Anyone traveled to WDW from Columbus, OH?

[mom2mira]

We are traveling from southeast of Columbus to WDW in May. We think we will probably do the 77 route. We'll go to AAA near the trip time to get the best directions with any construction detours. For those who have done it in two days, where did you stop? It looks like Rock Hill, SC may be a good 1/2 way point.

 

[bobcat]

I have done the drive many times from the Newark area. I usually drive one full day and stop at Kingsland, GA and then only have a three hour drive the next day to WDW. We may stop in Brunswick, GA this year since the last hour of the drive is always the longest.

Try to avoid rush hour through Charlotte, NC. Traffic slows to about 35-45 MPH and it is torture getting through there. If we leave at 6-7 am we usually reach Charlotte around 3pm. We try to hit it earlier but with restroom stops and lunch we can't avoid it.

Take the outerbelt around Jacksonville, FL. The drive is only about 10 minutes more but you avoid a lot of traffic. There is massive construction in this area however so you need to check where first.

There is a Disney outlet in the Belz outlet in St Augustine. It's right off of 95 and an easy on/off.

Have a safe trip!

 

[Esmerelda]

I know that you are driving...but with gas as high as it is...its probably cheaper to fly.

Southwest has airfare for $59.00 pp one way out of Columbus! Thats a great deal!! Gas is about 1.79 a gallon here now for the cheapest and expected to hit about 2.00 a gallon early summer.

We were going to drive (from Dayton) but chose to just fly due to the gas and wear and tear on our vehicle.

happy planning,
Esmerelda

 

[hyzdufan]

We used to drive from Pittsburgh, which is basically the same distance you are, away from the world. We'd usually stop in Savannah, GA on the way down, and Rock Hill, SC on the way back.

I guess that's a perk of living in Charlotte, NC now...we can just drive there!

 

[mom2mira]

Thanks for the info..

BOBCAT: About how long do you drive the first day, then? Mapquest has those locations at around 13 hours. I don't think we will be able to make it quite that far with a 3 year-old.

We didn't want to do more than a 10 hour day. Rockhill and Savannah look like good options. We'll just stop for lunch and bathroom breaks and eat dinner wherever we stop. Maybe we will get the energy to go further, but we aren't early risers, so I would bet we won't leave until 9am. My DH is a Corporal with Franklin Co. Sheriff's and works 3rds (so sleeps all day 6 days a week) and I am a SAHM and my DD and I normally get up around 9am each day.

I actually would rather drive then fly. I like being able to pack lots more and not worry about getting a car there. I also hate the worries of missing a plane, being bumped, lugging a car seat around,etc. Now if we do other trips to WDW in the future, we may fly, especially if there are rates that good, but not this time.

 

[bobcat]

With stops for food and rest rooms it is about a 15 hour day, 13 hours of drive time. The drive really is pretty simple except for the two spots I mentioned and I4 in Orlando. I am a single mom and I make the drive with my two kids so I do all the driving. If you can switch off driving with your DH you may want to drive longer than you thought. There are plenty of hotels once you reach I95 with pretty decent rates. You can also pick up discount books with coupons for good hotel rates at almost any gas station. I usually travel without hotel reservations for the road so that I can stop earlier if I need to and I have always been able to find a room. I have also done the trip straight through but I won't recommend that. Way too long in the car!

My kids do great in the car. I've been driving to Florida with them since they were 4 and 6, they're now 9 and 11, and like the fact that we can take what we want and stop when we need to. I do suggest that you try to leave earlier if you can. I can never sleep the night before we leave so between that and the excitement of leaving we are able to get out of the house before 7am.

Fill up with gas in GA, exit 3 is usually the cheapest. Feel free to PM me if you have any more question before you leave. I love helping people plan.