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

[Camno's Mama]

What time did you leave WDW? I know its so hard to leave early! I don't know about any problems in Louisville, hopefully will be resolved before spring.

We left at 9am...it just set us up for a crapload of traffic. There were a lot of long haul travelers heading home, I think. Plus, all of the normal GA traffic. We decided that we would time it similarly to when we leave IL...4 or 5am, which, knowing us means 5am.

I think it will be worth it, though. It was nice to take our time leaving and get some pics and all of that on our way out of FL, but that drive was not worth the extra time in WDW. We paid all day for it. And there were a lot of very crabby travelers at the hotel stop that night complaining about similar issues. Some guy was really losing it on the desk clerk, and everyone else looked like they were going to fall over. So, maybe it was just a bad traffic day overall.

We really liked the drive down though, and day two on the way home went much more smoothly.

I do hope to find out more about the Louisville bridge though. I wonder what kind of detour that will bring on?

 

[cruisingkat]

Driving back to the Chicago area, we usually leave Disney at around 11am and make it to Manchester, TN (past Chattanooga on 24) around 8pm allowing for the time change. We usually drive home on a Monday using Sunday as a day of rest at the resort - no parks, maybe DTD for a short time, pack up, enjoy the resort pool, and then dinner at a resort. There have only been two times out of all our trips (3-4 a year for the past 4 years) where we had heavy traffic - once due to a car fire that caused traffic to come to a standstill outside Atlanta, and the other time is when there was a conference championship college football game in Atlanta with FL playing. We leave Manchester, TN around 11am and make it back home around 7pm.

 

[disneymarie]

Exhausted doesn't begin to describe it. I couldn't see straight but DH was great. I kept him talking and occupied the whole way into Disney. I think I only drove 7-8 hours of that whole trip.

We are on the road home now and are talking about the best way to do this next time.

Sharon,
Let me know that best way when you figure it out. lol.
We are flying in March, but with AP I would like to (oh slap me silly) make another trip early summer instead of fall as we are taking a cruise in Sept. So driving will be cost wise okay I think. or not? depends on flight cost at the time.

Our trip this March for 4 tickets Airtran out of Harrisburg came to $850. a car if we decide to keep it is $199.

But dang the drive I need two rooms, two days.....That is still at least $500, for the trip in the van and gas prices have to be at least $300 @ 20 mpg,

Our trip in the fall was drive 10 hrs. sleep the night, breakfast and drive 10 more hrs.

 

[job09]

Driving back to the Chicago area, we usually leave Disney at around 11am and make it to Manchester, TN (past Chattanooga on 24) around 8pm allowing for the time change. We usually drive home on a Monday using Sunday as a day of rest at the resort - no parks, maybe DTD for a short time, pack up, enjoy the resort pool, and then dinner at a resort. There have only been two times out of all our trips (3-4 a year for the past 4 years) where we had heavy traffic - once due to a car fire that caused traffic to come to a standstill outside Atlanta, and the other time is when there was a conference championship college football game in Atlanta with FL playing. We leave Manchester, TN around 11am and make it back home around 7pm.

On the way home last year we stayed in Cary, TN at the Hampton Inn, great family owned inn with a great view of the Smokey Mountains and a lake, they have Lamas and a free breakfast and its not a bad ride home back to Chicago.

 

[job09]

We left at 9am...it just set us up for a crapload of traffic. There were a lot of long haul travelers heading home, I think. Plus, all of the normal GA traffic. We decided that we would time it similarly to when we leave IL...4 or 5am, which, knowing us means 5am.

I think it will be worth it, though. It was nice to take our time leaving and get some pics and all of that on our way out of FL, but that drive was not worth the extra time in WDW. We paid all day for it. And there were a lot of very crabby travelers at the hotel stop that night complaining about similar issues. Some guy was really losing it on the desk clerk, and everyone else looked like they were going to fall over. So, maybe it was just a bad traffic day overall.

We really liked the drive down though, and day two on the way home went much more smoothly.

I do hope to find out more about the Louisville bridge though. I wonder what kind of detour that will bring on?

We usually leave at 4 or 5am too, works well (hard to do, but I get up to work at the hospital around that time anyway, like a 12 hour shift!) Not sure how to find out about the Louisville bridge, hoping it will be resolved by spring break.

 

[JenSinMA]

Hi, All. I'm planning a trip to Universal this April during my kids' spring break and we're planning to drive (from Mass). We're experienced roadtrippers and have driven to Florida twice before. But this time, DH is probably not going to be able to come with us. He typically does 80% of the driving. So now I'm looking at about 22 road hours by myself. (Well, my newly-licensed DD could help a little, but I'm not comfortable letting her do too much highway driving on this trip.)

So, here's my question: Should I consider the AutoTrain? I'd still have to drive from home to Lorton, VA, ~8.5 hours, so I'm not sure it's worth it. But I do need our big vehicle in FL for our group of 7 (my 4 plus 3 relatives flying in to meet us.) And the train would get me into town in the morning of our arrival day, not having driven 4+ hours that day and the full day prior.

