Driving to FL

[dancin Disney style]

Hi All....

We've driven to WDW several times and have always followed the same plan. Leave home before the crack of dawn....3am. We just booked a last minute trip to Orlando and have to drive down. Airfares at this late date are out of my price range. So for some unknown reason I went on MapQuest to look at the route (which I already know) and see the timing of the drive. MapQuest says 20hrs and 56min....from Oakville going 77/79. Then, again, for an unknown reason I went on google maps ...it says 18hrs and 25min. Now I'm confused and I go on a third site and it also says 18h 25m.

So what's the real time? The thought of it being 18.5 hrs is totally making me happy.....I hate car trips but this is the only way I'm getting a vacay this summer so I'll take it.

I mentioned it to DH and he reminded me of the time that we drove straight through and got home in 21hrs total....only stopped for gas, one fast food meal and a 30 minute visit to a Kohls store.

 

[minnie mum]

For us it's not the total time estimate that matters so much, as the ease of driving a particular route. The time it takes you to drive any route is just too variable- how fast do you normally drive compared to the posted speed limits. How heavy is the traffic. Did you hit rush hour going through a city. Did traffic back up due to an accident. Did severe weather slow everything down. How many unplanned bathroom stops did you have to make. How long did you sit in line at the border.

On a long trip like these, our times have varied by up to 3 hours. We stopped worrying about time. We get there when we get there.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Nope not us..... I HATE the drive. Often, I would rather not go than drive. In fact I'm having second thoughts about agreeing to this road trip. However, the accommodation is paid for and non-refundable ....so we're going. In my book it's all about getting there are fast as possible. This year we are driving in my mid size SUV so much less space than in years past driving the mini van. The last few days when I've gotten in my SUV I'm looking around wondering if we will want to kill each other after being so close for so long. Also, this time around we are leaving home on a Friday at 5pm. So the whole thing will be different...we normally drive about 80% of the trip on the first day leaving approx 4hrs on the second.

 

[myzel]

I love the drive, it is about 1.5 miles from my house to the airport. Then a short walk to the ME and a quick drive to our resort.

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Hi All....

We've driven to WDW several times and have always followed the same plan. Leave home before the crack of dawn....3am. We just booked a last minute trip to Orlando and have to drive down. Airfares at this late date are out of my price range. So for some unknown reason I went on MapQuest to look at the route (which I already know) and see the timing of the drive. MapQuest says 20hrs and 56min....from Oakville going 77/79. Then, again, for an unknown reason I went on google maps ...it says 18hrs and 25min. Now I'm confused and I go on a third site and it also says 18h 25m.

So what's the real time? The thought of it being 18.5 hrs is totally making me happy.....I hate car trips but this is the only way I'm getting a vacay this summer so I'll take it.

I mentioned it to DH and he reminded me of the time that we drove straight through and got home in 21hrs total....only stopped for gas, one fast food meal and a 30 minute visit to a Kohls store.

I don't know where Google and Bing get their time estimates from, but they're waaaaay out to lunch. And forget about stopping for lunch.
We live in Waterloo. Previously we'd taken I-75 because of Dave Hunter's fine book. People here convinced me I should be taking 77-79 instead because it's so much faster.

Not in our experience.

Did the same thing, left at 3am. Guess what time we got into Charlotte? 6pm on the dot, over three hours later than anticipated. Given that (a) the border stop was all of 30 seconds; (b) the run to the border was done at about 140 km/hr; and (c) additional stops were for gas and drive-through food, much less than an hour all told...I was disgusted. And then the next day? 6:30am to 4pm arrival at OKW. Again much longer than we'd been led to expect. Now part of that was a hellish traffic jam in Orlando, less than fifteen minutes from our destination, but still...
We actually made better time on I-75 coming home, partly because again thanks to Dave Hunter, we knew where all the speed traps were. We'll never take that other route again.
All I can say is, time your drive to avoid rush hour where possible. Bring lots of music/spoken word stuff, according to your interests, to take your mind off the car. We made the drive part of the vacation.

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Nope not us..... I HATE the drive. Often, I would rather not go than drive. In fact I'm having second thoughts about agreeing to this road trip. However, the accommodation is paid for and non-refundable ....so we're going. In my book it's all about getting there are fast as possible. This year we are driving in my mid size SUV so much less space than in years past driving the mini van. The last few days when I've gotten in my SUV I'm looking around wondering if we will want to kill each other after being so close for so long. Also, this time around we are leaving home on a Friday at 5pm. So the whole thing will be different...we normally drive about 80% of the trip on the first day leaving approx 4hrs on the second.

To think we did it -- twice -- in a 2003 Toyota Echo. Bit cramped, but then again gas cost less than $200 there and back.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Ken....I think from Waterloo your better choice is the I-75. You would be back tracking a little to get to get over Niagara/Fort Erie way to go 77/79. I think I would only consider a road trip in something the size of an Echo if it were only myself and one other person. We're going in my Xtrail and my DD is making a fuss about it....she'll have the entire backseat to herself.

You've got me thinking. Maybe I should consider going one way on the I-75 just to change it up and have something different to look at.

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Ken....I think from Waterloo your better choice is the I-75. You would be back tracking a little to get to get over Niagara/Fort Erie way to go 77/79. I think I would only consider a road trip in something the size of an Echo if it were only myself and one other person. We're going in my Xtrail and my DD is making a fuss about it....she'll have the entire backseat to herself.

You've got me thinking. Maybe I should consider going one way on the I-75 just to change it up and have something different to look at.

