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

[BC1836]

Greetings from WDW. Our vehicle rests in the GFR's self-parking lot.

All the best!

 

[amcnj]

Greetings from WDW. Our vehicle rests in the GFR's self-parking lot.

All the best!

Have fun! What were gas prices like on your trip down? A story the other day said they may be going to $2.50 around here sooner than later.

 

[BC1836]

Have fun! What were gas prices like on your trip down? A story the other day said they may be going to $2.50 around here sooner than later.

Our travel folder is in our vehicle but if memory serves me correctly, we paid around $1.89 (average) on the drive down.

All the best.

 

[java]

Leaving today and I'm too excited to sleep! But I better as I am doing good the drive down alone today after work. I will leave at lunch and hope to get to NC tonight. Starting in NJ. Wish me luck! I'm taking the 81/77/26 route. Hoping for a smooth ride.

 

[dvczerfs]

Leaving today and I'm too excited to sleep! But I better as I am doing good the drive down alone today after work. I will leave at lunch and hope to get to NC tonight. Starting in NJ. Wish me luck! I'm taking the 81/77/26 route. Hoping for a smooth ride.

Good luck and have a safe trip !!! Should be pretty much smooth sailing once you pass i66 on i81.
If your coming across no on i78, when you cross into pa, the second exit is rt33 exit, look to your right and wave. I'll wave back!!! Lol
Safe travels !!

 

[java]

Oh yes I'll wave at you neighbor! We are just across the bridge in NJ. Well and a town or two away. Happy trails to everyone and I will report on my ride when I can.

 

[amcnj]

Our travel folder is in our vehicle but if memory serves me correctly, we paid around $1.89 (average) on the drive down.

All the best.

Well that was better than what I paid here the other day. I was out of the country for two weeks, and upon my return was surprised to see some gas station prices had crept up to 1.99 during that time! Most are in the 1.90's but I did see some cash prices in the mid 1.80's.

 

[OKW Lover]

Just noticed gas jumped 20 cents overnight here in Orlando.

 

[Liisa1965]

Yes, $2.15 outside Magic Kingdom this morning.

 

[CherylA]

We're back!

Heres how the ride down went. I had all my stops planned out based on what was at the stop and how long it had been since our last stop. It worked out pretty well. We planned to leave at 4am but didnt actually pull out of the driveway until 4:20
DAY 1-
left New Haven CT area at 4:20 AM
CT/NY line 5AM
NY/NJ line 5:33 AM
Clara Barton Rest Stop (Pedericktown NJ) 10 minutes
NJ/DE line 7:46 AM
DE/MD line 8:02 AM
MD/VA line 9:38 AM
A leg stretch at exit 133B in Fredericksburg VA 10:30 AM (stayed about 20 minutes)
lunch exit 11B Emporia VA 12:43 PM (about 45 minutes)
VA/NC line 1:36 PM
Lumberton NC leg stretch exit 25 3:59 PM (about 20 minutes)
NC/SC line 4:46 PM
Manning, SC dinner 5:56 (about an hour)
Walterboro, SC overnight 7:55 arrival

DAY 2- 7:40 AM departure
SC/GA line 8:42 AM
GA/FL line 10:22 AM
FL Welcome Center 10:34 AM (10 minute stop)
Lunch stop exit 289, Palm Coast FL 12:00 PM (about 35 minutes)
Entering Disney Property 2:00 PM

I will post the return trip soon.

 

[BC1836]

We're back!

Heres how the ride down went. I had all my stops planned out based on what was at the stop and how long it had been since our last stop. It worked out pretty well. We planned to leave at 4am but didnt actually pull out of the driveway until 4:20
DAY 1-
left New Haven CT area at 4:20 AM
CT/NY line 5AM
NY/NJ line 5:33 AM
Clara Barton Rest Stop (Pedericktown NJ) 10 minutes
NJ/DE line 7:46 AM
DE/MD line 8:02 AM
MD/VA line 9:38 AM
A leg stretch at exit 133B in Fredericksburg VA 10:30 AM (stayed about 20 minutes)
lunch exit 11B Emporia VA 12:43 PM (about 45 minutes)
VA/NC line 1:36 PM
Lumberton NC leg stretch exit 25 3:59 PM (about 20 minutes)
NC/SC line 4:46 PM
Manning, SC dinner 5:56 (about an hour)
Walterboro, SC overnight 7:55 arrival

DAY 2- 7:40 AM departure
SC/GA line 8:42 AM
GA/FL line 10:22 AM
FL Welcome Center 10:34 AM (10 minute stop)
Lunch stop exit 289, Palm Coast FL 12:00 PM (about 35 minutes)
Entering Disney Property 2:00 PM

I will post the return trip soon.

