For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (II)

[djh]

If you see my van on the road and drive REAL CLOSE, I'll let you onto my Virgin Mobile internet router. I can run up to 5 devices. $50 for the month, so I'm using it for the road, the entire trip in the room, and whatever extra time is left. Then I'll put it away for the next road trip.

That way, DD can watch some Infinity TV, do her Moshi Monsters or whatever other she wants - anything to keep her busy since we're driving straight through!

This sounds great. Have you used it before? How is the coverage on 95 or 81? Are there any dead zones?

 

[angelat]

i can do it in 17 hours but i dont stop. only for gas and a rest stop evey so often. (and those are quick)

TY!!

 

[angelat]

We left at 9:30 pm Friday & got to Melbourne, FL (we were going on a DCL cruise out of Port Canaveral the next morning) at around 7:30-8:00 pm Saturday. Not sure of the exact time, but it was still light out. We did sleep in a secure rest stop in Georia for a few hours during the night, because we are getting older & can't handle going quite straight through anymore. The eyes start to bug out & we need to give them a rest. We switch drivers about every 2-3 hours. It is easier to recuperate with a little sleep while the other is driving. When we first started driving down we used to do 6 hour stretches before switching, but we find that the shorter amount of time actually lets the eyes recuperate faster. Also, at around 6 hours we both found we were getting the "jolts". Your body just twitches and it affects the steering. When DH jolted it used to scare me awake. By swithching more often we find that doesn't happen.

We usually take food with us for the drive, so we eat at the rest stops during potty breaks. We may stop for breakfast or lunch at a fast food place if we feel we need a longer break or need something more substantial than snacks. We always have sodas, pretzels, cookies, fruit & other snack stuff that we can even eat while driving and of course the WAWA Cappachino to start the trip & the half gallon of WAWA coffee to drink when the other is gone. We find that the flavored (we like French Vanilla) coffees taste better even when lukewarm or reheated. The regular coffees start to taste like acid. We also bought a small container of French Vanilla creamer and grab a cup full of sugars to go with the 1/2 gallon of coffee.

Thanks!!!!

 

[Ksquared]

I just wanted to report that we did our 2nd trip driving from New Jersey in April and it went really well! I used to be an avid flyer but I must say that I've really enjoyed the past two trips where we drove.

I think the only traffic we ran into was in North Carolina where a tornado had hit the previous night.

We were on the road at 3:00 a.m. and got down to Orlando (near Universal) around 8:30 that night. Once we knew we were going to drive straight through, we made a reservation on the road at a Marriott near Universal as it was cheaper than the one closer to Disney.

This trip we went for two weeks, first week in Disney and the second at the beach, so having a car was a must for us but now that we've done it again and it went well I think this might be the way to go for us.

You just can't beat the savings on airfare, checked luggage, rental car, etc.

I don't think we'll make it down next year but I"m hoping to break in a new car the following year when we go again......my husband just doens't know it yet!

 

[angelat]

I just wanted to report that we did our 2nd trip driving from New Jersey in April and it went really well! I used to be an avid flyer but I must say that I've really enjoyed the past two trips where we drove.

I think the only traffic we ran into was in North Carolina where a tornado had hit the previous night.

We were on the road at 3:00 a.m. and got down to Orlando (near Universal) around 8:30 that night. Once we knew we were going to drive straight through, we made a reservation on the road at a Marriott near Universal as it was cheaper than the one closer to Disney.

This trip we went for two weeks, first week in Disney and the second at the beach, so having a car was a must for us but now that we've done it again and it went well I think this might be the way to go for us.

You just can't beat the savings on airfare, checked luggage, rental car, etc.

I don't think we'll make it down next year but I"m hoping to break in a new car the following year when we go again......my husband just doens't know it yet!

If you don't mind me asking...what route did you take?

 

[BC1836]

Our short countdown for drive #23 since 2002 has begun.

I assume sharadoc and dvczerfs are already headin' south.

All the best.

 

[Disneyholic]

Thanks for the quick reply. I will look for a report on Sunday. There is a lot of construction on 81 in NEPA so I am hoping to be on the road by 5 AM and out of PA by 8 AM.

Have a safe trip!

I have to laugh about NEPA. I was driving down the road the other day & got behind a light green Honda with the License "NEPA2" and thought of this post. It's funny how things from Disboards pop up on everyday things!

 

[Becky2005]

We are getting slowly ready!

Just got 2 new tires with the others rotated & an alignment so now I'm happy!

