First time driving from Pennsylvania to WDW!

[Beesley]

Hello! We are planning to drive from Hershey, Pennsylvania to WDW for the first time, and we're trying to plan the best route. There will be two drivers, and we plan to drive without an overnight stop.

We've read some older threads but just wanted to ask if anyone had any recommendations for us regarding the best route or any general travel advice for the trip. Also, do we need to buy a pass for toll roads, or should we try to avoid toll roads?

We're very grateful for any advice that anyone may have for us! Thank you!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

First, do you have an EZPass, since you are in PA? If so, the EZPass should handle any tolls for you all the way along the east coast to Orlando. I don't think you want to have to avoid toll roads - that's going to make your trip much longer and less efficient.

Second, in this day and age, I'd check periodically with one of the map apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, etc). Those apps are designed to look at traffic patterns and construction issues, and map out the most efficient route. See what they tell you. From Hershey, I see the early part of your trip being Rt 83 or 15 to the DC area for 95. Or perhaps Rt 81 to Rt 70. Pros and cons to either. If you can time off-hours around the big cities, especially Baltimore and DC, the traffic is more manageable! Safe travels.....

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We drive from the Baltimore/DC area almost every year. You’re just about an hour further away than us. We just drive on the toll roads and get bills in the mail for whatever tolls we owe. I’m sure there’s a better way to do this lol but this is what we do. I agree with the above poster about avoiding DC during rush hour, it’s insane. We take 95 most of the way down. Last time we drove down we drove in some of the express lanes on 95 to avoid traffic and it ended up being super costly, like hundreds of dollars. Just fyi. We don’t stop overnight either. We pack snacks and stop to eat, stretch and use the bathroom as needed. The rest stop in Savannah is really cool, we always stop there to check it out. Just switch drivers before you get too tired, maybe bring a neck pillow or a small one for behind the small of your back to keep you comfortable. Our van has dvd players so we play Disney movies on the way down, although everyone’s mostly on their phones it’s nice to have running in the background. I also bring AirPods and listen to books on Audible when I’m driving, to cut down on boredom. And we pack drinks and snacks so we don’t have to stop too much, and the kids each bring a pillow and blanket so they can get comfy. It’s nice to drive, you can pack whatever you want and can bring home souvenirs without worrying about weight limits.

 

[MulanMom]

Hello! We are planning to drive from Hershey, Pennsylvania to WDW for the first time, and we're trying to plan the best route. There will be two drivers, and we plan to drive without an overnight stop.

We've read some older threads but just wanted to ask if anyone had any recommendations for us regarding the best route or any general travel advice for the trip. Also, do we need to buy a pass for toll roads, or should we try to avoid toll roads?

We're very grateful for any advice that anyone may have for us! Thank you!

We’ve traveled many times to WDW via minivan from the Allentown PA area. As others have mentioned, we plan our travel around anticipated DC heavy traffic. I used to be a fan of driving through the night as I’m a night owl. (Still am, just is no longer the smart thing to do with a handicapped husband.). My favorite route is 78 to 81 to 581 to 15 to 270 to 495 to 95 to I4. But sometimes we would change that up if we had to avoid traffic backups due to construction, beach traffic on summer weekends, etc. Our breaks were usually limited to rest areas and gas stops we were familiar with or were at busy locations at night. Kids were set up with their own electronics to watch movies and/or play video games. Blankets and pillows (and neck pillows) to sleep. As well as their own snacks to share. DH usually took over after sleeping throughout night and drove last 4-5 hours while I slept. Total trip would take 15-16.5 hours, depending on route, traffic and speed.

I strongly suggest buying your own EZ pass transponder and setting up your account online. You can sometimes purchase at a store or order online. The tolls then are the lowest amount. If you do bill by plate, there are a lot more fees associated with that method. Also, with an online account you can set it up for automatic replenishment when the available funds run low. Our EZ pass has worked in Florida where signs have only indicated SunPass. Being able to go through express lanes is a real timesaver.

When is your trip?

 

[David Gardner]

I've made the trip several times on I-95 and once on I-81 connecting to I-77. My experience is that 95 has the worst drivers I've ever encountered, outside of Saudi Arabia. I find that route far more stressful. 81 is slightly longer, but not enough to mention, and much more easygoing. Plus the scenery is gnerally better as well.

 

[Beesley]

Thank you so much for the responses! The information is wonderful and just what we needed.

We will be traveling over Memorial Day weekend, so we are thinking a lot about potential traffic problems as we plan our route.

Thank you for the advice about the EZ Pass. We will be in a rental car---has anyone used their own EZ Pass in a rental car?

