For 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers only!

[loribell]

We start our drive to the the World tomorrow evening, just a mere 1350 miles but I am starting to get a little nervous about the weather across TX, LA and MS. We're coming from Oklahoma City, were the temps are in the teens but it's clear and dry. Any of you on our thread out there that live or have traveled around Tyler, TX, Shreveport, Alexandria, Baton Rouge that can give me a first hand report on your weather. Accuweather is reporting that all the area will be dry by Friday evening and and much warmer but I would feel better if I heard it I think from someone in the area!

Thanks so much and wish us luck!

Well I have no road weather info for you but wanted to wish you a safe & wonderful trip.

 

[WDisneyWforMe]

Well I have no road weather info for you but wanted to wish you a safe & wonderful trip.

Thank you very much, we plan too!!!

 

[BC1836]

We're back!

We just completed our fourth round trip drive to WDW in 2008! I don't think we'll have another trip in 2008.

[Thanks to loribell and Luvamouse for their good "wishes" on our journey.]

To be sure, our week-long stay at the BC was wonderful.
Our drive to WDW was excellent. We departed from the Jersey shore at 3 a.m. on 12/4 and crossed the Potomac at 6:44 a.m. with no southern MD/DC traffic of note. We reached FL by 5:25 p.m. and settled in at a Palm Coast, FL hotel at 7:15 p.m. (after 1,004 miles) for the night. If had been a spring or autumn ride we would have gone straight through.

Coming back (on the second day, today) we hit a 5-mile jam on I-95 about 15 miles into MD (construction: four lanes to two). Arrived home about three hours ago.

In any event, 2,323 miles of driving including 155 at WDW.

Gas prices?
A high of $1.79 going to WDW; a low of $1.53 coming home. WDW Hess dropped from $1.69 to $1.63 during our stay.

NOTE: Dec. 6 marked the one-year annivesray of this thread!

All the best to all of you marathon drivers!

 

[loribell]

Glad you made it back safe and sound and had a great trip. Now are you going to share any pics anywhere?

 

[BC1836]

Glad you made it back safe and sound and had a great trip. Now are you going to share any pics anywhere?

If we had the proper tech equipment, we would gladly post pics!
We do have dozens of wonderful photos: character greetings, panoramic views of EPCOT, Christmas decorations in the hotel lobbies, MVMCP, and then some.
All the best.

 

[loribell]

If we had the proper tech equipment, we would gladly post pics!
We do have dozens of wonderful photos: character greetings, panoramic views of EPCOT, Christmas decorations in the hotel lobbies, MVMCP, and then some.
All the best.

I think you need some proper tech equipment for Christmas!

 

[pilferk]

We're back!

We just completed our fourth round trip drive to WDW in 2008! I don't think we'll have another trip in 2008.

[Thanks to loribell and Luvamouse for their good "wishes" on our journey.]

To be sure, our week-long stay at the BC was wonderful.
Our drive to WDW was excellent. We departed from the Jersey shore at 3 a.m. on 12/4 and crossed the Potomac at 6:44 a.m. with no southern MD/DC traffic of note. We reached FL by 5:25 p.m. and settled in at a Palm Coast, FL hotel at 7:15 p.m. (after 1,004 miles) for the night. If had been a spring or autumn ride we would have gone straight through.

Coming back (on the second day, today) we hit a 5-mile jam on I-95 about 15 miles into MD (construction: four lanes to two). Arrived home about three hours ago.

In any event, 2,323 miles of driving including 155 at WDW.

Gas prices?
A high of $1.79 going to WDW; a low of $1.53 coming home. WDW Hess dropped from $1.69 to $1.63 during our stay.

NOTE: Dec. 6 marked the one-year annivesray of this thread!

All the best to all of you marathon drivers!

We're back, too. Safe and sound. Hit the same trafic on 95 that you did...1.5 hours to go 7 miles right around DC. Ended up being able to jaunt off onto 295 (Wash/Baltimore Parkway) and through the Harbor tunnel to get out of the worst of it. But it was brutally painful.

Our travel log:

We left NW CT on Dec 3rd at 12:30 PM, hit exit 174 in northern NC at about 9:30 PM. Left NC at about 7:30 AM, and arrived in Orlando about 4:30 PM.

Left Orlando at about 2:30 PM on December 12th, and arrived at exit 121 in NC at about midnight. Left NC around 9:30 AM the next day, and arrived at home about 7:30 PM.

