Driving down from Allentown, PA

[disneyscrapper74]

Hi all! Just wondering if anyone has made this trip, and if so, how long did it take?

We are planning to drive straight through with our two daughters, ages 2 and 3, and are hoping they'll sleep through the night.

Our check-in is at 4 pm, but we're going to hit Walmart beforehand so we can just unload everything at once. My main question is, if we want to arrive in orlando around 1 pm, what is the ideal time to leave Allentown so we avoid as much Philly/Baltimore/DC/Richmond traffic as possible?

We're thinking of leaving around 2 pm and stopping between DC and Richmond for dinner before the girls fall asleep. Any thoughts?

 

[momdad4kids]

We've made this trip a few times and if it was me Id consider taking 76(78) over to 81. Just something to think about otherwise your driving times look ok if your committed to being on the road as its a good long drive. Sorry I meant 78, this is why you should never post anything at 6 am or before your brain wakes up enough to know what your fingers are doing, lol.
We drive down from Atlantic Canada running the I95 to Mass pike over to I84 them down I87/287 to I78, spend the night in Hershey, stock up on chocolate. The next morning we're back on to I81, take I64 over to Richmond then back on the I95. The only other advice I can offer is Jacksonville Fl, if you don't mind a little traffic stay on the 95 it'll save you some time as opposed to going around on the 295.
Ive run on the 95 in the past driving truck up the entire east coast and traffic from NYC to Washington DC can be crazy even in the middle of the night

 

[double r]

Leaving at 2pm would out you in the heart of rush hour traffic between Balt & DC. Why not stay north and take 78 across Pa to Harrisburg then pick up 81 south, you should get by Harrisburg before the pm rush

 

[richmo]

It really shouldn't take you 23 hours. Its about 17 hours of continuous driving, so figure 18-19 including stops, so I'd consider leaving about 5 PM. That way you should just be hitting the end of Philly rush hour and hitting DC around 8-8:30, which shouldn't be too bad. Then clear sailing the rest of the way.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi all! Just wondering if anyone has made this trip, and if so, how long did it take?

We are planning to drive straight through with our two daughters, ages 2 and 3, and are hoping they'll sleep through the night.

Our check-in is at 4 pm, but we're going to hit Walmart beforehand so we can just unload everything at once. My main question is, if we want to arrive in orlando around 1 pm, what is the ideal time to leave Allentown so we avoid as much Philly/Baltimore/DC/Richmond traffic as possible?

We're thinking of leaving around 2 pm and stopping between DC and Richmond for dinner before the girls fall asleep. Any thoughts?

im next door to you Nazareth and I made the drive a couple times. this is the way I go:

home to i81 via i78............ 1hr/1min. 71miles
i81 to ma ......................... 1hr/19min 87 miles
ma to wv.......................... /10 min 12 miles
wv to va........................... /22min 25miles
va to i77........................... 3hr/23min 241 miles
i77 to nc........................... /26min 32miles
nc to char......................... 1hr/44min 97miles
char to sc......................... /11min 12miles
sc to i26.......................... 1hr/13min 88 miles
i26 to i95.......................... /40min 53miles
i95 to ga .......................... 1hr/7min 84miles
ga to fl.............................1hr/44min 111miles
fl to i4.............................. 1hr/42min 119 miles
i4 to exit68........................ /54min 62 miles

these times include gas and bathroom stops. we don't stop for a sit down meal so the time it takes me to get to home to Allentown would take that time in this chart.
this is 16 hours with stops, the fastest I did it was 15 1/2 hours.
you can pm me if you want. have a great trip.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

im next door to you Nazareth and I made the drive a couple times. this is the way I go:

home to i81 via i78............ 1hr/1min. 71miles
i81 to ma ......................... 1hr/19min 87 miles
ma to wv.......................... /10 min 12 miles
wv to va........................... /22min 25miles
va to i77........................... 3hr/23min 241 miles
i77 to nc........................... /26min 32miles
nc to char......................... 1hr/44min 97miles
char to sc......................... /11min 12miles
sc to i26.......................... 1hr/13min 88 miles
i26 to i95.......................... /40min 53miles
i95 to ga .......................... 1hr/7min 84miles
ga to fl.............................1hr/44min 111miles
fl to i4.............................. 1hr/42min 119 miles
i4 to exit68........................ /54min 62 miles

these times include gas and bathroom stops. we don't stop for a sit down meal so the time it takes me to get to home to Allentown would take that time in this chart.
this is 16 hours with stops, the fastest I did it was 15 1/2 hours.
you can pm me if you want. have a great trip.

