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

[canadianmom2three]

Ok, we've done the drive TONS of times, but NEVER to disney. We drive down to Fort Myers Beach in south florida all the time, but I have always vowed that I would never start a disney vacation that way, since we are usually exhausted and grouchy by the end of the drive. Well, airfare is through the roof, and I am beginning to consider driving for our August trip. We have never driven in the summer, so perhaps that will make a difference in terms of not worrying about hitting bad weather, and it is a fair bit shorter than the fort myers drive, but it is still 1200 miles each way.....I'm just not sure that it will be the best start to our "magical" vacation.....

 

[TSMAMI]

We did the autotrain in Feb of 2007... Never ever again. DD was8 at the time.. The train didn't leave for 4 hours (earlier train was late). Our dinner that was to be served I believe at 7 pm did not get served till 11pm... Very unhappy, tried to get dd to eat, but she was asleep. Thankfully I did bring a couple of snacks on with us. Train that was to arrive I think at 8 in the morning did not make it until noon, we finally started driving about 1 pm. It made for a much longer trip, and we still had to stop at a hotel in PA because of being so late. For us it was a total lose lose. I tried saving some driving time and to make it a change.. but Never ever again. DH had kids behind him that were playing movies till 2 in the am and kicking the back of his seat. No matter what was said to the kids, they continued. Their parents were in the dining car the whole time... DH ended up spending the train trip in the smoking car, and I got to stay up with DD, just not any fun.... No apologies either, or even trying to make the situation any better....

Wow! Thank you for answering. I dont blame you for not wanting to do the auto-train again....

 

[CSI007]

We leave in exactly 20 days!!

 

[Kelash265]

We leave for our road trip in 13 days!

 

[Amirah95]

In need of a little road help here. This question is especially targeted to my fellow New Jerseyans. I'm starting to put my trip together by detail now while I've got the time.

My family and I are used to saddling up and hitting the Turnpike coming out exit 13A at around 1:30pm on a Friday afternoon. We take Rt. 95 South down all the way. We have experienced and are used to (very sad) Richmond's after work rush hour and I think we're getting tired of it.

This year we're going to take the advice of some New Jerseyans who start their roadtrips at 4am. Here are my questions...

1. If we leave at 4am, in which State (even maybe city) will we end up around noon?

I'm thinking we'll be somewhere around Petersburg, VA...

2. What time where we'll be around 8pm?

Around 8pm, maybe mid SC or near GA...

We'll have my almost 1 year old with us so there is no more winging it all the way through. I'll need to book a hotel room in advanced. We don't make a lot of stops, only bathroom and snack breaks. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[BC1836]

In need of a little road help here.
This year we're going to take the advice of some New Jerseyans who start their roadtrips at 4am. Here are my questions...

1. If we leave at 4am, in which State (even maybe city) will we end up around noon?

I'm thinking we'll be somewhere around Petersburg, VA...

2. What time where we'll be around 8pm?

Around 8pm, maybe mid SC or near GA...

Good guess. However, it all depends on the day you depart (weekends are better than weekdays for obvious reasons) and the weather.

Our best drive (and we've driven every time since 2002) began on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 5:05 a.m. from the Jersey Shore under ideal weather conditions. We have to cross the state and link up with I-295 to reach the Del. Memorial Bridge, which we crossed at 6:40 a.m. We made it to the NC border at 11:29 a.m. We reached FL by 6:54 p.m. and made it to Palm Coast, FL for an overnight hotel stop at 8:40 p.m.
BTW: gas in VA was $2.86 a gallon for regular!
All the best.

 

[Amirah95]

Good guess. However, it all depends on the day you depart (weekends are better than weekdays for obvious reasons) and the weather.

Ooops, we always leave on a Friday so we can check in on a Saturday. And since we leave on a Friday, I can anticipate being somewhere in GA by 8:30...hmmmm. Maybe I could just find a hotel and hope there is room for us w/o booking ahead. I want to kill NC before the day is over since it seems to be the longest State to get through to me.

Thanks for your input!

 

[BC1836]

Ooops, we always leave on a Friday so we can check in on a Saturday. And since we leave on a Friday, I can anticipate being somewhere in GA by 8:30...hmmmm. Maybe I could just find a hotel and hope there is room for us w/o booking ahead. I want to kill NC before the day is over since it seems to be the longest State to get through to me.

Thanks for your input!

Don't thank me yet. There's more: Your Friday departure could feature rush hour traffic in the Balt.-DC-Nor. VA area.

And there's lots of I-95 construction in GA (two long stretches) for later in your drive.

The drives through VA, NC ands SC are just about identical: approx. 3 hours (driving, gas stop/bathroom stop).