Have any of the avid drivers on the this board done the AutoTrain? Would you consider it in this circumstance? I should mention that the one-way fare (south) is pretty good--not much more than I'd pay for gas for our Expedition. The return fare is prohibitively expensive, so we'll be driving all the way back for sure.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Disneyholic]

Hi, All. I'm planning a trip to Universal this April during my kids' spring break and we're planning to drive (from Mass). We're experienced roadtrippers and have driven to Florida twice before. But this time, DH is probably not going to be able to come with us. He typically does 80% of the driving. So now I'm looking at about 22 road hours by myself. (Well, my newly-licensed DD could help a little, but I'm not comfortable letting her do too much highway driving on this trip.)

So, here's my question: Should I consider the AutoTrain? I'd still have to drive from home to Lorton, VA, ~8.5 hours, so I'm not sure it's worth it. But I do need our big vehicle in FL for our group of 7 (my 4 plus 3 relatives flying in to meet us.) And the train would get me into town in the morning of our arrival day, not having driven 4+ hours that day and the full day prior.

Have any of the avid drivers on the this board done the AutoTrain? Would you consider it in this circumstance? I should mention that the one-way fare (south) is pretty good--not much more than I'd pay for gas for our Expedition. The return fare is prohibitively expensive, so we'll be driving all the way back for sure.

Thanks for any input!

Definately take the AutoTrain down. You will be more relaxed to start your trip. It is a very nice ride. We have come home on the AutoTrain 3 times. Have roundtripped on it once.

The reason for it being more expensive for the roundtrip is because you would be coming home with the snowbird heading north. When we have used it to come home we are heading north in fall when the snowbirds are heading south.

I wouldn't want someone who just got their license driving highway on such a long trip. It can be very taxing even if you have years of experience, plus she would have the responsibility of everyone in your car plus anyone else who might be involved in any accident. That is an awful lot of responsibility to place on a teenager. JMHO.

 

[JenSinMA]

Definately take the AutoTrain down. You will be more relaxed to start your trip. It is a very nice ride. We have come home on the AutoTrain 3 times. Have roundtripped on it once.

The reason for it being more expensive for the roundtrip is because you would be coming home with the snowbird heading north. When we have used it to come home we are heading north in fall when the snowbirds are heading south.

I wouldn't want someone who just got their license driving highway on such a long trip. It can be very taxing even if you have years of experience, plus she would have the responsibility of everyone in your car plus anyone else who might be involved in any accident. That is an awful lot of responsibility to place on a teenager. JMHO.

Thanks for the advice, Disneyholic. Have you spent the night in coach? I wouldn't have roommettes or bedrooms, so I'm hoping I could get some sleep in coach. I hear the seats are pretty big and way better to sleep in than airplane seats.
Oh, and re: the new driver, you expressed MHO, too, exactly. Supervising a new driver is more nerve-wracking than just driving myself! Plus, she doesn't like going over 50mph. So, except maybe for early in the morning with NO traffic and no one tailgating us, DD won't be helping with this drive.

 

[Disneyholic]

Thanks for the advice, Disneyholic. Have you spent the night in coach? I wouldn't have roommettes or bedrooms, so I'm hoping I could get some sleep in coach. I hear the seats are pretty big and way better to sleep in than airplane seats.
Oh, and re: the new driver, you expressed MHO, too, exactly. Supervising a new driver is more nerve-wracking than just driving myself! Plus, she doesn't like going over 50mph. So, except maybe for early in the morning with NO traffic and no one tailgating us, DD won't be helping with this drive.

We haven't done coach on the AutoTrain but did do it our first trip to WDW out of Philly. You won't get sleep like you do in your own bed, but if you consider you will be napping on and off instead of driving the whole way you will be more rested when you get there. There will be snorers and possibly babies or kids being a bit noisy. The train does tend to rock you to sleep. The seats don't lay perfectly flat so I used my soft duffle bag to fill the gap when I lay on my side. A small pillow or a rolled up sweatshirt will do the trick too. We have gotten the deluxe sleeper on all our AutoTrain trips. If I must, I would go back to coach, but I prefer the sleeper since we have our own bathroom right in the room. No sharing.

 

[Mamasmurf227]

Hi, all! Getting ready to make the from NH.

We are driving with 2 young kids (4 yo & 2yo). Planning to leave around midnight Thursday night and hoping to get to mid-NC early Friday evening. Then drive the rest of the way on Saturday!

Anyone else on the road this weekend? I've got Mickey Heads in my windows!

 

[loveysbydesign]

We haven't done coach on the AutoTrain but did do it our first trip to WDW out of Philly. You won't get sleep like you do in your own bed, but if you consider you will be napping on and off instead of driving the whole way you will be more rested when you get there. There will be snorers and possibly babies or kids being a bit noisy. The train does tend to rock you to sleep. The seats don't lay perfectly flat so I used my soft duffle bag to fill the gap when I lay on my side. A small pillow or a rolled up sweatshirt will do the trick too. We have gotten the deluxe sleeper on all our AutoTrain trips. If I must, I would go back to coach, but I prefer the sleeper since we have our own bathroom right in the room. No sharing.

