Driving CT to WDW, Friday Dec 20th. ???

[Goofygirl17]

We're driving again to Disney on Friday Dec 20th leaving shoreline CT around 4 or 4:30 pm after work/school.

We've taken both the inland route and 95 before. We like the inland route better but know that there are sections that could be bad in the snow.

So... what is the best route for us to take? I'm assuming we should still do 95 then the Tappan Zee bridge to avoid NY city. From there I'm not sure of the best route considering traffic in the major cities and the weather.

I appreciate any and all advice!!

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd check the weather forecast for the inland route just before leaving. If it looks at all problematic then I'd take the shore route.

 

[BigTigger]

Lots of choices along the way. I've done 2-3 trips to/from Florida a year for ten years now and have done both routes. Let's start with the northern tier first. At the time you leave you'll hit traffic on I-95 (Norwalk to Greenwich) or the Merritt (exit 50 to exit 40 or so). Tappan Zee is probably your best bet, but listen to 1010 WINS AM radio for traffic reports before leaving to make sure nothing is happening on the west side of the bridge. If the Tappan Zee is messy, consider taking Merritt to Hutchinson to Cross Country parkways and go over the Henry Hudson (do not get on I-87 south) to the West Side Highway and take the GW Bridge lower level (no trucks) to the NJTP. Continuing south on the NJTP, consider taking I-295 if the construction below exit 8 on the NJTP is impacting the road. It parallels the NJTP and comes back in near the Delaware River Bridge. I generally find at the hour you are driving that you are OK on the I-95 route versus the inland and you cut down on the time and distance by staying on I-95. My last two trips this year I went through NYC at 7 pm and made it to Fairfield Inn Fredericksburg, VA by 1 am and got a good nights sleep before finishing the trip the next day. If you're driving straight through, this is where the trip gets easy and a bit monotonous. The only slow traffic I hit was due to construction near Quantico south of DC. Given you have a 2.5 hour or so head start from where I start, you could go almost to SC before hitting the same point. That would leave you a 9-10 hour drive on day 2. I have an EZ Pass, so not having to stop at tolls makes a big difference.

Have a good trip. We're flying down on the 19th instead of driving this trip.

 

[spireview]

We're also driving down Friday from CT (staying at the Coronado Springs). Current plan is the inland route starting in the AM, but it will depend on weather. Anything to miss that DC/VA Friday traffic.