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

[MeMomof3]

I think from our area it adds about an hour (again this is from Expedia) but you could easily spend an hour in traffic in DC I'm sure. I would rather try to avoid the whole mess if I can.

 

[justakrazymom]

ok so how do I go thru expedia and have it take me that route.. it def wants to take me 95..

 

[MeMomof3]

ok so how do I go thru expedia and have it take me that route.. it def wants to take me 95..

I'm sorry Krazymom, I meant Mapquest. Silly me, all this planning is going to my head!!

When I put in my search parameters it gave me 2 different routes to choose from. The 95 route and I believe the other said 81. It is about an hour longer, but I would rather not chance it.

 

[Luvamouse]

I think the 84/81 route sounds the best for us. I can only imagine the gripes from the backseat in bumper to bumper traffic! Not a good idea! I think we will shoot for leaving super early on Friday and go as far as we can tolerate. I really don't want to have 13 hours left of driving on day 2, but we will see. You could always stay in GA-- Savannah is about 5 hours from WDW. That'll be one stop we make on our way to the Daytona 500. Hotels closer are booked up more due to the race.

Do you usually just "wing it" in regards to booking hotels on the drive down, or do you book something in advance? I would like the security of knowing that something is waiting for us when we are tired, but I don't want to book something just in case we are doing really well and everyone is happy. If we get to our goal and we think we can "squeeze" a couple more hours out of the kiddos, then I want the option to do so.

I always book a hotel(s) for where I hope to make it to. I make sure they have a 6 p.m. cancellation for day of arrival though. I also use Google maps. When you have the map up, you can type "hotels" or "Holiday Inn Express" (great hotels) into the Google maps bar and they will show up. Zoomed in closer is of course smarter to limit the number. I do this to have a few other hotels and phone numbers with me in case we need to change.

about how long is the 81 route? We have only ever done the 87-95 route.. we have gotten into DC traffic once.. nothing too major though..

For us, leaving from "southern" RI, we can get to Mooresville, NC in 12-13 hours, 800 miles or so, depending on stops-- we don't take too many, Dunkin Donuts takes priority, rest areas are "pee and flee" We can then get to WDW in 9 1/2 to 10 hours. So a total of 21-22 hours without driving like maniac or hitting traffic-- we just don't hit it on 81 route.

I suggest using Google maps as it gives you the option to "drag and drop" your route. Try it. Put in home address and WDW. Get blue line. Hover mouse over line somewhere that you'd like to change, it should show "drag to change route". Try it. Click mouse, drag to 84, 81, 77...whatever you need to adjust for yourself.

justakrazymom-- you should be at least an hour shorter ride than us, if not less.

 

[Fwd Facing Tentacles]

That sounds good to me. If we leave Maine around 3pm we should be close to NYC by 830pm correct? I would prefer to avoid as much traffic as possible especially considering it will be Spring Break and I'm assuming there will be heavy traffic everywhere!

When you leave from NJ and arrive in Columbia, how many hours have you driven? And about how many hours do you have remaining the next AM? Any recommendations on hotels in/around Columbia? Due to the fact that we are a family of 5, it is tough for us to find a hotel that will house us all in one room. Do you have small kids?

Appreciate you help!

I don't know where in Maine you're coming from so I can't say how far you'll get the first day. You should try to at least get across the Tappan Zee bridge though. (The GW bridge is a slightly shorter distance but one drive through the Bronx could be enough to ruin your whole vacation.) I've had very good luck with Holiday Inn Express all over the country (hiexpress.com) but other people have other favorites. A short distance after the Tappan Zee you take 287 south into NJ to 78 west into PA. We stop at the Dunkin Donuts at exit 29 on 78. 78 becomes 81 which you're on through PA, MD, WV, and most of VA. We also stop at the IHOP in Hagerstown MD, exit 6. In lower VA you take 77 south through Charlotte. We stop at the Olive Garden in Rock Hill SC, exit 79. We spend the night near Columbia SC, usually at the H I Express in Blythewood. The next morning we take 26 east a short distance till we hit 95 in southern SC. From there it's 95 south to Daytona Beach to 4 west to exit 67. From our house in north-central NJ it's 12-13 hours the first day and 6-7 hours the second day including all stops.

 

[DannysMom]

Hi all, I just wanted to pop in & introduce myself. We are planning on driving down to WDW in June w/ our 3 kids, who will be just about 8 (going for his birthday!) & twins who will be 2 weeks shy of 2. Planning on taking 2 days, stopping over about 1/2 way-ish, NC maybe. First time driving it.

I will be going back to read the thread (only on page 3 so far, I have some reading to do!) I was just wondering what the more experienced long haul drivers thought the best route is, & any thoughts on a good stopover spot, hotel reccs, etc. Nice to "meet" you all.

