance for I-295......I will be getting on that great "head start" in about 46 days!!!

 

[sticker231]

It is great being on 72 without the summer traffic. Going to the store without a hassle , winter down the shore isn't that bad after all.

 

[bangzoom6877]

First driving trip coming up this summer...hopefully first of many! Itinerary:

1: Leave NY and head to NC for one night
2: Head to Children's museum in Columbia, SC for a couple of hours for the kids to have some fun; head to Savannah, GA for dinner and stay the night
3: Drive to Boca Raton, FL to visit family
4: Boca Raton
5: Boca Raton
6: Boca Raton
7: Leave Boca Raton early in the morning and head to Disneyworld (POP Century resort)! Get to MK ASAP (second MK day to follow); dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern
8: (tentative depending on EM Hours): AK early in the morning followed by an afternoon nap & dinner at Boma at AK Lodge
9: (tentative): EPCOT early in the morning; back to hotel after lunch for nap; back to EPCOT for dinner at Biergarten
10: (tentative): The Studios for an early breakfast at Hollywood & Vine; back to hotel for afternoon nap then probably dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian
11: (tentative): MK for second day but get there super early; back to hotel for afternoon nap; back to MK for dinner at Crystal Palace; SpectroMagic parade after dinner
12: earliest possible breakfast at Chef Mickey's at Contemporary; depart WDW; drive to NC and stay the night
13: drive to Maryland to visit old college friends
14: Maryland
15: drive home in the afternoon

Would you say I can't wait? Absolutely!! My kids' first of many trips to WDW!!! My first since 1994 when I was 17! Overall my 5th trip, hubby's 2nd (his last one was 1999 at age 22). We can't wait!

-Bonnie

 

[Amirah95]

Another Jersey driver here! We only go down to WDW once a year so we only log in about 2200 miles total going and coming. We enjoy the ride down and the stops along the way. It's good to see that there are many who drive a long ways like us too.

 

[Funwith4kids]

1130 miles door to door. Do it every spring break. We used to leave after kids get out of school and drive all night. Now we stay overnight on the way down to ensure we are fresh out of the gate. On the way back, we usually drive all the way since we are already vacation exhausted and want to get the drive home over......

16 hours and 1,009 miles from my door to disney. We have done it 8-10 times. I like to drive, the wife likes to fly.

We put the kids in their jammies, and have dinner, then leave about 6:00pm. Drive all night while the kids sleep. have breakfast in ocala about 7:00am, then a quick 3 hours to disney.

Drive home we leave about 10:00am, so we get home in time for a late bed the that night.

Which route do you take?

 

[Amirah95]

I just got back last Sunday from my round trip from NJ to Disney.

It's the fourth time I've done it and am getting good at it! I usually leave after work around 4-5pm and stop around midnight to 1am. Get going by 8am and get there in the evening.

I love the driving, although coming home feels so much longer! hehe The Carolinas can be a bit boring. But those South of the Border signs are always fun to see.

I've even stopped and slept in some rest stops on the way instead of a hotel. Not too bad, but would opt for a room when I can.

NC killed me. It seemed like Fayetteville would never come. SC didn't seem that bad in comparison, but definitely boring.

 

[DisneyLandMan]

i mean call me crazy but i love the drive. yea i get restless and uncomfortable and crazy tired cuz i usually get stuck driving about 100% of teh way, there and back, but its an awesome experience. like on teh way down, every state u cross into, is liek ur accomplishing something. thats how i make the time pass. the worst though, was when we drove down and we were stuck in HEAVY rain from red bank, nj almost ALLLLLL the way to south carolina. or in early 06, i drove from nj to parris island south carolina to see my brother graduate bootcamp, and then 3 weeks later i drove from nj down to disney. lol. thats logging miles

 

[CruisinEars]

Seeing this thread got me to wondering how far of a drive I would have. So I did yahoo maps and discovered it is over 3100 miles EACH way for us and would take 45 hours of drive time. I think we will stick to our 6 hour non-stop flight. Although, I have done the Marietta, GA to Orlando twice and it was a long day.

Enjoy your drives everyone!!

 

[BC1836]

It's great to see all the replies continuing on this thread! Here are a few replies:

4 DZNY NUTZ: We'll be following in your path the next month!

sticker231: Yeah, Route 72 is different this time of year. Coincidence: we exit the GSP at exit #67 to go home and we take exit #67 on I-4 to go "home" to WDW!

bangzoom6877: You've been away too long! The magic awaits you all next summer!

Amirah95: We enjoy the Carolinas ride because it is much more tranquil than the NE corridor. Of course, with CDs playing "Spectromagic," "Illuminations" and Wishes," any trip can be made more pleasureable.

CruisinEars: You've got us all beat in the 2,000 + mile round trip club. Three thousand one hundred miles each way from Washington! Wow!

 

[amcnj]

Hi. I lived at exit 67 in NJ for 13 years. Now I am a little further south of there. Anyway, we've done the drive a number of times. It is about 1075 miles now each way. Being on the east coast of NJ, it takes a little over an hour to hit the Delaware Memorial Bridge. We leave at around 2:30 am so are past DC by 5:30 AM. I cannot drive through the night, as I could not stay awake! But I can get up early without any problem. And this allows everyone else to sleep for the first 5-6 hours. By the time they wake up we are in or close to NC. We go to Altamonte Springs the first day, about 30 minutes north of WDW. We are usually there around 6:30-8:30 pm, after stopping 1.75 - 3 hours, depending on traffic, whether we stop for dinner first, etc. We always make a short stop at South of the Border as the kids enjoy that, otherwise just gas stops and meal stops. Coming home is definitely a little harder as no one other than me wants to leave real early. So we don't leave Orlando till 8-9 am, and also go to Emporia, reaching there by 9 pm or so. The next day we leave Emporia 8:30-9 AM and arrive home 3-4 Pm depending on stops.

