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

[edbo77]

I don't know about advice, but we drive from MA too. We usually leave at 3-4am and stop overnight in NC. Although 2 weeks ago we left at 4pm and ended up driving through the night w out stopping. DH and I share the driving switching about every 3 hours. I could only drive til 11:00 PM. We won't be doing that again. Just not good for our family. My DH drove overnight bc I just can't do that. Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

We usually leave MA around 4-5 PM, try to make it to Fredericksburg VA and stay there for the night. Miss traffic in all the big cities that way.

 

[BC1836]

$3.75 today in Easton pa. I guess we get a special blend here in taxilvania.

Taxilvania, eh? That's a good one. Our relatively low gasoline tax is the only tax "break" we have in this state; otherwise, we're number one (or close to it) in nearly every other tax category.

Florida beckons....full time.

All the best.

 

[julluvsdisney]

I don't know about advice, but we drive from MA too. We usually leave at 3-4am and stop overnight in NC.
Although 2 weeks ago we left at 4pm and ended up driving through the night w out stopping. DH and I share the driving switching about every 3 hours. I could only drive til 11:00 PM. We won't be doing that again. Just not good for our family. My DH drove overnight bc I just can't do that.

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What time did you end up getting to disney this past trip?

We drive from Central Connecticut and have left anywhere between 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Three weeks ago we left right at 7:00pm and the only traffic we hit was on 95S North of Baltimore as the highway was actually closed for construction. We had to get off and detour but since it was 12:00am there were very few cars on the road and we only lost 25 minutes or so. We arrived just a little after 3:00pm the next day so all in all we made decent time. I prefer leaving a bit earlier but I try to time NYC to miss traffic. We try and hit Fredericksburg by 12:00am if possible which means we are out of the car by 1:00pm the following day. So I would leave at 8:00pm (a little earlier if possible). If you wait until 2am you risk hitting the 95S traffic south of DC mid morning which could add a lot of time to your route.

we are living saturday do you think DC will still be an issue? I usually try to time it that we are in southern VA by 6 or 7 am during a week day but I wasnt sure if traffic is still an issue on weekends there? I know NYC it doesnt seem to matter what day or what time we always hit a bit of traffic!

im not as far north as you but I see someone has helped you out already.
just some advice driving during the night. be aware of your surroundings when you stop. I have pulled into and pulled out of many gas stations because just didn't like the area. I hit the next one down the interstate and felt better. now, I seem to stop at the same gas stations every time. new car and it don't get the same gas mileage and smaller tank so I had to redo all my stops.

Thank you all for the info! I usually work overnight at a hospital so I am use to being up all night so now I am thinking maybe leaving at like 4 or 5pm and getting through all of the "cities" at night. then I will have my sister -in-law to help during the day the next day. Then at least I will be driving in the more populated areas at night. Lucky for me my car has a big tank and a small engine so I am able to make it pretty far so hopefully I dont have to filler up too often. I think last time we only had to fill it 3 times on the way down.

I cant wait !! Its going to be alot of fun!!!

 

[julluvsdisney]

We usually leave MA around 4-5 PM, try to make it to Fredericksburg VA and stay there for the night. Miss traffic in all the big cities that way.

Im starting to lean that way ! Seems to make better sense for us as well!
What time do you usually get to fredricksburg ?

 

[DisneyB]

What time did you end up getting to disney this past trip?



we are living saturday do you think DC will still be an issue? I usually try to time it that we are in southern VA by 6 or 7 am during a week day but I wasnt sure if traffic is still an issue on weekends there? I know NYC it doesnt seem to matter what day or what time we always hit a bit of traffic!


On a Saturday from now through Labor Day I would prepare for heavy traffic on 95S from DC to Richmond due to those heading to the beaches in NC and SC. It's not the normal DC rush hour.

 

[amcnj]

Our local gas station's price for regular a few days ago dropped from $3.59 to $3.54, and then it dropped to $3.51 yesterday.

All the best.

Our gas price had dropped to 3.34, but now most are 3.37 or 3.38. I guess the prices are all evening out.

And as you said regarding taxes, the gas tax is the only tax which is below the national average I think. And they are once again looking at upping that too, using the rationale that our gas tax is low. I don't see them looking at all the high taxes and trying to reduce them to be more like rates in other states!

 

[sharadoc]

We've never experienced any major traffic on I-95 south once we pass Richmond, VA. Of course, I-4 can present problems at rush hour around Jacksonville and Orlando. But by then, you are oh so close.

All the best.

Yes, which is why we love 417 and avoid all of the Orlando stuff.

And we have a ticker!!!

 

[edbo77]

Im starting to lean that way ! Seems to make better sense for us as well! What time do you usually get to fredricksburg ?

We'll usually get there around midnight-1AM depending on traffic, but I'd rather drive longer to make the next day shorter.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

We usually leave MA around 4-5 PM, try to make it to Fredericksburg VA and stay there for the night. Miss traffic in all the big cities that way.

We rather make the first day a longer drive. That's why we drive to NC before stopping.
On the way home we stop in Fredericksburg.

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[ddluvsdisney]

What time did you end up getting to disney this past trip?

When we left at 4:30 PM, we drove straight we got to our condo ( half hour away from Disney ) around 3:00 PM.
We made lots of stops ( about every 3 hrs) and stopped for b-fast in NC at 6:30 am according to my notes.

