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

[Limes96]

We'll be making our ninth drive to the world from Ohio end of this month. We're taking I-75 barring the kind of weather we had going down at this time last year! Special shoutout to @LadyBeBop for helping me find gas stations last time to use my Kroger fuel points at!

Any construction south of Cincy we should know about? Hoping to stop just north of Chattanooga our first day of driving and making it the rest of the way the second drive day.

 

[Liisa1965]

Hello fellow drivers!! I am making another drive from Southern CT to WDW in June, but for the 1st time I am thinking I will NOT be driving straight through. Ive done the drive maybe 6/7 times and have never stopped until Orlando or DeBary FL. I want to be able to enjoy our first day in Disney not all "car hungover" & sleeping as soon as we check in. Soooo, we'd have to stop somewhere close enough to Orlando that would get us there around a general goal of 2pm, provided we start driving around 8am. Basic research left me with Walterboro SC or Savannah GA as good stopping points. That would make the 1st day around 13hrs and the 2nd around 5hrs (complete estimates). Does anyone have a recommendation for the journey Im trying to plan,different city to stop in, or has anyone stayed in any good, reasonable hotels off 95 at either one of these cites? Many many thanks

I'm a few hours south of where you are (Philly area), and we usually leave around 8 AM and drive for twelve hours, but we never make it as far as Savannah that first day. I don't think we've even made it as far as Walterboro. I don't know if we're just unlucky with traffic or if we don't drive fast enough. I usually hover around five miles over the speed limit. Last year we only made it to Florence and stayed in the Hampton Inn right off the highway. In fact, we almost always stay at Hampton Inns, and you'll find them at almost every exit.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

I would try Pooler, Ga. It's just north of Savannah off 95. There are some reasonable hotels and lots of restaurants. Walterboro will also have tons of hotels and restaurants but you'll have more of a drive the next day.

Thanks so much, Pooler, I will check it out!!

I'm a few hours south of where you are (Philly area), and we usually leave around 8 AM and drive for twelve hours, but we never make it as far as Savannah that first day. I don't think we've even made it as far as Walterboro. I don't know if we're just unlucky with traffic or if we don't drive fast enough. I usually hover around five miles over the speed limit. Last year we only made it to Florence and stayed in the Hampton Inn right off the highway. In fact, we almost always stay at Hampton Inns, and you'll find them at almost every exit.

Hampton Inn, don't think Ive ever stayed at one actually, I check it out too thank you!!

My dad worked for a computer company in the 80's, so as children on our 1st car trips to WDW he rigged an awesome TV system in the car for our long drives. A small black and white TV smushed between the the center console of an old Honda hooked up to a 5lb VCR playing Disney VHSs all run through a cigarette lighter outlet. We always made the drive in 22hrs or less this way!! But mind you I make the trip as an adult starting at 8pm a night, thus by-passing traffic through all the major northern cities..oh, and I have NO children (Ohhhhhh) so, getting to Florida with 2 drivers in less than 20hrs is totally doable...but non the less, exhausting. But Ive driven from Utah home without stopping so this trip is do-able

 

[MochaDrinker]

we're doing our first trip from Iowa in November. 18 hours spread over two days.

 

[LadyBeBop]

We'll be making our ninth drive to the world from Ohio end of this month. We're taking I-75 barring the kind of weather we had going down at this time last year! Special shoutout to @LadyBeBop for helping me find gas stations last time to use my Kroger fuel points at!

Any construction south of Cincy we should know about? Hoping to stop just north of Chattanooga our first day of driving and making it the rest of the way the second drive day.

Now I'm blushing.

Haven't been south of Lexington in over six months. But I'm pretty sure there's no major construction projects on I-75 in Kentucky. And the major I-75 construction project through Cincinnati is winding down. Even though I think the speed limit is still 45, all lanes are open and traffic is flowing smoothly.

 

[Hopefully]

We - DH & I, 2 retirees at the time of our trip, are planning on driving from the Boston area in October. We drove on our first trip in the late 80's with3 little ones.
We have reservations starting on Sunday at BCV where we will meet our DS for 8 nights. He is flying.
Our plan is to leave early Wednesday AM & drive to Annapolis to spend Wednesday and Thursday nights with DS & our grandkids. Then leave Annapolis early Friday morning to Savannah to see friends. How long does that take? What is a good route?
Then we plan to leave early Sunday AM to Disney. I am thinking that is about 5 hours - is that right? We would like to check in about noon.
I haven't thought out our return yet, but I do think we will leave early afternoon on Monday and spend 2 nights going home. I am thinking one night in Annapolis again, but I am not sure.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
TIA

 

[BC1836]

It's time for the founder of this thread to start another WDW-bound drive...in about an hour.

All the best!

 

[justreading]

It's time for the founder of this thread to start another WDW-bound drive...in about an hour.

All the best!

Have a safe trip!

 

[disneysteve]

We will be hitting the road tomorrow afternoon for another drive from south Jersey. Hoping the weather along 95 isn't an issue. We had a smooth trip last month so I'm hoping for the same this time around.

 

[BC1836]

Beware I-95 south! Our worst experience ever! Brine truck-caused delays in northern Virginia (40 minutes to go six miles) + the "usual" delays...and mega two-lanes-to-one delays in SC due to miles of road repairs: a four-mile crawl + additional tie-ups. And the lane closure began just after six p.m. It added an hour+ just to reach Santee.

On to Lake Buena Vista tomorrow.

All the best!

 

[amcnj]

Beware I-95 south! Our worst experience ever! Brine truck-caused delays in northern Virginia (40 minutes to go six miles) + the "usual" delays...and mega two-lanes-to-one delays in SC due to miles of road repairs: a four-mile crawl + additional tie-ups. And the lane closure began just after six p.m. It added an hour+ just to reach Santee.