We still need to see if we can fix the A/C before we go and the side view mirror but if neither of those happen it's OK....as long as the tires were done.

 

[sharadoc]

This sounds great. Have you used it before? How is the coverage on 95 or 81? Are there any dead zones?

Hi.Using it now! So far, coverage has been great on 95, according to their map, itf's 100% all along 95 the entire way. Virgin using Sprint's network so all in all, really good.

I plan to use it during our stay, almost 2 weeks. It would have cost us over $100 paying Disney rates so this SEEMS like a good idea. Plus having in the van is pretty cool.

We plan to drive home on 81, reasons to be discussed below, and Ill let you know how that goes, too.

You can check coverage on Virgin's website. I bought my router used on ebay for around $60, they go for $150 direct from Virgin. This was supposedly used, but the charger was still in a sealed package. I bought it from an individual seller, rather than a "business" on ebay, so I saved a little that way.

 

[sharadoc]

So, my 2000+ mile road trippers, my road warrior report begins.

We planned to leave at 4 am, got on the road at 4:40. Thought it wasn't that bad, got a coffee and set off in the dark of night.

Crossed the border into Delaware at 5:18, into Maryland at 5:41. Feeling good!

Nice drive into Maryland, hitting DC around 7:00 AM, deciding between AAA sending us straight down 95 or GPS 495 W. Have used 495 W many times, no problems, didn't want to go through middle of DC on 95, so we take 495.

Then the pain begins!

Oh, must mention, didn't check traffic on XM or internet. Too early in the morning I say, can't be traffic jams this early I say.

Around 7:05, slow down, then complete stop. What's going on? 7 miles to get back onto 95, okay, can't be too long.

They're tearing down a rebuilding a bridge, road and lane closures all night! Not reopening half the lines until 9 AM, WHAT It's a Saturday in the summer you idiots

So, lets think, how long did it take to go those 7 miles??? Well, we watched them take down the lane closure cones at 8:45!!! It took us almost 2 hours to go 7 miles. Needless to say, I was an emotional wreck.

I was SO scared that we were now going to be in the thick of the beach traffic, when we plannede to be past Richmond by 9 AM. Instead, we were just entering Virginia. That went okay, with one merge slowdown and a few for exits for 295.

So, now after one rest stop and one McD's for kids lunch, we are at the VA/NC border. GPS puts at WDW around 11 pm, 2-1/2 hours later than the original estimate.

We're staying positive - at least we're going to Disney World

More to come

 

[LadyBeBop]

Hi.Using it now! So far, coverage has been great on 95, according to their map, itf's 100% all along 95 the entire way. Virgin using Sprint's network so all in all, really good.

I plan to use it during our stay, almost 2 weeks. It would have cost us over $100 paying Disney rates so this SEEMS like a good idea. Plus having in the van is pretty cool.

We plan to drive home on 81, reasons to be discussed below, and Ill let you know how that goes, too.

You can check coverage on Virgin's website. I bought my router used on ebay for around $60, they go for $150 direct from Virgin. This was supposedly used, but the charger was still in a sealed package. I bought it from an individual seller, rather than a "business" on ebay, so I saved a little that way.

Do you need a contract for a set number of months?

Do you need to be on Virgins's cell phone plan?

Can you hook up a Roku to it, so we could stream movies on the road?

 

[Donald is #1]

Then the pain begins!

....

So, lets think, how long did it take to go those 7 miles??? Well, we watched them take down the lane closure cones at 8:45!!! It took us almost 2 hours to go 7 miles. Needless to say, I was an emotional wreck.

2 hours for 7 miles??? Wow, I hope the rest of your drive goes smoothly.

 

[sharadoc]

So, here I am, still on the road, 16 hours and 15 minutes after leaving home this morning. Still apprx. 2 hours and 10 minutes from Disney on Florida 95, exactly 61.1 miles from the junction with I4.

Last rest stop break and DH has taken over the last leg.

We're all doing okay, the kids are tired but getting excited. We've been trying to catch up the lost time and we've done a little. I expect the total trip to take 18 1/2 hours and it should have taken 17, give or take. That included a breakfast stop, but we gave that up when we realized how much time we lost.

That was not a typo. It took almost 2 hours to go 7 miles on 495 in DC. It was painful!

