Driving from Providence, RI to WDW need good halfway point.

[Shamrock88]

Leaving Saturday, April 11, hopefully around 6 AM. Made this trip last April and drove straight through, was quite difficult. We had left around 8 AM, stopping only for gas arrived at Disney around 10 AM.
This time would like to travel hopefully into southern North Carolina or northern South Carolina and stop for some sleep. Wondering if anyone had any recommendations as far as exits and accommodations.
Thank you for your help in advance

 

[goofy4tink]

I know a lot of people stop in Rocky Mount. Can't remember if it's SC or NC.

 

[Shamrock88]

Rocky Mount, I'm pretty sure his North Carolina… Thank you. Appreciate your response!

 

[edbo77]

Bunch of options in NC if you make if past Rocky Mount (Wilson, Fayetteville, Lumberton) or Florence if you make it past NC/SC border.

 

[capegirl]

We are driving from MA on April 16. We have done the drive quite a few times, although we have never driven straight through.
Our last trip was in 2013 and we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Dunn, NC, not far from the SC border. I believe it was an 8 hour drive to Disney. Nothing in Dunn, but the hotel was good; friendly staff, nice breakfast, and very easy access to I-95.

 

[Disney Ron]

Leaving Saturday, April 11, hopefully around 6 AM. Made this trip last April and drove straight through, was quite difficult. We had left around 8 AM, stopping only for gas arrived at Disney around 10 AM.
This time would like to travel hopefully into southern North Carolina or northern South Carolina and stop for some sleep. Wondering if anyone had any recommendations as far as exits and accommodations.
Thank you for your help in advance

We are from RI also and on the first day we stopped in Florence, SC. Another time we left RI at 1:00 AM and arrived in Disney at 9:00 PM that night, but we were wiped out.

 

[BigTigger]

I stayed in Wilson, NC which is about 15 miles south of Rocky Mount, NC on my last trip. That is pretty close to your halfway point. There are at least four hotels at exit 121 here that are business traveler type hotels. I stayed at the Fairfield Inn which was comfortable, had free wifi, had free breakfast, and was an easy on/off the highway. I stopped for cheap gas and to stretch my legs and use the bathroom at the southernmost NJ Turnpike rest area (Clara Barton) and south of DC and Quantico at a VA rest area for more leg stretching and bathroom break time. It took me just under 11 hours at posted speeds to do this part of the drive. I hit no traffic delays, but did hit heavy construction near White Marsh Road just north of Baltimore and near Quantico where they are expanding the HOV lanes further south. Both delayed me about 15 minutes each due to lane closures. You will want to have an EZ-Pass for the tolls so you don't have to stop at every toll booth and (and there are a bunch). You can get one in MA via mail where RI is not an EZ-Pass state.

 

[Shamrock88]

Thanks all for the responses! Truly appreciated!

Brian… I've read many of your posts, and you have seemed to make this trip dozens of times. I am a high-level quadriplegic, much like Christopher Reeves, paralyzed from the neck down. I have my own customized van where everything is set up the way I need it, and I'm quite comfortable. It is set up for my breathing apparatus, etc. I rent a hospital bed and medical equipment at Disney. It was quite difficult for me to drive straight through with two nurses. As I mentioned I would prefer to stop for a little nap maybe three hours or so. I'm wondering if it is allowed/safe to stop at, say, South Carolina welcome center To do this? Sometimes I'm more comfortable in my Van, then being transferred into a hotel bed that isn't set up for me. Especially for only a three-hour rest.

 

[BigTigger]

I'd say you'd be OK at the SC and GA state line rest areas from my recollections of them. They have areas for dog walking, picnics, etc. and plenty of space to park away from the central core if you don't want to hear doors opening and slamming shut while you nap. VA has one larger rest area south of Quantico that may be OK too, but the nicer VA rest areas are on I-85 more than I-95. I can't remember any large NC rest areas to allow you the quiet space, but NC does have some nice rest areas just over the border and about an hour into the state. Some truck stops have very nice rest areas for truckers that have to go off the clock due to hours and want a quiet place to park and sleep. You may want to see if any of those suit your needs as the larger truck stop companies have spots all along I-95 in the Carolinas.

