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

[dvczerfs]

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.

i agree, thats going to be a tuff one. 95 through out the entire northeast from new england to richmond can be a parking lot in any of the citys your going to hit. which even driving through the night would be a good 12 hour drive to avoid all the citys your going to hit. your going to hit something somewhere. 95 in philly is a parking lot most rush hours also.

 

[dvczerfs]

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.

are you staying at a dvc resort in a one bedroom or larger? if you are, they have washers and dryers in the room. that cut back alot on our parking.

 

[irish dancer]

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).

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.

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.

Thanks guys! Now my debate is whether to pull DS10 from school that Friday and leave early or wait until he's done and leave around 3p. It scares me to think of leaving Chicago at 3ish on a Friday in June. We are strongly leaning toward pulling him, he's already missing the last 2.5 days of school so what's one more.

 

[dvczerfs]

Thanks guys! Now my debate is whether to pull DS10 from school that Friday and leave early or wait until he's done and leave around 3p. It scares me to think of leaving Chicago at 3ish on a Friday in June. We are strongly leaning toward pulling him, he's already missing the last 2.5 days of school so what's one more.

i wouldnt want to leave a major area like that at 3pm either. and there are three things you never talk about on the disboards, politics, religion and pulling your kids out of school.

 

[macraven]

Thanks guys! Now my debate is whether to pull DS10 from school that Friday and leave early or wait until he's done and leave around 3p. It scares me to think of leaving Chicago at 3ish on a Friday in June. We are strongly leaning toward pulling him, he's already missing the last 2.5 days of school so what's one more.

pull that boy out of school on that friday.....

i once left the city at 3:20 and it took me hours to get through due to the traffic.
friday traffic after 3:00 is bad, very bad...

 

[honeymo78]

are you staying at a dvc resort in a one bedroom or larger? if you are, they have washers and dryers in the room. that cut back alot on our parking.

DH and I have the 1 bedroom, and thankfully we have easily adapted to using the washer/dryer, going from 2 big suitcases plus carry-on size, to 1 big and 1 small total. Mom and brother will be in a studio but they can either go to the laundry room or use ours. However, after 3 DVC trips with us so far, they still haven't gotten over over-packing.

 

[dvczerfs]

DH and I have the 1 bedroom, and thankfully we have easily adapted to using the washer/dryer, going from 2 big suitcases plus carry-on size, to 1 big and 1 small total. Mom and brother will be in a studio but they can either go to the laundry room or use ours. However, after 3 DVC trips with us so far, they still haven't gotten over over-packing.

it took us a few trips to get the idea also. bringing the 10 pair of underwear and 10 pair of socks. we do wash everyday whenwe are there. towels and reg laundry. we cancell the trash and towel, they allways seem to show up at nap time. i make the bed and take the garbage out and do the laundry. like dw says, just because im in disney does not get me out of my daily chores.

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

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??

My husband was telling me it was wrong to give my 17year old Nyquill for our ride in August to WDW

 

[mcgraws]

Thanks for the help. It looks like I am going to hit some traffic somewhere along the line.

For now our plan was to leave from home Thursday and just get into the US that night. Grab a hotel and head out again Friday morning around 6am. That would put us in Boston around 12 noon, NYC around 4pm (UGH!) and then Philly around 2 hours after that (but how long with traffic???) and Washington in the late evening.

I'm just not sure how to avoid this. I really don't want to drive through the night in Northern Maine and considering we'll have all worked that day we won't be able to physically.

So here's an idea, what if we stay home Thursday night, hit the bed early and drive straight through to Boston, arrive 6pm, spend the night and hit the road early again Saturday morning, like 4am. That would have us in NYC around 8am, Philly around 10am and Washington 2pm or so. Is that really any better? Or is that corridor going to be crazy on a summer Saturday?

Maybe drive through the night Friday and hit NYC 10pm, Philly midnight, Washington 4am. Then stop early that day somewhere in the Carolinas and get some sleep.

