1st Time Driving from Indianapolis to WDW. Late October, Any tips?

[CR88]

Hello all,

Well we have decided that we are going to drive for the first time, about 14.5 hours. We have been DVC owners since 2007 and go down 2 times per year (Spring & Christmas time) but we usually get cheap airfare ($180 nonstop RT). We have a couple family members going with us for an Oct trip and with fact that our airfare would have been $1,200 more than the cost of driving we decided to drive. We only have 6 days to work with so we are planning to start driving around 6:00 pm the night before we are scheduled to arrive. We plan to get as close to the FL state line as we can by 3-4 am, grab a hotel, then get up and drive into WDW in the morning. We would like to check in by noon.

Since this is our first time, we are wondering if there are some routes that are better than others and if there are some tips that helped make the drive easier. We don't have kids, but we will have my wife's 9 yr old niece with us. We plan on driving through Atlanta during the very early morning hours so as to avoid the congestion I have heard so much about. My wife is really not a fan of driving through mountainous areas so hopefully it won't be too bad. I was told that there are some scary areas around Chattanooga especially driving through the night.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[cemeb4dk]

we drive down regulary from CHicago. From you I would do the 65 to 24 to 75 route, then take the turnpike.

We usually leave at 2 different times, either 2 pm or so or 9:30pm. We have been favoring the 9:30 the last few trips. The important thing is to plan your trip times around Atlanta. We do the drive straight thru. We always plan to stop just over the border in FL like in Lake City, but its hard to stop, then sleep and still know you have 3 hours of driving left. So what I have been doing is driving all the way to Disney, and staying at the Hampton Inn just outside of downtown Disney. Getting a great nights sleep and then having the full day at the parks.

As far as the mountain, its just before CHattanooga where lookout mountain and Ruby Falls is. Its really nothing especially at night you really can't see anything. Im sure at the hour you will hit, there will be not a lot of trucks around. The only thing is your ears may pop but thats about it.

Enjoy the drive down, its really not that bad of a drive.

 

[CR88]

Thanks! Popping ears she can handle...no guard rail mountainous driving like driving through Colorado would be another story.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

In Spring and Fall there is a greater chance of fog in those mountains at night. Stay abreast of traffic/weather reports. If fog is predicted for I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, consider I-65 south from Nashville to Birmingham and Montgomery and come into Florida via Dothan and then I-10 east. The routing is longer but better than creeping along in the fog!

BobK/Orlando

 

[sam_gordon]

You should be ~9 hours from Atlanta. Leaving at 6pm gets you to Atlanta at 3am. I would try to get through Atlanta before stopping. Then when you get up the next morning, all the traffic will be heading TOWARD Atlanta while you'll be heading away.

I also think your estimate of 14.5 hours is off by a couple hours. According to Google, it's over 16.

 

[WishIwerethere]

You should be ~9 hours from Atlanta. Leaving at 6pm gets you to Atlanta at 3am. I would try to get through Atlanta before stopping. Then when you get up the next morning, all the traffic will be heading TOWARD Atlanta while you'll be heading away.

I also think your estimate of 14.5 hours is off by a couple hours. According to Google, it's over 16.

I agree. I just drove from Orlando to North Indianapolis two weeks ago (during the day but without any traffic problems) and it was 16 hours with only gas/bathroom breaks and about a 30 minute meal break. (I fulfilled my daughter's so-called "birthday dream" by getting picking up Papa John's carryout pizza and breadsticks in Nashville and allowing it to be eaten in the car -- LOL.)

The mountain travel you mention is no big deal during the day and not terrible at night (I did the night travel on that route last year), and I am a big weeney when it comes to such things. The only time I would steer clear would be when there is ice/snow on those roads -- wow, that is scary (at least for me, the weeney). Equally scary is Atlanta during rush hour -- that traffic is crazy even for a non-weeney. Avoid that at all costs.

 

[CR88]

In Spring and Fall there is a greater chance of fog in those mountains at night. Stay abreast of traffic/weather reports. If fog is predicted for I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, consider I-65 south from Nashville to Birmingham and Montgomery and come into Florida via Dothan and then I-10 east. The routing is longer but better than creeping along in the fog!

BobK/Orlando

Thanks for the tip. I told me wife about the fog and that we may have to go a different route. She is a bit leery about driving through foggy areas at night. I put in using I 65 instead and it only added 40 minutes to the drive so we may do that if the weather is bad.

You should be ~9 hours from Atlanta. Leaving at 6pm gets you to Atlanta at 3am. I would try to get through Atlanta before stopping. Then when you get up the next morning, all the traffic will be heading TOWARD Atlanta while you'll be heading away.

I also think your estimate of 14.5 hours is off by a couple hours. According to Google, it's over 16.

I definitely don't want to mess around with Atlanta in the morning. Hopefully we'll get to Macon or even further. I would prefer to drive straight through and leave a little later so we get in around 10-11 am. But they think we will have to stop so we have the energy for a full day at WDW. It's my wife's 9 yr old niece's first trip to WDW and we only have 4 days.

Also, we used AAA Triptik's online mapping system for directions. Pretty cool site. It estimated 14 hrs 19 min but they could be wrong.

I agree. I just drove from Orlando to North Indianapolis two weeks ago (during the day but without any traffic problems) and it was 16 hours with only gas/bathroom breaks and about a 30 minute meal break. (I fulfilled my daughter's so-called "birthday dream" by getting picking up Papa John's carryout pizza and breadsticks in Nashville and allowing it to be eaten in the car -- LOL.)

The mountain travel you mention is no big deal during the day and not terrible at night (I did the night travel on that route last year), and I am a big weeney when it comes to such things. The only time I would steer clear would be when there is ice/snow on those roads -- wow, that is scary (at least for me, the weeney). Equally scary is Atlanta during rush hour -- that traffic is crazy even for a non-weeney. Avoid that at all costs.

The eating in the car, a favorite of many. They beg me all the time to allow them to eat when we go on trips, but I haven't allowed it...yet. I told them that I will for this trip though, actually I am fearing that more than the drive itself.

My wife recently saw video of me driving up Pikes Peak in Colorado so she thinks all mountainous driving is the same, no guard rails, dirt roads, etc. I told her that people have said that i75 and i24 is mostly hills and highway, plus it will be pretty late so what she doesn't see can't scare her.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[jackilvsmath]

Hello,
It looks like we will be in the same boat as you. We will be (hopefully) driving from the Champaign area in early October. We have to cancel our August trip and will be hopefully transferring to then. We will have limited time in October so we are going to have to change our driving plan. We are thinking of leaving on a Friday at about 5 pm and driving straight through. I will drive the first four to five hours and then DH will take over to drive overnight while I and the kids sleep and then I will finish off. I hope you get a lot of tips because I will be watching this thread closely.

Jacki