driving route advice needed

[Sauble]

Hello,
We need some driving advice here. My husband and I are making our first driving trip to Florida in October. We live just north of Toronto and are staying in Palm Bay (on the east coast, about 45 min. from Orlando). Mapquest recommends the hwy. 90/79/77/95 route. Is this the best route?

My question is when should we leave and how should we plan the trip down? We are planning to leave on a Friday (early, around 4 a.m.) and drive all day. We plan to get a hotel that night. Any idea, where we might be? Then, get up early on Saturday and drive all day until we get to Palm Bay (probably not until late).

Is this the best plan? Should we leave Thursday evening instead?

Any driving advice or experience would be appreciated.
Thanks everyone.

 

[usetheforceluke]

I live in Markham.

We generally leave Thursday, roughly 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Drive to Windsor and down I-75. Thursday night stop in Ohio. Friday night stop 'around' the bottom of Georgia. Saturday arrival in Orlando sometime after noon and spend time in the park after checking in. Two days is really tiring for us so we do the extra time.

Don't much like the I-95 (although some do) so we stick to I-75.

Get the Along Interstate-75 book from Chapters or Indigo. Best investment you'll ever make.

http://www.i75online.com/index.html

 

[Mortlives]

We took the I-90 route to Cocoa Beach, and really enjoyed it. The scenery is breathtaking. We were going during the March Break, so that decided our leaving strategy. The Friday before March Break is supposed to be the busiest travel day of the year, so we crossed the border the night before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Cheektowaga (very nice, might I add). However, if you're going in October, leaving at 4am will probably be fine, if you have the stamina

The next night we stopped in Charlotte NC, and finished our journey the next day. I don't think it will take you as long as you think to get to your destination.

What I would very strongly suggest is getting a CAA membership. They'l give you triptiks for the journey -- the best navigational tool since the compass and sextant. Each bit of the route is mapped out for you, including tolls to have ready, construction areas and probable driving times.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[NancyK]

Hi,
We live in the St. Catharines area and went to Disney last October. I would highly recommend the I-79/77 route. The scenery is beautiful and there is far less truck traffic than taking I-75. We left at 4a.m on a Friday morning and got all the way to Walterboro, South Carolina (exit 53). Now we didn't take a lot of breaks, but did stop for breakfast at a Shoney's along the way and I believe at a fast food place later on in the day. We stopped driving about 7p.m. On Saturday morning, we left our hotel about 6:45 a.m and arrived at Disney at 12:30 p.m. Of course your driving time will be a bit longer because of the drive from your home to the Niagara area. The reason I like leaving at 4 a.m. is to get over the border and through Buffalo before rush hour. We hit Erie, PA around 6-ish and there still isn't any traffic. We make it to Pittsburgh around 8 a.m. but have never had to stop there either. Our only traffic was in Charlotte, NC and then we were only stopped for about 10 minutes or so. Hope this helps.

 

[dsneygirl]

Originally posted by usetheforceluke
I live in Markham.

We generally leave Thursday, roughly 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Drive to Windsor and down I-75. Thursday night stop in Ohio. Friday night stop 'around' the bottom of Georgia. Saturday arrival in Orlando sometime after noon and spend time in the park after checking in. Two days is really tiring for us so we do the extra time.

Don't much like the I-95 (although some do) so we stick to I-75.

Get the Along Interstate-75 book from Chapters or Indigo. Best investment you'll ever make.

http://www.i75online.com/index.html

This exactly what we did last fall. But we came home the 1-95 rounte. Makes for some variety. BTW we live in Burlington and I believe the 1-95 route was about 100km shorter.

 

[snoopyandpooh]

We are driving down from Downtown Toronto next Friday. We bought Dave Hunter's book and will drive to Windsor and take I-75. There are 2 of us driving, we plan to drive straight through, we estimated it will take 26 hours to get to WDW.

 

[MommaBear]

We took I75 down and found it had far too much truck traffic and lots of retread debris. It is a direct route but about 2 1/2 hours longer.

