Driving From Texas....

[disneybabe2005]

What's the best route from D/FW to Orlando? Any particular stops along the way we should see?

 

[Nebsky]

Hi Neighbor!!


We did the drive March 04.

I20 to Jackson MS..
US98 to Hattiesburg
US49 to Mobile
I10 to Lake City Florida
I75 to Floridas Turnpike
Floridas turnpike to I4
I4 to Lake Buena Vista Blvd

The US Highways from Jackson to Mobile might be backwards. It might be US49 to US98. I cant remember.

It was ok. We made it all the way to Lake City in 14 hours. We didnt stop to do anything but use the restroom and grab a quick bite to eat. Would have liked to have stopped in Mobile at the USS Alabama Battleship and at Pensacola to see the naval flight museum. Also some nice beaches there but they are a good distance from the I10. Let me just tell you know, I10 from Pensacola to Talahassee is BORING!! Not much to see. Hope you have a dvd player or something to keep you entertained.

We decided against going from Shreveport down to Alexandria, Baton Rouge and New Orleans due to not much to see at all. By going the way we went if we saw something we wanted to see or do we had that chance. It is also shorter to go the way we did. Time frame is about the same due to some slower speed limits but for the most part we did 70mph the whole way. Also gas prices were cheaper. Had a friend that had driven to Daytona the week prior. Driving there they went through Alexandria, New Orleans but came home the other way. Said prices were about 10 cents per gallon cheaper.

Good luck, have fun and drive safe!

 

[disneybabe2005]

Nebsky, thanks for the tips. I'll have to look into that route. We'll be travelling with our kids, 7 and 4, so we'll for sure have that dvd player! I think we're going to stop in Mobile for the night. How long do you think the drive to there would be on this route? On the other route (baton rouge, etc), it says about 12 hours.

Although, you said you guys got to Texas City in 14 hours, were there nice places to stay there?

 

[Nebsky]

No problem.
Mobile is easy to reach in one day especially the way we went. Probably around 9-10 hours.
There are alot of places to stay there.

The only reason we stopped in Lake City was due to the fact we had passed our cancelation time at the motel. We easily could have made it to Disney on the first day. We left our house in Flower Mound at 4am and were in Lake City at 7pm eastern. Id try to go to Pensacola, Mirana or Tallahasse. Mirana is in between Pensacola and Tallahassee. Try to get as much driving done on the first day. Dont go pass your safety limit though. That way you can have more time for Disney on your second day.

Lake City has all the major motel chains available and is only about 3 hours or so from Disney.

 

[ALostBoy]

Hi,
It is Hwy 49 from Jackson to Hattiesburg then you take the I-59
bypass around Hattiesburg to Hwy 98 and on to Mobile. Good Luck.

 

[dudedisney]

So how much was the trip as far as driving costs? It's cheaper than flying, I'm sure but there are other hassles...is it worth it as opposed to the hassle of flying?

Just curious...

 

[DarthGoofy]

So how much was the trip as far as driving costs? It's cheaper than flying, I'm sure but there are other hassles...is it worth it as opposed to the hassle of flying?

That was my question. We are planning on our first driving trip in December.

I am glad to hear that Nebsky made the trip from DFW to Lake City in just 14 hours. They last time I checked online, it said it would take 13 hours for us to get to Lake City, and we live in deep East Texas.

Maybe driving won't be as bad as I thought.

 

[Nebsky]

This was back in Mar 04 that we drove.

Total miles were like 1113 one way by going the way I described.
We spent $35.00 for each fill up (2.5 each way) $87.50
Food we did fast food variety and we stopped to eat lunch. $30.00
Hotel was $50.00. We stopped 1 time each way to sleep.

One way trip was $167.50.
Round trip was $335.00

Airfare at the time was $200.00 round trip so for the 3 of us it would have been $600.00 We saved $265, which we of course spent at WDW. We also had stocked up on food and had it in the cooler. That way we had breakfast items, cokes etc when we wanted them and didnt pay as much.

It was fun to drive. Both my wife and I work for American Airlines and we usually fly, but during spring break we can never get on the plane because it is full and we fly standby. Road trip was fun and I would definately do it again.

The only drawback is that we loose "time" on the vacation. Another one is we were so excited to be going there that the drive went really quick. On the way home, we were at the park till 7pm. We made it all the way to Mirana before we had to pull over and find a room. Driving by brail in the panhandle of Florida is not a good life choice. 8 hours of sleep and we were back on the road.

Good luck and drive safe!!

 

[gottaluvPluto]

If you are driving through Pensacola just remember the traffic is bad over the bridge. I would get off around Davis Hwy and go through Milton back on I10. It is a lot faster than doing the bridge.

 

[Deb & Bill]

No problem.
... Id try to go to Pensacola, Mirana or Tallahasse. Mirana is in between Pensacola and Tallahassee. Try to get as much driving done on the first day. Dont go pass your safety limit though. That way you can have more time for Disney on your second day.

Lake City has all the major motel chains available and is only about 3 hours or so from Disney.

You mean Marianna? They have a couple of good hotels there - Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn.

We live in Shreveport and usually take I-49 to Lafayette, then I-10 to I-12 back to I-10, then I-75. We usually leave after school/work and get to Daphne AL in about 7 hours. That's about 1/2 way. Daphne is just across Mobile Bay from Mobile. Several good hotels right on I-10, Comfort Suites, Microtel, Hilton Garden, Hampton.

In FL on I-10, never stop at Quincy, gas prices are extremely high there - always, even when they are not anywhere else.

And when you get to WDW, fill up at the Hess station, either near the BW or the MK. They are at least 20-35 cents cheaper than stations off the Disney property.

We get up early the next morning and arrive at WDW about 2 or 3. Then we go and check in to the hotel.

Usually takes us about 14 hours to get there from our house.

We just went over the bridge at Escambia Bay a few weeks ago. It's better going west than east since there is only one lane going east. There are two lanes going west. We didn't have any problems going over the bridge.

We have our 19th trip to WDW in about three weeks. We have only flown on one trip and it didn't work out well (plane was delayed, weather problems, etc). Driving gives us our car on hand at WDW, plus the drive is nice.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

We just went over the bridge at Escambia Bay a few weeks ago. It's better going west than east since there is only one lane going east. There are two lanes going west. We didn't have any problems going over the bridge.

East is the worst over the bridge. Most of the time it can take an hour over the bridge. If you go through Milton it will only take 15 to 20 min. What time of day did you go over the bridge east bound? Every time I look at the bridge it is horrible.

 

[Deb & Bill]

East is the worst over the bridge. Most of the time it can take an hour over the bridge. If you go through Milton it will only take 15 to 20 min. What time of day did you go over the bridge east bound? Every time I look at the bridge it is horrible.

Last time we drove over it going east bound, it was about 7:30-8AM on a Friday morning. Westbound didn't look too bad either. We got over in about 5 minutes or less. Just had to drive slowly on the east bound side. Coming back was about 7PM on a Monday evening. Again, over the bridge and that was it. No wait at all.

We've gone over the bridge eastbound twice so far, three times westbound and never had a problem.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

West bound is never a problem, but east bound can be a huge problem. Most of the time the wait for the bridge can be 40 minutes to an hour.


I'm glad the traffic wasn't backed up for you. They are going to start building a new bridge and it should be finished in 4 years, so I will say 5 years. Things are never on schedule when it comes to road work.