If anyone else has any advice, we would be very grateful. This trip will be a new experience for us.

 

[georgina]

Thank you so much for the responses! The information is wonderful and just what we needed.

We will be traveling over Memorial Day weekend, so we are thinking a lot about potential traffic problems as we plan our route.

Thank you for the advice about the EZ Pass. We will be in a rental car---has anyone used their own EZ Pass in a rental car?

If anyone else has any advice, we would be very grateful. This trip will be a new experience for us.

Yes, I have used my PA EZ pass in a rental car. It is easy to go online and add a temporary car to the account.

We drove from Pittsburgh a couple of times, so not really applicable to you, but I live in the DC area now and would probably go 81 to avoid a lot of 95. With kids we did not do it all in one day, sometimes we stopped in St Augustine area so we could sleep and then arrive in the morning to WDW.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

We drive from the Baltimore/DC area almost every year. You’re just about an hour further away than us. We just drive on the toll roads and get bills in the mail for whatever tolls we owe. I’m sure there’s a better way to do this lol but this is what we do. I agree with the above poster about avoiding DC during rush hour, it’s insane. We take 95 most of the way down. Last time we drove down we drove in some of the express lanes on 95 to avoid traffic and it ended up being super costly, like hundreds of dollars. Just fyi. We don’t stop overnight either. We pack snacks and stop to eat, stretch and use the bathroom as needed. The rest stop in Savannah is really cool, we always stop there to check it out. Just switch drivers before you get too tired, maybe bring a neck pillow or a small one for behind the small of your back to keep you comfortable. Our van has dvd players so we play Disney movies on the way down, although everyone’s mostly on their phones it’s nice to have running in the background. I also bring AirPods and listen to books on Audible when I’m driving, to cut down on boredom. And we pack drinks and snacks so we don’t have to stop too much, and the kids each bring a pillow and blanket so they can get comfy. It’s nice to drive, you can pack whatever you want and can bring home souvenirs without worrying about weight limits.

We used the I-95 express lanes last month in DC & VA leaving around noon on a Thursday and going through that area during rush hour. The cost was under $60. We have an EZ-Pass so maybe that's why is was much less. If so, that's highway robbery for pay by plate!

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

We’ve traveled many times to WDW via minivan from the Allentown PA area. As others have mentioned, we plan our travel around anticipated DC heavy traffic. I used to be a fan of driving through the night as I’m a night owl. (Still am, just is no longer the smart thing to do with a handicapped husband.). My favorite route is 78 to 81 to 581 to 15 to 270 to 495 to 95 to I4. But sometimes we would change that up if we had to avoid traffic backups due to construction, beach traffic on summer weekends, etc. Our breaks were usually limited to rest areas and gas stops we were familiar with or were at busy locations at night. Kids were set up with their own electronics to watch movies and/or play video games. Blankets and pillows (and neck pillows) to sleep. As well as their own snacks to share. DH usually took over after sleeping throughout night and drove last 4-5 hours while I slept. Total trip would take 15-16.5 hours, depending on route, traffic and speed.

I strongly suggest buying your own EZ pass transponder and setting up your account online. You can sometimes purchase at a store or order online. The tolls then are the lowest amount. If you do bill by plate, there are a lot more fees associated with that method. Also, with an online account you can set it up for automatic replenishment when the available funds run low. Our EZ pass has worked in Florida where signs have only indicated SunPass. Being able to go through express lanes is a real timesaver.

When is your trip?

This!

 

[Mikey15]

We drive right past you! 81 77 26 95 is the way I usually go down. Then we end up in a rush coming back or the timing hits right and we’ve taken 95 to US-17 to 81 or 95 to 495 to 270 to US-15, through Gettysburg.

There’s aspects I like about going mostly on 81, but I will say it’s full of trucks, day or night, so if you’re getting some night driving in like we tend to, you’re not going to have an empty road. Mind you I’m not sure how much better 95 would be. Also 95 near I-40 in NC has been under construction for what feels like forever, and I’m happy to avoid that.

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

Hello! We are planning to drive from Hershey, Pennsylvania to WDW for the first time, and we're trying to plan the best route. There will be two drivers, and we plan to drive without an overnight stop.

We've read some older threads but just wanted to ask if anyone had any recommendations for us regarding the best route or any general travel advice for the trip. Also, do we need to buy a pass for toll roads, or should we try to avoid toll roads?

We're very grateful for any advice that anyone may have for us! Thank you!

83 to Baltimore, pick up 95 there and stay on that til you hit I-4 in FL. Get EZPass for tolls. Good luck!