Driving to WDW from East TN

[IcedMudd]

Has anyone driven from East TN/ Southwest VA to Disney? Any tips? Did you drive straight through or stop somewhere?

We're planning our very first EVER trip for early next year. We're kind of undecided whether we should try to make it in on trip or stop somewhere along the way, and if we stop, where will it be. Any experiences/advice would be awesome!
Thanks!

 

[SB in KY]

We drove from Johnson City, TN to WDW a couple of weeks ago for fall break....I picked my DD's up at college and we pulled out of the dorm parking lot at 11:45AM and we pulled into the parking lot at Pop Century about 9:15PM....it was a straight shot...I-26 to I-95 all the way to Daytona then it was onto I-4 for the short trip to WDW. We made a couple of potty stops, a dinner and gas stop and that was it. Minimal construction, no real traffic issues either way. If I lived that close to WDW I would be going a lot more often!!

I would think it would be a pretty easy 1 day trip even with small children. There are plenty of nice rest areas for picnics and stretching. If you got a good early start you could be there by mid to late afternoon, assuming you are someplace in the general tri-cities region.

 

[HMJ15]

My parents, hubby and I drove from CT to Disney this past spring. We left late afternoon/early evening and drove straight through with the exception of potty/gas stops and breakfast in the morning. It was a long drive, but well worth it once we got there! =)

 

[IcedMudd]

We drove from Johnson City, TN to WDW a couple of weeks ago for fall break....I picked my DD's up at college and we pulled out of the dorm parking lot at 11:45AM and we pulled into the parking lot at Pop Century about 9:15PM....it was a straight shot...I-26 to I-95 all the way to Daytona then it was onto I-4 for the short trip to WDW. We made a couple of potty stops, a dinner and gas stop and that was it. Minimal construction, no real traffic issues either way. If I lived that close to WDW I would be going a lot more often!!

I would think it would be a pretty easy 1 day trip even with small children. There are plenty of nice rest areas for picnics and stretching. If you got a good early start you could be there by mid to late afternoon, assuming you are someplace in the general tri-cities region.

We live in the Tri-Cities (Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol) area so we're hoping to do it in one day. Any tips on where to get good directions or any certain places to avoid?
Thanks!

 

[SB in KY]

If you are a AAA member you can just go by and ask for a trip tik to WDW. I like to use them because you can see how far to the next city, which exits have gas and or food and where the rest stops are....they are free to members. If you are not a AAA member then you can just mapquest it.

I don't think there were any rough places on the entire trip. You just get on I-26 stay on it through Asheville all the way to I-95 South(around Columbia SC) you stay on I-95 all the way down to Daytona, FL where you hit I-4 West and stay on that to the WDW exit you need....no huge cities to go through, no major construction, no bad roads....pretty much a straight shot down and back. The hardest part of the trip was from Asheville to JC on the way home (dark through the mountains and raining, but no traffic which helped). Traffic on I-4 at rush hour can be bad but it was nearly 9PM by the time we hit it so no worries there.

 

[IcedMudd]

What time did you travel on the way back? So, roughly 9.5 hours from JC ... I'm thinking we'll leave here around 3:30 am. That way with extra stops we'll get there around check in? Did you ahve a problem checking in early?

 

[SB in KY]

I think leaving home extra early like that is a great idea. The kids will probably settle right back down and sleep for a few hours which will make the trip shorter for all!

You will not have a bit of trouble checking in early. Now your room may not be ready if you get there at noon or 1PM, but then again it might...not sure where you are staying or the dates of your trip but figure a 50/50 chance the room will be ready and if it isn't you can walk around the resort and see the sites and have a snack or even take everyone for a swim in the pool, or go over to DTD for a bit. There are a million things to do for free while you wait. The kids will be happy to be there and have a good time running around a bit (and you will probably be glad to be out of the car too!).

I am not sure exactly what time we left WDW to go back to JC...we had 8:30 reservations for breakfast that AM and then we went over to DTD and shopped for a bit so I guess it was probably about 11:30AM or so when we finally got away for the drive back...never as much fun as the drive down! But I think I dropped the girls off at their dorm about 9PM that evening back in Johnson City