Driving From New York To Orlando: Help!!!

[New York Minnie]

We are planning to drive down to Orlando from New York during President's Week in February. We would leave on a Thursday night, stay overnight somewhere and then drive all day Friday. We are going to stay at Old Key West (our home!) and the point usage is high for a Friday night stay.

Here are my questions:

Do I check in somewhere else on Friday(within a few hours), not waste Friday's points and fully enjoy a whole day on Saturday?

or

Any suggestions where we could stay on Friday that would be within 3 hours of Orlando and sort of interesting?

or

Has anyone ever driven to Florida from New York? How did you do it? Any suggestions or ideas?

I would really appreciate any input. This kind of information is hard to find! Thanks in advance to you!

 

[ZerasPride]

I'm not from the New York area (I'm sure you'll get posters that are) but I would recommend Hilton Head. We drove from Ohio last Thanksgiving week and stayed at Hilton Head for a few days and then checked into OKW. It's about a 5-1/2 hour drive from DVC Hilton Head to OKW. We had a great time. Although the points are pretty high on the weekend at Hilton Head but February is low season so they are not so bad - especially if you stay in a studio.

Have a great trip!

 

[gmboy95]

here are my answers to your questions;

1) I definetly would check into a room for the night on friday, and yes it is a waste of points for friday.

2) I think you should look into the celebration hotel. They usually have good deals on this web site, and you will love hanging around on friday night...try the bostonian for dinner. If you want something cheaper there is the downtown disney hotels, and there is a days Inn directly accross the street from the hotel blvd entrance to disney (535)...I once got a room there for $45, and it is so close to downtown disney which is always fun on an arrival night when you just want to take awalk and relax.

3) As far as the drive...we do it every year from Boston. We usually leave at 8pm and drive through until 3pm the next day..it puts us in SC...we usually limit ourselves to Holiday Inns, Sheratons, or hampton Inns...you usually cant lose with these...driving on I95 is easy after DC...all of the hotels are right off the exit, and are very convenient.

There is a web site that deals exclusively with I95...i wish i had a link, but just go to google and punch in I95 and it will come up...It gives you updates on construction, and places to stop, and will also let you make reservations on line....it also has a message board like this one where you can talk to others who are planning trips by car to florida....hope this was helpful.

 

[gmboy95]

By the way...after such a long ride in my opinion, hilton head is too far out of the way, and a waste of points, espescially because you will be awfully tired and a bit irritable from the drive....the best way is to just find a hotel off the highway, and crash. (IMHO)

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by gmboy95
the best way is to just find a hotel off the highway, and crash. (IMHO)

Yes, but all means, if you're going to crash, do it off the highway.

I used to do the all night drive thing, but that got old about the same pace as me. We'll leave Philly after work and usually make it to NC before my co-pilot wakes up and complains she's tired. How far we make it really depends on the vileness of the traffic in Baltimore and DC.

So far, in both directions, we always seem to be around Rocky Mount NC when we stop.

One word of warning if you travel at holiday times...make a ressie if you want a room guaranteed. We learned the hard way during a Christmas week that not only are many of the rooms reserved in advance, but the older folx and folx with families seem to stop around dinner and suck up all of the non-reserved rooms. And be wary of the Spring weekends too...lots of proms going on. While it seems like there are a million hotels just off I-95, for much of the DC<->FLA leg of the trip there isn't much other than what you can see from I-95.

-Joe

 

[Disney Doll]

Using points for OKW on Friday night would be a waste, especially if you're arriving fairly late Friday. When I have driven to FL from CT, if you leave early(5-6AM) the first day, drive a good day's drive(like maybe 12-14 hours), and do the same the 2nd day, you should be in very close proximity to WDW, if not there. The idea about staying on/near Hotel Plaza Blvd. is a good one...then you could spend some time at DD if you were up to it(you'd at least have to eat, right??? ),be able to breathe some "Disney air", not waste valuable points, and hop over to OKW the next AM and check in.

 

[edith76]

We did this for years. Depending on traffic (from No. NJ) if we left in the eve. or late afternoon, we generally made it to Va. around Emporia. If we left in the morning we generally stop in Santee, SC. Thurs. eve. motel space is not as hard to come by as the weekend - but after a few bad experiences we always make res. ahead. Presidents weekend is also race weekend in Daytona, so that area is crowded....just something to keep in mind.

 

[new_yawka]

I love the road signs...I look forward to seeing them on each trip and a quick stop is not the worst thing in the world...I would not suggest staying at South of the Border. Unless they have renovated substantially in the last 5 years, it's not a great place to stay. I too stick to the hampton Inns, Courtyards (Rocky Mount, NC one is nice) and the like.

Are you going with kids? a portable DVD player may be of value

 

[burnsoc]

The website that has a ton of useful information on I-95 is www.usastar.com . They have a great book that lists all hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and rest stops at every exit on I-95. I agree with the poster above who suggests staying the Friday near DD. You'll be able to have an early check-in the next morning and still be able to get that disney excitement by going to DD on Friday night. Have a great trip!

 

[Cyndiu]

We do this drive every year from New Haven, CT. I come home from work and go straight to bed on Thursday night while DH loads the car, feeds the kids and closes up the house. When I wake up around 11pm, we get in the car and go. I usually drive for the first 4 to 5 hours, (DH can sleep in the car and I really can't) and we switch at the "Maryland House" rest stop around 4 am. DH takes over after we "make a visit" and get some coffee. We usually switch again at some point and we stop for the day in Walterboro, SC around 1:00 - 1:30 pm. Get some food, have a nice swim and in bed by 8pm on Friday. Up at 5 am on Saturday and arriving at Vistana by noon.

