A Question for those who have driven to WDW from New England area.

[mudman]

Hi,
Because flying is not a viable option for us we have decided to drive.

For those who have done this from New England, specifically MA, how did it go for you?

What times did you leave your starting point, stop for breaks, stop for sleep etc...) Where did you stop? etc...

We will have two drivers, two kids (who do well in long rides and are used to car travel) and a TV/VCR with us. We are in no specific hurry, but would like to do it in 2 days or less.

We have alreay had AAA do a trip tix for us.

Just wondering how this adventure went for others.

Thanks,

 

[JillU-DVC]

We were at WDW for 9/11, so ended up driving home to Auburn in our rental car (actually, we had to drive to PVD to get out car out of airport parking and return the rental car).

We had stopped at AAA before leaving the Orlando area, and on their advice, took an inland route to get back to MA, instead of using I-95. I HIGHLY recommend an inland route!!!!

This inland route is MUCH less traveled (and so has less traffic), and is a nice scenic view as well. I think we calculated it would only take us 1-2 hours more than if we'd taken I-95 (assuming we could of even gotten through at that time on I-95).

We made this drive in two days - first day drove from around 10am to about 10pm. Second day, left around 8am, arrived PVD between 5-6pm. Don't remember exactly where we stayed (except it was a DUMP, but all that was available due to the circumstances).

Massachusetts to Florida
I-90 to Sturbridge MA
I-84 to Scranton PA
I-81 to Wytheville VA
I-77 to Columbia SC
I-26 to Orangeburg/Charleston SC
I-95 to Daytona Beach FL
I-4 to Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater

I know it seems complicated, but it's really not.

Give it a try!!

 

[ddoll]

Hi Mudman,

We did the drive to WDW from RI two years ago with another family. Between us there were 10 people: 2 adults and three kids in each minivan. We too took a Tv/VCR and tapes to help while away the time. It was great. Instead of replying to "How long till we get there?" with a time estimate, we could say "at the end of this movie, we'll stop for lunch".

Our decision to drive was to make the drive part of the vacation, and do some sightseeing as well. So I don't know if our trip will help you or not.

We decided first that everyone would be more cranky as the trip went on, and we'd be better off to get the most hours in the first day. So we did our longest drive: 13 hours to get just over the state line into North Carolina. Traveling that route via 95 didn't offer anything worth stopping to see along the way. We stayed overnight at a discount motel right off the highway that first night.

The second day we stopped at South of the Border for lunch, ice cream and fireworks. Had to do it. The kids had been watching all the signs advertising it along the way. Glad we did, though.

Then we rewarded ourselves for getting so far without needing to strangle our children by going to Savannah Georgia. That was our intention: to spend two nights there as part of our trip. Of course, it was lovely, and we all enjoyed it immensely. It's a very beautiful place. We toured a plantation, saw where they filmed Forrest Gump while walking along the historic blocks, and spent a very pleasant night on the riverfront there, enjoying the riverboats and the entertainment.

Then day four we left for WDW. That wasn't a very long drive. In fact the only delay we had was when we actually got into FL. The traffic was pretty bad that day.

On the way back, we drove up the coast. Again this was our intention: to see the sights and not to make good time. We stopped overnight the first night in St. Simon's Island, GA. Quite pretty. It was a shame we couldn't spend more time there.

Then, continuing up the coast, we stopped at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. It's just over the SC/NC line. We stayed at a fabulous little place directly on the beach there. Again, it was so nice there that we vowed to get back again some day for a longer visit. No one wanted to leave!

On the way back we visited Kitty Hawk, NC (where the Wright Bros had their 1st flight) in Cape Hatteras. We had one more overnight stop in Virginia. We had intended to stop in NYC to do the tourist sights, but we all decided to just drive straight through to home instead.

In order to spend more time at the places we wanted to see along the way, we limited our stops. Of course, we needed to stop for lunch, and the mother of the other family had a very small bladder, so we did have several mandatory rest stops. Had it been just our family, we'd have stopped far less.

It was a great trip for us. I hope you enjoy yours as well.

 

[CamColt]

I used to think people who would drive to Florida from MA were crazy, and there was no way I would do it(even though I am a nervous flyer). Then we were scheduled to fly out 2 weeks after 9/11 and my attitude changed.
We did it then with 2 drivers, another adult and 2 kids(then 20 months and 4) We too had the tv/vcr, which is definitely a life saver. We drove straight through and it took just under 24 hours. I have to say, it really wasnt bad at all. So much so, that we did it again last summer(minus the 3rd adult), and we are doing it again this summer.
We like leaving at 10:00am. To me, it breaks it up nicely. We drive for most of the day, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. Then around dinner time we stop at McDonalds. Then we just have a few more hours before it feels like night and the kids go to sleep(I try to sleep then too). Usually around 3:00 or 4:00am is when DH gets tired so I wake up and take over driving and he tries to get a few hours of sleep. By the time the sun comes up and kids wake up, we are pretty close. Once we drove 3:00pm-3:00pm and it felt like we were driving for 2 whole days.

 

[mudman]

Thanks for the replies...
Keep'em coming. I am enjoying reading these experiences.
Michelle

 

[dgaston]

We've driven to Disney five times from CT. In the past we've taken 95, but we often hit bad traffic in DC, once even at 3 am! We drive straight thru, usually arriving early in the am. We are driving again this Christmas, and plan to leave CT as soon as DH finishes his teaching day on 12/23 (lousy school calendar@#$%) at 2pm, but I think we're taking the 84-81-77...route. We often stop at state rest areas to accumulate maps, and will take our time at meals to really stretch. In the past we'd stop at South of the Border to look at illegal fireworks, (only bought fancy sparklers!) and all the kitch. I have a cooler with sandwich fixings we use at rest stops, and try to have healthier snacks like carrots and grapes for munching.
HTH

 

[SplshMtn99]

OMG, I could have written JillU-DVC's response WORD for WORD. We too were at WDW during 9/11 & had to drive our rental car home instead of flying home. But we had to go to Bradley Airport to pick up our own car instead. LOL

Ditto --- 24 hours (12 hrs each day).
Same dumpy hotel in Rocky Mount, NC.

Left WDW Sat around 10am.....made it to Rocky Mount, NC around 10pm.

Left Rocky Mount, NC Sunday around 9am. After stopping at Bradley Airport to return rental car & get my car....we got home to Oxford aroun 11pm.

DH drove the WHOLE way!!
Long drive since we weren't prepared to be driving home. Had no maps OR anything to do in the car. Stopped at a lot of rest areas to check on directions through large cities. We did take the Rt 95 route -- would do it again -- it was easy.....even with everyone else that was driving that weekend instead of flying.

 

[disneyorbust]

What day of the week did you all travel on? When we drove down last year we travelled on the weekends, but this year we are travelling on the weekdays. Of course I'm trying to plan around rush hours but it seems it will be rush hour somewhere, sometime. I was thinking of leaving (from MA) around 6PM on a Wed night. We are planning to stop overnight around 2PM in Savannah if we get that far and the next day check into FW around 1:00. That was our plan last year but we ended up stopping in Rocky Mount due to the UNBELIEVABLE traffic in Virginia.