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

[dvczerfs]

We are planning on making the drive from Ohio to WDW in one day. According to Google Maps the best way is 77S to 95S and it gives us a drive time of 17H35M. We plan to leave at 2am so DD's(5 and will be 10) can sleep for most of the first half of the journey. We are leaving on Saturday 6/11 so we should be clear of any congestion on the road since its the weekend right?

DH will drive until noon and then I will take over for a few hours and if we are still driving when it gets dark he will take over again. But if we are going to run into traffic I would prefer if he is doing the driving because he is a terrible passenger. I need to know what to expect so we can plan accordingly because I can't drive when he's trying to tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing.

ill try to help you out. you wont hit rush hour traffic but being the summer months, 95 gets busy on the weekends. your going to hit 95 in s.carolina so your missing all the northern mess. as far as sitting in a big traffic jam, as long as theres no wreck,chances are, you should be safe. you will see traffic pick up in the city areas,jacksonville,orlando,i4 youll see alot of traffic.you see a good amount of traffic but most of it should be moving at a good pace. as far as your trip before i95, you should be fine. i hope i answered your question.

 

[mekia2001]

ill try to help you out. you wont hit rush hour traffic but being the summer months, 95 gets busy on the weekends. your going to hit 95 in s.carolina so your missing all the northern mess. as far as sitting in a big traffic jam, as long as theres no wreck,chances are, you should be safe. you will see traffic pick up in the city areas,jacksonville,orlando,i4 youll see alot of traffic.you see a good amount of traffic but most of it should be moving at a good pace. as far as your trip before i95, you should be fine. i hope i answered your question.

Thanks!

 

[Riverhill]

I'm new to driving to WDW and I could really use some help from experienced long-distance DISers.

We'll be driving from Michigan, about an hour north of Detroit, down to Fort Wilderness, and I can't even figure out how long to expect the drive to take. Google says 21 hours, AAA says 18, Mapquest is somewhere in between. We're planning on taking 75 all the way down, then 75 > 24 > 65 > 69 > 94 back with a few nights in Nashville visiting friends.

I can't decide whether I want to drive straight through going down or break it up with a stop somewhere along the line. It has been a long time since we've done a straight-through road trip, but nighttime driving would be best for the kids (and minimizing the "are we there yet" factor). And I don't even know where to start figuring out the best time to leave to avoid as many traffic snarls as possible!

My first idea is this: Leave home around 5-6am with the kids still asleep. DH will want to drive the bulk of it; he used to drive a truck and is a terrible passenger. So he'll take the first leg while the kids and I sleep, and rather than having him try to sleep while I drive (because he can never seem to sleep as a passenger) we'll plan somewhere interesting to stop - a museum or park or battlefield or random roadside curiousity - where I can take the kids to burn off a little energy for 3-4 hours while DH naps. Then I'll take the wheel at least until it gets dark so he can rest even though he probably won't get any more sleep. Between the extended stop and bathroom/food/stretching/fuel stops I'm guessing at about 26 hours on the road, which would get us to Disney around 8ish. And if our cabin isn't ready with the early check-in, I'll just take the kids to play in the pool or explore the resort while DH catches another nap in the van.

So for those who have done this before how does that sound? Feasible or way off? Any recommendations for a fun attraction to stop at somewhere around 7-8 hours down I75 from Detroit? Also, where should I be worried about traffic on a Saturday drive down?

We have driven down from Michigan (A suburb of Flint) for the last 6 years. 26 hours is right on the money!!! The first few times we drove straight through and it was a tough drive. We were too excited to sleep in the car which lead to extreme fatigue. Kids were 10 and 8 our first time and they did great. It was DH and I that suffered the most. We were too tired to enjoy the first day at Disney.

Then... we deicided to leave the house at midnight and drive through MI and OH in the dark.( not much we haven't seen before ) we would drive through the mountains in the morning light and it is beautiful. Georgia is tough ( it seems to go on forever)and if you are going through Atlanta during rush hour take the bypass. We arrive in Lake City FL aroung 6 or 7pm and stay the night at the Cabot Lodge. We shower and get a good night sleep, wake up at 6 am and drive the remaining 2 hours to WDW. We arrive, check in, get our park tickets and head out well rested for the first day. Our room has always been ready for us when we arrive early.

