Driving from Long Island, NY to Orlando, FL- what is the best way to do it

[CATANDSAL1009]

We are thinking about driving to Florida next year in July. We do plan to check in at the resort on a Sunday. I'm also thinking to leave on Saturday. Has anyone in NY travelled to Florida? Any tips or suggestions would be super helpful. What's the best place to stop in the overnight...I'm seeing some people saying NC and others Georgia. Is it even worth it to stop? It'll be my husband, my mom and I along with our 3 kids- 8, 6, and 3. TIA. =)

 

[dclpluto]

We are thinking about driving to Florida next year in July. We do plan to check in at the resort on a Sunday. I'm also thinking to leave on Saturday. Has anyone in NY travelled to Florida? Any tips or suggestions would be super helpful. What's the best place to stop in the overnight...I'm seeing some people saying NC and others Georgia. Is it even worth it to stop? It'll be my husband, my mom and I along with our 3 kids- 8, 6, and 3. TIA. =)

you got about a 18 hour drive I’m guessing. I will try to get around 12 hours the first day. If you are thinking about fast food places some are still afraid of covid or can’t find enough workers so they will only have their drive thru open. Google ahead to see if their dining room is open.

 

[ljcrochet]

First time we drove from Melville NY to Florida, we drove straight through. It was slightly unplanned. It was when the podcast serial had just come out. I binged listened and drove all night while everyone else slept.
I don’t remember the second trip. Third was when we moved to southern Florida. This was the most complicated since we had 2 cars and 2 dogs. We purposely did it slow with 2 hotel stops.

Every drive was slightly unplanned, and we booked the hotel around a 1/2 hour before we planned on stopping.

 

[AnnaS]

About 16 hours for us. We have left around 3 am many times. Leaving between 6-8 am is best depending on the day/weekday/weekend. We try to avoid the Washington DC traffic. We always seem to hit it on the way home.

We have stopped in Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Santee, SC & Georgia. We book a room while in the car now a few exits prior.

McDonalds, Cracker Barrel are our safe bets for our drive home. Driving down, we are safe with our own food. (DH got sick once on the way down after eating at an Olive Garden, once we walked out of an Applebees/bugs).

Make plenty of stops with the kids. Stop early - have dinner, relax and enjoy the hotel on your overnight stay. If you are good driving all night while the kids are sleeping, go for it.

My son and dil will be doing the drive next month with a 2 1/2 year old since he refuses to touch a mask (would have to wear it on a plane). I told them to bring a small soccer ball and let him run around/kick at one of the stops to tire him/get energy out. (Just watch for any dog poop lol).

Definitely have IPads

 

[Dizzydizney]

We’ve driven from New Jersey and have taken both the inner route and the outer route. The inner route you would be getting on I95 or the NJ Turnpike once you get to the Jersey side from Long Island. 95 is the more direct route but also the route where you will hit a lot of traffic around the cities (Baltimore, DC, Richmond). If leaving on a Saturday you won’t get commuter traffic but may get Jersey Shore traffic. We’ve overnighted in Brunswick, GA. The drive from there to Orlando on a Sunday should not be too bad, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. 95 to I-4. Beware of some of the craziest drivers once you get close to the city of Orlando .... and people talk about Jersey drivers!!
The outer route is taking 78 west in NJ all the way thru Pennsylvania until it reaches 81 south. It is longer mileage wise and is sometimes slow due to only two lanes and trucks, but some people prefer it, as you can take to Virginia and get on 64 which hooks up with 95 below Richmond. The thing of it is accidents, roadwork and traffic jams can happen on any of these routes, so you just never know.
Coming back we’ve stayed in Fayetteville NC. left Disney a little later to avoid the Orlando and Jacksonville morning rush hour.
I’ve driven both routes and have had mixed results. I’ve also flown, but you have a large group and then you’d have to rent a car or get a car service since there is no more magical express. I’ve also taken the Amtrak. Not cheap either for a large group if you get sleeper cars, but I sure did enjoy it. There is plenty of car services that will bring you to Disney from the Orlando station.
Have you checked out the transportation board here on the Disboards? There is a thread for ‘2,000 mile round trip drivers’. Really helpful...just post your plans and you will get lots of advice.

