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

[starwood]

We drove last February in our Prius and gas cost $60 each way from NJ to WDW.

 

[nytimez]

We drove last February in our Prius and gas cost $60 each way from NJ to WDW.

Sounds about right. I usually get a between 50 and 50 mpg in the northeast, then a little less than 50 mpg with the higher speeds in the south.

 

[kteesmumma]

Is anyone getting concerned about the prediction of gas prices soaring to record highs this summer? The reason we decided to drive was to save money on flights, plus I was able to go within my budget..now im getting nervous...anyone else?

 

[sharadoc]

Is anyone getting concerned about the prediction of gas prices soaring to record highs this summer? The reason we decided to drive was to save money on flights, plus I was able to go within my budget..now im getting nervous...anyone else?

Yes, we're aware but not yet nervous about it. I think gas would have to get to $10 a gallon to make it more expensive than flying and renting a car for us.

I fully expect it to be close to $5.00. Why - because they can!!!

 

[angwill]

I'm not too worried about gas costs. I know there have been guesses that it will go up to $4 or $5 a gallon but we have heard that before. I think it may go up a bit for summer but I don't think it will go up that much more because we are still using less oil in America than we were post war and it goes up with how much we use. That is just my opinion but no need to worry about something that hasn't happened and might not.

 

[dvczerfs]

Okay, sounds good. I guess it depends on what we plan to do - are we having dinner and hanging out? Or are we going to a park after?

We like Cape May Cafe at Beach Club, Trail's End at Fort Wilderness, Kona Cafe at Poly. We thought Whispering Canyon was okay at Wilderness Lodge. Only have eaten breakfast at Boma but lots of folks love it. Other places we'd be willing to try would be the Wave at the Contemporary, Grand Floridian Cafe, Captain's Grill at Yacht Club. There's lots of stuff at Downtown Disney - we haven't eaten there since the Fireworks Factory closed (except Earl of Sandwich). In parks, we like the 50's Primetime at DHS. We'd be willing to try the Moroccan or Japanese or new Italian pizza restaurant in Epcot.

Hope this is okay - it would take forever to text everything!

Or send me your e-mail and we could do it that way.

this is a good form for me. have you eaten at trails end? we are already eating in japan.(very good if you get the chance. we have eaten there for the last few years) tammy wants to do italy in september when its just her and i. let me check the menus of trails end and the wave. we are going to be at the contempoary anyway. ill get back to you.

 

[justakrazymom]

Little nervous about gas prices but unless it hits $15 a gallon I am still saving money by driving and not flying and by not needing to rent a car..

 

[sharadoc]

this is a good form for me. have you eaten at trails end? we are already eating in japan.(very good if you get the chance. we have eaten there for the last few years) tammy wants to do italy in september when its just her and i. let me check the menus of trails end and the wave. we are going to be at the contempoary anyway. ill get back to you.

Good! We like Trail's End. It's simple and smaller than the usual buffets. Same food as Hoop-De-Doo, pitcher of Yeungling Lager, make your own sundae bar.

After dinner, we like going out to the beach and watching the Water Electrical Parade and Wishes from the beach. There's also the Chip n Dale sing-along show and movie/campfire.

Haven't tried the Wave but heard some good things about it. Thought it could be easy.

 

[nytimez]

Is anyone getting concerned about the prediction of gas prices soaring to record highs this summer? The reason we decided to drive was to save money on flights, plus I was able to go within my budget..now im getting nervous...anyone else?

You'd almost certainly save money driving no matter how high gas prices rise -- airfares will increase and fuel surcharges will be added and/or expanded if the price of oil shoots up, so those airplane tickets will rise right along with (or even faster than) the cost of filling your car's gas tank.

On the downside, it will increase the cost of travel no matter how you go (or where you go) and could even rule out trips for some, unless they can walk there.

 

[dvczerfs]

Is anyone getting concerned about the prediction of gas prices soaring to record highs this summer? The reason we decided to drive was to save money on flights, plus I was able to go within my budget..now im getting nervous...anyone else?

dont worried yet. i use 100 gallons round trip so if it goes up to 5 bucks a gallon, my fuel is still only $500.00. and dont forget, those 737 dont run on love. gas is about 3.07 around here. number 2 fuel oil is about 2.98 and i havnt checked jp5 but im sure its around 6-7 per gallon.