So, the kids have no idea that we're checking into the Contemporary Theme Park View. They're expecting OKW (which we are moving to on Tuesday). So, the aggravation and fatigue of the day will certainly turn to excitement. I just wish we could have arrived when I planned, which would have been right before Wishes from the balcony. Ah well, there will be Wishes tomorrow and Monday, probably the latter since tomorrow is evening EMH until 3. And if there's one time to take advantage of EMH until 3 am, it when you're staying at a monorail resort, wouldn't you agree.

Anyway, to all who are considering a trip down 95 from the Northeast, DO NOT USE 495 West around Washington. Avoid at all costs!!!!! If we had just looked up traffic and known about it, we would have been pulling up to valet parking very soon, instead of still driving along 95 in the dark!

One overall perception, we have NEVER seen more idiotic drivers as we have today. There was more riding in the left lane UNDER the speed limit, trucks passing each other on an uphill incline at 10 miles UNDER the speed limit, more aggressive on-my-bumper, then passing and riding alongside us than we could have ever imagined or expected. And LOTS of Moving trucks. Maybe because the day started so badly we were more sensitive to idiotic behavior of others, but it was really BAD.

Not bad enough to stop driving but definitely bad enough that we are taking DVCZerfs advice and taking 81-77 next time.

 

[C&G'sMama]

So, here I am, still on the road, 16 hours and 15 minutes after leaving home this morning. Still apprx. 2 hours and 10 minutes from Disney on Florida 95, exactly 61.1 miles from the junction with I4.

Last rest stop break and DH has taken over the last leg.

We're all doing okay, the kids are tired but getting excited. We've been trying to catch up the lost time and we've done a little. I expect the total trip to take 18 1/2 hours and it should have taken 17, give or take. That included a breakfast stop, but we gave that up when we realized how much time we lost.

That was not a typo. It took almost 2 hours to go 7 miles on 495 in DC. It was painful!

So, the kids have no idea that we're checking into the Contemporary Theme Park View. They're expecting OKW (which we are moving to on Tuesday). So, the aggravation and fatigue of the day will certainly turn to excitement. I just wish we could have arrived when I planned, which would have been right before Wishes from the balcony. Ah well, there will be Wishes tomorrow and Monday, probably the latter since tomorrow is evening EMH until 3. And if there's one time to take advantage of EMH until 3 am, it when you're staying at a monorail resort, wouldn't you agree.

Anyway, to all who are considering a trip down 95 from the Northeast, DO NOT USE 495 West around Washington. Avoid at all costs!!!!! If we had just looked up traffic and known about it, we would have been pulling up to valet parking very soon, instead of still driving along 95 in the dark!

One overall perception, we have NEVER seen more idiotic drivers as we have today. There was more riding in the left lane UNDER the speed limit, trucks passing each other on an uphill incline at 10 miles UNDER the speed limit, more aggressive on-my-bumper, then passing and riding alongside us than we could have ever imagined or expected. And LOTS of Moving trucks. Maybe because the day started so badly we were more sensitive to idiotic behavior of others, but it was really BAD.

Not bad enough to stop driving but definitely bad enough that we are taking DVCZerfs advice and taking 81-77 next time. [/QUOTE

Love reading this. Sorry you got off to such arough start. Hopefully you are checking in right now. Have a blast.

 

[BC1836]

When it's time, it's time....

Just woke up after a mini-nap; time to get packing. Hope to be on the road in 90 minutes.

Happy Fathers Day!

All the best.

 

[NALA 24]

Thanks for the updates. We are heading out tomorrow and hoping for good weather and traffic. The reports from the road are amazing...Thank you.

 

[bookwormde]

Sharadoc,

Thanks for the heads up about 495 around the westside. We usually go through on 295 but I will know to use 495 on the east side of there is an issue with 295.

12 days.

bookwormde

 

[BC1836]

We just arrived minutes ago in Lake Buena Vista. We stay at an off-site hotel prior to our first night's reservation at the Grand Floridian in order to maximize our first day at WDW (and not paying for a night just to sleep at the Grand).

We departed at 1:31 a.m. and had an uneventful 17 1/2 hour drive with no traffic of note and just a bit of rain in northern, VA. A brief half-hour nap in VA. Two on-the-road tanks of gas in our 2011 CRV ($92.75). Best mileage: 34.1 mpg at times.

All the best.

 

[your friend]

What is more accurate for gas prices...gas buddy or AAA fuel cost calculator?

 

[dvczerfs]

hi all!!! we made it in 16 hours!!!!! got in at 2:30 on sat. talk to you soon!!had no traffic, we went 81-77-26-95-4. aloy of smoke in ga but went well.