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

[disneyfan55]

Thanks you two. Let me do this backwards......would like to arrive at fort wilderness in our RV by about 6-7am on Sat Dec 20th. (we have reservation for that day). Im thinking of leaving thurs evening for a less stressful ride down. I still want to miss the traffic jams and if we have a few hours to kill on Friday, what is worth stopping for right close to 95 for a couple hours?
Thanks for all your help.

St Augustine is really nice and not too far off the highway. Datona area as well is a nice visit. All depends on your interests though.

 

[ParrotBill]

Thanks you two. Let me do this backwards......would like to arrive at fort wilderness in our RV by about 6-7am on Sat Dec 20th. (we have reservation for that day). Im thinking of leaving thurs evening for a less stressful ride down. I still want to miss the traffic jams and if we have a few hours to kill on Friday, what is worth stopping for right close to 95 for a couple hours?
Thanks for all your help.

Good plan.
You be past DC by morning rush.
Not my thing, but a lot of people stop at "South of the Border."
I would pick an exit with good restaurants at dinner time and have a nice long meal and a catnap. Use Google maps and search "restaurants" then scroll down the highway.

 

[sharadoc]

I- am- assuming 95 all the way down from NY? Any better ideas?

Hello!

I am a broken record on this, but at Sanford (about an hour outside of Disney) on I-4, there is an exit for the Sanford airport, Route 417. It's a toll road, but it completely bypasses downtown Orlando and is a really comfortable ride without a lot of traffic.

It is a toll road, but doesn't use E Z Pass, it only uses Florida Sun Pass. You will need money for tolls, around $7.50. There are exact change lanes and a person to take your money. We always bring a roll of quarters for each way. We absolutely love that road and wouldn't take I-4 if you paid us!!

Folks who drive a lot for their jobs (I'm talking to you DVCZerfs!) think that I-4 is fine and doesn't bother them. Those of us who live in the country prefer to avoid big city idiots and rental car drivers who have no idea where they're going, so 417 is a perfect answer.

Good luck!

 

[sharadoc]

Hi folks,

I consider this forum my closest friends on the DIS, and absolutely real friends that I've spent time with at WDW (DVCZerfs family, BC1836 family) so I wanted to share this.

DD was cast as Dragon in a local production of Shrek the Musical. It was a really big deal - she's 13 and the leads in these shows are required to be 16 and above (through 21), but they made an exception for her because she can sing!

This is the youtube of her scene. It's not the greatest camera, and I had it zoomed or it would have been clearer, and at a few points she "peaks" the mic, but I wanted to share with my friends.

youtu.be/KNsXCWZw5LE

I am trying to convince her to do American Idol when we get down there, but she likes to be prepared. Does anyone know if there's a list somewhere of the songs available? (She'll be "almost" 14 when we go, and it's closing. Plus she looks older anyway).

Needless to say, we were SO proud of her. I became a second-hand celebrity, perfect strangers were coming up to me to congratulate me on her performance. I hope you all agree

 

[dvczerfs]

Hello!

I am a broken record on this, but at Sanford (about an hour outside of Disney) on I-4, there is an exit for the Sanford airport, Route 417. It's a toll road, but it completely bypasses downtown Orlando and is a really comfortable ride without a lot of traffic.

It is a toll road, but doesn't use E Z Pass, it only uses Florida Sun Pass. You will need money for tolls, around $7.50. There are exact change lanes and a person to take your money. We always bring a roll of quarters for each way. We absolutely love that road and wouldn't take I-4 if you paid us!!

Folks who drive a lot for their jobs (I'm talking to you DVCZerfs!) think that I-4 is fine and doesn't bother them. Those of us who live in the country prefer to avoid big city idiots and rental car drivers who have no idea where they're going, so 417 is a perfect answer.

Good luck!

417 is for old people!!! hi Sharon!!!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

Hi folks,

I consider this forum my closest friends on the DIS, and absolutely real friends that I've spent time with at WDW (DVCZerfs family, BC1836 family) so I wanted to share this.

DD was cast as Dragon in a local production of Shrek the Musical. It was a really big deal - she's 13 and the leads in these shows are required to be 16 and above (through 21), but they made an exception for her because she can sing!

