Who loves Driving to WDW? I need advice.

[auntpolly]

I'm driving to WDW - haven't done that since I was in college. If I'm starting in Philadelphia, mapquest says it takes around 15 hours. Any kamikazi drivers out there that do it all in one pop? You from the N/E - where is a good midpoint stop if you do it in 2 legs?

Anyone have a really scenic route they want to share.

BTW, I want to do all the things we used to do - stop at a roadside alligator farm, stop for free OJ, watch for Pedro's South of the Border signs.... you know, all the reaaaallllly tacky stuff from when I was little.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HayGan]

I'm interested in hearing all the cool stuff as we have the same trip coming up just from the opposite side of auntpolly's state

 

[grinningghost]

Never all in one pop. We drive from Buffalo and a great stopping point is Florence, SC. The next day, get up very early and straight on until WDW.

 

[NJHOO]

We lived in Central Jersey and occasionally had driven straight through; however, you are very very tired upon arrival. What usually worked the best was an early start and stopping for the night in Hardeeville SC, right on the Ga border. With a reasonable start the second day, would be in WDW for lunch.

 

[kaylajr]

Drove from NY a few years ago

stopped in Florence SC

enjoy your trip

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I'm driving to WDW - haven't done that since I was in college. If I'm starting in Philadelphia, mapquest says it takes around 15 hours. Any kamikazi drivers out there that do it all in one pop? You from the N/E - where is a good midpoint stop if you do it in 2 legs?

Anyone have a really scenic route they want to share.

BTW, I want to do all the things we used to do - stop at a roadside alligator farm, stop for free OJ, watch for Pedro's South of the Border signs.... you know, all the reaaaallllly tacky stuff from when I was little.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!

AuntPolly,

YOu certainly can drive it in one day. WE drive from Mass in two days b/c it is about 22 hrs and that 7 extra hrs makes a difference. We do however, drive for 15 hrs on the first day. My husband has an alternate route that is a little longer and actually goes through Penn. It is much better than going through NYC!! I do not know if it pertains to you but I if you want I will ask him. Definately do not stop if you can avoid it. Get yourself one extra day at WDW.
I would leave at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning. Bring sandwiches and snacks and then when you stop at a rest stop you can just eat there and save time(and money). We also watch for the South of the Border Signs. One fun thing we do is count them!! I am leaving in two weeks. It would be interesting to see how many you count and compare it with mine.
If you are bringing children I suggest that you DO NOT let them go to sleep that night. Let them stay up all night and then they will sleep in the car. My kids loved doing this since they had a strict bedtime everyother day of the year!!

 

[auntpolly]

Is Florence, SC a place with good hotels to stay the night in? Have any ones you can recommend?

 

[golfgal]

One thing about Mapquest, their estimated drive times are usually on the high end. I know that if I plug in trips we take frequently and see what the times are for those it is ridiculous. One trip that takes us 1 1/2 hours is listed at 2 1/2 hours on mapquest. Our trip to St. Louis which takes 10 hours, including stops takes 15 hours according to mapquest. All the roads we take have speed limits of 70 MPH or more and that is where the difference comes. We also don't go through any major cities, so no rush hour concerns.

 

[disneylizzy]

We did it from Boston all in one pop. Not so bad going down (it was fun), but coming back was killer. DH is a long haul truck driver and he drove the whole way. He just can't relax with anyone else (read - me) driving. 21 hour drive from Boston.

He works at night, so he slept all day and we left about 4pm. His reasoning was that it is better to have daylight when you start to get tired than be driving at night.

We did not do 95 all the way down, but 81 which was more scenic.

If you have kids - rent or buy a VCR or DVD player.

Have Fun!

 

[kaylajr]

Is Florence, SC a place with good hotels to stay the night in? Have any ones you can recommend?

Don't remember exactly where we stayed

one of the chains i think like Days or comfort

it was just where we were when we got tired of driving

 

[disneylizzy]

Go over to the Transportation board, too. When we were considering doing the drive again there was a lot of good information there. I think it is on a sticky.