I live in Catasauqua. With airfare out of LVIA getting so expensive, I've been thinking about driving down for my next trip. This looks like a great route! What time of day do you usually leave - both from home and then from WDW? Any tips for certain portions of the trip (I've heard that certain states may target out-of-staters for driving even 5 MPH over the limit)?

 

[dvczerfs]

I live in Catasauqua. With airfare out of LVIA getting so expensive, I've been thinking about driving down for my next trip. This looks like a great route! What time of day do you usually leave - both from home and then from WDW? Any tips for certain portions of the trip (I've heard that certain states may target out-of-staters for driving even 5 MPH over the limit)?

I leave at 1:30am. I pull into wdw between 4 and 5pm. I am an outside rep for an hvac company so I drive about 40k per year and I am also on the road at 4am normally for work so driving for me is easy.
the best thing to do it get yourself into Virginia before the morning rush hour. your biggest problem is rt22 and i78 as far as traffic. once you hit Virginia, you will be getting out of the thick of everything. if you leave catty by 4:00am you should be fine.
you also don't want to hit charlotte nc at a rush hour. Orlando at rush hour can be fun also. we found leaving at 1:30 am works well with hitting cities.now, there is no perfect way. you can hit traffic at anytime but over the years, we have had the best luck going this way. for us, Lehigh valley, its better then going 95.
as far as targeting speeders..... unlike the Lehigh valley and here up north, you hit Virginia and the highways open up. you are not driving two inches off the jersey barrier like the turnpike. a lot of the way the speed limit is 70mph. knock on wood!!!!!!! I will hang around 75 mph, if I find myself in a string of cars that are "moving", ill jump in line.(80-85) I will stay in the flow of traffic and rarely see me leading the pack. be careful of the reduce speed ahead signs. I don't generally go tearing down the interstate weaving and bobbing but you wont find me doing 55, white knuckling it in the right lane.
driving isn't for everyone. as you can see in my sig. I was born to drive.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

I leave at 1:30am. I pull into wdw between 4 and 5pm. I am an outside rep for an hvac company so I drive about 40k per year and I am also on the road at 4am normally for work so driving for me is easy.
the best thing to do it get yourself into Virginia before the morning rush hour. your biggest problem is rt22 and i78 as far as traffic. once you hit Virginia, you will be getting out of the thick of everything. if you leave catty by 4:00am you should be fine.
you also don't want to hit charlotte nc at a rush hour. Orlando at rush hour can be fun also. we found leaving at 1:30 am works well with hitting cities.now, there is no perfect way. you can hit traffic at anytime but over the years, we have had the best luck going this way. for us, Lehigh valley, its better then going 95.
as far as targeting speeders..... unlike the Lehigh valley and here up north, you hit Virginia and the highways open up. you are not driving two inches off the jersey barrier like the turnpike. a lot of the way the speed limit is 70mph. knock on wood!!!!!!! I will hang around 75 mph, if I find myself in a string of cars that are "moving", ill jump in line.(80-85) I will stay in the flow of traffic and rarely see me leading the pack. be careful of the reduce speed ahead signs. I don't generally go tearing down the interstate weaving and bobbing but you wont find me doing 55, white knuckling it in the right lane.
driving isn't for everyone. as you can see in my sig. I was born to drive.

Thanks for the info!

 

[dvczerfs]

Thanks for the info!

not sure when your going down but if you are going in the winter time, I go another way which you will hit 95 just north of Richmond. keeps you out of philly/balt/dc.