 

[blondietink]

I think if it gets towards $4.00 per gallon again, the travel industry will start hurting again and it will affect the travel industry/economy. People will still travel on vacations, but they will travel closer to home and spend less money when they get there. If people have to spend more to get to/from work, they will be spending less on vacations. thus the economy will suffer. So, I don't think it will get that high again.

This evening there was a spot on the local TV news about the increase in ethanol to 15% in gas and teh potential problems it can have with cars, including less miles per gallon, and catastrophic engine failure. apparently there is some problem in the exhaust systems with the higher ethanol content.

 

[lugnut33]

Well, we wound up putting 3350 miles on the vehicle for our trip to WDW. First time we have ever driven (from South Central Wisconsin) to the World and my initial impression is it wasn't that bad to do. Our two girls are 10 & 13 and they did great on the long drive between movies, ipods, and books. Only a couple of arguments (best line ever was when the older one said, "if it wasn't for me you'd still be listening to Barney").

We left on Christmas Day, which featured a snow storm in the southern states. Decided to avoid I-24 from Nashville to Atlanta by taking a western route through Memphis, Mississippi, and Alabama. It was definitely a good call as I-24 was snow covered and dangerous we heard. Going that way only added in 2 extra hours.

Absolutely amazing all the traffic coming out of Orlando on Jan 1!! It was bumper to bumper from Orlando to Chattanooga.

Lastly, I learned that Florida drivers are the worst.

 

[blondietink]

I agree that Florida drivers are the worst! I would prefer to drive around Chicago any day compared to a drive in Florida. For some reason, the minute you hit the Florida state line, the crazy drivers appear out of nowhere driving 90 mph, weaving in and out of traffic, no turn signals, geez, it is really bad.

 

[ksc37]

Wow, there is a lot of good information on this thread! This is my first time posting here, as I usually fly, but this time the higher costs of airfare and car rental, combined with the fact we're planning a longer than usual trip make driving worth considering.

BUT, there are so many possible scenarios as far as the time of day, the day of week, the time of year and route selected. It’s pretty overwhelming!

I’m from the Philly suburbs, so I’m looking for recommendations from those who live nearby (I noticed that Sharadoc is very close ).

We want to arrive in WDW by mid-day on August 20th (a Saturday).

I have a couple of different scenarios. Any thoughts on what might be a better strategy and if these are realistic:

1. I am thinking about leaving around 3:00-3:30 am on Friday morning and driving to a hotel near the SC/GA border, but am worried about traffic in VA by 7:00 am. Ideally we would leave the hotel by 8 am on Saturday, and hopefully get to WDW by 2:00 pm. Downsides with this are the 3:00 wake-up time and potential traffic in DC/VA.
   
2. The other thought is driving about 5-6 hours on Thursday after work (leaving home 6:30-7 pm) to get past Richmond, and then trying to get to Orlando by Saturday night, but making a hotel reservation about 3 hours out in the event of unforeseen circumstances (traffic, weather, etc). We can always cancel the reservation if it’s not needed. Downside there, of course, is an extra night’s hotel cost.
   
3. The other option is taking the 81/77/26 route, but that does seem to put me about 100 miles out of my way. Do people often take this way from the Philly area?

Also, how much driving time is typical for the Philly-WDW trek?

We'll be leaving Orlando on August 30th (a Tuesday), but right now I'm more concerned with getting there than going back home...

Thanks!

 

[dvczerfs]

Wow, there is a lot of good information on this thread! This is my first time posting here, as I usually fly, but this time the higher costs of airfare and car rental, combined with the fact we're planning a longer than usual trip make driving worth considering.

BUT, there are so many possible scenarios as far as the time of day, the day of week, the time of year and route selected. It’s pretty overwhelming!

I’m from the Philly suburbs, so I’m looking for recommendations from those who live nearby (I noticed that Sharadoc is very close ).

We want to arrive in WDW by mid-day on August 20th (a Saturday).

I have a couple of different scenarios. Any thoughts on what might be a better strategy and if these are realistic:

1. I am thinking about leaving around 3:00-3:30 am on Friday morning and driving to a hotel near the SC/GA border, but am worried about traffic in VA by 7:00 am. Ideally we would leave the hotel by 8 am on Saturday, and hopefully get to WDW by 2:00 pm. Downsides with this are the 3:00 wake-up time and potential traffic in DC/VA.
   