 

[auntpolly]

He just can't relax with anyone else (read - me) driving. 21 hour drive from Boston.

:

LOL Sounds like my DH!!! But he's not going. It's me and my sister this trip.

 

[auntpolly]

Don't remember exactly where we stayed

one of the chains i think like Days or comfort

it was just where we were when we got tired of driving

Oh, here's a good question then --- I really have never gone anywhere without making reservations first -- is it pretty safe to do that? Can you count on finding a room?

 

[auntpolly]

Go over to the Transportation board, too. When we were considering doing the drive again there was a lot of good information there. I think it is on a sticky.

Thanks! I'll do that!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

We did it from Boston all in one pop. Not so bad going down (it was fun), but coming back was killer. DH is a long haul truck driver and he drove the whole way. He just can't relax with anyone else (read - me) driving. 21 hour drive from Boston.

He works at night, so he slept all day and we left about 4pm. His reasoning was that it is better to have daylight when you start to get tired than be driving at night.

We did not do 95 all the way down, but 81 which was more scenic.

If you have kids - rent or buy a VCR or DVD player.

Have Fun!

That was the route I was thiking of 81!! Isn't that the route the truckers use?? If I am not mistaken it was suggested to me by my friend who used to be a long distance trucker. I would like to do it in 21 hrs w/out stopping but I hate to drive and it always seemed like the car carriers were out to get me so I had to pull over and let my husbnand do it! I always say it will be 22 hrs just so I will be pleasantly "surprised" when it is 21! I think doing it in 15 hrs is very do-able and if I had only that drive I would definately not stop. We have driven down for the past 10 yrs( I hate flying and 09/11 did not help it).

 

[disneysteve]

auntpolly - We've driven from the Philly area many times - will do it again in November. We take 95 all the way except for using the 295 bypass around Richmond and around Jacksonville. Total drive time is about 15 hours or so. It usually takes us between 17 and 18 counting rest stops.

DW and I drove non-stop once before DD came along. We left Philly at 2pm and arrived at Disney at 7am. If you are planning to drive non-stop, I have one major piece of advice. Make sure you will be able to check in to your hotel immediately even if that means paying for an extra night. When we arrived at 7am, we couldn't check in until 3pm and we were exhausted. That day and the next day, we were like the walking dead until we caught up on some sleep.

Now, we stop overnight on the way. We've stopped at various points in South Carolina and Georgia. It all depends on how far we've gotten when we are ready to stop for the nite. We never plan it in advance. What you should do is stop at the welcome center as you enter the state and get the booklet with all the room discounts. Those booklets have a map showing every exit on the road and what hotels are there. When we know we are within about 1 hour of stopping, we'll pick a hotel and call ahead to reserve a room. We are Marriott Reward members so we usually try and pick a Fairfield Inn. And those discount booklets are for real. Last trip, we called to get a room. The clerk said it was $79.95. I said how about a AAA discount. She said that was $74.95. Then I said I had a coupon from the booklet for $59.95. She said ok and gave us that rate. Right after I checked in, a woman behind me asked for a room (didn't have reservation or a booklet). She paid $79.95.

Happy travels. BTW, South of the Border is nice to look at but I wouldn't waste my time stopping there and I would definitely not eat there. The free OJ places in Florida are good. We also like to stop somewhere in Georgia and get pecan logs and papershell pecans.

 

[auntpolly]

auntpolly - We've driven from the Philly area many times - will do it again in November. We take 95 all the way except for using the 295 bypass around Richmond and around Jacksonville. Total drive time is about 15 hours or so. It usually takes us between 17 and 18 counting rest stops.

DW and I drove non-stop once before DD came along. We left Philly at 2pm and arrived at Disney at 7am. If you are planning to drive non-stop, I have one major piece of advice. Make sure you will be able to check in to your hotel immediately even if that means paying for an extra night. When we arrived at 7am, we couldn't check in until 3pm and we were exhausted. That day and the next day, we were like the walking dead until we caught up on some sleep.

