Driving from Massachusetts to Orlando

[crcormier]

We're planning on driving from the Worcester, MA area to Orlando the second week of December for our first DVC stay! Just wondering if anyone has any tips or routes they've found that are easier/shorter/safer than just doing Route 95 all the way... Thanks!

Oh, and we plan on taking two days to get there, hopefully doing the bulk of the driving the first day so we don't drive more than 5 or 6 or hours the second day...

Craig

 

[Jynohn]

Hi Craig-

My family and I will be taking the same trip the day after Christmas, leaving from Norton, MA.

We've driven several times before, and it's really not a bad drive. The way down is fun because we're so excited about getting there, it's just the way home that's not so great

I think you're smart not to drive all the way through in one day. We did that last time and we were so tired that we didn't enjoy the parks for the first day or two because our sleep cycles were off.

When we go, we're taking 2 1/2 days to get there, making stops in Washington D.C. and the Biltmore Estate in N.C. One year we stopped at Colonial Williamsburg too, which my husband really enjoyed. We're driven both 95 and more rural/scenic routes. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which ones since my husband did most of the driving There are pros and cons to both. 95 is definitely boring, and you can sometimes run into a lot of construction. Taking the more scenic routes was more interesting, but did add quite a bit of time to our trip. I guess it just depends on how quickly you want to get there!

Either way, have a safe trip, and enjoy!

 

[Steve Hurley]

We've done it twice from North of Boston. Do you belong to AAA? If not I would suggest it and then get one of their TripTix.
Both times we left at 4:00AM and drove until 10:00PM arriving in Pheasant Hill, GA (just south of Savanah). That way we got a good nights sleep and breakfast before heading to DW which is about a 4 hour drive from there.

TripTix takes the following routes.

Rt 90 (Mass Pike to Rt 84 to Rt 684 to Rt 287 over Tappanzee Bridge to Garden State Pkwy to Jersey turnpike to Rt 95.


Good Luck

 

[disneydebi]

we just made that drive this past July.
I don't want to be the downer.... but I told my DH I will NEVER make that drive again.

We took the AAA route from our Trip Ticket. Left in the wee hours of the morning on a Friday morning(3:30am) planning on taking the 2 days to get there sometime on Saturday afternoon.

I95 stunk. Lots of construction, lots of traffic. We missed all the "rush hour" traffic, but from DC through VA was a nightmare.
We had reservations in Lumberton NC for the night figuring it would be just about past the half way mark. It took us 17hours just to get to Lumberton. The 2nd day wasn't too much better... another 12 hours (lot of traffic in FL, especially heading into Orlando).

The ride home wasn't as bad. We split the trip just about in 1/2 over 2 days, staying in Chesterfield VA on the way home. Took about 12 hours to there, and another 11 or 12 to get back to SE Massachusetts from there.

On the up side, the kids were great! DVD player, toys and lots of snacks made it smooth sailing for them!

 

[CamColt]

Weve done it 3x now, with the latest being this past August. We follow the AAA route, which is just what Steve said. We however do it 24 hours straight through. The kids sleep great overnight in the car and DH and I trade off and do get some sleep. We have never hit the parks full force upon arrival but still have an enjoyable day of swimming, dinner(usually at ESPN), and this last time we took a ride on the monorail and stopped in for a drink at the Tambu Lounge. To be honest Im so excited to be there Im not tired at all on that first day, and I am usually a person who needs at least 8 hours sleep.
I used to think people who drove down were crazy, but we were scheduled to fly out 9/24/01 and opted to drive. After doing it once I was shocked at how easy it was and obviously Ive had no problem doing it again and again.
Good luck!

 

[Snowgod]

One way to bypass alot of traffic is to have the FastLane (EZPass) set up to go through tolls. By pass NYC and the GW Bridge to save more time.

 

[jenny2]

Camcolt – same here. We were supposed to fly out of Logan on 9/14/01. Drove instead (out of necessity) and have driven 4 other times since. I also thought that driving straight through was crazy, but it’s what works best for us. We leave just before dinnertime, grab a bite to eat, the kids watch a movie and fall asleep and by the time they awake we’re usually in SC. Thank god for the tv/vcr, lol!

 

[CamColt]

Originally posted by jenny2
Thank god for the tv/vcr, lol!

Youre not kidding! My kids fight like cats & dogs, but they were so good on the ride. We had taped some Nickelodeon shows for them and they watched and laughed the whole day. Between that and some of their favorite snacks, they were better in the car than they are at home.

 

[Snowysmom]

We drove from Mass to Orlando this past July and had a really great time. We left at 4:00 am on a Friday morning and the only traffic we hit was just south of DC. We stopped at Rocky Mount, NC. We could have easily made it to Orlando the next day but we stopped in St. Augustine for the night to see the big cross at the Mission. (My father in law helped to build the cross.) The trip back was good too and again we stayed at Rocky Mount, NC but wished we had waited and drove another 2-3 hours. We left Rocky Mount at 6:15 am and were back home by 6:30 that night including a traffic jam at the Tappanzee Bridge and in Connecticut.
We used the AAA Triptik which was easy to follow. We will definately drive on our next trip, which with a son in college will probably be in 4 years.

 

[crcormier]

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for sharing their thoughts and experiences. I think we may try and go with Steve's route and do the shot to Georgia the first day and get a hotel room and sleep and just have the short jount for the second day.

Luckily our two big travel days are Saturdays so we should be able to avoid the commuter rush, just need to make sure we steer clear of the mall exits so close to Christmas!

If it wasn't so much more expensive during this time of year I'd consider the auto-train after reading that thread, just because I've never done it, but our trip is a little to short to justify the expense.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[The Duchess]

We've driven from Plymouth, MA twice now(last time October, 2002) and will be going again next October.
We've usually stayed over two night because my parents have gone with us, but next year we are solo-ing DH,DS and me, so we are going to do it in 1 night.
Definately join AAA and get the Trip Tix.
There is also a site www.interstate4U.com that will print out for you every hotel, restaurant, gas station and attraction at every exit for the route you are traveling. If nothing else, it breaks the boredom to follow it the whole way down. It used to be a free service, but I think you may have to pay for it now.
I don't mind driving down at all. It is great family time and we have the portable DVD,Gameboy, and box of activities for DS.
I think we will try to make Fayetteville, NC the first day and then it should be 8-10 hours to Orlando from there...

 

[brentalex]

Although this route will be longer, it is a bit more scenic and fun. You can go all the way down the Garden State Parkway in NJ and take the ferry from Cape May over to Delaware, then follow that road down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel. After that you then need to work your way back over to 95. You end up skipping Baltimore, Washington and Richmond and the ferry and bridge are both fun.