Driving From Worcester, Ma to Orlando

[Doogie]

Hi - Since I can't find a plane ticket under 450.00 to Orlando for the week of the 15th of April. I am thinking about driving. I will be traveling with my wife and two kids 4 and 8. I have seen quite a few people here from the New England Area who have made the trip and I'm just looking for a little advice on the trip. What time is the best to leave home, exact travel route, and where to stay during the drive.

Thanks

Craig

 

[goofy4tink]

Welcome to the DIS boards fellow central Masser!
My ds drove to Tampa a year or so ago. He left on a Thursday morning, about 4 am. He drove as far as Va that first day. He called me several times that day to tell me he had yet to run into any of that 'dreaded' traffic I had warned him about. So, I would figure that if you leave early morning, you may miss the heavy commuter traffic in the big cities.
I'm sure someone will have more in depth info for you though. He did stay on 95 the whole way, and did the trip in three days...8 hrs a day driving since he was by himself and in no hurry. Most do it in two days, or one if they can switch off driving for that 24 hrs.

 

[genetic jackhammer]

Welcome to the Dis!!


You will find these boards full of valuable information, and it becomes very addictive

We drove in 2002 when our DD's were 6 and 5. We took an inland route to avoid I-95 going thru NY, Baltimore and DC. Hooked back up with I-95 somewhere in Virginia. If you are a AAA member their Trip Paks are great.

Our driving experience was mixed. We did not plan on driving straight through since I did not want to arrive at Disney exhausted, since I figured a week at Disney would be tiring enough, so we planned on two stops each way, one in Pa the other in SC, basically planning to drive 8-9 hours a day. It was hard to make good time due to all the rest stops we had to make...kids never seemed to be in sync for bathroom breaks

Also got stuck in traffic due to a truck rollover and some heavy thunderstorms which slowed us down considerabally (sp??). We did enjoy driving and stopping to do some sight seeing (some incredible views in the mountains of Pa) but not much to see on I-95 once you hit the Carolinas. Kids loved hitting the motels in the evening and using the pools, so if you plan on stopping, make sure there is a pool available...helps the kids unwind after being cooped up in the car for hours. Bring plenty of activities to keep your children occupied, books, books on tape, cd's, card games etc etc.


Any other questions, feel free to post or send a PM. Have a great trip!!

 

[Doogie]

I'm still not sure what route to take, lots of people recommended a more inland route to avoid 95 through nj and the DC area. Some people say to take 95 the whole and to just avoid the metro areas around rush hour. I will be leaving sometime early Saturday morning after midnight on Friday.

Craig

 

[cranbiz]

Done the drive from Carver to FL many times prior to moving here in November.

My way was to drive straight thru. It's around 22 hours on average. I have done the trip with older kiddo's and also with a 2 and 4 y/o (Also done it with 2 Golden Retrievers). It's far easier with multiple drivers but depending on the individual, it can be done in 1 shot (I know, I've done it)

My routing was to pickup I95 in Providence and follow it to the NJ pike. Then back on 95 in Deleware to I495 just before DC. 495 to 95 on the other side of Alexandria and then 95 to 295 in Richmond. Back to 95 in Petersburg and then 95 the rest of the way until I4 in Daytona. I would try to leave Carver between 4 and 6pm. This way I usually avioided the heavy traffic in CT, and got thru NYC around 9 to 10pm. At this point, it's normally clear sailing and I would be in NC between 5 and 6am. It's about 10 to 12 hours to WDW from there.

With the kids, you will make more stops to potty, exercise, etc. DVD players, books, activities make the time pass easier.

There are many places to stop if one choses to overnight somewhere. Most try for Roanoke Rapids, NC, Lumberton, NC, Santee, SC or Brunswick or Kingsland , GA.


Good luck.

 

[Jasminetigger]

All I have to say is don't try to drive it non-stop. Several years ago, I did the reverse trip, Jacksonville, FL to Worcester, MA. It took us about twenty hours, (add another two to get to Orlando). We tried to do it without stopping. We did not succeed. I was with my Dh (who was my fiance at the time). After that trip it's amazing we ever got married. We took 95 the whole way. The trip itself isn't bad. We just tried to push it too far that first day. Have a safe trip.

