Driving from NJ - how long, tips, strategies, etc.

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

On my next trip to WDW I will be driving from northern NJ (Wayne) with my MIL and three kids (ages 6, 4, and 2). I'm curious how long it will take -- in "real time" with stops and all - not just caluclated based on miles.

I'm also wondering what peopel have found helpful. I was thinking of leaving early in the am - driivng until dinner time(with as many stops as necessary in between) and then staying over somewhere and completing the trip the next day. Has this worked for people with small kids. I was also thinking about leaving in the late afternoon and driving until late (10 pm or so). What has worked for others?? ANY input would be helpful!

Thanks!

 

[crzy4dsny]

Check this link for some info. I drove for the first time this past summer. The times leaving and coming home worked out great for us.








http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=417463

 

[mixsap]

We leave at 7 pm and drive straight through. By the time we get to the Balt beltway, traffic is thinning nicely. DC beltway is better. Once you get about 20 miles south of DC , the traffic lightens up and you can go.

Depending on the time of day, you can go through or around Richmond. Next hurdle is JAcksonvoille, I suggest going around, not through. From there it is good until you hit the Orlando traffic.

We can do it pulling our 26 ft trailer in 16 1/2 hrs if no major traffic problems. I have to stop 4 times for gas and we do NOT stop to eat. We take all of our own food along.

Driving straight through isn't for everybody , esp w kids.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We live in Northern Montgomery County, MD, about 45 minutes or so N of DC.

We've left early in the morning (oh-dark-thirty is what we call it) both times that we've driven. It works well and we time it so that we are going through the Springfield, VA interchange after any construction is pulled for the night and before traffic gets bad. We drive most of the way that first day. Last time we went to Jacksonville and the first time Brunswick, GA. We arrived plenty early enough to drive to the ocean, have dinner, and go to bed early. I know that it will take you longer, but you should still arrive at a decent hour.

When we drive this April we are probably going to leave in the afternoon and drive hopefully half way. I'm concerned that traffic will be a lot worse since it will be harder to avoid rush hour.


We usually make it in whatever time Mapquest says it will take. They do not build stops in, but they seem to build time for traffic and they are assuming the speed limit. We don't drive as fast as many people, but a few miles over the speed limit. We rarely stop and the kids know that they have to go to the bathroom whenever we stop (you know kids--they want to wait until they are ready to explode) and we limit drinks.

We have a built in TV/VCP in our van that our 4yo watches and then a portable DVD in a bag that we hook up in the way back seat for my 10 and 13yo boys (we hook up Nintendo 64 to it and they have Game Boys). My 16yo daughter brings her CD player or watches a DVD with her brothers. They don't watch tv the whole time, but it is nice to have since we drive so many hours without stopping.

We are going to buy a revised edition of an I-95 travel guide that lists the exits and what is at each exit. If you get it make sure you get the latest edition (maybe 2003?).

T&B

 

[Buzz2001]

Hi SnoWhiteRabbit - we drove to WDW in April and November this past year. We live in Connecticut. It takes us about 18.5 hours of driving time. We usually stop to sleep in Emporia, Va. It is a good halfway point for us. There are many hotels right off the highway. Try to stop at places you can see from the highway so you don't get sidetracked way off course. When you stop, make sure everyone goes to the bathroom so you don't have to make too many stops.

 

[mudnuri]

We do things a bit different, and drive from Southern Vermont to Florida. This will be the 4th trip driving down with DD's who are 6 and 7.

first off we do NOT eat in our truck. DD6 choked on food in the truck at age 2, and since then NADA has been eaten. Not much you can do if your on 95 doing 75 and someone is choking...not a good thing! I'm just glad it happened in a parking lot...enough on that. They do drink.

We drive a Diesel, so we have to be picky where we get fuel. Fuel Filters in Diesels like clean fuel, so we head to where the big trucks are..I go to flyingj.com and plan out our stops, I know once I hit the highway I can get 21.5 mpg outta the tank, and have planned out exactly where we stop for fuel and and food. We have NEVER been to a flyin J and had poor service/food or dirty bathrooms. With 2 girls, it's especially important that things are clean!

We have left morning, noon and night. and find this next time we will be leaving in the morning...probably around 430 or so. We will drive to Roanoke Rapids, sleep, then drive to Brunswick and sleep. We cut it into 2 nights 3 days. First night longest, and they get shorter each time. Same on the way home. I dont have the home trip stops yet.

We find with DDs that if we go all out and do it in 1 night, they are exhausted, and so are we when we arrive..not a good way to start a vacation. We drive down on Friday arrive on Sunday, and same home.

I do make my reservations at hotels ahead, and know again, exactly where we're stopping, for the night. We plan in about 2 hours at South of The Boarder on the way down, good place for DDs to run around etc.. On the way home, we use to stop for fireworks, but now they are legal in NH so we dont.

We have a tv/vcr in the truck, will be getting at least 1 dvd player, maybe 1 for each kid. They bring their Game Boys, Leap Pads, books, crayons etc.. and new this year, i picked them up $5.00 cassete walkmans at wal-mart. Less kids music for me, and more for them!!! They use headphones for the game boy, leappad etc... and the DVD player will be as well.

We luck out that DH owns his own business, and can take off the extra days to stay 2 nights each way.

I also go around richmond, and Jax...

oh- and I dont let DH drive after CT...he starts to drive ummm"politically incorrect" just like them, and I take over. I usually set the cruise at 80 and go....

