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

[u4ik]

This is still a couple of months away, but we are driving from ME on April
17th (first time, we usually fly). The kids and my wife have the next week off from school and since we have not been in 5 years - heading to Kissimmee seems like a perfect thing to do. The only question I have is do we leave at 8pm on thursday night and drive til 3pm on friday and get a room leaving about 5 hours the next day -or- do we leave at 4am friday driving til 8pm and get a room leaving about 8 hours the next day.. still have a couple of months to decide but feel free to chime in if you have done it and have a preference. Thanks all.

 

[BC1836]

This is still a couple of months away, but we are driving from ME on April
17th (first time, we usually fly). The kids and my wife have the next week off from school and since we have not been in 5 years - heading to Kissimmee seems like a perfect thing to do. The only question I have is do we leave at 8pm on thursday night and drive til 3pm on friday and get a room leaving about 5 hours the next day -or- do we leave at 4am friday driving til 8pm and get a room leaving about 8 hours the next day.. still have a couple of months to decide but feel free to chime in if you have done it and have a preference. Thanks all.

Our 14th round-trip drive since 2002 is approaching next month, and we've learned a few things: avoid metro rush hour traffic at all costs! For us, that means Philly and DC. As such, we leave early in the morning, usually before 4 a.m. You have do decide what's best for you because of your location. Also, if possible, drive on the weekends not the weekdays (Friday is usually the worst).

All the best.

 

[SeeDisney]

BC1836 ---

We're planning to leave central Delaware around 2:00 p.m., which should put us in the DC area around 4:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27.

What do you think? Should we leave earlier?

 

[shafke]

Any 2,000+ mile round trips coming up besides SeeDisney, who is departing on 2/27?

Leaving tonight sometime between 10pm and midnight to get past DC before rush hour.

 

[BC1836]

BC1836 ---

We're planning to leave central Delaware around 2:00 p.m., which should put us in the DC area around 4:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27.

What do you think? Should we leave earlier?

Although it is only our opinion based on our previous drives...DO NOT BE IN THE DC AREA ON FRIDAY AROUND 4 P.M.!

Indeed, please consider an earlier departure if you must travel on Friday.

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

We're leaving around 3am on Feb. 21st and driving through to Brunswick, GA. We'll stay overnight there and head to Beach Club Resort in the morning on the 22nd.

 

[pwdebbie]

BC1836 ---

We're planning to leave central Delaware around 2:00 p.m., which should put us in the DC area around 4:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27.

What do you think? Should we leave earlier?

My parents (in their 70s) drove down just a few weeks ago from the Fenwick Island area. They avoided DC altogether by taking 13S and then picking up I95 south of Richmond. If you can avoid DC, do so! Leave later or leave earlier, but don't put yourself in the DC area between 3:00 and 7:00.

 

[eeyoresmom]

BC1836...Try travmatix.com

 

[BC1836]

BC1836...Try travmatix.com

Thanks, but the website address was unaccessible.

 

[huskies90]

Any 2,000+ mile round trips coming up besides SeeDisney, who is departing on 2/27?

Yep!! Heading out this Friday (the 13th) for our first time driving...Leaving CT at 4pm and driving straight thru the night arriving early afternoon on valentine's day. It is hard to believe it has been 4 months since my first post on this thread. At the time February seemed soooooooooooooo far away!!

 

[huskies90]

Thanks, but the website address was unaccessible.

I think this is the correct link...

Has anyone used www.travmatix.com to plan your drive? Is it accurate?

 

[MinMouse]

BC1836 ---

We're planning to leave central Delaware around 2:00 p.m., which should put us in the DC area around 4:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27.

What do you think? Should we leave earlier?

