Driving from South Jersey straight thru

[tinkerbell20]

Hi everyone.....

I have never driven before but since my sister won't fly, this year we are all driving. There will be 4 adults and 3 kids, our husbands will be splitting the driving down.....We are thinking of leaving sometime after 4 on a Friday night and going straight thru to Disney. I am just nervous about hitting the DC traffic. How late do you think we should leave? I have never drove anywhere near this far but I think it will be fun . If I can plan it right.

Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Apopper74]

I have done this drive, live in Burlington County. Driving straight through this is around 17 - 17.5 hrs which would mean you would get to Disney around 9:30, but with kids you should add in time for gas & potty. Leaving at 4 o'clock on a Friday shouldn't be too bad in NJ unless you are taking 295 from the Cherry Hill area south in the Summer, think Shore Traffic & construction. If you are more south than that you should hit Baltimore around 6:30 - Tunnel traffic and DC around 45 minutes later. Make sure on the GPS you have it programed for Shortest TIME and not shortest Route. Big difference especially if your GPS has live traffic. One time we drove down the GPS was set up with shortest route & it took us straight through DC--Lesson Learned. Good luck & God Speed

 

[Ginger Twist]

I've driven this trip many times from Ocean County New Jersey, but we leave at midnight specifically to make sure we are past DC before the morning rush hour starts. So, I don't actually know how bad the rush hour traffic can be, but I will say that leaving at midnight has always worked for us. We almost always get to the hotel between 6PM and 7PM which leaves us enough time to to hit up a park for a little if we are feeling up to it, or to grab dinner and hit the hay. Our trip includes the mandatory stop at South of the Border and a few short bathroom breaks along the way. Good luck!

 

[M5ward]

We haven't done the drive in years, but when we did, we left South Jersey (Atlantic City area) about 10 at night. Leaving at that time avoided traffic in the Baltimore and DC areas. It took about 17 and a half hours or so which included bathroom stops for the kids.

 

[nono]

If the drivers can get naps in the afternoon or early evening, that would help make it an easier trip overall. Don't underestimate the hour nap!

Also, from southern NJ, there's really no reason to have a 4 p.m. start time. Using Glassboro as a random southern NJ town, it's about 15 hours door-to-door to WDW. So, you'd arrive in a perfect world (without stops and traffic) around 7 a.m. With kids. In Disney World. Raring to go after a night's travel, while the adults are dragging.

Personally, the earliest I'd leave would be 7 p.m. That would be 10 a.m. with no stops/traffic, so figure around Noon arrival, give or take. To me, that's a great first day arrival time after an overnight...time to arrive, check in, eat and enjoy the pool! Oh and snooze and recover.

Just my .02. Have fun deciding!