Not a horrible drive...on the way down, as mentioned, the construction in southern GA slowed us down. On the way back, just the traffic around DC/Maryland.

The trip was good, but we hit some speed bumps: All 5 of us dealt with one form or another of gastrointestinal bug. We hit a GRIDLOCKED, sold out MVMCP on the 9th. And we had to deal with a "bad" room assignment (which we got changed, and then some, with some haggling). But there were some GREAT moments, especially on our last 1/2 day.

We'll be heading back in September of '09, and the plan right now is to drive again. We'll see what the price of airfare does between now and then....

 

[mcasiano]

I'm glad you had a safe trip.
At about what time did you hit that tarrific in DC?

 

[loribell]

Welcome home Pilferk. I am glad you guys made it home safe & sound too. So sorry to hear about the bug. I can't wait to read all about your trip. You do great TR's.

 

[pilferk]

I'm glad you had a safe trip.
At about what time did you hit that tarrific in DC?

Around 12:30 til about 1:45 PM-ish, I think. Somewhere around there...I know it was around lunch time. We'd picked up lunch at a Flying J awhile before, and were waiting to eat...and ended up eating while stuck in traffic.

 

[emmsmama]

We just got back from our two-week vacation. We drove from Windsor, ON. Left 11/28 @ 6pm - drove until around 2am, where we stopped in Jellico, TN for the night. Started up again the next day around 11am and made it to our rental home around 11:30pm on 11/29. It was a long drive but the kids did well and I did really well driving most of the way. Very little traffic at all except for about an hour of crawling near Atlanta I think it was.

On the way home we left around 11am 12/13 and made it to Jellico around 11:30pm. Stayed the night and started up again this morning at 9:30am and we got home at 4:45pm! I'm glad we did the longest part of the drive Sat. so we got home in plenty of time tonight to unpack and unwind. Smooth sailing the whole way home.

With the price of gas and the cheap hotel (clean but only $52/night), including stopping for lunch and dinner on the way there and 2 lunches and 1 dinner on the ay home, I estimate roundtrip it only cost us around $400 so I'd drive again for the cost savings.

 

[BC1836]

We just did the math: four round trips to WDW in 2008; 9,129 total driving miles.
Whew.

 

[mcasiano]

We just did the math: four round trips to WDW in 2008; 9,129 total driving miles.
Whew.

WoW! Four time to WDW in 2008. I did two trip WDW in 2008. So thats 4416 miles for me.

 

[MinMouse]

Wow! We're all putting a lot of miles on our vehicles. Thought it might be interesting to know what everyone's driving and how many miles are on it. I'll start . . . we have a 1999 Pontiac Montana with 115,600 miles on it (14,000 of that are Disney Miles!)

 

[mcasiano]

We drive a lexus 2008 ES 350 with about 12500 miles on it.

 

[pilferk]

2001 Ford Winstar with about 55,000 miles on it.

The Disney trips, evey year, are by FAR the most use it gets. It's my wife's car, and most of her running is "local" (10 to 15 miles away, tops).

 

[Nik's Mom]

2001 Ford Winstar with about 55,000 miles on it.

The Disney trips, evey year, are by FAR the most use it gets. It's my wife's car, and most of her running is "local" (10 to 15 miles away, tops).

That sounds like my 2005 Windstar. I don't even think I have 12,000 miles on it. We're headed to WDW in March, so that will add a few more miles.

 

[stone1061]

Can anyone reccommend a great beach area when you get into FL? We are going to Port Canaveral for the Disney cruise but with airfare and low gas prices we are contemplating driving. We have only drove once and I hated it. I thought it might be better if there were some points of interest or places to stay along the way that might make the drive not so bad.

I am looking for a great beach in the tip of Florida...not to far out of my way with clear water etc...I soooo appreciate any tips or suggestions

 

[patclairesmom]

I'm thinking we are going to get to DC @ 3pm. Do you think we'll be ok?

 

[BC1836]

I'm thinking we are going to get to DC @ 3pm. Do you think we'll be ok?

Weekdays (especially Fridays) are not good at that time. But, who knows? The situation varies on so many factors. However, the construction in southern MD heading north on I-95 after you cross the Wilson Bridge (over the Potomac R.) has been brutal of late. Pre-dawn drives are generally the best bet to avoid traffic in that northern VA/DC/southern MD area if your schedule can accomodate such a time of day. This, of course, is one of the liabilities of driving (as opposed to flying).