#1 thing to remember, time it so you're not trying to drive through NYC, DC or Richmond at rush hour.

It works for us!

 

[5forDiz]

Hi !! We are from NY too and 'roadtrip' our way there !

Sent you a PM. Best wishes & happy planning !

Laura

 

[ncmvp]

We drove down last January. We left around 8:30 am New Year's Day. We made it to South Carolina by 7 pm. We had booked a room ahead of time through AAA (I think it was Fairfield Inn for $49). It was really convenient, right off I95. We had dinner, and went to bed. Next morning we woke up early on our own. We were back on the road by 6:30 am. We got to Disney by noon. Checked in and felt refreshed enough to go to the parks. We used to do the straight drive through, we will never do that again. It just takes to long to recover from the drive. We are going to be driving down again this January and will stop again in South Carolina.

Good luck to you New York Minnie!

 

[Mickeydad]

We're from CT.

We drove down last April. We left on a Thursday at 5pm. Slept just outside of VA. We woke up the next morning and got back on the road by 6a, and made it to Disney by 8pm!~

We did NOT go I-95, we went the other way (84 - 81 - 77 - 26 - 95). We plan on doing it again next April. Our plan is to leave at 2am and drive as far a possible. Sleep in SC or GA, stopping for food, etc. along the way.

Enjoy!!!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

You don't say where you are in New York but everyone who lives near me have pointed out that the Virginia/North Carolina border (Emporia, Rocky Mount) is the best place to stop if you are leaving after work. However...I would only do that if I left home (North Jersey) in the afternoon and rush hour wasn't too bad in DC. I once got to my stop at 4AM due to a bad accident north of Baltimore...that's with no sleep, driving alone & having to get out at 9AM to continue on the road. Fortunately I was only going to Charleston.

I would make my reservation in advance and at maybe 4 motels each 60 miles apart....only do this if you can cancel before 6pm. As for the next day I wouldn't waste the points for either Friday or Saturday. I'd stay somewhere I liked for cash for the two days. Relax, hit the parks, the pools the restaurants then make the move on Monday. In my opinion it takes the pressure off competing for the attention of the CM's with your fellow DVC'ers checking in and out on the weekend. If you pick a Disney hotel they will transfer your luggage for you so the only thing you'll need to do is check in at OKW in the afternoon.

 

[Izzyq]

We're planning on doing the drive from NY (Long Island) this November for our Disney vacation. We're leaving 9 pm Thursday and plan on driving til late Friday afternoon and then stopping for a stay over, get up early on Sat and get to Dinsey early enough to enjoy the day ther on Sat (our check in day). I have to get a portable DVD or VCR for my car for my 4 yr old and some new fun car toys for him.

I can't wait!

Amy

 

[Snowgod]

We drive from NH as often as possible and also break the trip into 2 days. 1st day is to DB in Philly area and then we leave at 6AM and travel all day arriving in Orlando around 10PM. Following the traffic flow as they pass will allow you to make better time than using the posted limit. DC is the worst, especially the exit from the beltway onto I95 in VA. We call AAA on the afternoon of our arrival in Orlando and ask for a room in the area and have recieved great rates, not more than $40. If you have kids, any movie player will make your life better, don't forget the headphones.

 

[goofy4tink]

Great info here!! We're also doing this for the first time this coming August. We plan on leaving Ma around 4 a.m. on a Sat. Drive to Rocky Mount N.C., sleep and then hit the road early Sunday morning, getting to WDW late afternoon. We'll be stopping in Williamsburg on the way back for 2 days. My question for all you experienced travelers....what traffic can we expect in NYC and DC on Sat mornings? I imagine we would be getting to NYC around 8-9ish and to DC around noon. Will this be bad?
Anyone use any particular motels in Rocky Mount? Seems to be a very popular 1/2 way mark! I know we'll be checking in and using points for Sunday but the usage for Sunday isn't too bad. Thanks for any thoughts you all may have.

 

[rriley25]

We live in MD and work in VA and are VERY familiar with the traffic in this area. By hitting DC at noon you should be OK. We left at 2:00 PM from DC and encountered just a little congestion. Too much later than that and the afternoon rush starts and will slow you down A LOT. We stopped in Savannah, GA and stayed at a La Quinta just off exit #94. We resumed our drive the following morning and arrived at WDW at 10:30 AM. I have a simple EXCEL chart that provides milege and times for different legs of this journey. It's just a simple chart, no bells or whistles. If anyone is interested....

 

[jonesmatNY]

We have done the trip several times, we leave very early, out the door by 5am. We go all the way to Kingsland, GA. Like everyone says, pick your destination and make a reservation far in advance!
The next morning we get up early and its about 200 more miles to WDW. If we get up early enough, we can be in WDW by 11am and get a decent(and much needed) day in the Parks.

We travel from Long Island, be sure you have EZPASS, saves time too! Last year we had to modify our plan and left a day early, we missed that awful blizzard! Keep an eye on the weather, that blizzard started in the South and came up the coast.

Cant wait till february!

 

[New York Minnie]

I want to thank all of you for all the valuable information you've given me. I like the idea of staying somewhere near downtown disney or even at one of disney's more economical hotels (if that even exists!) and then just move right into OKW the next day all refreshed. You gave me such great ideas and I am enjoying reading all of your responses. Thanks so much. I'll let you all know how the drive goes. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that we're travelling from long island. I guess we'll have lots of company on the road!!!I can't wait for vacation time