Now, we stop overnight on the way. We've stopped at various points in South Carolina and Georgia. It all depends on how far we've gotten when we are ready to stop for the nite. We never plan it in advance. What you should do is stop at the welcome center as you enter the state and get the booklet with all the room discounts. Those booklets have a map showing every exit on the road and what hotels are there. When we know we are within about 1 hour of stopping, we'll pick a hotel and call ahead to reserve a room. We are Marriott Reward members so we usually try and pick a Fairfield Inn. And those discount booklets are for real. Last trip, we called to get a room. The clerk said it was $79.95. I said how about a AAA discount. She said that was $74.95. Then I said I had a coupon from the booklet for $59.95. She said ok and gave us that rate. Right after I checked in, a woman behind me asked for a room (didn't have reservation or a booklet). She paid $79.95.

Happy travels. BTW, South of the Border is nice to look at but I wouldn't waste my time stopping there and I would definitely not eat there. The free OJ places in Florida are good. We also like to stop somewhere in Georgia and get pecan logs and papershell pecans.

Wow Steve! This is alot of good advice! Thanks!

 

[Sparx]

In tennessee it takes about 12, we start at one in the morning and we are there by two or three in the afternoon. (we stop to eat and for gas, so it takes a little longer)

 

[I95 to I4]

We drive down a lot. We are coming from south jersey so first we have to go up and over the delaware memorial bridge to catch 95. we usually leave at 3:00AM and arrive around 7:00PM. Thats the best way for us. we have tried taking the cape may lewis ferry and then the 17 mile bay bridge tunnel and catching 95 in emporia va, but they are very slow roads and it ends up taking longer although its less miles. driving all in one shot is the only way to do it. it gets a little boring through the carolinas, but it is all worth it. We just switch off driving to keep it interesting. Were not traveling with small children anymore so we dont have to worry about that end of it, but when we did, we just took videos and the playstation and books and they were content the whole trip. (just need to stop for a lot of bathroom breaks with kids) well, with me too for that matter, but thats another story

 

[Disney Doll]

When I was a kid, we used to do the drive from southwestern CT (about an hour north of NYC)with 2 nights of stopovers. But my parents had 2 weeks of vacation time and they sort of made the trip part of the vacation, as opposed to just zooming down to get there.

We'd leave early the 1st morning (probably about 430-5AM) to get through the NYC area before rush hour. Once we got through NYC & a bit into NJ (basically beyond the metro NY area) we'd stop for breakfast....it was usually somewhere between 830-930AM. Then we'd drive for the better portion of the day, and stop around dinnertime for the night. We were usually in Virginia by that point, and beyond the DC area...it would be a fairly casual pace for the day, stopping for rest/bathroom breaks etc. Not kamikaze driving, if you KWIM. We had a cooler for snacks/drinks in the car.

Anyhow, we'd stop for the night in VA, have supper, swim in the hotel pool, go to bed, wake up relatively early the next AM and do the same thing again. Drive for a bit and then stop for brekafast, drive, take rest/bathroom breaks, and that night we'd stop in mid/southern Georgia. Have supper, swim, go to bed. The next day we'd get up and end up in Florida.

It was a nice way to do it, you weren't exhausted when you got to Florida. Since you're starting out in the Philly area(about 3-4 hours south of where we started out from), you can cut a few hours off your trip. I'd probably look at stopping somewhere in South Carolina the first night and then end up in WDW the next day. The Charlotte area is about 8 hours from WDW, if I recall. We once were at a wedding in that area and then drove to WDW, and I recall that we left Charlotte about 6AM and arrived at WDW at about 2-3PM. That gives you about 8-9 hours/day of driving, which is pretty do-able with rest breaks etc. It also depends on how Charlotte fits into your route though...if it takes way out the way from where you are starting, then I am sure there are other spots which would make good stopping points.

If you or someone you know is a AAA member, you can ask them to do a "TripTix" for you. Tell them you want the shortest route and an appropriate 1/2way stopping point with suggestions for hotels for the night @ the 1/2way point. We have found those to be very helpful, and usually the hotels AAA recommends are pretty good, if they are a 3 diamond or better.