DS and DD are now 16 and 14. So this year we are leaving at 4 am Saturday, stopping in Cleveland TN Saturday night. Driving to Lake City on Sunday, once again staying at Cabot Lodge and arriving in WDW first thing Monday morning.

There are some nice rest stops on the way down and in FL some even have security so you feel safe sleeping in the car if you need to.

 

[irish dancer]

Question for those IL drivers that take the 57-24-75 route....

DSis took that route Fri on their way to Spring Break in Sarasota. They commented that gas/food was scarce in IL since it is so rural. They didn't leave until 4ish (after school) and with 4 kids in the car they were looking for a dinner food stop and were disapointed with what was avail compared to the 65 route through Indiana.

My question is: what is the gas/food situation along 57 through IL? We generally have snacks/drinks in the car but stop for a quick lunch and/or dinner. What are our options?

 

[BC1836]

Question for those IL drivers that take the 57-24-75 route....

DSis took that route Fri on their way to Spring Break in Sarasota. They commented that gas/food was scarce in IL since it is so rural. They didn't leave until 4ish (after school) and with 4 kids in the car they were looking for a dinner food stop and were disapointed with what was avail compared to the 65 route through Indiana.

My question is: what is the gas/food situation along 57 through IL? We generally have snacks/drinks in the car but stop for a quick lunch and/or dinner. What are our options?

Let's help these good folks out with their question!

 

[cruisingkat]

Question for those IL drivers that take the 57-24-75 route....

DSis took that route Fri on their way to Spring Break in Sarasota. They commented that gas/food was scarce in IL since it is so rural. They didn't leave until 4ish (after school) and with 4 kids in the car they were looking for a dinner food stop and were disapointed with what was avail compared to the 65 route through Indiana.

My question is: what is the gas/food situation along 57 through IL? We generally have snacks/drinks in the car but stop for a quick lunch and/or dinner. What are our options?

We found that there were a few exits without gas stations but as long as you don't wait until empty to fill up, you should be okay. (We usually refill around Champaign-Urbana which will take us into Kentucky before we need more gas). As far as food goes, there are plenty of fast food type restaurants - As far as sit down restauants, you go by some major towns like Kankakee, Champaign-Urbana, Effingham, Mt. Vernon, and Marion.
I know that the 65 to 24 route also takes you through some stretches without gas or food stops (especially 65 in Kentucky).

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I'm new to driving to WDW and I could really use some help from experienced long-distance DISers.

We'll be driving from Michigan, about an hour north of Detroit, down to Fort Wilderness, and I can't even figure out how long to expect the drive to take. Google says 21 hours, AAA says 18, Mapquest is somewhere in between. We're planning on taking 75 all the way down, then 75 > 24 > 65 > 69 > 94 back with a few nights in Nashville visiting friends.

I can't decide whether I want to drive straight through going down or break it up with a stop somewhere along the line. It has been a long time since we've done a straight-through road trip, but nighttime driving would be best for the kids (and minimizing the "are we there yet" factor). And I don't even know where to start figuring out the best time to leave to avoid as many traffic snarls as possible!

My first idea is this: Leave home around 5-6am with the kids still asleep. DH will want to drive the bulk of it; he used to drive a truck and is a terrible passenger. So he'll take the first leg while the kids and I sleep, and rather than having him try to sleep while I drive (because he can never seem to sleep as a passenger) we'll plan somewhere interesting to stop - a museum or park or battlefield or random roadside curiousity - where I can take the kids to burn off a little energy for 3-4 hours while DH naps. Then I'll take the wheel at least until it gets dark so he can rest even though he probably won't get any more sleep. Between the extended stop and bathroom/food/stretching/fuel stops I'm guessing at about 26 hours on the road, which would get us to Disney around 8ish. And if our cabin isn't ready with the early check-in, I'll just take the kids to play in the pool or explore the resort while DH catches another nap in the van.

So for those who have done this before how does that sound? Feasible or way off? Any recommendations for a fun attraction to stop at somewhere around 7-8 hours down I75 from Detroit? Also, where should I be worried about traffic on a Saturday drive down?

We have driven several times from the Lansing area. We leave between 3 and 4pm and arrive around 1pm (we take I75). The most important thing to me concerning timing is missing Atlanta during rush hour (about 12.5 hours for us).