 

[pilferk]

We were wondering how many of you good folks drive at least 2,000 miles roundtrip to WDW two times a year? We're getting ready for 2,000+ mile roundtrip #3 this year. Exit #67 on I-4; here we come!

We will be, this year.

It's about 1100+ miles, one way. We're doing a January trip and a December trip in '08.

 

[pilferk]

Thanks to all who have replied to our original question about lengthy drives to WDW! We enjoyed your comments. To be sure, the speed of an airline flight --- the flight, not the journey to and from the airport --- has a time-saving advantage, but the drive itself is flexible, baggage-friendly, and, well, memorable. Crossing each state border is part of the anticipation. We prefer the early departure. Our best time was a 6 a.m. departure in March of this year. We crossed into Virginia at 9:45 and made it to North Carolina by 12:33. We reached Florida by 8:06 p.m. and after another hour or so we made our overnight stay in St. Augustine.The next morning: a shorter drive, to be sure, to WDW!

We've got young kids, so our reasoning for driving involves the baggage friendliness and the costs.

We actually prefer to leave later in the day (1 PM to 3 PM) so I can drive straight through, overnight, and the kids can sleep through most of the car ride (thanks to kidapotomus and kidcuddle pillows!). All I can say is thank GOD for portable DVD players!

Coming from CT, with bathroom and food stops, I can do the drive in just about 20 to 21 hours, in a straight shot. We never stop on the way down (so far) but have stopped on the way home, in/around NJ. I can tailor my sleep pattern leading up to the trip so I can do 20 hours straight. On the way home, it's tougher because we do a 1/2 day (and lunch) in the park before we leave. By 11 PM to 12AM (about 1/2 way home), I"m wiped out that day.

 

[BC1836]

TO: amcnj: You are so correct! That early morning wakeup is the key. Our 5:05 a.m. departure was a good one for us on this trip so I thought about a 4:30 a.m. departure next spring. But after reading your reply, we might even want to go around 4 or 4:15 a.m. We'll see. But a Sunday drive is essential. Traffic isn't that bad.

TO: pilferk: Your 20-21 hour drive is impressive to us. About 17 hours is our max. And, to be sure, when you drive you can bring whatever you want in your vehicle. We overheard two guys talking at EPCOT. One said to the other: "How are you gonna get all that stuff on carry on?"

One thing, though: we've maintained a travel journal to and fro since our first drive in 2002. It's fun to look back on and interesting to compare and contrast travel times of past trips. And there's nothing like entering "EXIT 67 I-4, WDW" in the journal!

Gas prices on our trip last week varied from a low of $2.85 in GA to a high of $2.98 just south of DC along I-95. And the prices did drop in one week along the multi-state trip. The WDW Hess dropped 2 cents while we were there.

 

[.:Disney.:.Freak:.]

We haven't recently driven down but when I was younger (about 9 years ago or so) we drove down to Florida twice and we hated. I hate driving to Florida. That's why we always fly down now the past few years. I think the only places we drive to for vacation is Ocean City MD and Myrtle Beach SC.

 

[TSMAMI]

We haven't recently driven down but when I was younger (about 9 years ago or so) we drove down to Florida twice and we hated. I hate driving to Florida. That's why we always fly down now the past few years. I think the only places we drive to for vacation is Ocean City MD and Myrtle Beach SC.

We drive to Ocean City Maryland too. Love that place!

 

[digskat]

about 2800 miles round trip here. Other than the crappy signage and constant detours in Detroit, we enjoy the drive. We have done it 4 times, 3x in the last 24 months. We do the countdown, and celebration with the passing of each state sign.

 

[MinMouse]

We have driven to WDW 7 times. Not all in one year although most year's we drive down at least twice. Our trip from Delaware is just over 2,000 miles round trip. We like to leave between 2 & 4 a.m. to get through the DC traffic. We drive into Florida and stay overnight there. Sometimes we stay in Jacksonville (which leaves us 3 hours or so to WDW) and sometimes we stay in Lake Mary (only about 35-45 minutes from WDW). We check in and head to a park all refreshed. Great thread! I love reading how others plan their driving trips. We do breakdown and fly if the price is right though!

 

[BC1836]

We have driven to WDW 7 times. Not all in one year although most year's we drive down at least twice. Our trip from Delaware is just over 2,000 miles round trip. We like to leave between 2 & 4 a.m. to get through the DC traffic. We drive into Florida and stay overnight there. Sometimes we stay in Jacksonville (which leaves us 3 hours or so to WDW) and sometimes we stay in Lake Mary (only about 35-45 minutes from WDW). We check in and head to a park all refreshed. Great thread! I love reading how others plan their driving trips. We do breakdown and fly if the price is right though!

Hopefully you miss that $4.00 Delaware toll!

For New Jersey drivers heading south: $3.00 Delaware Memorial Bridge toll; $4.00 Delaware I-95 toll; and the $2.00 Baltimore tunnel toll. After that: $0!