 

[CATANDSAL1009]

We’ve driven from New Jersey and have taken both the inner route and the outer route. The inner route you would be getting on I95 or the NJ Turnpike once you get to the Jersey side from Long Island. 95 is the more direct route but also the route where you will hit a lot of traffic around the cities (Baltimore, DC, Richmond). If leaving on a Saturday you won’t get commuter traffic but may get Jersey Shore traffic. We’ve overnighted in Brunswick, GA. The drive from there to Orlando on a Sunday should not be too bad, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. 95 to I-4. Beware of some of the craziest drivers once you get close to the city of Orlando .... and people talk about Jersey drivers!!
The outer route is taking 78 west in NJ all the way thru Pennsylvania until it reaches 81 south. It is longer mileage wise and is sometimes slow due to only two lanes and trucks, but some people prefer it, as you can take to Virginia and get on 64 which hooks up with 95 below Richmond. The thing of it is accidents, roadwork and traffic jams can happen on any of these routes, so you just never know.
Coming back we’ve stayed in Fayetteville NC. left Disney a little later to avoid the Orlando and Jacksonville morning rush hour.
I’ve driven both routes and have had mixed results. I’ve also flown, but you have a large group and then you’d have to rent a car or get a car service since there is no more magical express. I’ve also taken the Amtrak. Not cheap either for a large group if you get sleeper cars, but I sure did enjoy it. There is plenty of car services that will bring you to Disney from the Orlando station.
Have you checked out the transportation board here on the Disboards? There is a thread for ‘2,000 mile round trip drivers’. Really helpful...just post your plans and you will get lots of advice.

Thank you so so much! That is super helpful. I haven't seen that thread but, I'm going to look it up now.

 

[EYL]

We are thinking about driving to Florida next year in July. We do plan to check in at the resort on a Sunday. I'm also thinking to leave on Saturday. Has anyone in NY travelled to Florida? Any tips or suggestions would be super helpful. What's the best place to stop in the overnight...I'm seeing some people saying NC and others Georgia. Is it even worth it to stop? It'll be my husband, my mom and I along with our 3 kids- 8, 6, and 3. TIA. =)

We drove, for the first time, from Queens to WDW just this past August. It was my wife, my 9yo, and me. On paper, it's about 16 hours. We planned ahead and stopped over in Raleigh, NC (both ways at the same hotel) which was about an even split. In reality, it took us 2 hours to leave the City on a Friday morning, plus pit stops/meal stops, so it took us about 12 hours to get to Raleigh. From Raleigh to WDW was about 10 hours. For us, it was worth it to stop. Even with 2 drivers, we really needed the rest. The drive down was definitely easier with the adrenaline of a vacation. The drive back just seemed a lot longer than it was.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

We are thinking about driving to Florida next year in July. We do plan to check in at the resort on a Sunday. I'm also thinking to leave on Saturday. Has anyone in NY travelled to Florida? Any tips or suggestions would be super helpful. What's the best place to stop in the overnight...I'm seeing some people saying NC and others Georgia. Is it even worth it to stop? It'll be my husband, my mom and I along with our 3 kids- 8, 6, and 3. TIA. =)

We now drive from central NJ to FL, we have done this for the past three years and will do it again this coming Jan. We leave on Saturday around 3:45 AM and stop at Wawa for coffee, by leaving this early we get through Richmond VA by 8:30AM if all goes well and the traffic is very light this early on a Saturday morning. We travel in Jan so there is always the potential to run into a snow storm which did happen one year and it was slow going for a while. After we pass through Richmond we look for a place to have breakfast. We have been stopping for the night at a Hampton Inn on I95 in Savannah GA. It’s about a 4-5 hour ride from Savannah to WDW the next day. We take I4 to 417 which is a toll road but to us it is worth the little extra expense to bypass all the crazy drivers and the traffic that you get on I4 not to mention missing all the stress by not driving on I4 to WDW. It’s a long ride but since we now go for three weeks it makes sense to drive.

 

[Ross Kratter]

I'm fairly certain I stopped in Georgia last time I made the drive from eastern LI.