On to Lake Buena Vista tomorrow.

All the best!

Wow, so they do the brine trucks like the plows, side by side blocking all lanes at once? Hope day two is a bit smoother!

 

[BC1836]

We didn't see the brine trucks, only what they left in their wake: our windshield had a salty coating thanks to vehicles ahead of us kicking up tiny bits of whatever the concoction is made of.

And then the I-4 "experience." At about 3:15 pm, a slow down to full stop at the big curve approaching downtown Orlando. And the stop and go traffic until exit 70. Two "good" travel miles to Exit #68.

In any event, it was 29-degrees in our home town this morning.
When we drove to the Grand Floridian Resort in the late afternoon, it was 81-degrees.

All the best!

 

[disneysteve]

We left Cherry Hill, NJ at 3:45pm today. Stopped for the night at exit 138 in Rocky Mount, NC at 10:05pm. Made one stop for dinner and gas at a Wawa somewhere in Virginia. Made great time. Very little traffic. Did use the EZ Pass express lanes below DC. Stayed on 95 through Richomond (no 295 bypass). Had some light snowfall in southern VA and then rain for about the last 30 miles before stopping. Not looking forward to what awaits in the morning - snow most likely.

 

[la79al]

Okay, we are doing a week in March. DH and I, DDs 8, 6 and 22 months. Plan is to leave super early Friday morning. DH wants to leave at 3, I'm aiming for 12. We are driving straight through. DH does not want to make ANY stops, aside from gas/bathroom breaks. We will be packing food to eliminate food stops . Last year we left at 3pm and arrived the next morning exhausted with 3 kids full of energy. On the way home we left before lunch, got home in the very early next morning and were able to all get a few hours of sleep before the kids were awake for the day. DH seems to think we can make it down this year in the time it took us to get home last year. I pointed out that on the way home last year the kids were exhausted and slept whereas on the way down they will be excited and full on energy. In other words, DH is setting us up for disaster and I can't talk sense into him. My questions are, on the way down, do we take I-81 or I-95? Also, any tricks to entertain the 22 month old for several hours in the van? We are making her a busy/quiet book but she is my most active toddler and does not sit still (the grocery store involves running and we've stopped going out to eat). She won't watch movies and while she loves to color (on everything), she bites the tips off the color wonder markers.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just heading home from a successful trip along I75. A few delays in Atlanta, but weather cooperated!

 

[The Druggist]

Just heading home from a successful trip along I75. A few delays in Atlanta, but weather cooperated!

We'll be leaving for WDW in a month and I'm always curious about the drive down I75. When we went in October, Atlanta was a mess. On the way down from Cincy we ended up going around 75 on the south side of ATL because of a 2 hour delay due to construction. Where were the trouble spots for you?

Glad you had a great trip!!

 

[disneysteve]

We left Rocky Mount at about 9:30am. The road was ice and snow covered pretty much to Selma. We were going 45-50mph. From then on, it was just wet and we were able to get back to pretty much normal speed. By SC, we were fine. We pulled up to our townhouse just before 8pm, so we probably only lost 1-2 hours to the storm. Not too bad really.

 

[Disneylover99]

We'll be leaving for WDW in a month and I'm always curious about the drive down I75. When we went in October, Atlanta was a mess. On the way down from Cincy we ended up going around 75 on the south side of ATL because of a 2 hour delay due to construction. Where were the trouble spots for you?

Glad you had a great trip!!

Travelling southbound had a lot of stop and go traffic. I don't really think it was construction or an accident, it just seemed like volume. Just very slow, but it was bad timing on our part - around 4 or 5 pm on a weekday.

Northbound was better coming home the following week - but still bad timing through rush hour traffic. Looking at the southbound lanes though, it seemed much slower for those drivers.

 

[amcnj]

We didn't see the brine trucks, only what they left in their wake: our windshield had a salty coating thanks to vehicles ahead of us kicking up tiny bits of whatever the concoction is made of.

And then the I-4 "experience." At about 3:15 pm, a slow down to full stop at the big curve approaching downtown Orlando. And the stop and go traffic until exit 70. Two "good" travel miles to Exit #68.

In any event, it was 29-degrees in our home town this morning.
When we drove to the Grand Floridian Resort in the late afternoon, it was 81-degrees.

All the best!

Well as further consolation for your less than perfect drive down, the snow back home on Saturday turned out worse than had first been predicted!

 

[amcnj]

Okay, we are doing a week in March. DH and I, DDs 8, 6 and 22 months. Plan is to leave super early Friday morning. DH wants to leave at 3, I'm aiming for 12. We are driving straight through. DH does not want to make ANY stops, aside from gas/bathroom breaks. We will be packing food to eliminate food stops . Last year we left at 3pm and arrived the next morning exhausted with 3 kids full of energy. On the way home we left before lunch, got home in the very early next morning and were able to all get a few hours of sleep before the kids were awake for the day. DH seems to think we can make it down this year in the time it took us to get home last year. I pointed out that on the way home last year the kids were exhausted and slept whereas on the way down they will be excited and full on energy. In other words, DH is setting us up for disaster and I can't talk sense into him. My questions are, on the way down, do we take I-81 or I-95? Also, any tricks to entertain the 22 month old for several hours in the van? We are making her a busy/quiet book but she is my most active toddler and does not sit still (the grocery store involves running and we've stopped going out to eat). She won't watch movies and while she loves to color (on everything), she bites the tips off the color wonder markers.

I do the early morning departure (2:30 am), starting about an hour and ten minutes from the DE Memorial Bridge, and take 95. Everyone else falls back to sleep in the vehicle, and are waking up again usually in South Carolina. But that does still leave a good number of awake hours to deal with.