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

[tazdev3225]

We made it. There was absolutely no traffic. We were making such great time I stopped at Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast. We were on I95 at 4:30am and arrived in Kissimmee at the Red Roof at 10. Will give details when we get home.

 

[ThreeKMom]

We hit the road today at 5:00pm then it straight through to the Boardwalk!

 

[donnaf516]

We hit the road today at 5:00pm then it straight through to the Boardwalk!

Safe travels! We'll be about 2 hours behind you.

 

[ThreeKMom]

Safe travels! We'll be about 2 hours behind you.

Have a great trip, maybe we will run into each other in Disney!

 

[honeymo78]

Have great time and safe travels everyone. We'll be on the road 4 weeks from tomorrow. Trying to push our departure time to 4am rather than 8am. We are about 15min from the Pa/De border. 4am should be early enough to skip DC rush hour, right? Mom and brother are coming to our house thurs night instead of fri morning. I know I won't be able to sleep so might as well have everyone sale sleep in the car and hope to arrive in time for a little pool time before a good sleep at SSR Friday night.

 

[sharadoc]

you can never go wrong with Cracker Barrel

I have - let me say I know every rest stop between NC and PA! Never again will I eat at Cracker Barrel.

I have found a lot of success googling "restaurants" or "diners" in the location I plan to eat, then going around the map, clicking on places and reading yelp or other reviews. We've found some great diners, an awesome barbecue place, stuff like that. Most places have menus online now, so you can review them, print them out and make decisions in advance.

Also, if you have a travel/exit guide, you can go through their list of recommended restaurants, then google them to get more info. Or roadfood.com which is just local, independent restaurants.

Restaurants on the road can be as much a part of the adventure, if you're willing! I know some folks like the comfort of knowing what Cracker Barrel serves (Chicken & Dumplings!). We're willing to take a chance.

 

[dvczerfs]

bc!!! i got the book in the mail today. i got through all the intros and ill be starting chapter one this evening. looks great!!

 

[BC1836]

bc!!! i got the book in the mail today. i got through all the intros and ill be starting chapter one this evening. looks great!!

Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. He was a very special person who influenced a generation and became a Disney Legend.

Tomorrow hurricane Irene arrives.

All the best.

 

[Minniemouse07]

I posted in this thread here, but wanted to get more information about the inland route and how far we can expect (approximately) to get by sundown tonight so I can start looking at a place to stay.

Here is my post from the thread mentioned above:

Driving WDW to PA - Leaving Friday Morning
Our original plan was to take the Auto Train on Saturday from Sanford but as was reported elsewhere...all trains were cancelled this weekend and Amtrak informed us that there was no available space on any train until 9/1 going northbound.

We discussed our options all day since receiving the call from Amtrak early in the afternoon and our original thought was to wait until Sunday and drive home after the storm, but after seeing the evening news reports from Philly (the internet is so efficient!) we are concerned about our house (some windows are open and nothing is secure outside) so have cancelled all our plans for the next two days and are leaving in the morning.

The current plan is to get on the road about 9am. We need to leave WDW and travel to ILs home nearby to pick up some items. Our thinking is that it will be better to take the inland route (81) than 95 to avoid the storm as well as all the evacuees filling the hotel rooms along the 95 corridor.

Realistically, how far can we expect to get after a full day of driving the inland route? Where should we be shooting for? Looking for hotel rooms for Friday night?.

I am a planner and have done little to no research on this route since we decided back in February to take the Auto Train. We weren't expecting to drive home!

Everything is packed up and we are ready to load up the van in the morning. I would appreciate any insight anyone w/ more driving experience can share.

 

[pwdebbie]

About ten hours on the road put us at Statesville, NC. Our goal was to be sure we got past Charlotte. You might be able to go farther, but for dh and I, this leaves us with six hours or so for the next day. You should have no problems from Irene coming the inland route. Can you get someone to go to your house and close the windows? Rain could be starting in the Philly area before you get home. Have a safe trip.

 

[dvczerfs]

I posted in this thread here, but wanted to get more information about the inland route and how far we can expect (approximately) to get by sundown tonight so I can start looking at a place to stay.

Here is my post from the thread mentioned above:

just a heads up. the "inland route" would be better but just something to watch for, my oldest brother lives on the outer banks, they are evacuating early this morning and they are heading towards the "inland" route. they made a ressi. on monday so they have a room waiting but im sure he is not the only one from the coast heading west. if at all pos., i would stay south and have a friend or relative or nieghbor put up your stuff outside of your home. your following the storm and pending in philly where you are, you may not be able to get home anyway. the philly news is already warning of flooding and closed roads and interstates. you may be in your car for a few days.

 

[dvczerfs]

the other bad part is im in the lehighvalley, the deleware river is not to far from us and they are warning of flooding through wednesday next week. that storm is going to dump all kinds of rain north of us and it all comes running down towards us, down into the philly, nj area in the rivers. if your in a low area, you may have a problem for awhile getting home. i was on i80 this morning in the pocons and there is alot of nj and ny traffic heading towards the pocono area for the weekend.(seemed heavier than normal)

 

[dvczerfs]

Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. He was a very special person who influenced a generation and became a Disney Legend.

Tomorrow hurricane Irene arrives.

All the best.

are you getting out or are you staying?

 

[disneymam]

Try lexington va for an overnight. It will probably take 13 hours to get there i am thinking.

 

[disneymam]

On I4 JUST BEFORE our exit to dtd. Took 81/77/26/95. Tons of trucks yesterday on 81. Culdn't go much over 60 mph for a long time. Some traffic around Charlotte. No construction anywhere! Stayed at a HIexpress in Walterboro SC. Great stay! So glad to have missed the storm.

 

[dvczerfs]

it was just on the news that all interstates in virginia going west are jammed. stay safe everyone.

 

[njmom47]

the other bad part is im in the lehighvalley, the deleware river is not to far from us and they are warning of flooding through wednesday next week. that storm is going to dump all kinds of rain north of us and it all comes running down towards us, down into the philly, nj area in the rivers. if your in a low area, you may have a problem for awhile getting home. i was on i80 this morning in the pocons and there is alot of nj and ny traffic heading towards the pocono area for the weekend.(seemed heavier than normal)

I know of 2 families from here that bolted up to the Poconos yesterday to avoid Irene.

 

[disneymarie]

I know of 2 families from here that bolted up to the Poconos yesterday to avoid Irene.

The local news tonight was telling us every room 70 miles of the Pocono's was booked for the night. There is a Best Western in Blakeslee that is pet friendly so they are packed.
Unfortunatly, the weather is terrible up here too, with 4-7 inches of rain or more from the storm. The winds are getting to be a rough ride alsur lights were going on and off about three times.

 

[dvczerfs]

I know of 2 families from here that bolted up to the Poconos yesterday to avoid Irene.

i hope there safe. alot of trees up there and wind. alot of power outages. so far we have power. it was on and off all night. alot of flooding.

The local news tonight was telling us every room 70 miles of the Pocono's was booked for the night. There is a Best Western in Blakeslee that is pet friendly so they are packed.
Unfortunatly, the weather is terrible up here too, with 4-7 inches of rain or more from the storm. The winds are getting to be a rough ride alsur lights were going on and off about three times.

wow, its still blowing and raining. its been about 12 hours now. stay safe marie!!!

 

[rotlex]

Hey again all! Four days left until our return drive to PA. Happy to report that our house and yard survived Irene per my father in law! Hope everyone up in the northeast is safe, and fared as well.

Now, back to enjoying the balance of our trip with no more stress!