This is the youtube of her scene. It's not the greatest camera, and I had it zoomed or it would have been clearer, and at a few points she "peaks" the mic, but I wanted to share with my friends.

youtu.be/KNsXCWZw5LE

I am trying to convince her to do American Idol when we get down there, but she likes to be prepared. Does anyone know if there's a list somewhere of the songs available? (She'll be "almost" 14 when we go, and it's closing. Plus she looks older anyway).

Needless to say, we were SO proud of her. I became a second-hand celebrity, perfect strangers were coming up to me to congratulate me on her performance. I hope you all agree

OMG!!!!! Sharon, she can sing!!!!! it that the quiet kid that sat across from me at diner in December??????? WOW!!!!! tell her congrats from us!!!! when the girls get home from work, ill show them the video. great job!!!! and yes, she does look older. brianas 21 and they look like they can be the same age.

 

[dvczerfs]

Good plan.
You be past DC by morning rush.
Not my thing, but a lot of people stop at "South of the Border."
I would pick an exit with good restaurants at dinner time and have a nice long meal and a catnap. Use Google maps and search "restaurants" then scroll down the highway.

ohhhh bill........ come on...........you have to stop and see padro!!!!!

I stopped there one time and it was early morning. I pulled up to the pumps at the exxon station. my wife went looking for restrooms. she walked in and walked out. I said, wow, that was fast. I was told I will never stop here again with her in the car. this was about 18 years ago it may have changed but my wife is a licensed driver, knows how to read a map and knows where the money is so............... I don't stop at south of the border either.

 

[ParrotBill]

HAHA! Sounds a lot like the last and only time we ever stopped at SoB!

In fact we usually drive I-77 and I-79 from Upstate NY anyway.



And take sharadoc's advice... I am a big fan of FL317 now too. I bought a Sunpass so I can cruise through the high speed lanes and get a small discount. The time is the same as I-4 on a good day... and way faster than I-4 on a bad day.

 

[edk35]

If you are on the road by 1, and not planning on making any excursions off the highway, except for gas, you should be able to make Santee. Pure driving is 6 1/2 hours from Baltimore to Florence at the speed limit. Add in a gas stop, a couple rest stops, and a brief eating stop, and your in Santee by 10!

Thanks.... I am hoping we can do it!!! I know how that traffic can be between D.C. and Richmond.

 

[edk35]

heck, I wouldn't stop at all!!! pending on traffic and rest stops, its possible you can make santee at a reasonable hour.

We have driven straight thru a few times but we usually leave at zero dark thirty. We want to arrive Disney on Friday... well rested not dead tired.

 

[dvczerfs]

HAHA! Sounds a lot like the last and only time we ever stopped at SoB!

In fact we usually drive I-77 and I-79 from Upstate NY anyway.



And take sharadoc's advice... I am a big fan of FL317 now too. I bought a Sunpass so I can cruise through the high speed lanes and get a small discount. The time is the same as I-4 on a good day... and way faster than I-4 on a bad day.

same way with us, I use i77 and i26 and miss it. I will see it in September heading south. one day ill give it a shot, I never had any problems on i4 (knock on wood) over the yeas have had more trouble on 535 and on hotel plaza blvd. then i4.
I looked into sunpass, wont work through my windshield. I have some kind of metal in my windshield and they don't recommend the windshield mount. they recommend the front plate mount but I don't have a front plate and not interested in putting one on for a sunpass I may or may not use.

 

[dvczerfs]

We have driven straight thru a few times but we usually leave at zero dark thirty. We want to arrive Disney on Friday... well rested not dead tired.

again, im not normal. Im up at 3:30am for work so getting up at midnight after going to bed at 6pm is easy for me. leaving here around 12:30am gets me to the world around 4pm. we unpack, grab a bite to eat and head to bed around 9pm. that way I only spend one day traveling and checking in. dw sleeps in the car so its not a problem for her and like I said, im not normal, I get there and im wide awake. after all these years dw still says " I don't know how you do it?" what is really weird, the older I get the easier its getting.

 

[dvczerfs]

before I go to bed................. have a good night everyone and




TICKER CHECK!!!!!!!!