 

[Disney Ron]

I stayed in Wilson, NC which is about 15 miles south of Rocky Mount, NC on my last trip. That is pretty close to your halfway point. There are at least four hotels at exit 121 here that are business traveler type hotels. I stayed at the Fairfield Inn which was comfortable, had free wifi, had free breakfast, and was an easy on/off the highway. I stopped for cheap gas and to stretch my legs and use the bathroom at the southernmost NJ Turnpike rest area (Clara Barton) and south of DC and Quantico at a VA rest area for more leg stretching and bathroom break time. It took me just under 11 hours at posted speeds to do this part of the drive. I hit no traffic delays, but did hit heavy construction near White Marsh Road just north of Baltimore and near Quantico where they are expanding the HOV lanes further south. Both delayed me about 15 minutes each due to lane closures. You will want to have an EZ-Pass for the tolls so you don't have to stop at every toll booth and (and there are a bunch). You can get one in MA via mail where RI is not an EZ-Pass state.

RI does have EZ-Pass for the Newport Bridge. RI'ers can get EZ-Pass by phone, website, the EZ-Pass Center at the Newport Bridge or at most RI AAA offices.

 

[Shamrock88]

Thanks again for your help, much appreciated!

 

[ilovethisplace]

Please forgive my piggybacking this thread but I have a similar question. We are considering driving down from Stoughton MA (about 30 miles north of Providence) but I'd like to leave at about 4pm on the Friday of our Spring Break (April 17) and drive until about 11pm-Midnight with no more than a fast food dinner and quick bathroom breaks. I'm looking at lodging in Aberdeen, MD or so. Is that being to aggressive? I am wide open to suggestions. Last time we did this drive was 20+ years ago and we drove straight through but we were much younger and poorer then.

 

[capegirl]

It is certainly doable, and a whole lot easier than driving straight through.The traffic shouldn't be bad by the time you pass through NY, etc. ,but you're looking at a 14 hour drive on Saturday from MD to Disney. So yeah, you may be tired when you check in on Saturday, but you can rest up when you get there, right? We are from MA too, and we're heading out on 4/16, @3am and staying in NC near the SC border with about an 8 hour drive the next day.

 

[BigTigger]

We are considering driving down from Stoughton MA (about 30 miles north of Providence) but I'd like to leave at about 4pm on the Friday of our Spring Break (April 17) and drive until about 11pm-Midnight with no more than a fast food dinner and quick bathroom breaks. I'm looking at lodging in Aberdeen, MD or so. Is that being to aggressive?

I've left our prior home in Marlborough, MA between 5-6 pm and driven to Fredricksburg, VA (about 20 miles north of Richmond) many times for my first stop. I generally reach it by 12:30 am with reasonable breaks for gas, bathroom, and leg stretching taking up about 30-45 minutes. I don't think you're being too aggressive as Aberdeen is well north of Fredricksburg. You should miss most of the heavy traffic of rush hour, but I'd suggest you use Waze on a smart phone to monitor I-95 through CT. Jump over to the Merritt Parkway after New Haven if I-95 is slow. Also listen to 1010 AM WINS for traffic on the 1's once you get near Stamford to see how NYC traffic is. The Cross Bronx section can be a parking lot, so take either the Merritt to the Hutchinson to the Cross Country Parkways (they change names not roads you're on) and go down the west side highway to the George Washington Bridge and pick up I-95 again or take I-287 across Westchester and the Tappan Zee bridge and then take either the Garden State parkway to the NJ Turnpike or stay on I-287 all the way around to the NJ Turnpike. The Tappan Zee options add a few miles but save you the Cross Bronx headaches. The Merritt to the Hutchinson to the Cross Country Parkways is a wash timewise compared to I-95, just how backed up the GW Bridge is getting to NJ will decide whether this is better than the Tappan Zee.

Safe Travels!!

 

[cranbiz]

Halfway from the Plymouth/Carver area is Roanoke Rapids, NC. I would probably try for Wilson, NC which would be about another hour south on 95. That would leave you around a 9ish hour drive on day 2.

Bypass the Cross Bronx and use the Tappan Zee to the Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike. I used to use the GW bridge for the longest time but now only use the Tappan Zee. A bonus is that route is less expensive in tolls.

Also consider I295 around Richmond. It's super easy and usually wide open.

 

[Rahjeir]

When I drive to NJ, the halfway point from Northern NJ was Dunn, NC(Exit 73 I believe). We stay at the hampton inn(125sh a night) with free breakfast in the morning. Walt Disney World is about 550 miles from it give or take. The running joke between my wife and I is we are DONE with driving! South of the boarder is about a hour south which we stop for my son.