 

[Doogie]

My wife wants to drive non-stop. She says she's up for it. I'm not sure about the rest of us. The only problem is she gets off work at 7am Saturday morning from her 11pm-7am, she's a nurse. We would like to arrive in Orlando around 4pm on Sunday to check into our hotel. I'm not sure what time to start the trip. I would like to break the trip up by staying one night in a hotel, but we can't arrive too early in Orlando. 4pm check in time.

Craig

 

[Delaware Mike]

If you're going to drive I-95 from the north, I recommend taking it south as far as northern Delaware (I have some insight there....check the ID )...

Try to plan your trip to get to northern Delaware before 4:00pm, as traffic will be a little lighter. Head south until you get to the exit for Delaware Route 1 South (it might also be marked Rt. 7...same road at that point. You'll know you have the right exit if you see Christiana Mall on the left.) Take Route 1 south for several miles, over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (toll booth on the southern end...take your EZPass), and get off at Delaware Route 299 West to Middletown, Delaware. Take 299 to US Route 301 South. This will take you towards Annapolis, Maryland. Just beyond Annapolis, you'll have a option to continue south on 301, or continue west towards DC on what becomes Route 50.

If you take Route 301 south, there will be a little stop-and-go from time-to-time, but that offers ample potty break places, gas and restaurants. You'll go over the Potomac River bridge, which I think is the only "bad" part of this route. (The bridge is one lane in each direction, but it usually moves rather well.) There isn't a lot of police enforcement in this stretch of road (read into that what you wish...). Route 301 will take you to I-95 just north of Richmond, by the exit for I-64 to Williamsburg, VA.

If instead you choose to continue west from Annapolis, the route number will turn into 50 West, which will take you to I-95 along the DC beltway. I find this stretch a little difficult if you don't know the shortcuts to get around traffic. But, you'll find I-95 near New Carrollton, MD.

Either of these routes will shave at least an hour or more from the trip. If I had my choice, I'd take Route 301 south from the Annapolis, MD area. The drive is a little less intense, providing a little breathing room, especially after several hours behind the wheel. It also keeps you away from the dreaded DC beltway...I have yet to find a good time to drive that road.

I hope this helps.

 

[BigTigger]

My wife wants to drive non-stop. She says she's up for it. I'm not sure about the rest of us.
Craig

I drive back and forth with my daughter who goes to college in Deland each year to get the car back and forth and can advise against the drive straight through unless you have a co-driver and you can sleep while they drive for awhile. If either of those is a no, you'll find the non-stop drive does one of two things - leaves you so tired you sleep the first day of your vacation or has you nodding off at the 18 to 20 hour point (not good when you're driving).

I'm just a few miles east of you and I usually shoot for somewhere near the NC/SC border for night one which is usually about 12 to 14 hours into the trip. This leaves about 8 hours on the road on day two.

Before you abandon flying, try the airfares from the NYC metro area - Airtran from Westchester and Continental from Newark had some specials earlier this week (and JetBlue and Delta compete voraciously at JFK). This would only require a short drive and flight and may be a workable alternative.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Bearvet]

We have been driving from western Mass to Florida (either Orlando or Ft Myers Beach) for the past 11 years - with 3 kids. We drive straight through - it works for us, saves time, the kids sleep and after a good night's sleep at our destination, we're good to go!

We leave late afternoon/early evening and most times I'll pack subs for the road. After dinner, I take over driving and DH climbs in the back to sleep for a few hours. I drive til midnight and then we switch drivers - Dh has found that a caffeine pill around 5 AM helps a lot. After we stop for breakfast, I drive til lunch, then we switch again. We've got our system down pat and it's not too bad. We drive through all of the major cities in the middle of the night, so not many traffic issues.

My best piece of advice is to get an EZ-Pass/FastLane Pass for tolls - we saved about 1 hour in Feb. not waiting in lines to pay tolls! Delaware tolls were the worst - NJ is pretty bad too! My second piece of advice - portable DVD player if you don't have one in your car.

We spent under $200 in gas each way (so $400 total), no hotels, 3 meals and no rental car needed. We couldn't fly our family of 5 for even close to that amount. Is it ideal? Is it for everyone? The answer is "no" but we all realize that we couldn't even go on the trip if we didn't do it this way.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

Would you consider driving to NY or NJ for a cheap flight? I just got a farecast alert today that Newark NJ to Orlando is $166 round trip for your dates (they are right around ours as well ).

Found the fare at farecast.com.

Good luck with whatever you decide and welcome! Hoping for great Orlando weather starting April 13th!