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[dvczerfs]

Yes, which is why we love 417 and avoid all of the Orlando stuff.

And we have a ticker!!!

NICE TICKER!

 

[BC1836]

Our local gas station's price for regular a few days ago dropped from $3.59 to $3.54, and then it dropped to $3.51 yesterday.

All the best.

After one day at $3.51, the price bounced back to $3.54!

All the best.

 

[chepic]

leaving in a few weeks for our 3rd road trip! this time though my DH will not be joining us and I will have my sister-in-law instead! So I will be doing most of the driving!! We are in Massachusetts so we are looking at a 20-22 hr drive! Im debating leaving at 8 pm or 2 am. I would really like to be driving at night in the more populated areas of the country . Anyone with any advice I would totally appreciate it!!

We drive every year from RI. Our most often drive experience is leave RI at 3am, drive to south carolina and stop by 6 for dinner and a sleep over (you are about 2 hours into SC at this point), and then be on road by 9 am to be at the resorts by early afternoon. We have never hit traffic and tend to drive I-95 the entire way down. Should note that we leave on Saturday to arrive on Sunday, so we don't ever hit work traffic.

We have done the straight through method the last 2 times, but really, if it were me that were driving, I would have to stop.

Hope that helps, and have a great trip.

Cheryl

 

[BC1836]

A drive to Williamsburg, VA next month makes me want to head farther south after the visit is over.

Of course, that drive extension would end in Lake Buena Vista.

We did that on two previous Williamsburg visits but I have to get total family support. Who knows?

All the best.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

We drive every year from RI. Our most often drive experience is leave RI at 3am, drive to south carolina and stop by 6 for dinner and a sleep over (you are about 2 hours into SC at this point), and then be on road by 9 am to be at the resorts by early afternoon. We have never hit traffic and tend to drive I-95 the entire way down. Should note that we leave on Saturday to arrive on Sunday, so we don't ever hit work traffic. We have done the straight through method the last 2 times, but really, if it were me that were driving, I would have to stop. Hope that helps, and have a great trip. Cheryl

This sounds almost exactly what we do, even the same days only difference is we stop in NC possibly bc we are little north of you.

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[ddluvsdisney]

A drive to Williamsburg, VA next month makes me want to head farther south after the visit is over. Of course, that drive extension would end in Lake Buena Vista. We did that on two previous Williamsburg visits but I have to get total family support. Who knows? All the best.

hope you get it!

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[Goofey Drool]

Our family went to Disney last in 2009. We want to go this year but given all the increases we will have to make a few changes. First we will have to drive instead of fly. Its our plan to leave Southern Maine at 4pm on a Friday. We hope to drive straight down with minimal stops. Is it reasonable to expect to arrive by 6pm Saturday? Boston is about 3 hrs. away. - No more meal plan or Moderates for us either....

 

[asmit4]

What hotels do you stop at for overnight (specifically)....I'm coming from upstate NY and wondering what hotels people stay at on the way down in places like virginia, NC, SC etc.

Also- what do you use for directions? A garmin? A triptic? Both?

 

[loveysbydesign]

What hotels do you stop at for overnight (specifically)....I'm coming from upstate NY and wondering what hotels people stay at on the way down in places like virginia, NC, SC etc.

Also- what do you use for directions? A garmin? A triptic? Both?

It depends on which route you take. we are driving down from near Allentown PA and we go down 81-77-26 and pick up 95 in SC.
We have stayed over in numerous towns along the way...Statesville NC, Near lake Norman NC, Columbia SC and Orangeburs SC. It just depends on how you want to split your 2 days driving. On the drive down we do a longer day the 1st day and shorter the 2nd as we like to stop at a beach before driving inland. On the drive home we split the days more evenly.
The route we take is pretty straightfoward, I look it up on googlemaps and print our directions. we take a GPS for back-up and have used it when roads were closed due to accidents or construction.

 

[njmom47]

What hotels do you stop at for overnight (specifically)....I'm coming from upstate NY and wondering what hotels people stay at on the way down in places like virginia, NC, SC etc.

Also- what do you use for directions? A garmin? A triptic? Both?

I just drove my mom home from Ft Myers a couple of weeks ago (I do this yearly...gets me a free vacation ) and we used a TripTik. We also had AAA book our hotels but we also have just called AAA while we're on the road and told them where we were and to look say 100 miles north and find us something there. However, depending on when you travel, reserving early might be a good idea. We came home Thurs 5/1 (which we thought was late for the Snowbirds) but our hotel was sold out (I was sitting in the lobby and heard people get turned away).
My mom has a GPS but we basically travel the same route every year so we don't use it. I'm more of a map kind-of girl anyway.
We also travel with her cat so we had to find pet-friendly hotels. We did stay in a Best Western one night and a Comfort Inn the 2nd night...my first experience with both chains, and they were both very nice. I'm a Hampton Inn girl, but usually if there's one hotel in an area, there are a few so you would most likely have a choice.
We have stayed in Richmond and Fredericksburg (both very busy areas), Walterboro SC and Hardeesville SC (both literally 2 seconds off 95), Chester VA (great area), that I remember off the top of my head. Other places, not so nice (but I won't post them because I don't want to insult anyone that may be from the area).