Driving from Philly

[PoohBuddy]

Wea re going to be driving from the Philly area to WDW. We are planning on leaving around 2 am and stopping around the southern Georgia or Jacksonville area. Does anyone have a recomendation of where to stay over in these areas and also about how long it is from there to Disney?

 

[Bowman]

We are also driving from close to the Philly area. The Lehigh Valley actually. We do the same as you are planning. We leave around 2 AM and drive until around Virginia. We usually hit Virginia about breakfast time when the kids are waking up. We then drive through until Brunswick Georgia. We usually hit Georgia around 4-5 PM. Just in time for dinner and some swim time. If you look on this site in the I95 section, they have all the hotels listed by exit. We leave after breakfast the next morning and are checked into our room and on our way to the parks by early afternoon. It's about a 3-4 hour drive the second day if I remember correctly. Have a good trip. Hope this helps. We are going in August.

 

[jel0511]

I live in Princeton, and DH grew up near North Wales. We leave at 3:30AM and drive until around 8 or so and stop for breakfast. We're usually in Central VA by this time. We then drive until lunch, and usually are in Florence, SC around 1PM. There is a nice McDonald's with a good playland there. AFter that we drive until Savannah, GA and hit there around 5PM. We have driven to Brunswick, GA before, but the hotels aren't nice IMO. We stayed at the Hampton Inn there and there was TONS of mold growing in the bathroom and venting. As someone allergic to mold this was awful! They also advertise it as an interior corridor hotel, but it's basically exterior coridors, since it isn't secure and there are various outside entrances to the hallways. In Savannah, we've found the Country Inn and Suites to be great!! It's CLEAN (most important to me) and pretty reasonable. I think we're paying around $90 for a one bedroom suite, so thats pretty good in my book. I'd also advise you to make reservations as to where you intend to stop. Most places give you until 6PM of the day of check-in to cancel, but I've seen too many people turned away without a reservation. From Savannah, it's about 5 hours to WDW and Brunswick is 1 hour south of Savannah.

 

[Mickey Fan in PA]

We live in Horsham, Pa and just returned. We left at 4am and drove straight through and reached WDW 8pm. On the way back we stopped in Savannah, GA and there are quite a few nice, reasonable hotels (LA Quinta, Fairfield Inn, Country Suites). The drive time between Savannah and WDW is approx 4 hours.

Enjoy

 

[PoohBuddy]

Mickey Fan, I am actually in Montgomeryville, not far from you at all. What way did you go? Did you go straight down 95? Any other tips? Thanks.

 

[jiminy14]

We have driven to WDW several times in the past from South Jersey. We also leave early in the morning to avoid the DC rush hour traffic. We usually drive straight to Savannah, GA, which is about 11 hours depending upon traffic and breaks. There are a lot of nice, clean, reasonably priced hotels here. We have stayed at a Fairfield just north of the city. From Savannah, it is about 5 hours to WDW, again depending upon traffic and breaks.
One thing to watch out for are the speed traps in Maryland and Virginia. I never saw so many state troopers as I did in these two states.
BTW, make sure to stop at one of the tourist info centers on 95. They usually have a booklet that lists hotels and offers coupons for discounts. We actually saved another $10 off our room at the Fairfield with a coupon from one of these booklets.

 

[Bobump]

We are from the Havertown area of Philadelphia. And have driven straight through. We would usually leave around 7 to 8 pm and pack a lunch for us and the kids. About 2 hours out we would have a picnic as we drove. By 11:30 pm it would be a gas stop & bathroom stop all in one. We then would continue and within a hal hour the kids would be asleep. Around 3 am we would have another gas & bath stop. By about 8 am the kids would be up and want to know where we were. Usually it would be northern Fla or southern Ga. This worked out well as they would only be waiting to arrive for about 3 hours. Also, you have the road pretty much to yourself.

The drive takes about 15 hours and is much harder coming back as you do not have the motivation to get there. It served us well as it kept costs down.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Ditto to what Bowman said.
WE live in Glen Rock (near York). We leave at 4:00 AM and just barely beat the DC rush hour. After stops for a full bkfst (usually in Fredericksburg Va) we arrive in Brunswick Ga. NLT than 5:00.
Stay at the Hampton Inn. Next morning we're out by 6:00 and are usually checking in to OKW about 10:30 or so.

 

[wdwdvcdad]

We drive 1-2 times a year from delaware county, & we've found it works better just to drive through. By the time you get to Jacksonville, you are 3 hours away, just go for it. Stopping seems like more trouble than it is worth. We did stop once, & felt like we were treading water...couldn't wait to leave to get to WDW. What I want to know is how you make it in only 15 hours? It is almost exactly 1000 hours away from my home & it takes us 18 hours....maybe bacause of 3 little ones...bathroom breaks...also more gas stops with a conversion van.

 

[Mickey Fan in PA]

Poohbuddy,
We took 476 to 95 and took 95 all the way down. I would highly recommend that you get through DC before or after rush hour. Even during non rush hour times 495 around DC can be crazy.
Also, IMO 495 West is a bit shorter than 495 East.

Once you get through the DC area it is pretty musch smooth sailing. The speed limits are 75 mph most of the way down.