My sis and family are on their way back today after spending 1 week at PO and 1 week on the west coast. She did the other route down and said it was fabulous. There was less truck traffic, lots of restaurants, hotels and gas stations plus the scenery was amazing. She had not done this route in 17 years and loved it so much that they are coming home that way. They drove 14 hours the first day. Left Mississauga at 4:30 a.m. and got into a hotel at 6:30 p.m. Then the next morning left at 8:00 a.m. and arrived at PO in WDW at 2 p.m. I spoke with her yesterday morning to wish them a safe trip home and she did nothing but rave about the route. I think we will be using it next year when we go!

H.

 

[Hockeychic]

I have driven both ways in recent years and much prefer the 77/79/95 route. As everyone else has mentioned hardly any truck traffic. I didn't notice that much radar. Scenery is so much nicer and to me it seems to go so much faster, I think because you go through so many States quickly it seems like you are getting somewhere. From the Florida boarder down that was a long, flat boring drive but we knew we where close to it was ok. We stoped in Beckley WV on the trip down and on the way back there are tons of hotels along the route.

This will be my first time flying and I am terrified.

Have a great time.

 

[DisneyLisa]

Isn't that funny about the truck traffic everyone talks about on the I75. I've driven the I95 several times and NEVER AGAIN unless I have no choice.

Now the I77/79 route is gorgeous and I love it. But this year, I had to pick up TimNDans Mom in Woodstock so we decided to do the I75 (DD was also anxious to drive through a few "new" States ) and I was sceptical...I figured it would be similar to the I95 and we'd end up coming home via the I77/79. I absolutely LOVED the I75 and I couldn't believe how few trucks there were. Hmmm...why didn't we see any trucks? Were all the truckers on holiday when we drove it ? I found the drive really quick and it seemed in no time we were at WDW. It's definitely my "preferrred route" now.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

We always drive the I75 route now and it's partly because of Dave Hunter's book "Along the I-75". Absolutely love this book. Have done the other route in the past but like the I-75 because I don't have to look for turnoffs at all.

We also have never really run into a lot of truck traffice on the I-75 or road debris either.

I went to school in Windsor so the I-75 lets me drive past my 'old house'.

 

[from Canada]

Hi,
this past Feb, we drove I75 down and I77/79 back. There were advantages/disadvantages to both. I fould I75 easy and straight forward...didn't have to think too hard about route #'s. I didnt find the truck traffic too bad. I didn't like driving thru big cities like cincinati. (we tried to avoid rush hours, but some were unavoidable). We left Barrie at midnight, and made the Windsor border at 3:30 am...record time because of no traffic thru Toronto. We drove for 17.5 hours to Byron, Georgia. Then it was about a 5-6 hour drive the next day.
I77/79 was about 2 hours shorter. Less big cities. As beautiful as the mountains were, they made me car sick. Also, I would hate to be driving thru there in any kind of bad weather. On the plus side, once we reached the border in Buffalo, it was only about 2 hours to home. If you take I77/79, be sure to find out about the "short cut" Hwy 19 I think...saves you about 1.5 hours. I would have to go look it up for exact location, but if you decide on that route, just post and I sure someone can give you the exact directions.
Personally, if we drive again, I would take I 75. (we used Dave Hunters book...it is awesome!)
Karen

 

[Sauble]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I really apprecaite it.

Sauble.

 

[Disneyof3]

We went in January of this year, we went for the first time and drove I-75, we live in Guelph. We left Friday night at 5:00pm and arrived in Kissimee at 6:30pm Saturday night. It was just my husband and I taking turns driving with 3 kids under 7. We were told my a CAA member it would be the best due to the weather and the flat roads in the winter. Going I95 there is tones of mountains to go through and could be rough in the bad weather. My in-laws go every winter for 6 months for the past 10years and always go I-75. There in there 60's and say it also is safer then the other routes.
Just another opinion also

 

[NancyK]

Have to agree with those who said the I-75 route is a much better bet in the winter. When we went in January, that is the route we used. We still prefer the I77/79/95 route, though, and in October you shouldn't run into any problems.