Wow this is alot harder than first thought. Guess that's why I have always flown.

But this will be an adventure, right???........

 

[BC1836]

Thanks for the help. It looks like I am going to hit some traffic somewhere along the line.

For now our plan was to leave from home Thursday and just get into the US that night. Grab a hotel and head out again Friday morning around 6am. That would put us in Boston around 12 noon, NYC around 4pm (UGH!) and then Philly around 2 hours after that (but how long with traffic???) and Washington in the late evening.

I'm just not sure how to avoid this. I really don't want to drive through the night in Northern Maine and considering we'll have all worked that day we won't be able to physically.

So here's an idea, what if we stay home Thursday night, hit the bed early and drive straight through to Boston, arrive 6pm, spend the night and hit the road early again Saturday morning, like 4am. That would have us in NYC around 8am, Philly around 10am and Washington 2pm or so. Is that really any better? Or is that corridor going to be crazy on a summer Saturday?

Maybe drive through the night Friday and hit NYC 10pm, Philly midnight, Washington 4am. Then stop early that day somewhere in the Carolinas and get some sleep.

Wow this is alot harder than first thought. Guess that's why I have always flown.

But this will be an adventure, right???........

Your second strategy certainly would avoid the traffic if it was any other time but summer. Driving very, very early in the morning through the NYC to DC corridor works...but the heading-to-the-beach traffic could be problematic.

All the best.

 

[kidd_freeper]

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.

Best online maps program is Google Maps. Go to Google. At the top left, click on Maps. Near the top-left click on Get Directions. Enter your starting and ending points. On the left side you'll see that it gives alternate routes, starting with the shortest (although it doesn't account for traffic). Also, if you position your cursor along the blue line that indicates your route, and left click, it'll leave a small open circle. You can then drag that open circle anywhere, and Google Maps will recalculate the route to go through the open circle. If you want to see what an area looks like, drag the "yellow man" to a blue highlighted road, and wait a minute to get an on-the-ground view. Really slick.

Re: animals. Not a problem after you get to New Hampshire.

If you plan to go through New York City by the George Washington bridge, be prepared. Big pot holes. Poor signage. Lots of quick decisions. I don't think it'll be a problem, just rather stressful. NYC rush hour is not good, but it is way better than Washington rush hour traffic.

Avoid Washington DC (and the beltway around it), unless you can drive through it either 10am-3pm or 9pm-6am.

We're driving from Hartford this year on July 4 weekend, the worst time to drive. I plan to take the I-81 route on the western side of Virginia.

 

[kidd_freeper]

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.

BTW - Get a GPS, one with live traffic reports. I have a Garmin Nuvi 265T. Well worth it. I also bought a vent mount for the GPS (better than the suction cup that comes with it)

Also - I'm not sure if Canadians can get an EZPass. If you can, get it. Costs nothing (except I think you need to pay a small refundable fee for the device). It'll save you 30-60 minutes waiting in line to pay tolls, and reduce stress.

 

[HeatherC]

KiddFreeper...We drove south from MA last summer. What I would suggest is taking 95 from Maine to 495 South in NH to 290W to the Mass. Pike to 84W through CT. I would then go 84 to 684 across the Tappan Zee bridge to 287W to 78 to 81 south all the way to 77 to 26 (think that is it) to pick up 95 right around Charleston.

The 81 -77 route is absolutely beautiful and will add less than an hour on to your time. 95 is so busy in the summer! If you hit one accident, you can sit for hours.

The inland route has a lot of trucks, but they all know how to drive. It goes through the mountains in Virginia And through Charlotte, NC.

It was such a relaxing ride, we are doing it again this way this summer.

Hope this helps!!

