Best route to drive down.

[natkenicra]

We will be driving down in October. I googled Embro to Buffalo, Detroit and Sarnia. They were pretty much the same amount of time. Then googled these points of intrest to WDW. Just wondering if anyone has driving advice or a special way to go down to WDW, or spots to avoid. Thank you for any input, I appreceiate any advice!!

 

[NancyK]

I prefer crossing at Buffalo and doing the I-77/79/95 route. It's a really pretty drive and there seems to be fewer trucks using that route than I-75.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My family and I always go down Interstate 75 because we think it's the easiest and most direct route.

 

[hockey mom]

In winter months we use I-75 in case of bad weather but in Oct. I would take the 77/79/95 route. Scenery would be beautiful.

 

[candielips]

We just returned from WDW in May & did the I77/79/95 route there & the I75 route home. The way down was almost 5 hrs quicker & much prettier. Although I would not recommend that route in the winter as the roads are very windy & hilly.

 

[jlrobinson99]

We drive from London Ontario and have crossed both at Port Huron and at Windsor. I-75 is definitely the easiest route to take. The last three trips we have taken we have used Dave Hunter's book 'Along I-75'. (Google the title and you'll find his website). Great resource to have with you in the car!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We drive from London Ontario and have crossed both at Port Huron and at Windsor. I-75 is definitely the easiest route to take. The last three trips we have taken we have used Dave Hunter's book 'Along I-75'. (Google the title and you'll find his website). Great resource to have with you in the car!

No need to Google it because here is a link to his website.
http://www.i75online.com/

 

[canadianmom2three]

We drive from London Ontario and have crossed both at Port Huron and at Windsor. I-75 is definitely the easiest route to take. The last three trips we have taken we have used Dave Hunter's book 'Along I-75'. (Google the title and you'll find his website). Great resource to have with you in the car!

We drive 75 all the time, and we LOVE Dave Hunters book - we also have the Florida interstate one too, they are filled with great tips and funny facts that keep the kids (and DH and I) entertained. The kids know all their points of interest along 75 (but I highly doubt they are the ones you would be interested in - there is the giant tire in Detroit, giant praying Jesus in Ohio, giant cross, giant dinosaur etc.....and finally, the Florida welcome Center - only 3hrs to Disney, or 6 hours to grandma's!!).

 

[natkenicra]

Thank you everyone You guys are truly wonderful and so very helpful. I think my kids would love to see the giant tire, and all the rest. Gives them something to look forward too!! And thank you for the link to the book website...I'm off to check it out

 

[OntFamily]

The best route, is whichever is fastest from your starting point.

There are two main routes from the GTA:

1) 1-90, 79, 77, 95,4 (20.5 hours per google maps)

or 2) I-75 (22 hours per google maps)

I have only taken #1, and found it an easy drive the several times I have driven.

However, when driving 20 hours or more, those last few hours can be a drain. I would never take a route that I knew in advance would be 1 or 2 hours longer.

Route #1 is the fastest if you live close to the GTA. However, the farther west you live from the GTA, #2 may be faster.

 

[Ham Ham]

Here's our preferred route to Florida.
QEW/I-190/I-90/I-79/US-19/I-77/I-26/I-95/I-4

Not much of a difference in either route from Embro but I-75 is the most direct. Avoid large cities during rush hour.

Some people avoid QEW/I-190/I-90/I-79/US-19/I-77/I-26/I-95/I-4 route during the winter because of the mountains. I-75 can be just as treacherous.

When traveling during the winter it's imperative to see what the forecast is.

I don't care if its the mountains of WV, the flatness of Ohio or the Smokey Mountains in KY & TN during a whiteout, you don't want to be traveling during a bad winter storm.


When on US-19 approaching Summersville, WV obey the speed limits.

Also don't forget a real map if the GPS goes on the fritz.

Click on map for more info

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thank you everyone You guys are truly wonderful and so very helpful. I think my kids would love to see the giant tire, and all the rest. Gives them something to look forward too!! And thank you for the link to the book website...I'm off to check it out

You're welcome.

