Another driving question? NB to FL

[langin]

We are driving in August to WDW and I think everything is set , except we are still debating about the route, I95 vs going around the big cities. I am pretty sure we will be going around the NY, Phil, Washington areas in the middle of the night or very early in the morning so we can get around the am traffic no problem. But can anyone tell me how many hours difference between the 2 routes, the I95 according to all info is about 27-28 hrs of driving and swinging around the other way is how much longer????????

 

[NotSoMini]

Hello, Langin!

We drive from PEI when we travel to WDW, so our trip would only be a couple of hours longer than yours...

When we first began driving, we did the I95, which takes you through mega traffic either right in, or around, the large American eastern seaboard cities. About 4-5 "drives" ago, we went to CAA (where we are members) and had them plan a route which would take us slightly inland, on 495, just inside the Mass. border and we stay inland until we join back up to the I95 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This routing avoids the worst of the traffic, there are a lot less highway tolls, and the drivers are much less stressed.

Hubby and I firmly believe that although the route is slightly longer (maybe 120 miles), it takes less time to get to WDW - for instance, one particularly memorable traffic jam in Washington DC (following I95) tied us up for almost 4 hours.

If you're not already a CAA member, you might consider it for not only their maps (wonderful and easy to figure out) but also for their emergency services - twice in the past (once during a snowstorm, just outside of Portland, ME, and once right in Orlando) we've needed their emergency vehicle services - it was wonderful to be able to call the 1-800 number and get immediate assistance! (No, I don't work for CAA).

Anyway, if you want my opinion on anything else regarding this trip, just ask!

 

[dandee00]

Hello, Langin!
Anyway, if you want my opinion on anything else regarding this trip, just ask!

HI NotSoMini
I'm not Langin, but I had a couple of questions about driving from NB to FL. The route we are planning to take looks similar to what you have done. Maybe because we are CAA members as well and went to them for a Triptik.
Just wondering if there were any hotels you would recommend. Also, how many hours a day did you drive? And how many days did it take you to get there?
Thanks.

 

[NotSoMini]

Hello fellow Maritimer - sorry for the delay in response - I'm on vacation for a few days and not hitting the boards as frequently as usual

As our kids got older, our drive to WDW got shorter - but we still don't prescribe to the drive right through the night school of travel! We usually arrive in WDW on the 3rd day of travel around noon or early afternoon. I keep journals of our travels, so referring to our last trip, I note that we left home at 5:40 a.m., and drove only until 4:15 p.m. when we stopped for the evening; the second day we were off at 7:30 a.m. and drove until 10:00 p.m. The third day, we were off around 7:30 a.m. again, arriving in Orlando around 2:00.

On the return, we drove home in two long days, arriving in PEI around 1:00 a.m.

On a "long drive" day, we usually drive for a few hours in the morning, before stopping for breakfast somewhere. Then we seem to snack and munch on junk in the car all day, stopping around 6 or 7 for a meal, and continuing on until all of us are exhausted. We do stop every couple of hours to stretch, walk around and get the kinks out.

Since we always stay different places, depending on how long we feel like driving in a particular day, I won't recommend any particular hotel BUT will note that Hampton and Fairfield Inns are particularly good. Oddly, we'd never normally dream of going even to Halifax without a reservation - but with the exception of only once in all our travels south, we've never had a problem getting a room for the night on the road. And that one time, when all the hotels at our preferred stop for the night were full, we just drove to the next place along our route, went off an exit ramp where we saw the hotel signs, and had no problem getting a room.

Our next trip is almost one year away (April 2006) - but I can't wait!

 

[dandee00]

Oddly, we'd never normally dream of going even to Halifax without a reservation - but with the exception of only once in all our travels south, we've never had a problem getting a room for the night on the road.
Our next trip is almost one year away (April 2006) - but I can't wait!

Thanks for the great info. I have decided not to make any advance hotel reservations for the drive. We are going in January and will take our chances. This is our first trip and I'm very excited.