Driving from New Jersey: Suggestions Please

[Lillian513]

My family and I are driving from New Jersey. It is our first trip to Florida and driving anywhere that far. I believe the ride is anywhere from 17-18 hours. I am planning to leave in June on a Friday night. I have been told that it is a straight run and there shouldn't be much traffic. Since I have never driven to Florida I am a little skeptical. IS there anything that I should be aware of? Any suggestions or comments that anyone has will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ducklite]

First off, WHERE in NJ are you coming from? We make that trip often. If you can tell me what town you are in and what time you plan on leaving I can maybe offer advice.

We are just North of Princeton, and have never made it in under 18 hours--and that was with no traffic. Usually it's more like 20 hours.

Anne

 

[Lillian513]

I am in south Jersey I am 1/2 hour from Philly and close to the Delaware Memorial Bridge..

Thanks for your suggestions/Comments..
Lilly

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

We live in PA, near the DE border, and while we haven't driven all the way to FL, we just returned from a road trip to Charleston, SC which took 11 hours to complete on the way down.

For the mostpart, I-95 is a straight shot to FL, BUT you really will want to avoid going thru Baltimore and D.C. at anytime close to rush hour. A neighbor of ours who used to make the PA--> FL several times each year told us that he would leave in the middle of the night (3 am) in order to get past Baltimore and D.C. before morning.

 

[georgeat]

Check this site for I-95 info. http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm Check the I-95 alternatives section about going down route 301 and skipping Baltimore and Washington altogether. You cross the Chesapeake bay bridge in the toll free direction. Depending on the day of the week and time of day staying on US route 50 to I-495 may be better than 301 all the way to Richmond.

 

[ducklite]

I would NOT leave on Friday night and drive straight through. It's a long, boring drive, very dark through most of it, and way too easy to fall asleep at the wheel.

I'd get up and get started Saturday, very early in the morning, around 4:00am. That will put you past DC before any type of traffic starts (it can be busy on weekends as well!) and with luck and not too many stops you can be at WDW by about midnight, maybe even earlier.

Anne

 

[Dopey Sharon]

The only suggestion I would give you is to fly. We have driven to Florida, from South Jersey, a few times, and all I can say is, "Never again!"

It is, pretty much, a "straight run", but you have a few congested areas along the loooonnnngggg way. Washington, DC, for one and when you're not familiar with the area, it can be very nerve-wracking. Also, prepare to drive at least 75-80 miles an hour. Cars fly on I-95.

I would suggest you join AAA. Tell them you need a Trip-Tik from wherever you live (you can't be far from me) to Orlando. They will map the whole trip out for you.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[WillCAD]

I have made the drive from Baltimore many times.

From the southern portion of Baltimore, where I-95 crosses through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel, it is about 900 miles to the WDW exits from I-4. From here it takes 14-15 hours, depending on how many stops you make for gas, rest, and meals. I can't comment on the part from where you are to where I am, because I have never driven north along I-95 myself.

I typically dont make meal stops, only gas stops, which usually last about 15 minutes each. I have made the trip in as little as 14-1/2 hours, and have never taken more than 16, even with lots of extra stops.

Switch drivers every 3 hours or less. Driving long distances is very tiring, especially when driving overnight.

If you drive overnight, be sure to time your departure so that you pass through Baltimore and DC well after the evening rush hour has ended. If you get to the northern fringes of Baltimore after 7pm you should miss the bad traffic.

Take a wide variety of snacks and drinks with you. You may love Coke but after 8 or 10 hours you'll be craving something different.

I-95 through Georgia and the Carolinas is a great big EMPTY. It is the most boring, mind-numbing stretch of roadway I've ever encountered, so be ready for it. Music, games, books on tape, whatever it takes to stay awake and alert, and frequent changes of driver; 2-hour shifts instead of 3-hours are preferable through this part, especially if you hit it in the wee hours of the morning.

As to the route, is is a straight shot from Baltimore to Daytona along I-95, then you take I-4 for the last hour into Orlando and direct to WDW. It's easy; you only have to Interstates to remember the whole way!

 

[crzy4dsny]

From the Delaware border it takes me on average 16 hours to Disney. Thats with stopping only for gas and a quick bite to eat. I leave eastern Long Island at 2:00 am. I pass thru that area around 4:30 am. I would agree with Ducklite, leave around 4:00 am. Drive straight thru and you should be in Disney between 8:00 and 9:00pm. Unless you are used to driving at night, or staying up all nite , I would go during the day. Those roads are boring during the day light. I couldn't imagine driving them while it was dark. I would be sleeping in no time.

 

[AspiringCindy]

I would NOT leave on Friday night and drive straight through. It's a long, boring drive, very dark through most of it, and way too easy to fall asleep at the wheel.

I'd get up and get started Saturday, very early in the morning, around 4:00am. That will put you past DC before any type of traffic starts (it can be busy on weekends as well!) and with luck and not too many stops you can be at WDW by about midnight, maybe even earlier.

Anne

I am in total agreement with Ducklite on this! We drove straight from WDW to home(northern Jersey) and it was a killer! We had every intention of stopping, but to no avail...there were no vacancies from SC all the way up to DC! The drive is BORING, DARK and CREEEEPY late at night! Leave before daylight if you plan on driving straight through! Otherwise, be sure to book a room in advance because the hotels sell out on Friday and Saturday nights!

PS. SHHHH...the ride only took us 18 hours(we are minutes from the NY state border)>

 

[Dopey Sharon]

PS. SHHHH...the ride only took us 18 hours(we are minutes from the NY state border)>

Which goes back to what I said about cars flying down I-95!