Welcome! Where is "home" at WDW?

All the best from WDW!

 

[CherylA]

Welcome! Where is "home" at WDW?

All the best from WDW!

We were staying at Caribbean Beach this time. Really liked it there, it was our first stay at that resort.

 

[tortilla24]

Hi All

I'm driving from Northern VA in June. Spending the night in Savannah on the way down. Was planning on spending the night in Florence, SC on the way back home (leaving from Clearwater, NOT Orlando) but have heard less than stellar reviews? Anyone have suggestions? Santee, SC, maybe?

Also anyone know if I'll need a Sunpass between Savannah and Orlando? Orlando to Clearwater?

Thanks!

 

[cruisingkat]

Getting ready for our trip in two weeks. Finally got the check engine light on the car fixed. Still have to get it in for its emissions test and get our license plate renewal (expres on the day we get home) done before we leave. Laundry is done and clothes are sorted for the trip. Doing three carry-on size suitcases plus a toiletry-essentials bag as we are staying one week Disney, 1/2 week visiting with the grandkids in FL, a couple of days at Universal on the way home, and then Memorial Day weekend with our daughter in Nashville before heading home. Each leg gets its own suitcase so we only have to take out the suitcase for that part of the trip.

 

[BC1836]

Greetings from the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa!

Here are some basic stats on our drive from the Jersey Shore:

departure on 4/22 @ 5:55 am
DE 7:26 am
MD 7:42 am
VA 10:07 am (heavy rain)
NC 2:00 pm (heavy rain)
SC 5:01 pm (heavy rain)
GA 8:28 pm
FL 10:15 pm
Yulee, FL 10:30 pm (overnight stay)
brief visit in Port Orange; arrived at Lake Buena Vista at 4 pm

Disney Speedway: $2.15 per gallon regular

All the best!

 

[pwdebbie]

Greetings from Lake Buena Vista!

We had the worst I-95 experience ever: a 40-minute crawl through the Key Tunnel in Baltimore (a bus crash just outside of the tunnel) followed by another minor crash (with one lane closed) and the subsequent tie-up. And then: the monsoon! Staring north of Richmond to southern South Carolina on and off torrential downpours...hazard lights on, several cars w/trailers and a SUV slid off the road.
We had to turn off at an exit because we couldn't see much in front of us. Unreal!

We made it to Yulee, FL for the night. The next afternoon after a visit to Port Orange we arrived in Lake Buena Vista where we check into a Disney Springs area hotel before driving to the GFR tomorrow morning.

All the best!

Your storm sounds like the one we encountered last April through Charlotte. It was very dark for 8:00 p.m., pouring rain, and I (the driver) could literally see nothing but the hazard lights on the car in front of me. I kept to a steady 40mph. And then weather alerts started sounding on both of our phone AND on the GPS. Who knew the GPS could do that? I couldn't see my way to get off the highway so I just kept going until we were eventually out of the storm. Worst storm I have ever driven in. When we finally reached our hotel in Orangeburg (that we had reserved well ahead of time based on tripadvisor reviews) we found the dirtiest smelliest scariest place I have ever seen but I was too tired to deal with it. I think we spent all of maybe six hours in the room and probably slept for maybe two. I was so happy to pull onto Disney property the next day!

 

[BC1836]

Good morning from the Grand Floridian Resort. We had a GREAT week. Alas, though, 'tis time to part. We expect to be outta here and on the road by 7:45 (after a stop at Disney Speedway).

See ya on the road.

All the best!

 

[brian95]

1st time driving from ny. How do you guys plan your stops. Is there a resource that gives good safe places to stop.

 

[OKW Lover]

Planning stops is fairly easy. First decide what route you are taking (which kind of depends on where in NY you are) and look at it on a mapping application like Google Maps. Then figure out how long you want to drive in one day. Google maps will give you the total driving time from start to finish. If you want to do one night in a hotel on the way, just look for a spot approximately mid-way. You can enter that as a stop in google maps and it will then show you the drive time for each day. Adjust the stopping place as you see fit.

 

[nono]

Was planning on spending the night in Florence, SC on the way back home (leaving from Clearwater, NOT Orlando) but have heard less than stellar reviews?

We love stopping in Florence. For us, in the warmer months, we go swimming in a springs outside Orlando before heading home, so we only go for the short leg of the drive on day 1 and Florence is our stopping point.

Exit 160 is near the Civic Center so I hear, but we just zip into the Hilton Garden Inn. Dinner at Tacos and Tequilas or any of the other nearby chains (like Outback or Longhorn) and back to the hotel to relax and sleep. There are other very nice looking hotels right there at Exit 160. Here's a map.