Now that we have driven down twice in the last year and stopped in GA on our first trip and drove straight through on our second, I would definitely stop in GA again next time. By Savannah I already put 12 hours on the road (DW was taking care of the 3 kids) and I really needed to rest. If you leave Savannah by 9am after a night in a hotel, you will feel much better and rested and are only 4 hours from WDW.

Have a great time

 

[DCSingle]

Sounds like your best options for stopping are Savannah, GA, Brunswick, GA or Jacksonville, FL which are 5/4/3 hours from Orlando respectively.

I'd recommend a Fairfield Inn which each of these cities have. I'm also a new devotee of the Country Inn and Suites chain. One place to avoid is the Hampton Inn Savannah/Pembroke which was converted from another chain, has outside corridors and is not up to usual Hampton Inn standards.

www.usastar.com/lodging has a listing of the hotels available at each I-95 exit.

 

[jjsmom]

We live on the Eastern Shore of MD (about 2 hrs south of Philly). Here is another vote for Brunswick. We usually gas up, sleep, and/or eat here depending on what time of day we leave home. It's a lovely area that appears to be very safe and modern. My in-laws, have a winter home in FL and LOVE staying in Savannah. To each his own, I guess.
I agree with the poster above who said watch out for speed traps in MD & VA. They're everywhere here (especially if you're on your way to the beach as many Pennsylvanians are); I recently got pulled over.

 

[doombuggy]

While i have never driven to FLA from home (I live just outside of Valley Forge National Park), I have driven to VA many times (my uncle was in USMC and stationed at Quantico, just 30 minutes south of DC - I also have relatives in Rockville, MD, just north of DC).

I always go 202 to 95. When I get to Baltimore, I go thru the Ft. McHenry Tunnel. Once I broke down as i was pulling into the toll booth! But I find that way is better than the loop (695?) that goes around Baltimore.

The Capital Beltway is ALWAYS busy. The worst times are rush hour of course, but I have sat in traffic trying to get back on to 95 when the loop is done at lunch hour. I always go on the western loop (towards VA), mostly out of habit, b/c I must go that way if I am going to Rockville. Once back on 95, you are good to go.

My tip would be to stop by Potomac Mills, probably on your way home. I always stopped in there, as it is bigger (and better) than Franklin Mills around here, AND the Disney Catalog Outlet is in there. I usually park near the food court, as the store is close to that, shop, get a bite to eat, use the restroom, and gas up at the gas station there (Texaco, I think).

Safe driving and have a great trip!

 

[Uncleromulus]

No matter which route you take on the Capitol Beltway, you wind up at the dreaded "mixing bowl".
A traffic nightmare if ever there was one. Confusing signs, lots of "cross lane" merging, traffic merging from 95, 495, and many other local roads. Trucks galore and hundreds of thousands of locals in no mood to be kind to out of state drivers.
Lots of construction going on and they say that it will improve things. Question is--when??
I recall our last trip when we got past the mixing bowl and were finally headed S. on I-95. There was a line of cars in the N bound lanes (coming into DC from Va,) as far as the eye could see. The time--5:45 AM!!!!

 

[DaveH]

They just openeed a new ramp from I495 to I95 at the mixng bowl. They had it all over the news traffic was actually moving instead of a parking lot. LOL Here in the DC area rush hour is not it, it is rush hours, and yes it does start early in the morning. The only advise I can give you is listen to your body. At the gas and bathroom breaks,make sure you get out and strech and move around. That helps alot. Also Saturdays and Sundays I95 southbound south of the beltway gets heavy in the morning and does not stop until late at night. Have a safe and great trip.

 

[madhouserobey]

why does everyone say to go around 495 to 95 ?i take b/wparkway turns into dc295 to suitland parkway exit go aroundclover leaf and get back on dc295 north take next exit southeast expressway this turns into 395 which runs into 95 south .this way you straight thurthe city instead of riding around it. and if you have 3 or person in the car during evening rush you can use the hov lanes heading south.the hov lanes start on 395 just as you cross out of dc .the delay in the evening is usually from south capital street to just pass the pentagon.then its usually smooth sailing until hov lanes come back into 95 south .

 

[jiminy14]

We do the same thing. Take the Baltimore Parkway and then 95 through DC. It has always been a much quicker route for us and we avoid the extra miles and traffic on the beltway.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I tried that "Through DC" route last trip down to Williamsburg--it was on a Tuesday morning. It actually took us almost as long (time wise) as the "regular" route. And it was full of cars--not a pleasant drive in any way, shape, or form.
And since there are only 2 of us, the HOV lanes were out.

 

[mirlow]

Where do you stop on the way back to Philly? We are moving to Philly this summer. We decided to drive to WDW and then on up to Philly. We figured if we have to make the journey across the country it would be better to go out of our way to stay at WDW

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by mirlow
Where do you stop on the way back to Philly? We are moving to Philly this summer. We decided to drive to WDW and then on up to Philly. We figured if we have to make the journey across the country it would be better to go out of our way to stay at WDW

We live about 45 minutes north of Philly and last year we stopped in Fayetteville, NC. It's about half way between Philly and Orlando. This year we're heading slightly more north and staying in Rocky Mount, NC. Rocky Mount is about 30 minutes from the VA border. We don't get up early when leaving WDW, and we usually only drive until dinner or so, so that would put us around the VA border. We hit Fayetteville at 4:30, and left WDW around 8:30. So, by heading slightly more North, we'll stop around 6PM for the night.