 

[georgeat]

Most of the above say to take I-95 straight through. I always take I-295 around Richmond and highly recommend it. It is 5 miles longer but you can stay at the 65 mph speed limit versus 55 through Richmond and Petersburg (asumes you do the limit or slightly above). Sixteen hours for me each way if I drive straight through from Dover, DE. Usually stop at Exit 94 in Georgia on the way down and exit 46 in North Carolina on the way back when DW is with me.

 

[PA DISNEYLOVER]

We are 1/2 hour north of Philly and it took us about 19 hours. We left on a Friday night around 4pm stopped in Rocky Mount, NC and got up Saturday and drove the rest. We pulled into Disney aroun 10pm.

We stopped for a sit down dinner on Friday night and really didn't hit rush hour traffic. We were dreading hitting Washington Dc but we had no trouble.

 

[Lillian513]

Thank you all so much for all the information. I think I will leave like ducklite suggested around 3 or 4 am... and hopefully make it there safe and sound.. I keep hearing it is a straight run, but I will also look into the alternate routes some of you suggested..My fear is it being my 1st drive there and getting lost.

Thanks again you have been a great help...
I can't wait to leave...

Lilly.....

 

[SamRoc]

We are actually driving again this friday from Brooklyn NY to Orlando. It takes my husband and I 18 - 19 hours to arrive there. We each take turns driving 3 hours each. (He always teases me that he sets the clock ahead when he starts driving!) We prefer to leave at 6pm on friday night so we avoid the Baltimore/Washington rush hour. Also, our kids sleep during most of this time(2 teens and one teen friend) My kids would go crazy if they were in the car all day. When we first start out, everyone is so excited about the trip, they watch a few movies or they play some video games(we have a conversion van with DVD/Playstation) Then after a few hours the kids start falling asleep and by the time they wake up, we are usually not far from the Florida border. We stop and eat, walk the dog (5 lb. yorkie) and then continue on to Orlando, usually arriving about noon or 1pm. We've done this about 10 times in the past 20 years and it seems to work out well for our family.

 

[paslea_pooh]

with 4 kids and it was alot better than I could ever have imagined it.

We actually didn't leave until 7:45 am on Saturday (3/19) and drove until about 11 am , had lunch and got back on the road. We made it to Florence South Carolina around 6pm and stopped for dinner and got a hotel room. We were very well rested had breakfast at the hotel (complimentary) and got back on the road at 7:45 am again, pure coincidence we left at the same time. We stopped again for lunch at 11 am and I think again for gas at one other time. We got to Orlando at 3:30 pm on Sunday 3/20.

So it took us about 17 hours including all the stops we made. When we stopped for lunch we generally spent about 45 minutes - 1 hour. Gas took only a few minutes.

The ages of my kids are 16,13,8 and 4.

Can't remember if you're traveling with kids or not. But mine seemed to do pretty well and they slept in the afternoon on both days, which was very helpful.

Good Luck in whatever you decide.

Another note, others have commented about how boring those roads are, they are Right! I can't imagine driving on those roads at night, I'd probably fall asleep. When we drove thru DC we took the Outer Loop so we didn't have to drive Thru Washington.

 

[elf]

I'm from Long Island and we are thinking of leaving May 27 Friday. Wev'e done the drive a few times and follow a similar schedule to what poster SamRoc has done leaving at 6:00 but I want to stop and sleep for 4-5 hours this trip.
So our plan is to pick up dd at school at 2:00 pm and leave straight from there. I have two concerns. It's Memorial day weekend. I thought if I could just get off of Staten Island by rush hour I would be o.k. What do you all think? Should we leave around 8:00pm after the traffic has died down or 2:00pm and try to beat the traffic, I'd be getting through the Verrazanno around 3:30-4:00. I have a vague memory of going to DC in on a Friday of Memorial day weekend and with the traffic it took 7 hours.
We are on the Eastern end of the island.

 

[Jamesbyr]

We are driving Friday so this is familiar territory.
1. Washington DC rush hour is to be avoided at all costs. I would go for the later departure. I don't know about the Verrazano, but it takes two hours to get out of Manhattan on Friday of a holiday weekend at 5 PM.
2. Driving straight through works when you have several drivers. We did it once, but had to sleep much of the next day to recover. A six hour sleep break at an inexpensive motel in NC is better than a lost day at WDW. But you must call ahead and reserve. Roanoke Rapids NC is a nice place with many motels. The I-95 guide cited above can help.

 

[mickeymousefan]

We have done it twice from Burlington County and it takes us about 20 hours. We have two small children and we make lots of stops!!! We have left New Jersy at 8pm and 10pm to start driving and made it to WDW for dinner the next day. Both times on the way home, we have stopped and spent the night at a hotel. My husband works nights, so him falling asleep at the wheel isnt an issue, but it is a long and boring drive. Also, pulling of at the wrong area can be creepy!!
It is a long tedious drive, and once you hit Florida, you still have 2 1/2 hours to go . But as I see it, it is better to drive than not go at all.!!

 

[SamRoc]

Hi elf. I would say leave after the rush hour on Memorial Day weekend. We live in Brooklyn and have a house at the Jersey shore. Last Memorial Day we left my daughters school here in Brooklyn at 2:30 on friday and it took us over 2 hours just to get through Staten Island. The expressway in Staten Island can be a nightmare. Memorial Day is traditionally a huge "Escape from New York" weekend and friday is always the worst night. I would leave after 8 or 9pm just so you don't have to sit in the Brooklyn/Staten Island traffic.