 

[Disney Ontario]

Hi. From Paris, we have been up to Embro alot these days. DD16 just played a week ago in the Baseball Allstar and even got a trophy. We still have a couple make up games with Embro.
Anyway, we love going I-75, the last two times, we have rushed the driving with only a one night stopover sleep. But with Two older daughters and I, we would love to shop all the way down. If you decide on I-75, go pick up the I-75 book. It tells you EVERYTHING. Shopping, gas,where police like to sit,where to eat, Hotels. TARGETS,WALMARTS.

 

[Kurby]

we cross in niagara or eire and head down 77 to 95 then into florida

while buffalo isn't anything special to drive through we find that going through on saturday and back on a sunday it really isn't busy.

we love this route. the mountains are nice to drive through as long as you don't hit them during the day.

if you go this route - there are 2 tunnals that mark the half way point. these of course are in the mountians and you'll hit them in the dark around 9-11pm if you drive the 75 mph and leave around 6am with few stops along the way.

we've never made it to the half way mark LOL

because i do most of the driving and just can't to those mountians too longin the dark - it's actually a little scarry then all of a sudden some local comes wipping out of no wear and is gone just as fast.

we get up very early the next morning and will drive until 11pm the second night to get down.

 

[NancyK]

Why don't you drive down one way and come back the other. That way you'll know which route to take for your next trip.
I have to agree that for winter driving, I-75 is the way to go. But the I-79/77/90 route is beautiful in October!

 

[Kurby]

agreed - but depending on where in ontario how close to kingston you are crossing over around there and coming straight down 95 would be fantastic in the fall too.



our next trip is in the pre pre prelanning stage - we're hoping for jan 2012. i'm not really looking forward to the mountians in the winter but if we leave when we're hopping. we should get 6 or 7 hours of driving on friday before stopping for the night. hopefully that will get us deep into PA and get to the mountians during the day making our saturday night stop past the mountians.

i don't mind driving late at night if the road is straight but not through those mountians. wish they'd invest in some solar street lights

 

[Shih-Tzu]

Although we're from Atlantic Canada, when we drove, we went as far as Lorton, VA (just outside of Washington) on the I-95 - then we put the car (and ourselves) on the AmtracAuto-Train. Left Virginia around 4:00 pm, supper was included as well as a movie, snack. We had lazy-boy style chairs on the train and slept during the trip. Around 10:00 am (after breakfast which was also included) we arrived in Sanford, FL - waited for our own car to come off the train and drove about 40 minutes to WDW.

It was great because the kids could get up and move around (not like being confined to a car) and instead of 2-3 nights of hotels, we had 1 night of hotel and one night of train. There was also a couple of scenic cars with the glass roof on the top floor and a canteen type set up on the bottom floor). Returned the same way (with the same return times (dep Florida at 4:00 or so and arr in Virginia around 10:00am the next morning). So - that's something different (maybe go one way and back the other?), gives you a break from driving but you still have the convenience of your own car....

The only thing you have to take on board is the stuff that you might want for overnight (much the same as what you would carry on an airplane) - everything else just stays in your car.

 

[Kazzy1548]

How much did the auto train cost you. I went on the web site and it will cost us 1200 US.

 

[Shih-Tzu]

I believe we paid approx $800 but it was about 17 years ago (2 adults, 1 child aged 8 and the car - return). But I also recall that the trip down was about twice the price as coming back as all the "snowbirds" were headed south for the winter with their cars....maybe try one way if you can't do both (the Fla to VA trip would be cheapest in the fall and the VA to Fla trip cheaper in the spring).

Just remember what you save on gas, depreciation/mileage, at least one night hotel coming and going, and the fact that (at least when I used it) that the meals were included, we didn't mind the price....no "stretch", meal or bathroom stops and we were well rested when we got there (arr at WDW around noon or before...) and because there's plenty of leg room and things to see/look at and chance to move around, etc we felt it was worth it.

We're flying this time out of Bangor and I realize that there was a lot of things that we put into the car and had with us that we won't on this trip...but I don't have the time for the 3 days travel each way this trip...otherwise I'd probably still look at the Amtrak option.

 

[Kurby]

would cost us about 800 going down and 450 coming back up to put our van on and get seats.

if we wanted a bedroom we could possibly squish up for 200 for a roomette or almost 600 for a bedroom with a private bathroom

i wish it wasn't so expensive. it's cheaper for us to drive straight and stay the night in a hotel cause god knows i don't want to sit up to sleep

why can't they make it more reasonable