First time driving from upstate NY

[plucky]

I think we might be a little crazy! But because flying to Disney adds mucho bucks to our vacation bottom line, we are thinking about driving. For those of you have done it, I'm getting conflicting info on how long it takes. I've read anywhere from 18-24 hours. We live near Albany, NY. What has been your experience?

I've also read that I-95 is crazy and that people add 100 miles (!!!) to their trips to avoid the DC area. Is that really necessary?

Any info would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[kidsgobears]

Mapquest says 20 hours. That would be no stopping for gas or food. So 22 hours would be in the ballpark.

I'd think D.C. traffic would really depend on the time of day (or night) you'd be in the area. Look at mapquest or googlemaps, the route takes you on the outskirts of D.C. I'd think you'd be O.K. unless you're hitting it during morning or late afternoon rush hours.

Have fun planning!

 

[burnsoc]

I live near Middletown (about 90 minutes south of you) and driving to WDW takes us about nineteen hours if we drive straight through. We now have three young kids so if we drive we stop overnight. What I like to do is leave about 10 PM and drive through the night. That way you don't have to worry about any traffic from NYC through DC. We stop early afternoon just over the border in Georgia. We relax, have a nice dinner, get to bed early and on the road by 7 AM. That leaves a 5 - 6 hour drive and we arrive early afternoon. I still enjoy driving down as it brings back a lot of great memories of vacations from my childhood. My DW is not as thrilled. I've gotten a lot of use out of the I-95 Exit Guide book. It's great for showing upcoming rest areas, restaurants, and hotels. http://www.i95exitguide.com/

 

[GranddadTom]

I can only address the last half of your trip – the 880 miles from just north of Washington, D.C. to Orlando. We make the drive three or four times a year and we always take I-95. It averages about 12 ½ hours with quick stops for gas, food, and bathroom breaks and is not that bad of a drive. But, as a previous poster stated, you need to be mindful of when you are driving through the Washington area. It’s not really the Washington Beltway that you have to be concerned with but rather I-95 in northern Virginia. The 30 miles of that road south of the Beltway must have the worst congestion of any road in the country. It’s worst going south from around 2:30 pm until 8:00 pm (or 9:00 pm on Fridays). Try not to be there during those hours. In the morning, it’s usually clear by 9:30 am going south. Just a word about I-81 – it is the most dangerous road in Virginia. I hate driving on it. One-quarter of the vehicles on it are trucks – big trucks. The road is very hilly and the trucks speed down the hills and then crawl up the hills; often trying to pass each other causing blocks that seemingly last forever. And then I-77 through Charlotte can be difficult at times also. My advise is to time your arrival in the D.C. area so you’re not there at rush hour and stick with I-95. One last thing, google “construction I-95 Georgia” before you leave to see what’s going on there around milepost 30.

 

[Robert P]

One last thing, google “construction I-95 Georgia” before you leave to see what’s going on there around milepost 30.

Four weeks ago, is was 20+ miles of construction. Several stretches of either no shoulders or tight lanes with concrete barriers, or both. It is a long stretch for construction work, and some of those lanes were just plain tight to drive in.

 

[plucky]

Thanks for all of the great information. I still think that we are a bit nuts, but we have family in NC and will be stopping there for a quick rest.

 

[tinkerbell of winter]

You could cut over to Binghamton on 88 and take 81 instead of 95. I have taken 81 virtually end to end and it's not a bad drive at all. You could always cut over to 95 in Virginia or Maryland and miss most of the congestion you will hit in the Philly, Baltimore and DC area. I don't know how much that will add to your trip, Mapquest it and see I usually try to avoid 95 at all costs though, it's honestly the most insane highway in America.

 

[Rockmtn]

We drove down from southern maine one year.
We actually left at 10pm and drove through the night to get through NYC and DC before the traffic set in. I took a nap at about 4am to 7am.
We had a hotel ressie in Savannah GA and got there at about 4 in the afternoon. Reason being that we would bust our butts on the first leg of the trip getting to the hotel and covering a large portion of the trip, have a nice dinner and relax the rest of the night. Get a good nights sleep and have a nice short 4 hr drive the next day.
My 4yr old slept through the night so he was not conscious of how long he was actually in the car.
Worked out well for our family.

Going down is not bad as the excitement keeps you going. The trip home made me realize that I do not want to drive anymore.