2. The other thought is driving about 5-6 hours on Thursday after work (leaving home 6:30-7 pm) to get past Richmond, and then trying to get to Orlando by Saturday night, but making a hotel reservation about 3 hours out in the event of unforeseen circumstances (traffic, weather, etc). We can always cancel the reservation if it’s not needed. Downside there, of course, is an extra night’s hotel cost.
   
3. The other option is taking the 81/77/26 route, but that does seem to put me about 100 miles out of my way. Do people often take this way from the Philly area?

Also, how much driving time is typical for the Philly-WDW trek?

We'll be leaving Orlando on August 30th (a Tuesday), but right now I'm more concerned with getting there than going back home...

Thanks!

hi karen, im in nazareth. it takes us 16 1/2 hours but i hit the left lane and go as fast as the person in front of me. seeing your going in the summer, 95 is a big shore point area. (gargen state parkway, atlantic city express way on a friday afternoon or a sat morning.) it can get a bit crowded. if you could leave on monday through thursday it will save you some trouble. friday and sat. can get messy on 95. from philly to south of the boarder. for us, when we go in the summer. i take 78 to 81 to 77 to 26 to 95, its a nice drive and your away from the coastal traffic. for you guys, it may be a bit out of your way to hit 81 but it may be worth it. it an extra 100 miles but you could sit in traffic longer than that.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Wow, there is a lot of good information on this thread! This is my first time posting here, as I usually fly, but this time the higher costs of airfare and car rental, combined with the fact we're planning a longer than usual trip make driving worth considering.

BUT, there are so many possible scenarios as far as the time of day, the day of week, the time of year and route selected. It’s pretty overwhelming!

I’m from the Philly suburbs, so I’m looking for recommendations from those who live nearby (I noticed that Sharadoc is very close ).

We want to arrive in WDW by mid-day on August 20th (a Saturday).

I have a couple of different scenarios. Any thoughts on what might be a better strategy and if these are realistic:

1. I am thinking about leaving around 3:00-3:30 am on Friday morning and driving to a hotel near the SC/GA border, but am worried about traffic in VA by 7:00 am. Ideally we would leave the hotel by 8 am on Saturday, and hopefully get to WDW by 2:00 pm. Downsides with this are the 3:00 wake-up time and potential traffic in DC/VA.
   
2. The other thought is driving about 5-6 hours on Thursday after work (leaving home 6:30-7 pm) to get past Richmond, and then trying to get to Orlando by Saturday night, but making a hotel reservation about 3 hours out in the event of unforeseen circumstances (traffic, weather, etc). We can always cancel the reservation if it’s not needed. Downside there, of course, is an extra night’s hotel cost.
   
3. The other option is taking the 81/77/26 route, but that does seem to put me about 100 miles out of my way. Do people often take this way from the Philly area?

Also, how much driving time is typical for the Philly-WDW trek?

We'll be leaving Orlando on August 30th (a Tuesday), but right now I'm more concerned with getting there than going back home...

Thanks!

I would probably lean toward option 2 first, then option 3, with option 1 last. Let's talk about option 2. You could probably get to Emporia, VA in about six hours. If you left home by 7pm that puts you into Emporia around 1 am. You miss the Friday pm traffic disaster around DC.

From there, it is about 12 hours to WDW.

The trip down 81/77/26 is one that many take to avoid all the traffic down I-95, but that takes about 2 hours longer.

Hope this helps.

 

[ksc37]

Thanks for the great information... it definitely sounds like leaving on Friday morning and taking 95 through MD, VA, NC & SC is not a good solution at all.

I didn't realize that 95 stayed heavy all the way to SC, I thought it cleared up after VA. I can't really go any earlier in the week, so it'll have to be either leave Thursday after work and drive below Richmond (or even further if possible) or take the 81-77-26-95 route.

Thanks, all - this is a really great thread!

 

[dvczerfs]

Thanks for the great information... it definitely sounds like leaving on Friday morning and taking 95 through MD, VA, NC & SC is not a good solution at all.

I didn't realize that 95 stayed heavy all the way to SC, I thought it cleared up after VA. I can't really go any earlier in the week, so it'll have to be either leave Thursday after work and drive below Richmond (or even further if possible) or take the 81-77-26-95 route.