Thanks for this info! Just wondering how long is the drive from the LV to the VA station and which route did you take to get there?

 

[Disneyholic]

Thanks for this info! Just wondering how long is the drive from the LV to the VA station and which route did you take to get there?

We use to take the Turnpike to 95. Lorton is off 95. Now we do the 22-78-81-53-695W around Baltimore-95-495W around DC-95 to Lorton, VA. It takes us about 4 1/2 hours to get there from Allentown area. I always give extra time because of traffic, construction & accidents. You don't want to miss the train, cause there isn't another til the next day and that one might be full. We usually leave about 8 in the morning to make sure we get there in plenty of time.

 

[BC1836]

Autotrain?

This thread is "For 2,000+ Mile Round Trip Drivers Only" However, the Autotrain engineer may qualify.

As the trolls shout in the Maelstrom attraction: "Invaders! "Back over the falls!"

All the best.

 

[dvczerfs]

Autotrain?

This thread is "For 2,000+ Mile Round Trip Drivers Only" However, the Autotrain engineer may qualify.

As the trolls shout in the Maelstrom attraction: "Invaders! "Back over the falls!"

All the best.

im not sayin nothin. i got in trouble the last time i said something.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi, All. I'm planning a trip to Universal this April during my kids' spring break and we're planning to drive (from Mass). We're experienced roadtrippers and have driven to Florida twice before. But this time, DH is probably not going to be able to come with us. He typically does 80% of the driving. So now I'm looking at about 22 road hours by myself. (Well, my newly-licensed DD could help a little, but I'm not comfortable letting her do too much highway driving on this trip.)

So, here's my question: Should I consider the AutoTrain? I'd still have to drive from home to Lorton, VA, ~8.5 hours, so I'm not sure it's worth it. But I do need our big vehicle in FL for our group of 7 (my 4 plus 3 relatives flying in to meet us.) And the train would get me into town in the morning of our arrival day, not having driven 4+ hours that day and the full day prior.

Have any of the avid drivers on the this board done the AutoTrain? Would you consider it in this circumstance? I should mention that the one-way fare (south) is pretty good--not much more than I'd pay for gas for our Expedition. The return fare is prohibitively expensive, so we'll be driving all the way back for sure.

Thanks for any input!

im just reading your post. im with you and other on the new driver driving. i dont think its a good idea. my dd will be 19 on saturday and i still dont let her drive. i think she could do it but, dw is a nervous passenger (i have no idea why ) but i would look into the train. good idea.

 

[JenSinMA]

Autotrain?

This thread is "For 2,000+ Mile Round Trip Drivers Only" However, the Autotrain engineer may qualify.

As the trolls shout in the Maelstrom attraction: "Invaders! "Back over the falls!"

All the best.

Yeah, I was wondering if I'd get flamed for this. But I've been reading this thread in anticipation of driving the full 2,600 mile round trip again this April, and really wanted the input of this crowd on doing it solo vs. taking the train part way. I mean, I *know* what advice I'd get if I posted it on one of the train threads!

There's still a better than average chance I'll just buck up and drive the whole way anyway. The train sounds great, and the kids are lobbying for it. But the bottom line is, it costs $200 more, I'm spending a night in coach and not a bed, and I'm *still* driving 1700+ miles. I'm just not sure it's worth it.

So thanks for the input and for indulging my slight departure.

 

[BC1836]

Yeah, I was wondering if I'd get flamed for this. But I've been reading this thread in anticipation of driving the full 2,600 mile round trip again this April, and really wanted the input of this crowd on doing it solo vs. taking the train part way. I mean, I *know* what advice I'd get if I posted it on one of the train threads!

There's still a better than average chance I'll just buck up and drive the whole way anyway. The train sounds great, and the kids are lobbying for it. But the bottom line is, it costs $200 more, I'm spending a night in coach and not a bed, and I'm *still* driving 1700+ miles. I'm just not sure it's worth it.

So thanks for the input and for indulging my slight departure.

May you and yours have a safe round trip journey no matter what method of transportaion you take.

All the best.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We're doing a road trip from Kansas City to Orlando in late May. I'm trying to find a good travel table for the kids to eat their snacks on. They no longer use car seats, but I'm wondering if this table would work. Has anyone tried a table like this for their kids not in car seats?

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

Getting ready for that long trip down I95 again. Not doing a straight through this time. I am not looking forward to that drive again, we just did it in Aug and drove home with Hurricane Irene at our backs.

 

[BC1836]

Getting ready for that long trip down I95 again. Not doing a straight through this time. I am not looking forward to that drive again, we just did it in Aug and drove home with Hurricane Irene at our backs.

How soon is that "getting ready" drive?

Our next one is later in March.

All the best.