Driving From NJ

[NJParkhopper]

Well... it's our first year of vacations (WDW 2 x's per year!!!) as DVC members. We'll only be able to fly once this year and drive the other trip. Any tips from NJ (or other) members regarding driving to WDW? We'll make our stop-over in Fayetteville, NC. Any help or thoughts are welcome!

 

[mickeyc]

I have driven many times to Florida and we usually stop in Florence, S.C. It is a nice area and it will get you closer to your destination for the remaining drive the next day. The last times we drove to Florida we stopped in Georgia and we arrived at 12:00pm in time for lunch at Disney, leaving the hotel at 8:00am. Although I don't mind driving, I prefer to fly since it gives more time to spend at the resorts. The worst part of the drive for me is the southern part of New Jersey through the Washington area. Once you are past that stretch I find the driving a lot easier. At any rate Florida is not around the corner. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[DaveH]

My suggestion is try and not go thru DC at/near rush hour.

 

[KNWVIKING]

We live 45 minutes from the Delaware Mem bridge. We leave after 6:00 pm on a friday so by the time we're approaching baltimore the traffic has really died down.Stay on 95 the whole way,go thru McHenry tunnel,skip all the by-passes.Once you get below DC set your cruise control on approx 83 mph,turn the radio up and check into WDW around 10:00 am.

 

[Olaf]

DC at 2:00 am might be a player.

 

[nezy]

Beware of Georgia in the A.M.. We just drove down and back and they wer doing constuction on the Highway. we actually did the trip in 2 night this yaer for a couple of reasons:
1.My husband, the primary driver, is not in great health, and
2.I wanted to get into Orlando as early int the day as possible for check in.

We left on a Tues. night at 8o or 8:30 and stayed in Fredricksburg. Va. We could have gone further, if we left earlier --like 5 or 6:00.Next day we drove to Jacksonville. Could have gone further.Spent the night and woke up-made our way down 95 to I-4.
If we went in one night we were going to try to stay in Santee, SC. We have in the past stayed in Florence going down and Manning, NC coming home.
try booking hotels w/ www. hoteldiscount.com

Traffic hot spots-D.C., Georgia to Jacksonville & I-4around Orlando.
It helps having a T.V. and snacks on hand for the kid. Each kid packs a bag of toys to entertain themself and usually get a surprise game or toy form the dollar store that they enjoy. Our kids are 4,5,and 7 and we have driven to bothe WDW and HH for the past 5 years.

 

[PKK/MJK]

We drive all the time too. You can relax a bit once you are south of Washington. YIKES--DC is a pain!! Sometimes we drive it all in one long trip. Other times we stop in Santee, SC on the way down. We leave early the next AM and arrive in WDW in time for lunch. On the return trip we stay overnight in Emporia, VA. That gets us home to NJ around lunchtime. It is a long trip--but driving has its advantages--especially for people like me who have trouble deciding what to pack.

 

[JMWSR518]

Hey NJParkhopper we are driving too from NJ. When are you going. We are leaving from Smithville, NJ.


Jason

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Hi! We're from Howell!!! We drive every year.

We are early risers..We leave BY 4-5am to get past DC by 9am latest. After you leave NJ, DE, MD, DC...it is a straight run and a pleasure. There CAN be construction traffic at times...We try to just grin&bear it...at least we are in traffic on the way to WDW and NOT in traffic on the way to work! We do take the by-pass loops often to avoid the more metropolitan traffic areas (especially Jacksonville). We just HATE congested roads(must be cause I do my food shopping in BRICK TWP- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN LOL!)

We drive as far as we can. Usually get to southern GA by 6 or 7 pm. We leave GA by 6:30 am(MUST take advantage of those free mini-b'fasts at the I-95 hotels!) And we check-in by noon, latest!

BTW, only our opinion, but we have learned the hard way that you get what you pay for...we now stay only at Hampton or new Fairfield Inns along the way..A few $$$ more but so many less expensive places were HORRIBLE! Plus they offer the free continental b'fast! A few have free hot b'fast. It is wise to book ahead in busy summer to get lower rates and room preferences- you can always change ressie en route with a phone call. Just watch your cancellation penalty period. AAA Tourbooks are really helpful to plot your course.

Give a yell if I can help further!