Our longest stop is usually at a Cracker Barrel for an early breakfast ( we let the girls run around a bit and play on the porch). The longer top should be fun- I remember doing some of those when my parents drove down.

Good Luck!

 

[angwill]

Question for those IL drivers that take the 57-24-75 route....

DSis took that route Fri on their way to Spring Break in Sarasota. They commented that gas/food was scarce in IL since it is so rural. They didn't leave until 4ish (after school) and with 4 kids in the car they were looking for a dinner food stop and were disapointed with what was avail compared to the 65 route through Indiana.

My question is: what is the gas/food situation along 57 through IL? We generally have snacks/drinks in the car but stop for a quick lunch and/or dinner. What are our options?

It is rural in Southern IL but I never really noticed a lack of restaurants and there are plenty of bigger towns you drive through. Then again we always eat as we are leaving town and then just snack in the car till we get to TN. We never had a problem finding a gas station in IL either. I always fill up once in Il at about a quarter tank. I can say that 57 in IL is much faster than 65 in IN if that helps.

 

[budafam]

How bad is Atlanta on the weekends? We're figuring on hitting it right around 4:00ish and I was worried till I realized it's a Saturday but I thought it might still be bad. Any advice?

 

[dvczerfs]

How bad is Atlanta on the weekends? We're figuring on hitting it right around 4:00ish and I was worried till I realized it's a Saturday but I thought it might still be bad. Any advice?

sorry budafam , i dont come through that way, maybe someone who does will be along soon to give you an idea on the traffic in atlanta on the weekends.

 

[Becky2005]

How bad is Atlanta on the weekends? We're figuring on hitting it right around 4:00ish and I was worried till I realized it's a Saturday but I thought it might still be bad. Any advice?

We have never had a problem but we hop in the HOV lanes and just go. Unfortunately, last time we went was on a Sunday morning, so that probably doesn't help you much.

I really can't remember what day it was last time we went and actually stopped at places. I'm thinking it probably was a Saturday though as we stopped at the Puppet Museum.

Neither time was bad at all. It does depend on your traffic perspective though...I'm used to Chicago traffic and that is my comparison.

 

[Becky2005]

Question for those IL drivers that take the 57-24-75 route....

My question is: what is the gas/food situation along 57 through IL? We generally have snacks/drinks in the car but stop for a quick lunch and/or dinner. What are our options?

I do know there is a Cracker Barrel near Champaign-Urbana because we ate there last time my DD went down to U of I for summer music camp.

 

[AndreaDM]

Hello everyone! We might be jumping on your bandwagon and driving from NE Ohio in August. I guess I can post here since Google maps tells me r/t will be 2006 miles! We will break up the drive both ways, stopping in Charlotte for the night one way since we have family and friends there. The other direction we're looking at maybe stopping in Savanah and taking in some of the sights there. If anyone has done a "layover" in Savanah I'm interested in hearing any tips!

We will be travelling with an 8 year old and almost 18 year old - both girls. I don't think I have to tell you it's not the 8 year old I'm worried about. Is it wrong to hide some Benadryl in a piece of cheese??

 

[sharadoc]

i would tend to believe that but, i also seen this on the way home. jacksonville on i95 has been under construction for 40 years. the small lanes, ess turns and barriers are gone!!! (unless they put more up since december.) if you recall the narrow lanes and ess curves north of the childrens hosp., all gone!!!!all new highway and bridges!!

I remember it back to our first drive in 1994, so I just expect it as permanent. I will trust you and go that way, rather than do the 295 roundabout!

Trips are coming up fast. We should take a roll call - who's going to be at the World sometime after June 18 and before July 1?

 

[dvczerfs]

I remember it back to our first drive in 1994, so I just expect it as permanent. I will trust you and go that way, rather than do the 295 roundabout!

Trips are coming up fast. We should take a roll call - who's going to be at the World sometime after June 18 and before July 1?

i think ill being going through that way before you, ill text you! ooohhh, maybe not. we will hit that area around 3 on sat. the 18th.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Hello everyone! We might be jumping on your bandwagon and driving from NE Ohio in August. I guess I can post here since Google maps tells me r/t will be 2006 miles! We will break up the drive both ways, stopping in Charlotte for the night one way since we have family and friends there. The other direction we're looking at maybe stopping in Savanah and taking in some of the sights there. If anyone has done a "layover" in Savanah I'm interested in hearing any tips!

