Driving from New England to WDW with a GPS

[MaryAnnDVC]

Swore I'd never do it, but apparently we will be! Just DH and I...3 kids will be at college, Spain, and England. We'll still look at flights, but it's over April vacation, and they're booked and/or very expensive now. Also, we don't know what time the kids will be leaving, so we figure we'll just leave when the last one takes off.

So...just got a new GPS...Garmin StreetPilot c330...not one of the more expensive ones. Have you tried using just a GPS to get from the Northeast to Disney? It's really good around town MOST OF THE TIME, but it does some quirky things sometimes that I can get around because I know where I'm going, but I was wondering if I should also map out something with mapquest or AAA or something.

Anything I need to know? I don't even know what questions to ask, because it's all so new to me, the driving and using a GPS!

PS We plan to drive straight through. And I know most of the trip is on Rte 95.

 

[BillSears]

A GPS would have been way overkill for me. I did get the AAA trip tic. The directions from Baltimore to Orlando were pretty simple... Head south on 95. Turn onto Route 4. That gets you to Orlando. To get to WDW just keep driving on Route 4 and turn at one of the WDW exits.

I bet the lady at AAA gets these requests all of tht time from us East Coasters and she probably sighs about how easy it is to get there and why do we need a trip tic.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I've driven from here to NJ on numerous occasions over the last 30 years, and there are some pretty confusing signs and turns along the way, esp in NYC, as well as different routes available...GW bridge, or Tappan Zee. Or even 84 to the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.

A GPS offers information such as taking a "detour" if you come across traffic or an accident (on a trip to Virginia Beach last year, we sat in traffic in NYC for over an hour due to an accident on the GW bridge), places to stop to eat (in general, or particular restaurants), or a hotel (ditto...a particular chain that we might have a discount for), if for some reason we should decide to stay a night along the way.

I took my GPS to a soccer tournament Wednesday...a place we go to frequently...yet didn't know the area at all. We had two hours between games, so we used the GPS to find a restaurant we both wanted to do, and went out to eat. Perhaps a GPS would be overkill for you...I'm looking forward to having the information at the tips of my fingers for a 1300 mile drive, whether I actually need to use it or not.

Years ago, we were on our way home from NYC, in CT, and came to a dead stop at about 8 PM, and heard on the radio at about 10:00 that 95 would be closed until at least 4 AM. We were right before an exit, which we then took, but had a heck of a time trying to find where to go next.

I've never driven to Orlando, nor have I researched it. I have no idea if there's major construction, or major traffic during certain times of the day, or what. Hence, my questions, including contacting AAA...it was my understanding that they're aware of that kind of thing...traffic, construction.

 

[BillSears]

MaryAnn, I'm sorry if I offended you with my comment about overkill. I was just saying that a GPS system is overkill for me. Obviously it works well for you.

 

[CPT Tripss]

A GPS would have been way overkill for me. I did get the AAA trip tic. The directions from Baltimore to Orlando were pretty simple... Head south on 95. Turn onto Route 4. That gets you to Orlando. To get to WDW just keep driving on Route 4 and turn at one of the WDW exits.

I bet the lady at AAA gets these requests all of tht time from us East Coasters and she probably sighs about how easy it is to get there and why do we need a trip tic.

It really is about that simple isn't it? I get the trip tik just so I have an up to date map in the event I need to make a traffic detour.
OT, but how did your solo trip go?

 

[BillSears]

OT, but how did your solo trip go?

It was great!!! I did make reservations ahead of time for a hotel in Jacksonville on the way down and Savannah on the way back. I had alot of fun driving alone. For some reason there was some sort of Zen type peacefulness from the driving. The time passed quickly and I wasn't even tired at the end. I left Baltimore at 4:30 AM and got to Jacksonville at 3:30 PM, I was still going strong then and could have easily driven the rest of the way to WDW that night.

 

[ducklite]

DH drives from Central NJ to our hosue in the Orlando area every month.

He has a GPS in his car.

He certainly doesn't need to for directions on his normal route, which at this point he can do in his sleep--I'm surprised he doesn't ahve nightmares about it--although he enjoys driving and I hate it.

Anyhow, here's where the GPS comes in handy...