 

[RSHEALAND]

I drive down every year from central Connecticut. I leave at 530 am and drive to Florence, SC straight down I95. With stopping a few times takes roughly 12 hrs the about 6 hrs the next day to Orlando. I leave on Saturday and hardly hit much traffic except for northern Virginia where there seems to be a lot of construction the past few years

 

[FtW Mike]

We do our trek from Central Delaware. It is about 1000 miles from our driveway to the Fort Wilderness Reception Outpost. Have done the trek twice by car. First time ,was September 2011 and just the wife and I. WE drove straight thru only stopping to eat, fuel up , potty breaks and a minor shopping excursion in SC. Took from 1am till 7pm FYI there were serious rain storms entire trip.
Now we have a 37 foot Motorhome tow our SUV and have our 2 dogs accompany us , and we are both over 65. Stops are more frequent. I am lone driver so for me 8 to 10 hours total travel day is about best I can do. Our trip is now 3 legs. Day 1 300 miles, Days 2 and 3 are @ 350 each. We try to leave on a Sunday to avoid DC traffic. We tend to hit the road around 8am ( Driving this set up at night is something I prefer not to do nor is doing my hook ups ie electric and water, as we do our trek in December - January timeframe)
Hint I have on numerous trips I have averaged how far I have gone by how long I actually was on the road ie actually driving and find I average @ 50mph no matter speed limit. For us South of the Border is just about the midway point and hope to stay there 1 day just to finally say we stopped there

 

[Lewisc]

Road warriors hold their bladders until their fuel gauge reads E.

Is this your first long car trip? Plan to stop every 3 to 4 hours. Bathroom stretch your legs. Snack.

 

[edith76]

We have been doing this several times a year for the last 30 years from Northern NJ. We do both routes but I-95 the most. Killer tolls between NJ Turnpike and 95 but it is shorter and gas is usually cheaper than going on 81 so it balances out. We used to drive straight thru but are retired now so we take longer. If we stop once we found around Santee SC to be a good spot. It is around a 10hr drive from here and there is a reliable CrackerBarreland Hampton Inn. There are other exits in that general area that have hotels and food choices also. .

 

[Peach026]

I drive down every year from central Connecticut. I leave at 530 am and drive to Florence, SC straight down I95. With stopping a few times takes roughly 12 hrs the about 6 hrs the next day to Orlando. I leave on Saturday and hardly hit much traffic except for northern Virginia where there seems to be a lot of construction the past few years

We are contemplating driving since flights are outrageous- also from CT (northern side). Any great places to stop with kids? Ages 7 & 9

 

[RSHEALAND]

We are contemplating driving since flights are outrageous- also from CT (northern side). Any great places to stop with kids? Ages 7 & 9

It’s been over 20 years since my kids were that age so I don’t really have any good insight on that

 

[michbaron]

We are contemplating driving since flights are outrageous- also from CT (northern side). Any great places to stop with kids? Ages 7 & 9

We’ve driven down from Long Island probably 4-5 times now with the kids ranging from 4 months at the youngest and 9 the oldest. We usually stop at Target when we can so they can pick out snacks, a little toy, a new DVD or something plus there’s usually decent bathrooms and a Starbuck’s.

 

[michbaron]

Also we typically stay overnight in Florence, SC. Find a hotel with an indoor pool because if the kids hopefully do a lot of sleeping on the car ride you have a way to tire them out again no matter the weather.

 

[FtW Mike]

Florence SC ie exit 170 off I-95 has been a stop for us our last several trips as the Pilot-Flying J on the Northbound side has a great RV fuel lanes, Next trip can't wait to stop as just off the Southbound side will be the new BUCKEE's (can I get an AMEN Brothers and Sisters as I have seen the Promised Land) For the uneducated BUCKEE's is sort of Super gas station (Think 25 + pumps that surround the Building. Inside is a Combination Cracker Barrel, Cabella's and Mission BBQ with a few other places thrown in.
For OP CATANDSAL 1009 I never asked but will you be traveling with or by RV or in a car only

 

[Peach026]

Also we typically stay overnight in Florence, SC. Find a hotel with an indoor pool because if the kids hopefully do a lot of sleeping on the car ride you have a way to tire them out again no matter the weather.

This is so helpful, thank you! Still debating on if we’ll do it!

 

[Peach026]

I ne

Florence SC ie exit 170 off I-95 has been a stop for us our last several trips as the Pilot-Flying J on the Northbound side has a great RV fuel lanes, Next trip can't wait to stop as just off the Southbound side will be the new BUCKEE's (can I get an AMEN Brothers and Sisters as I have seen the Promised Land) For the uneducated BUCKEE's is sort of Super gas station (Think 25 + pumps that surround the Building. Inside is a Combination Cracker Barrel, Cabella's and Mission BBQ with a few other places thrown in.
For OP CATANDSAL 1009 I never asked but will you be traveling with or by RV or in a car only

I’ll need to Google. Never heard of it!