Driving from South Jersey

[JFS]

We will be driving to WDW for the 1st time (we have always flown)and swore I would never do it but we will be there for 2 weeks and will need to have a car. Our trip is planned for 2nd week of July and we will be leaving on a Saturday early AM(hopefully 3AM if we can drag everyone out of bed). We would like to avoid the DC beltway and VA congestion and are thinking of using 301 south. Is it easier to pick it up after Baltimore(from 95) or take 301 through DE and go via Annapolis or does this plan seem to be a mistake? On a previous drive to Williamsburg, VA last year we sat in traffic on 95 through DC and a good portion of VA and would like to avoid this if possible even if it means going a little bit out of the way.

 

[ToyStory Fan]

JFS,

I have driven the past 2 times from Lower Westchester County in NY and if you leave at 3 or even 4 am the beltway should not be an issue. I've done it 2 different ways leaving at 4 AM and also leaving at night (although many might argue that 3 or 4am is still night). By night I mean at about 9:30. Here's my reasoning...not sure where you are staying, but if you leave at 3 AM from south Jersey I'm estimating travel time of about 18-19 hours...which gets you the FLA at 10-11 AM?? Check-in at most hotels is usually not until 4PM and after a 19 hour drive even I wouldn't want to go into the parks (and I usually open and close the parks when we are there) -something to keep in mind anyway.

When we did leave at 4AM we stopped off for the night in Hilton Head, worked okay, but you burn 1 full and 1 half day for travel...which again for me is very difficult to justify.

We had this very same travel dilema on our upcoming trip and I finally "lost it" and said that's it we are flying...booked 4 roundtrip seats on JetBlue and got a rental car for the 12 days all for just a shade over $1,000. If you think about the wear and tear on the car based on the IRS 34 cents a mile (which is really the only gauge you'd have unless you did a full blown cost of ownership assessment of your own car) almost 3000 miles at .34 is $1,020 cost of wear and tear. So for me it became too good a deal not to fly, even factoring in the schlepping of 2 carseats thru the airport at 6 am...I figure by noon on day one, I'm in the parks...under my driving plan, I'm only halfway to my stopover in HHI.

 

[barbeml]

JFS, we are driving converts. Hopewell is close to Princeton and Trenton. 301 is the way to go. We make the drive part of the fun--meals, snacks and beverages in cooler (this becomes our minibar in our room), get books on CD, etc. We stay one night over in Georgia and are in the World by 1 PM.

The airlines can keep their overpriced sardine cans and stale pretzels.

 

[kimmar067]

...you are departing on a Saturday, I don't think it is as likely that you will have "rush hour" traffic as during a weekday. However, traffic is KILLER around Richmond, Va. area for those going to Williamsburg and Va Beach for the weekend!! (sorta like we NJ'ers going "down the shore"... !!)

 

[DaveH]

Leaving NJ at 3AM you should be able to miss most of the DC traffic depending on far north you are from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I95 from DC to Richmond can be real bad all day on Sat. If you can get past DC by 7AM you should be fine getting past the worse of the traffic here and at Richmond.

BTW welcome to the DIS.

 

[OKW91]

Hi we live in Marlton and since I have retired, we drive down twice a year. I like to go via Rt 301 to Annapolis and then pickup Rt50 to 495. We usually leave our home around 4AM clear DC by 7AM and stay overnight in Kingsland GA. exit 3, which is about 3 miles from the Florida state line. We drive for about 12 hours the first day, we are too excited to stop early!! The second day it take only about 4 hours to reach WDW, if traffic on I4 cooperates!
I have taken 95 thru Baltimore and DC, but I didn't like the traffic even early in the AM! Hope which everway you Decide to go, you have a great trip!

 

[Cindy B]

We live not too far from OKW91 (in fact we lived in Marlton a long time ago!)


We also will be driving. In the past we left at 4 pm from the King of Prussia area... (yes that s PA!), we would make a stop in Richmond at 9 ish. , then keep on driving.


We are modifing the plan slightly this trip. We don't check into WL until Saturday. We are leaving Thursday sometime.