He also has a CB radio. He doesn't talk to the drivers all that much, but he listens to them. When he hears that there is an accident or a slowdown ahead, he'll ask them what type of backup there is, and then take a look at the GPS to see if there's a suitable bypass on a county/local road to take. I'd say that 25% of the time he ends up cutting off of 95 to an alternate route to avoid getting stuck in a traffic nightmare.

He also uses it if he suddenly gets a craving for a specific type of food. Like he knows that there is a Taco Bell in one of the Richmond Hill, GA exits, but always messes up which one. He can locate the Taco Bell on the GPS and take the correct exit.

He makes the trip in one shot, by himself, and almost never stops for the night--although will leave that option open. Due to a ton of accidents and bad weather he stopped on his last drive down, the other drivers were getting crazier and crazier and he stopped at a Hampton for the night--got upgraded to a really nice suite based on his Hilton Honors status, walked across the parking lot to a Longhornz Steahouse, had a nice dinner and a couple fo beers, hit the hay by 8:00 pm, and got up and rolling at 6:00 am the next morning, which gave him a good five hours of drive time before the roads began to get a little congested.

Maryann, I hope this helped, and if you want his specific route to WDW, let me know. (We actually drove the route from Boston to home in Florida this past July) He's tried a lot of different routes over the past few years, and has determined through a lot of trial and error which works best. He can get from Central NJ to our house in Florida in as little as 16 hours, it's usually 17. He doens't drive more than a few mph pver the speed limit either--so that's not how he makes good time.

And a sobering story on why people shouldn't speed. My DH is an EMT. He's got national certification and is also licensed in the states of FL and NJ. A couple months ago he was driving down and a car went flying past him. A few miles down the road he caught up with that car who had lost control and left the road, ultimately crashing into a tree. DH stopped to render assistance. He pulled on his coveralls and grabbed his kit out of the trunk. He raced down into the median. I'm not going into it, but it was obvious that the passenger was deceased. The driver was unconcsious and obviously bleeding internally. The drivers seat had broken loose and was on top of the passenger, with the driver jammed in between the seat and the dash. Another good samaritan called 9-1-1 while DH crawled into the still running car (steering column was so mangled that they couldn't turn the key to turn it off, and hood was too mangled to lift.) DH used his hands to stabalize the drivers neck and keep her face of the extremely hot airbag that had deployed but not receded until the paramedics arrived. The "Golden Hour" was ticking and it was obvious that this woman had severe internal injuries and internal bleeding (again, I'll not go into how he knew this.) They had to cut her out of the car. Once he handed her off to the medics and gave his "witness statement" to the police, he left the scene. The police called him a couple of days later to clarify something, they told him the accident investigation concluded that the cause was "excessive speed."

Makes you think...

Anne

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

MaryAnn, I'm sorry if I offended you with my comment about overkill. I was just saying that a GPS system is overkill for me. Obviously it works well for you.

Ack! Sorry if I sounded "witchy". Bad head cold (and I won't mention the PMS! ) and very cranky for a few days.

Forgive me!!!

Ducklite, would love the directions! Thanks!

I'm always amazed at the speeds of cars that pass me, especially if I'm going somewhat over the speed limit, and another car goes by in a flash. I always expect to come upon the accident. I saw the remains of an accident recently...just the cars, the drivers were already removed...and when I heard on the news that one had been killed, I found it disturbing even having seen the cars. I can't imagine what an EMT is exposed to, especially in the type of accident you just described. And now I have a DD with a license and one with a permit...scary. I just booked a trip to WDW for August, and DH said that if we drive down, we'll have 4 drivers (2nd DD will have her license by then). I can't imagine letting myself rest/sleep while one of the girls is driving! I'll be keeping my eye on flights!

 

[roadtripper]

Just in case you want to try for flights again, I found n/s from BOS/MCO for 217 RT over April vacation yesterday-- I was searching for a friend. It was a Sat 14- Fri 20 stay. Try www.itasoftware.com to see if they still have something similar. HTH-- my friend didn't take it!

 

[BillSears]

Ack! Sorry if I sounded "witchy". Bad head cold (and I won't mention the PMS! ) and very cranky for a few days.

Forgive me!!!

I'm sorry for sounding flippant and dismissing your concerns. It's really hard to get a tone across in just text. So please forgive me too.