Our drive times from the VA/NC border to the FL border in select years:
2005 - 7:42
2006 - 7:37
3/'07 - 7:33
12/'07 - 7:25

Friday and Saturday nights are more difficult to secure hotel/motel rooms without advance reservations. You can always target a general area that you expect to reach and make a reservation at a designated place. And some places allow you to cancel upon until 6 p.m. So make a decision around 5:30 p.m. whether you can reach the place. Just check into this option.
All the best.

 

[CSI007]

We leave at 2pm Next thursday afternoon. Plan to drive until we reach somewhere between central SC and northern GA (12 to 1am?) hopefully. 7 days and counting now. I am hoping that I managed to beat the DC traffic and then beat the Richmond traffic. These are my two main concerns at the moment. We should be arriving in the DC area around 3:00pm to 3:30pm and then Richmond around 6:30pm.

 

[MNWDWMANIAC]

Yep... we drive 2000+ from the Twin Cities... and back.....

It's really not a bad trip. We love spending time together with our family and we are taking the vacation to enjoy time together. Thats the bottom line. We don't let the trip time influence our WDW time either . We just enjoy a longer overall vacation.

We'll be departing early the 9th of Oct and arriving the 10th....then we'll start our trip home the 18th... arriving home sometime the 19th.

My wife even has herself a new van for the trip

 

[TSMAMI]

We leave at 2pm Next thursday afternoon. Plan to drive until we reach somewhere between central SC and northern GA (12 to 1am?) hopefully. 7 days and counting now. I am hoping that I managed to beat the DC traffic and then beat the Richmond traffic. These are my two main concerns at the moment. We should be arriving in the DC area around 3:00pm to 3:30pm and then Richmond around 6:30pm.

Washington and Richmond are with the traffic. I think you will be ok with the times you are hitting them.

 

[Amirah95]

Washington and Richmond are with the traffic. I think you will be ok with the times you are hitting them.

That is true...we got messed up back in 2003 messing around with Richmond during their after work rush hour. It was terrible!!!

Someone told me that I could go around that and avoid it but I cannot remember what that person told me. Anybody know?

 

[Amirah95]

Don't thank me yet. There's more: Your Friday departure could feature rush hour traffic in the Balt.-DC-Nor. VA area.

And there's lots of I-95 construction in GA (two long stretches) for later in your drive.

The drives through VA, NC ands SC are just about identical: approx. 3 hours (driving, gas stop/bathroom stop).

Our drive times from the VA/NC border to the FL border in select years:
2005 - 7:42
2006 - 7:37
3/'07 - 7:33
12/'07 - 7:25

Friday and Saturday nights are more difficult to secure hotel/motel rooms without advance reservations. You can always target a general area that you expect to reach and make a reservation at a designated place. And some places allow you to cancel upon until 6 p.m. So make a decision around 5:30 p.m. whether you can reach the place. Just check into this option.
All the best.

I just decided to check into a hotel in GA. Hubby isn't trying to figure this out right now because our trip at the end of October he says. We need to just get the Carolina's out of the way on day 1 I think.

 

[TSMAMI]

That is true...we got messed up back in 2003 messing around with Richmond during their after work rush hour. It was terrible!!!

Someone told me that I could go around that and avoid it but I cannot remember what that person told me. Anybody know?

some people take I-81 and the other way I believe is I-13

 

[BC1836]

That is true...we got messed up back in 2003 messing around with Richmond during their after work rush hour. It was terrible!!!

Someone told me that I could go around that and avoid it but I cannot remember what that person told me. Anybody know?

Try the I-295 loop which links up with I-95 north of Richmond and south of Petersburg.

 

[CSI007]

The truck is all waxed up and cleaned inside and out. Just about packed and ready to roll. Two days and counting until we hit the road on this long drive.

 

[TSMAMI]

The truck is all waxed up and cleaned inside and out. Just about packed and ready to roll. Two days and counting until we hit the road on this long drive.

Good luck Have a great time!

 

[Amirah95]

The truck is all waxed up and cleaned inside and out. Just about packed and ready to roll. Two days and counting until we hit the road on this long drive.

Sweet!!! Have a great ride down and enjoy our stay!!!

 

[ellenmiele]

We'll be heading down 4 weeks from today! I convinced DH that we should leave one day early and stay in Port Canaveral for a night so we'll be well rested when we get on the cruise and just in case we hit any unexpected delays.

 

[Amirah95]

We'll be heading down 4 weeks from today! I convinced DH that we should leave one day early and stay in Port Canaveral for a night so we'll be well rested when we get on the cruise and just in case we hit any unexpected delays.

I 2nd that one! I agree that you guys should leave a day earlier.