Sorry, been away for a bit.
If you do go I-75 (and YOU'D be backtracking from where you are)--you must, must, MUST invest in Dave Hunter's ALONG I-75. It is chock full of everything you could conceivably need in the way of information, restaurant and hotel rec's, and points of interest. The layout--something like a TripTic, only again with much more info--makes the miles fly by.
We won't do that trip again without the latest edition.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Oh ya....I-75 adds on 3 hrs for us not really a backtrack just the long way around the lakes. I kind of doubt we would end up going that route but I have seen the Along I-75 book before....it's great. I would get it.

 

[myzel]

From the Cambridge area the difference either way is not that great. I have done the drive more times than I care to remember. If you go I79/I77 your heaviest traffic will be Charlotte, depending on when you leave home and you can make it into S.C. for the first night, then Jacksonville and Orlando. If you go I75 you should be able to make Chattanooga area after a long drive for the first night, then your heaviest traffic will be the Atlanta area. Either way I like my 1.5 miles to our airport.

 

[bdoyledimou]

i drive straight through from Toronto (door to door is 2200 kms) and it is 21 hours. Mind you i leave at 3 PM and get to the world at noon -- and i drive at 120 kph --but i only stop for gas.

I manage to miss rush hour pretty much everywhere the roads are pretty quiet, not much traffic,

 

[cslittle999]

i drive straight through from Toronto (door to door is 2200 kms) and it is 21 hours. Mind you i leave at 3 PM and get to the world at noon -- and i drive at 120 kph --but i only stop for gas.

I manage to miss rush hour pretty much everywhere the roads are pretty quiet, not much traffic,

We're just north of Toronto and our driving time is about the same although our total trip time is longer. The overnight drive is more efficient for those who can do it but I can't. We leave at around 5AM, stay overnight just north of Charlotte and arrive at WDW around 3PM the next day.

We usually get some traffic in Pittsburgh and maybe Charlotte depending on the day of the week. The I4 from Daytona to Orlando always seems to be busy. In general though I find you can set the cruise control at 120 and leave it there for hours.

 

[wtpfan]

We have driven a few times now...we live close to the Fort Erie/Buffalo border. We have driven straight through and dragged it out. But I find the most effortless trip is when we leave around 4 am and get to Savannah by 9 or 10 pm...just stopping for gas/ fast food. We get a good rest and leave by about 7:30 the next morning. We are at Disney by around 1 or 2 depending on traffic. I prefer to fly too but would take driving any day than not go at all

 

[dancin Disney style]

Well the plans have changed yet again. Turns out that DH's boss is a being a big baby and after telling him that he could take whatever time off he wanted in August he has now back tracked and is saying no. We are still going but DH will have to work on the Saturday until 2pm. So I'll drop him off in the morning and come back to pick him up at 2pm so that we can leave immediately.

DH wants to drive straight through. I don't feel that's it's the safest thing to do. Our reservation starts on the same Saturday that we are leaving so I'm ticked that we are losing a paid day but it is what it is what it is. Anyway, can anyone give me a reasonable guess as to where we would be around midnight.....leaving Oakville at 2pm and we tend to drive about 115k/hr? I'm trying to see what hotels are in the approx. area we might stop for the night.

I sort of feel like it would be a total waste of time and money to stop at a hotel for about 6hrs. I know we would want to be back on the road around 6-6:30am.

 

[bdoyledimou]

this may not have reached you in time but you should be around Charlotte at hour 10 depending ob border delays.'

 

[dancin Disney style]

this may not have reached you in time but you should be around Charlotte at hour 10 depending ob border delays.'

LOL....yep, too late. We've been here 6 days already. We did end up driving straight through. Had a ton of traffic through Burlington all the way to Niagara. It took over 2 hours to make a drive that should have been a little less than an hour. We were in the Summersville area around 11:30pm and I took a nap. DH continued to drive for about another hourand a half then stopped in a rest area to use the facilities. When he came back to the car he said he wanted to nap for about a half hour....we both woke up 3 hours later Not what we planned but obviously needed. We got into our hotel in Orlando at 3:45pm. So not too bad considering that we lost over an hour in traffic and napped for 3 hours. We only stopped at a McD's for breakfast and only made 3 gas stops.

 

[MedicGoofy]

LOL....yep, too late. We've been here 6 days already. We did end up driving straight through. Had a ton of traffic through Burlington all the way to Niagara. It took over 2 hours to make a drive that should have been a little less than an hour. We were in the Summersville area around 11:30pm and I took a nap. DH continued to drive for about another hourand a half then stopped in a rest area to use the facilities. When he came back to the car he said he wanted to nap for about a half hour....we both woke up 3 hours later Not what we planned but obviously needed. We got into our hotel in Orlando at 3:45pm. So not too bad considering that we lost over an hour in traffic and napped for 3 hours. We only stopped at a McD's for breakfast and only made 3 gas stops.

Can I ask what you paid in gas for the trip? I know it will vary on vehicle...yadda yadda, but would give me an idea for what to expect. I am hoping to be doing this road trip in the near future. At least I can knock off some time as I am only 20 min to FE border.....and sadly enough, our traffic through Niagara in the summer, can be brutal. Note to self, take the back roads next time.....it would be quicker

 

[dancin Disney style]

Can I ask what you paid in gas for the trip? I know it will vary on vehicle...yadda yadda, but would give me an idea for what to expect. I am hoping to be doing this road trip in the near future. At least I can knock off some time as I am only 20 min to FE border.....and sadly enough, our traffic through Niagara in the summer, can be brutal. Note to self, take the back roads next time.....it would be quicker

We drove in my Nissan XTrail and spent about $170 on gas one way which upon arrival in Orlando we still had more than half a tank. We know that we burned a little more gas as we drove at approx 120km/hr for most of the trip. The A/C ran all the way and we only had 1 large suitcase and a small cooler in the back.

Most of the gas stations were priced at around $3.30-3.40/gal. We did see one area that was only $3.09/gal....of course we had already filled up 30 minutes earlier.