 

[kidd_freeper]

KiddFreeper...We drove south from MA last summer. What I would suggest is taking 95 from Maine to 495 South in NH to 290W to the Mass. Pike to 84W through CT. I would then go 84 to 684 across the Tappan Zee bridge to 287W to 78 to 81 south all the way to 77 to 26 (think that is it) to pick up 95 right around Charleston.

The 81 -77 route is absolutely beautiful and will add less than an hour on to your time. 95 is so busy in the summer! If you hit one accident, you can sit for hours.

The inland route has a lot of trucks, but they all know how to drive. It goes through the mountains in Virginia And through Charlotte, NC.

It was such a relaxing ride, we are doing it again this way this summer.

Hope this helps!!

I think we talked last summer!

I agree with you. We're driving again, and we're going the I-81 route. We took I-95 the whole way last year and it did NOT save time. We hit very heavy volumes of traffic through the entire state of VA and NC, and it didn't take much to tie it up.

I just noticed that the OP is going in August, and I would advise taking the I-81 route instead so that you can avoid significant beach traffic on I-95.

 

[hibricc]

KiddFreeper...We drove south from MA last summer. What I would suggest is taking 95 from Maine to 495 South in NH to 290W to the Mass. Pike to 84W through CT. I would then go 84 to 684 across the Tappan Zee bridge to 287W to 78 to 81 south all the way to 77 to 26 (think that is it) to pick up 95 right around Charleston.

The 81 -77 route is absolutely beautiful and will add less than an hour on to your time. 95 is so busy in the summer! If you hit one accident, you can sit for hours.

The inland route has a lot of trucks, but they all know how to drive. It goes through the mountains in Virginia And through Charlotte, NC.

It was such a relaxing ride, we are doing it again this way this summer.

Hope this helps!!

Has anybody taken this route in the winter? We've driven the NJ turnpike the last two Decembers, and came home the westward route last time - loved it! Wondering if we should be concerned about snow and ice on that route....

 

[dvczerfs]

Has anybody taken this route in the winter? We've driven the NJ turnpike the last two Decembers, and came home the westward route last time - loved it! Wondering if we should be concerned about snow and ice on that route....

if your talking about i81 to i77, yes i have. long story short, dw and i slept in the car at a place called whites truck stop one year. you get up in those mtns in the winter and the snow starts blowing around and it mounded up fast!!! we take 81-66-17-95-4 in the non summer months.

 

[mcgraws]

Awesome! It looks like a have a good option to avoid some trouble spots, if I go that route, 495/290/84/684/287/78/81/77/26/95 I'll avoid Boston, NYC and Washington? That's sound too good to be true!

I want to enjoy the drive some so it sounds like going through the mountains will be wonderful!

If anyone has a detailed discription of this route, I'd appreciate it. I am going to check Google Maps right now.

Thanks so much for all the help.

 

[sharadoc]

it took us a few trips to get the idea also. bringing the 10 pair of underwear and 10 pair of socks. we do wash everyday whenwe are there. towels and reg laundry. we cancell the trash and towel, they allways seem to show up at nap time. i make the bed and take the garbage out and do the laundry. like dw says, just because im in disney does not get me out of my daily chores.

We love the washer/dryer but somehow we still don't pack efficiently. We have pictures of our trip this past February and it looks like we only had 3 different shirts, because we DID! We tried cutting back on packing and re-wore (after washing) the same shirts a few times. But we like wearing matching shirts a lot, so now we have to pack a bunch! Where we cut back is underwear, socks and pants. For our two week trip, we'll need 3 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of shoes, 4-5 of undies and socks and about 10-12 shirts.

 

[hibricc]

if your talking about i81 to i77, yes i have. long story short, dw and i slept in the car at a place called whites truck stop one year. you get up in those mtns in the winter and the snow starts blowing around and it mounded up fast!!! we take 81-66-17-95-4 in the non summer months.

Excellent, thanks for the advice!

 

[AndreaDM]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreaDM
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?

Not at all if you want to do all the driving! I need mine to stay awake though!