 

[sharadoc]

Hi all, I just wanted to pop in & introduce myself. We are planning on driving down to WDW in June w/ our 3 kids, who will be just about 8 (going for his birthday!) & twins who will be 2 weeks shy of 2. Planning on taking 2 days, stopping over about 1/2 way-ish, NC maybe. First time driving it.

I will be going back to read the thread (only on page 3 so far, I have some reading to do!) I was just wondering what the more experienced long haul drivers thought the best route is, & any thoughts on a good stopover spot, hotel reccs, etc. Nice to "meet" you all.

Welcome! Feel free to read, then ask as many questions as you need to! You'll definitely get them answered - there's so many friendly, helpful folks on here. A lot of us drive from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so we have a TON of knowledge to pass on.

Looks like we'll be there the same time as you. We'll be in a red "Minnie-Van", Dodge Grand Caravan.

We are driving straight through for the first time this trip, but usually we leave early in the morning, then stop around Walterboro, SC. That takes around 12 hours. Next day, we drive around 5 hours to Disney World, so we're there right around check-in time. We figure that if the kids are going to whine about being in the car for so long, just let them whine longer on day one, then be excited and get a short ride on day two.

We do 95 (202 to 95 at Wilmington). BUT - if you are travelling on a Friday or Saturday in the summer, it's horribly horribly crowded from DC to Richmond, VA. You'll be able to get some alternate suggestions here from the Jersey vets!

 

[loweschickie]

Hi! I've made 10+ trips from Delaware to WDW. We leave around 6pm(miss DC rush hour) and drive straight thru. My DH prefers the peacefulness of nighttime driving and if need be I take over in the am while he rests for a few hours.

We will be leaving in 11 days and I can't wait! I'm in the process of packing the car supplies. We have a 2.5 yr old DD who is an awesome traveler BTW I always seem to pack the same kind of things(coloring books, magna doodle, stickers, etc). Our food stash is pretty much the same too. What do you pack? Any new ideas would be very much appreciated TIA!

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi all, I just wanted to pop in & introduce myself. We are planning on driving down to WDW in June w/ our 3 kids, who will be just about 8 (going for his birthday!) & twins who will be 2 weeks shy of 2. Planning on taking 2 days, stopping over about 1/2 way-ish, NC maybe. First time driving it.

I will be going back to read the thread (only on page 3 so far, I have some reading to do!) I was just wondering what the more experienced long haul drivers thought the best route is, & any thoughts on a good stopover spot, hotel reccs, etc. Nice to "meet" you all.

not sure were your leaving from or what day or time but, im leaving friday june 17th at around 2pm. (not looking forward to leaving than but dont have a choice) i will be going 78/81/77/26/95/4. it will keep me away from shore traffic that you find in the summer on 95 on a friday night and sat. morning. i normally go 78/81/66/17/95/4 which from the lehigh valley takes me 16 1/2 hours. ive done the 81/77/26 in the past and to try to avoid sitting in traffic, im going to do it again. a good friend of mine has taken that way lately, he has the same driving tech. as i do, and he did it in 16 1/2 hours. have a safe trip.

 

[MeMomof3]

I don't know where in Maine you're coming from so I can't say how far you'll get the first day. You should try to at least get across the Tappan Zee bridge though. (The GW bridge is a slightly shorter distance but one drive through the Bronx could be enough to ruin your whole vacation.) I've had very good luck with Holiday Inn Express all over the country (hiexpress.com) but other people have other favorites. A short distance after the Tappan Zee you take 287 south into NJ to 78 west into PA. We stop at the Dunkin Donuts at exit 29 on 78. 78 becomes 81 which you're on through PA, MD, WV, and most of VA. We also stop at the IHOP in Hagerstown MD, exit 6. In lower VA you take 77 south through Charlotte. We stop at the Olive Garden in Rock Hill SC, exit 79. We spend the night near Columbia SC, usually at the H I Express in Blythewood. The next morning we take 26 east a short distance till we hit 95 in southern SC. From there it's 95 south to Daytona Beach to 4 west to exit 67. From our house in north-central NJ it's 12-13 hours the first day and 6-7 hours the second day including all stops.

We are leaving from Southern Maine, right about 15 minutes from the New Hampshire border. I think we may try to leave after work (3 pm) on day 1 and hopefully (fingers crossed) get to Scranton, PA before stopping. I think any amount of driving that we can do that first night will be a help. Then wake up and get out of the hotel by 7 and hopefully (fingers still crossed) get to GA before stopping for rest. Then we will have minimal driving to do day 3, and showing up to POR right at check-in.

 

[pit303]

Hi! I've made 10+ trips from Delaware to WDW. We leave around 6pm(miss DC rush hour) and drive straight thru. My DH prefers the peacefulness of nighttime driving and if need be I take over in the am while he rests for a few hours.