We will be travelling with an 8 year old and almost 18 year old - both girls. I don't think I have to tell you it's not the 8 year old I'm worried about. Is it wrong to hide some Benadryl in a piece of cheese??

LOL at hiding the Benadryl in a piece of cheese!
I had to tackle DD14 (she was 10 or 11 at the time) in a McDonalds playplace in either Virginia or North Carolina to get a Dramamine in her. She absolutely hates taking any kind of pills but, will usually take it if needed (Tylenol, dramamine, antiobiotics etc.). Anyway, she used to get car sick on long trips (still happens ocassionally now but, not often) but, absolutely refused to take Dramamine before we left the house, she was just in a nasty mood in general (I think because we woke her up at 2am to leave). Well, of course she puked through almost every state on the way until we stopped for breakfast. I tried reasoning with her , bribing her etc. Finally, I had to chase her around the McDonalds playplace with a Dramamine hidden in a piece of biscut. It took 5 attempts to get her to swallow the piece of biscut. (Thank God it was empty but, Im sure we gave the employees some entertainment)
Once she took it we waited another 30 minutes so it could kick in before we got back in the car and she didn't get sick again. That child had the nerve to say to me "mom, why didn't you tell me I would feel so much better after I took the medicine"!
Now, she takes the Dramamine before we leave the house and again when needed without any problems. I think she's afraid I will tackle her in public again, however that may be a bit harder now that she is 5 inches taller than me (I'm 5'3" and she's 5'8") but, I still outweigh her so I think I could still take her down, LOL!

 

[mcgraws]

We are seriously considering driving to WDW from Halifax, NS this August.

We think it might be a great way to change things up a bit and make Disney an adventure again.

Should we take the I-95 the whole way or should we try to avoid NYC and Washington. I heard there was a way to reroute around these locations but I'm not sure how. When I Mapquest it, it only gives me the i-95 option.

Any suggestions, opinions, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Right now we plan to get on the road on Thursday August 18 around suppertime (5pm) and get into the US that night (Northern Maine) and then spend 1 or 2 more nights on the road. We don't want to drive through the night in Northern Maine because from experience there is alot of animals on the road through the night on that road but we think maybe we could do longer or an all-nighter deeper into the US (are animals a worry through the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, etc.

Thanks for any help.

 

[honeymo78]

It's official. We are definitely driving again in Sept. We were originally not sure how many people were going but we have finally settle on 4. Rather than taking my Mariner, which has plenty of space for luggage, but is only moderately comfortable, we are taking DH's Milan. This means a bit less luggage space. Not a problem for DH and me, we can do 1 big suitcase and 1 small suitcase. Hopefully my mom and brother can do the same thing and we'll be all set. We know that 1 big, 1 large garment bag suitcase and 1 medium fit in the trunk so hopefully we will be okay.

 

[Jeffandjen]

We will be travelling with an 8 year old and almost 18 year old - both girls. I don't think I have to tell you it's not the 8 year old I'm worried about. Is it wrong to hide some Benadryl in a piece of cheese??

is wrong to do this to your husband too?

 

[BC1836]

We are seriously considering driving to WDW from Halifax, NS this August.

We think it might be a great way to change things up a bit and make Disney an adventure again.

Should we take the I-95 the whole way or should we try to avoid NYC and Washington. I heard there was a way to reroute around these locations but I'm not sure how. When I Mapquest it, it only gives me the i-95 option.

Any suggestions, opinions, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Right now we plan to get on the road on Thursday August 18 around suppertime (5pm) and get into the US that night (Northern Maine) and then spend 1 or 2 more nights on the road. We don't want to drive through the night in Northern Maine because from experience there is alot of animals on the road through the night on that road but we think maybe we could do longer or an all-nighter deeper into the US (are animals a worry through the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, etc.

Thanks for any help.

Now THAT'S a drive!

I-95 is a convenient highway; however, the road is at its worst during various metro rush hours. Try to the best of your ability to avoid them at all costs; however, considering your lenghty drive you might have to deal with one of them. Just make sure it's not NYC or DC.

All the best.