Thanks, all - this is a really great thread!

we dont go during the summer months as a rule but dd dances at wdw every few years and the last time in 2005, i get on 95 at exit 133 in va, and we crawled, 2-3mph to richmond. we didnt take the bypass, we went through richmond at about 55-60mph. we get on the other side of richmond, were the bypass meets back up and we crawled again. it was on and off, 40mph, 3mph,60mph just a rotten drive all the way to south of the border. from there on in the ride was great. that entire philly to richmond section on 95, during rush hours, fri., sat, shore traffic times can be a mess. there was a poster on here this summer and posted at 7am that they were sitting on 95 north of richmond, she said it must be richmond traffic, nope,offices are closed in richmond at 7am on a sat., its shore traffic. if pos., and if you can do it, i would leave thursday night after work, drive to south of the border and get a room. (make a room resi early, they fill up) it will take you about 91/2-10 hours pending on traffic. my quess, you would hit that about 3-4am. sleep for about 6 hours and hit the road for the rest of the trip. you may hit a bit traffic in florida on 95 on sat. afternnon but most of the beach goers are already at the beach by that time. good luck, have a safe trip.

 

[pwdebbie]

For what it is worth, we broke our drive in November into two nights on the road instead of just one night. I must say we arrived at POFQ much more relaxed and rested. I like your idea of leaving Thursday evening. If after your first night on the road you find you want to keep going all the way to WDW for the next night, you might be able to get a room for one night either on property or nearby. Our first trip (2007) I planned for two nights on the road but dh insisted on getting there asap, so we arrived a day early and we were able to get a room for one night at POFQ (no discount of course) and then we switched the next morning to assigned room for the week.

 

[sharadoc]

Wow, there is a lot of good information on this thread! This is my first time posting here, as I usually fly, but this time the higher costs of airfare and car rental, combined with the fact we're planning a longer than usual trip make driving worth considering.

BUT, there are so many possible scenarios as far as the time of day, the day of week, the time of year and route selected. It’s pretty overwhelming!

I’m from the Philly suburbs, so I’m looking for recommendations from those who live nearby (I noticed that Sharadoc is very close ).

We want to arrive in WDW by mid-day on August 20th (a Saturday).

I have a couple of different scenarios. Any thoughts on what might be a better strategy and if these are realistic:

1. I am thinking about leaving around 3:00-3:30 am on Friday morning and driving to a hotel near the SC/GA border, but am worried about traffic in VA by 7:00 am. Ideally we would leave the hotel by 8 am on Saturday, and hopefully get to WDW by 2:00 pm. Downsides with this are the 3:00 wake-up time and potential traffic in DC/VA.
   
2. The other thought is driving about 5-6 hours on Thursday after work (leaving home 6:30-7 pm) to get past Richmond, and then trying to get to Orlando by Saturday night, but making a hotel reservation about 3 hours out in the event of unforeseen circumstances (traffic, weather, etc). We can always cancel the reservation if it’s not needed. Downside there, of course, is an extra night’s hotel cost.
   
3. The other option is taking the 81/77/26 route, but that does seem to put me about 100 miles out of my way. Do people often take this way from the Philly area?

Also, how much driving time is typical for the Philly-WDW trek?

We'll be leaving Orlando on August 30th (a Tuesday), but right now I'm more concerned with getting there than going back home...

Thanks!

Hi neighbor! We lived in Collegeville before we moved up here to the "country" in Limerick!!

We've done that exact drive at that time of year before. The traffic in DC/VA usually is full force by 9:30 - 10:00. If you leave home that early (3-3:30), you'll miss it and be fine. There's not many places to stay 3-4 hours from home, so leaving Thursday night might not be feasible for you. You can do a Google search on Hotels in Richmond VA and just move the cursor around to see your options along 95.

We like staying in Walterboro SC, which is around 11-12 hours from home. Then the next day you have an easy 5 hour drive, so if you leave after breakfast 9-9:30, and stop at the Florida Visitor Center for your free orange juice and brochures, you'll arrive at your hotel right at check-in time.

For our next trip, we plan to leave home around 4-5 am and do a straight through drive, which would get us into Disney World around 10 pm. We're getting tired of stopping along the way, but I wouldn't recommend the straight-through thing if it's your first drive.

We've considered the 81/77 drive, but it seems SO far out of the way that we feel we could hang in traffic for an hour or two and take the same amount of time to get there. 95 is SO easy for us, and going onto the hills, valleys and mountains sounds pretty scary. I've spoken to folks who have driven it and said they will never do it again. I've chosen to take that advice, rather than the advice of some folks on here who swear by the 81/77 route.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.