First Time Driving- Any advice???

[AnimeArtist]

Hi Everyone!
I live in Southern NJ and we are going to drive to WDW this time around. (Im not too thrilled about this but my mother insists SO ... here we go )
Anyone have any ideas on how much it might cost? i looked up directions and it says its about an 18 hour trip, so that part i'm not worried about.
I dont know if anyone can help but any adivce would be wonderful! thanks so much guys!

 

[OKW Lover]

Since its about 18 hours drive for you, I'd guess you are planning on stopping half way or slightly beyond. You should be able to find a reasonably inexpensive hotel for the night along the way - focus on those away from large cities.

Outside of lodging, gas will be the biggest cost. It depends on your vehicle and mileage but is easy to calculate. And don't forget to figure in meals on your trip to/from.

 

[sherreis]

Here's a link that I'm finding helpful.

http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

We leave Friday around 1 PM.
The main thing you want to make sure of when you're driving down 95 from NJ is to avoid Baltimore/Washington areas during AM and PM rush hours.

ETA: Here's the other link that is helpful.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/Driving_to_Florida.htm

 

[MinMouse]

We just returned from our sixth driving trip to Disney from Northern DE. We fly on some trips when SW offers a great deal but driving allows us to go more often. We like to leave around 2 a.m. to get through Balt/Wash DC. This is the best time to get through that area. We like to drive to just north of Orlando and stay the night there . . . usually around $80 per night with a continental breakfast included. Then we get up and are well rested for our first day in Disney. We paid anywhere from $2.09 to $2.29 for gas on this trip. The main choices for meals along I-95 are fast food, Cracker Barrel and the occasional Ruby Tuesday, etc. We usually pack bagels for breakfast, do a quick picnic lunch with pb&j (So. Carolina has some nice rest stops with picnic tables if the weather is nice). We usually do splurge for a nice dinner at the end of the day though. Sometimes we do drive straight through but it's a long drive (our first time doing it we went 12 hours and stopped in Savannah, GA). There are plenty of hotels along the way . . . we take AAA travel books and check out the hotels once we decide we're ready to stop. Then I can call ahead, check availability and rates. Be happy to answer any questions for you! Have a great trip!

 

[drgnfly30]

Hey Minmouse! Small world (and state!)

We've driven twice & are doing it again in June '07. Takes us about 16 hours with no traffic delays. The I-95 website someone posted is a great tool... here's a tool I used to estimate a gas budget (it was almost right on)
http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/

DH prefers driving at night to avoid the traffic so we usually leave between 7-9pm, then I take over the driving in the morning.

 

[AnimeArtist]

Thanks everyone! These tips are wonderful I am still kinda sad we are not flying (since spirit just did an awesome deal) but hey what ya gonna do? lol I think we are going to try to drive as close to orlando as possible b4 staying the night some place.. i dont know tho. I do have AAA what a great idea about the books i completely forgot about that!

i just cant wait to get there my biggest problem is contruction and weather conditions. we will be going in dec. so i dont really know what the roads will be like. anyways thanks so much everyone! if you can think of anything else i would love to hear it!

 

[bgirl29]

If you have AAA be sure and have them make a triptik for you. It will show you any construction along the way. Also be sure and check out restareas for booklets that offer hotel deals. These booklets list hotels by highway exits so you know where you need to get off for each hotel. We always get the booklets, find a hotel that looks good and double check the hotel in a AAA book.

 

[MinMouse]

We have also used the information on this website which is sponsored by the DIS boards, I think: www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/Driving_to_Florida.htm You can print out the exit info for all the states you'll pass through. It lets you know what gas, food and lodging are available. It also lists the rest areas along I-95. There is no gas, food or lodging right on I-95 but they do have rest areas with bathrooms, some have vending machines and picnic areas. We like to print each state's info out and take it along so when someone has to use the facilities we can check and see where the next one is along the road or if we'll have to take an exit and stop at a gas station.