SeeDisney . . . Hi neighbor! We live a bit north of you in Wilmington and have driven to WDW 7 times. We have found the best time for us is to leave much much earlier (like some time between 2 and 4 a.m.) to get through DC with the least amount of traffic. I agree with BC that 4p.m. on a Friday in DC could be very busy. Possibly a traffic jam all the way to Richmond. If you can't leave earlier you may be better off waiting until a bit later and going through DC around 9 instead of 4.

 

[shafke]

Well, we just arrived in Brunswick, GA to stop for the day.
Left NY about 10:30pm on 2/11.
The only place where we had any slow down was in the GA construction zones. The rest of the trip we were able to keep at the speed limits.

For those that tend to be a little heavy footed I would be careful in NC. I saw more people being pulled over in NC than at any other point in the trip.

 

[SeeDisney]

Thanks MinMouse and BC. Ok, I may want to change our time now to 4:00 a.m., Saturday morning.

Min mouse -- during your seven times to WDW, and leaving at 2:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m., what time do you arrive at WDW. do you stay overnight somewhere say in S. Carolina? Which hotel?

 

[JB2K]

We were wondering how many of you good folks drive at least 2,000 miles roundtrip to WDW? We're getting ready for 2,000+ mile roundtrip #3 this year. Exit #67 on I-4; here we come!

As it says to the left, I am 1,000 miles away which qualifies me.

However, I am one of those who will never see I-95/I-4 on the trip down (I am from an area that feeds into I-75 and Florida's Turnpike which, IMO is a much better drive down).

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

SeeDisney . . . Hi neighbor! We live a bit north of you in Wilmington and have driven to WDW 7 times. We have found the best time for us is to leave much much earlier (like some time between 2 and 4 a.m.) to get through DC with the least amount of traffic. I agree with BC that 4p.m. on a Friday in DC could be very busy. Possibly a traffic jam all the way to Richmond. If you can't leave earlier you may be better off waiting until a bit later and going through DC around 9 instead of 4.

We'll be hitting DC around 3 or 4pm on a Saturday... do you think this will be okay?

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Well, we just arrived in Brunswick, GA to stop for the day.
Left NY about 10:30pm on 2/11.
The only place where we had any slow down was in the GA construction zones. The rest of the trip we were able to keep at the speed limits.

For those that tend to be a little heavy footed I would be careful in NC. I saw more people being pulled over in NC than at any other point in the trip.

We'll be stopping in Brunswick (exit 36- Red Roof Inn) on the 21st. Thanks for the info about NC. Was the construction in GA really bad? When you say slow down, do you mean a little or to a stop. I think we'll hit GA around 8pm or so on a Saturday night. I am hoping that highway traffic won't be so bad at that time.

Also, it would be great to hear how long it takes you from Brunswick to get to Disney. We're planning about 5 hours. It would be fantastic if it was less!

 

[BC1836]

We'll be hitting DC around 3 or 4pm on a Saturday... do you think this will be okay?

It will definitely be better than driving through that area on a weekday, particularly Friday. But there seems to always be a bit more traffic in the greater DC area during the daytime hours no matter what day it is.

Once you cross the Potomac River, it's not that much farther to Exit 155, the first VA rest stop!

All the best.

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Thanks! I remember last February hitting that first VA rest area for a lunch of PB & fluff for our kids. It was chilly (maybe 50 degrees), but wonderful compared to the ice storm & temps we left in the north!

I think it will be pretty much the same for us this year.

 

[huskies90]

Yep!! Heading out this Friday (the 13th) for our first time driving...Leaving CT at 4pm and driving straight thru the night arriving early afternoon on valentine's day. It is hard to believe it has been 4 months since my first post on this thread. At the time February seemed soooooooooooooo far away!!

OK...Just a few hours away from departure. The car is creatively packed so that each kid will have their own row (bed) in our Honda Pilot, I have my GPS, Triptik, maps, sattellite radio, I95 detail exit guide book, 2 power inverters to power our laptops, wireless internet with a wifi hook up in the car and enough m&ms and red bull to power me to FL...Yeah, I think we're ready!!