Brandy

 

[TriciaT]

Hi Neighbor,

We are from Nutley and drove to Disney three years ago with our two sons who were 8 and 4 at the time.

We left Nutley at 3:30 PM which had us past the Newark area way before rush hour and DC area after their rush hour. We only stopped for gas/restroom breaks when needed and packed a cooler with cold cuts and rolls for dinner. We also put a laundry basket between the kids in the back stocked with small toys/snacks and drinks so they could help themselves.

After feeding them dinner in the car, it was getting dark and they fell asleep. We drove until about midnight which got us to Fayetteville, NC which is exactly halfway for us. Got a 50 dollar room with free breakfast and hit the road again around 7 the next morning. We arrived in Orlando at about 4 PM that day.

The hardest part of travelling with the kids was during the day with them being wide awake and the sun beating on the car. Driving in the dark was great, and with leaving in the afternoon, it did not get dark until after we left the DC area which was the only confusing part of the drive because there was construction going on there. The rest was an easy drive on 95.

On the way home, we just reversed what we did going. It worked out great.

I hope this helps. We loved the drive to Florida and would do it again in an instant. Our next trip is in December though and we decided to fly just because it has been so snowy here this year and we were afraid to have weather issues to deal with.

 

[AspiringCindy]

We live in Bergen County(about 10 minutes from Wayne) and drove to WDW last year with a 1yr old, 9 year old and a 10 year old. We left around 9:00 AM. We didn't hit NJ Turnpike traffic, Baltimore traffic or DC traffic. We stopped in Alexandria, VA for lunch...then continued on. We ate dinner and refueled somewhere in NC. Our stopover was in Santee, SC at 11:00 PM. The next day, we only had a 5 hour drive... and were well rested to visit the parks! Actually road time was 18 hours. We had a travel TV, Video pak that hooks up between the 2 front seats. It was a life save! We played Disney Sing A Long Videos and Disney feature cartoons! Any questions?

 

[Mark P.]

Hi,
We're planning on stopping overnight in Santee on our trip down next month, and would like to know which hotel you stayed at (if you recall, that is)

Thanks,
Mark

 

[AspiringCindy]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn. I highly recommend the hotel. It was $55/night with AAA, was newly renovated and it was clean!

Originally posted by Mark P.
Hi,
We're planning on stopping overnight in Santee on our trip down next month, and would like to know which hotel you stayed at (if you recall, that is)

Thanks,
Mark

 

[mudnuri]

Mark- I dont know when your planning on going, but Santee is a POPULAR stop for a LOT of people!

Our last trip to Florida, I did not make our reservations for our 2nd night, and spent 1 hour on the phone with different hotel 800#'s trying to find a hotel...this was after stopping at 9 hotels. We ended up in GA, which threw a loop in our stop. If you know where your stopping, plan ahead and get reservations..Especially in APRIL!

Good luck

Brandy

 

[AspiringCindy]

Absolutely! Especially Friday and Saturdays! We knew we would stop at Santee...and reserved 2-3 places there figuring we could judge in person. On the way back, we forgot to reserve!BIG MISTAKE! We couldn't find a hotel from South of the border clear into Maryland. By that time, we were just 4 hours from home and decided to continue on. I would never do that again! We were sooo exhausted!

Originally posted by mudnuri
Mark- I dont know when your planning on going, but Santee is a POPULAR stop for a LOT of people!

Our last trip to Florida, I did not make our reservations for our 2nd night, and spent 1 hour on the phone with different hotel 800#'s trying to find a hotel...this was after stopping at 9 hotels. We ended up in GA, which threw a loop in our stop. If you know where your stopping, plan ahead and get reservations..Especially in APRIL!

Good luck

Brandy

 

[DownNeckBoy]

We have driven several times down to WDW. I like to travel a la "The Great Santini." We leave around 12:00 am. This means that we are through DC by 3:30 am and in NC by daybreak. It takes us around 17 hours, straight through, to get to WDW.

The benefit of travelling in the early AM is that the children are asleep for a significant portion of the trip. The balance of the trip they are distracted by the DVD player in the car. Traffic is also minimal. I know that it is not for everyone, but it is truly the most efficient way to drive down to WDW.

Good luck with your planning!!!

 

[Mark P.]

Thanks for the info. on Santee...

I made reservations for that Holiday Inn (which is now a Quality Inn), so we're all set.

Just in case we do extra good on time driving, I also made a reservation in Brunsiwck, Ga., but I think Santee is more realistic, especially w/ kids.

Thanks again,
Mark

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Thanks. You've all given helpful info. I feel like I have a better idea what to expect. ANd I'm going to look for the 95 book.

Thanks again!

 

[NCRedding]

Don't forget to check out the driving info on wdwinfo.com. They have exit numbers with lodging, food and gas stops. I paln on using it extensively when we drive in June.

 

[bizwiz24]

Hello,

I live in Chicago and have been going on road trips my entire life. The last 5 time we went to Disney, we drove straight through, with food and gas stops of course. This July we have planned to make the 20 hour journey by driving again. This time I will be going with my girlfriend, her mother, her sister and brother.

Usually when we go we cannot wait to get there, so we drive straight and spend the first day at the hotel. I suppose it helps that the two children I am going with are extremely patient and are experts at entertaining themselves. Besides, its their first time so they are too excited to make any long stops along the way.