We will be leaving in 11 days and I can't wait! I'm in the process of packing the car supplies. We have a 2.5 yr old DD who is an awesome traveler BTW I always seem to pack the same kind of things(coloring books, magna doodle, stickers, etc). Our food stash is pretty much the same too. What do you pack? Any new ideas would be very much appreciated TIA!

We will be leaving from Aston, PA in a little over a month and hubby thinks we should leave around 2 in the AM we haven't driven in a very long time so any help would be great. How long does it take you driving straight thru? It will just be the two of us 50 something's going this trip we are heading down to see the Phillies play and spend some beach time at Vero really can't wait to get away from this snow!!

 

[DannysMom]

Looks like we'll be there the same time as you. We'll be in a red "Minnie-Van", Dodge Grand Caravan.

We are driving straight through for the first time this trip, but usually we leave early in the morning, then stop around Walterboro, SC. That takes around 12 hours. Next day, we drive around 5 hours to Disney World, so we're there right around check-in time. We figure that if the kids are going to whine about being in the car for so long, just let them whine longer on day one, then be excited and get a short ride on day two.

We do 95 (202 to 95 at Wilmington). BUT - if you are travelling on a Friday or Saturday in the summer, it's horribly horribly crowded from DC to Richmond, VA. You'll be able to get some alternate suggestions here from the Jersey vets!

not sure were your leaving from or what day or time but, im leaving friday june 17th at around 2pm. (not looking forward to leaving than but dont have a choice) i will be going 78/81/77/26/95/4. it will keep me away from shore traffic that you find in the summer on 95 on a friday night and sat. morning. i normally go 78/81/66/17/95/4 which from the lehigh valley takes me 16 1/2 hours. ive done the 81/77/26 in the past and to try to avoid sitting in traffic, im going to do it again. a good friend of mine has taken that way lately, he has the same driving tech. as i do, and he did it in 16 1/2 hours. have a safe trip.

Nice to see folks that will be there the same time as us! We'll be leaving on Thursday 6/16, haven't formulated the whole plan yet as to time we'd be leaving or route. I'm thinking the 81 route might be scenic. From where I'm at, it looks like it makes the most sense to get the Penna Trnpk to out near Harrisburg to get 81 -- but that feels like we're going out of the way, heading so far west before we turn south, I just don't know. I'll be checking out more maps before we decide, I'm sure. As far as time to leave, we're about an hour from Philly, and w/ 2 little ones I just can't see leaving in the middle of the night. I'm thinking around 8:30-9 AM to miss the worst of the Philly rush hour & see how far we can get that first day.

 

[BC1836]

Nice to see folks that will be there the same time as us! We'll be leaving on Thursday 6/16, haven't formulated the whole plan yet as to time we'd be leaving or route. I'm thinking the 81 route might be scenic. From where I'm at, it looks like it makes the most sense to get the Penna Trnpk to out near Harrisburg to get 81 -- but that feels like we're going out of the way, heading so far west before we turn south, I just don't know. I'll be checking out more maps before we decide, I'm sure. As far as time to leave, we're about an hour from Philly, and w/ 2 little ones I just can't see leaving in the middle of the night. I'm thinking around 8:30-9 AM to miss the worst of the Philly rush hour & see how far we can get that first day.

The key thing is avoiding metro area rush hours on your drive. Fridays are especially brutal on the I-95 corridor. The more mileage you can drive on day #1 allows fewer miles behind the wheel on day #2.

All the best.

 

[nytimez]

can't believe this thread fell to page 2!

 

[BC1836]

can't believe this thread fell to page 2!

Thanks for the alert!

No doubt folks are having a difficult time driving 2,000 feet with the weather we've been having!

All the best.

 

[nytimez]

No doubt folks are having a difficult time driving 2,000 feet with the weather we've been having!

Tell me about it! I'm having enough trouble driving two blocks.

I'm supposed to head down in a couple of weeks... all I can say is, I'm glad I have some flexibility on when I can leave. Looks like I'll need it.

 

[nono]

I'm supposed to head down in a couple of weeks... all I can say is, I'm glad I have some flexibility on when I can leave. Looks like I'll need it.

Good luck with your travel. Anyone having to adjust plans because of the current weather storms and aftermath?

 

[sharadoc]

Here's a question - what would I83 from York to DC be like? It looks like 83 to Baltimore then 29 to DC, then around to DC to pick up 95. We're thinking of trying this little "detour" rather than go through Wilmington, Baltimore and DC.

Any opinions?

 

[dvczerfs]

sorry, i posted something from u tube and after reading the comments i had to delete it.

 

[dvczerfs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b2EySQjaFQ
anyone ever have one of these driving trips??? best driving,vacation movie ever made!