 

[ParrotBill]

Thanks you two. Let me do this backwards......would like to arrive at fort wilderness in our RV by about 6-7am on Sat Dec 20th. (we have reservation for that day). Im thinking of leaving thurs evening for a less stressful ride down. I still want to miss the traffic jams and if we have a few hours to kill on Friday, what is worth stopping for right close to 95 for a couple hours?
Thanks for all your help.

Hey I looked at this again now that I am home after work. I ran it from mid-island and I get 17 hours of drive time. Unless you hit really bad traffic, that means you need a whole lotta downtime! You could leave Friday after rush hour, say 10am, stop at dinner time around Fayetteville NC, for a couple hours, and then be there early in the morning.

 

[sharadoc]

again, im not normal. .

Truer words were never spoken!

 

[edk35]

again, im not normal. Im up at 3:30am for work so getting up at midnight after going to bed at 6pm is easy for me. leaving here around 12:30am gets me to the world around 4pm. we unpack, grab a bite to eat and head to bed around 9pm. that way I only spend one day traveling and checking in. dw sleeps in the car so its not a problem for her and like I said, im not normal, I get there and im wide awake. after all these years dw still says " I don't know how you do it?" what is really weird, the older I get the easier its getting.

That is amazing...but we tried that once. In 2012..we left around that same time....hubby was SUPPOSED TO SLEEP...he dozed for about 2 hours. He had worked all day. SO we were off and running. Well a few hours in....in the DARK OF THE NIGHT.... HE WAS GETTING REALLY TIRED. So he needed to sleep. We were in N.C. somewhere..... I TOOK OVER. My kids were asleep, hubby was asleep, I was TRYING MY BEST TO STAY AWAKE....
munching on a snack, listening to the radio, chewing gum, rolling the window down. It was just me and a few of cars and the LONELY ROAD. Finally I HAD TO PULL over and tell DH his nap was over. NEVER AGAIN... will we do that. We are fine to leave at like 6 in the morning and drive straight thru but not in the middle of the night. That was the worst feeling EVER.

 

[dvczerfs]

Truer words were never spoken!

Lol. My fan club

 

[dvczerfs]

That is amazing...but we tried that once. In 2012..we left around that same time....hubby was SUPPOSED TO SLEEP...he dozed for about 2 hours. He had worked all day. SO we were off and running. Well a few hours in....in the DARK OF THE NIGHT.... HE WAS GETTING REALLY TIRED. So he needed to sleep. We were in N.C. somewhere..... I TOOK OVER. My kids were asleep, hubby was asleep, I was TRYING MY BEST TO STAY AWAKE.... munching on a snack, listening to the radio, chewing gum, rolling the window down. It was just me and a few of cars and the LONELY ROAD. Finally I HAD TO PULL over and tell DH his nap was over. NEVER AGAIN... will we do that. We are fine to leave at like 6 in the morning and drive straight thru but not in the middle of the night. That was the worst feeling EVER.

Yes, very dangerous. I'm a rep. And drive for a living and it happened to me. I know the feeling and the only thing to do is stop, pull over and shut your eyes. I was coming across i80 from Ohio one day and from the ohio border to about Hazelton there is nothing. I was in meeting all day and had the I just want to get home mind set. I started yawning a lot. I found a gas station, filled up and took a nap. Slept for about 30 min. And I was fine. That was about 15 years ago and it hasn't happened since.

 

[DisMom1981]

We left last August by 1:30 am. It's the only way to avoid the NY, NJ, Va/DC rush hour traffic. We found that the adrenaline/excitement kept us going during the few dark hours. I don't think we could drive through the entire dark night though. Now, leaving that early to come home......we didn't and probably wouldn't be the same experience.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ParrotBill]

We tried to drive straight through from Rochester NY once. I still remember driving at 1am through the hills and curves of the WV Turnpike, me and the trucks, trucks, and more trucks. Everyone else was asleep. Horrid. Then by the time we got south of Jacksonville, we had to trade off every hour as both of us were so wiped out.

Ever since, we make it a 2 day trip traveling about 12-14 hours the first day and 8-9 hours the second day.