 

[dg39]

Hey, we're not far from you all either. We're from Colts Neck and we drive down everytime we go (I'm afraid of flying). Its not bad at all. We leave around 6:am. KIds are still in p.j's, the car is filled up with vcr/tv,goodies,toys,snacks,sandwiches and the works. We stop often,eat,stretch our legs and then we're off again. We stay over in Fayettesville for the night. The next morning we're off again. We usually get to WDW around 11am.

 

[DownNeckBoy]

Since you are going to stop overnight anyway, why don't you try out HH? That is what we are doing this summer. We plan to see the firworks on 7-4, then travel down to WDW the next day.

If you have the points, you should consider it.

Have a great trip!

 

[nezy]

Another treat for driving is that we stop at a picnic area in either Maryland, NC or SC or Georgia--wherever we may be at that time--and we have a picnic lunch and the kids run around and we usually have a pine cone fight (in SC). It is Just something to break up the trip and to let the kids run around.

Diverting around Jacksonville on 295 worked well for us.

 

[john23tc]

We have driven 9 out of the 11 times we have gone to WDW. We try to leave very early(2-3am) and can make it to Kingsland, Ga by about 6pm. Kingsland is 5 miles from the Fla. border. We have dinner at the Cracker Barrell(good food) and stay at the Old Country Inn & Suites. I would recommend this chain for your stay on the way down with Hampton Inn & Fairfield. They all offer a decent continental b'fast and they are nicer then some of the other chains. If you stay in Kingsland, Ga., the drive the next day is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to Disney. Follow the advice of the other posters and stay away from D.C area from 6am to 10 am during the week. Even on weekends traffic is heavy but nothing like the rush hours during the week. When coming back from Fla, try to leave early or late in the day as a lot of people check out between 9-11am on the weekends and try to avoid rush hours during the week.

 

[hmansure]

Just got in tonight in NJ from our return trip (DVC cruise and a few extra nights at OKW). On the way home (left FL on Sat. afternoon spent the night in Florence, SC) we breezed thru the entire DC area! Even on a Sunday I expected some traffic. We were about to set a personal record for the drive back....then...."car fire on the NJ Turnpike" Got stuck at Exit 3 for about an hour!

 

[amcnj]

We've driven a few times and have had no real problems. We leave at 3 am now from the Atlantic City area, and either stop around 6:30 pm in Jacksonville, Fl, or push further till 9 pm or so to get to Winter Park, FL area. You could actually make it to WDW the same day, but allowing for unforeseen occurrences, we don't have WDW reservations till the next day. I know I couldn't stay awake in driving overnight, so this early morning start time works fro me, even clearing DC by 6 AM.

 

[DoeWDW]

We've driven often from Central PA, also catching I-95. Here are my thoughts on what works for us - your mileage may vary.

We ALWAYS take the loops around Richmond and Jacksonville.

We LOVE Hampton Inns and Cracker Barrels.

We usually drive it in one day but from home to Disney is 1000 miles and about 14-15 hours of drive time (doesn't count stops!), depending on traffic & construction.

I keep a map with a record of where the Hampton Inns and Cracker Barrels are, along with some approximate times, so that we can make some intelligent decisions about when to stop, how much further to go, etc. If you're planning to drive more than once, you might want to do this. It's even helpful on the way home!

Best of luck and have a safe & happy trip!

Doreen from PA

 

[marley]

Thought I would throw my 2 cents worth in as well.

We only have to drive to WDW from NC (thankfully) but I am originally from MD and my husband is from NJ so we make that trip a lot to visit family.

From I-95, we always catch I-895 in Baltimore and go through the old tunnel which never has a back up and traffic is much more sane. Immediately after going through the tunnel, one of your first exits is to catch the BWI Pkwy (you can't miss it if you look for the BWI airport sign; I think it is I-295). This Pkwy is about 20 min. long and hooks you back up with I-95 in Greenbelt MD and you've missed all of the crazy I-95 traffic and Baltimore completely and I swear it takes the same amount of time or even less and is much more pleasurable.

You can also catch 301 South 4 or 5 exits later (if you are interested, I can email the exact exit) and COMPLETELY AVOID THE DC/NORTHERN VA fiasco and unless you hit it at evening rush hour, you are always going the opposite way of traffic so there are just a few annoying stoplights for about 20 minutes of the ride then smooth sailing. It dumps you back to I-95 at the exit before Kings Dominion.

Have a great trip. We are driving for the first time on Saturday and holding our breathe

Marley