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

[Marshay]

If you went on 81, you wouldn't go on 95. We actually take 81 to 40 and take back roads to just northwest of Atlanta (near Kennesaw to visit relatives on the way down) You would end up taking 75 to WDW not 95 from Atlanta. There are other ways off 81 / 77 85/ to Atlanta, there can be traffic that way.

See, you do remember all the stuff on those road trips. We took ours cross country 3 times when they were young. They visited MANY National Parks/historic sites as well as DL! There are MANY Civil War National Historic sites on both 95 and off 81! Any other questions, please ask. We have been to many off the both interstates. If doing the 81 Gettysburg, PA is really neat as well! While Gettysburg is not directly off 81 it is off 15 which can easily be reached and get back on to 81.

thanks for the tip. I think we are going to try to do 95 down (we live near Dulles Airport so we'd either go 15 South to 17 (I think) and over to 95 or we'd just go straight down 95. (Gotta check my maps yet so I don't know all the route numbers yet ... will request a TripTik from AAA).

I think my girls will be a bit young for the civil war stuff (they are only 4 and 10 months right now), but I'm thinking maybe a zoo or park or fair/festival would be good to do...or maybe even a beach...

When I mentioned it to my DH, he said he'd like to do Kitty Hawk ...

 

[dvczerfs]

You might have pumped your own only if you got out before one of the attendents. We aren't permitted to pump our own here in NJ. At many of the border gas stations there are even signs about no self serve. I've driven all over the US and I think it was either WA state or Oregon that also pumps the gas otherwise you have to. The first time I drove with my kids in 1991, I actually went to a gas station in NJ and asked them to show me how to do so. That's something I don't want spilled on me.

i remember years ago, in nj, the guy would pump the gas and have to write down the lic. number for the credit card, he would walk to the front of the car and stare at it. you would have to yell out the window, were from pa, we dont have lic. plates on the front of our cars.

 

[disneyfan55]

thanks for the tip. I think we are going to try to do 95 down (we live near Dulles Airport so we'd either go 15 South to 17 (I think) and over to 95 or we'd just go straight down 95. (Gotta check my maps yet so I don't know all the route numbers yet ... will request a TripTik from AAA).

I think my girls will be a bit young for the civil war stuff (they are only 4 and 10 months right now), but I'm thinking maybe a zoo or park or fair/festival would be good to do...or maybe even a beach...

When I mentioned it to my DH, he said he'd like to do Kitty Hawk ...

We did Kitty Hawk on a 10 or so day trip from NJ (where we live) It's pretty neat as well as the whole ride down the outerbanks. There are 2 ferry crossings one of which you have to reserve (or at least you had to when we did it 5 yrs. ago. I would allow 2 days to be able to drive and see some of the sights plus the ferry takes time one was about 20 min the other 2 or so hr. That wasn't on the way to FL though just a loop. My kids were going to WDW since actually before they were born! The first cross country trip was when my son turned 6 on the trip actually in DL and my daughter was 8 back in 1986! I didn't realized you were in VA when I suggested Gettysburg until after I wrote it! Yes, you are past all the real traffic areas for me or just about past it. Once past Washington DC, it's not bad for me anyway. Have fun planning!

 

[blondietink]

Kitty Hawk is way out of the way. Lots of extra driving. The Outer Banks are wonderful and we have gone there 3 times, but it is a drive.

 

[AbbysFamily]

I have a LOT of reading on this thread but have much more to do. We are driving from WI (~2700 miles round trip) for the first time. We've flown the last 3 times to disney. As a matter of fact, the last time "I" drove, I was 11 - my parents drove us in our motorhome. Thats when there was only MK and 3 hotels + the campground.

So I have looked and the route is pretty straightforward, but I have a ton of things I'm trying to figure out. We can't drive straight thru - so we are planning one overnight each way.. On the way down, I think we'll stop in TN, but am considering not booking, and just calling ahead when we get close to stopping. On the way back, we don't know how early we'll leave Disney so we're not sure how far north we'll get. (I can't imagine how hard its going to be to leave without a flight forcing us to go.)

Does any do it this 'loose?' - any hints/thoughts on how to choose a hotel 'on the fly?'

 

[dvczerfs]

I have a LOT of reading on this thread but have much more to do. We are driving from WI (~2700 miles round trip) for the first time. We've flown the last 3 times to disney. As a matter of fact, the last time "I" drove, I was 11 - my parents drove us in our motorhome. Thats when there was only MK and 3 hotels + the campground.

So I have looked and the route is pretty straightforward, but I have a ton of things I'm trying to figure out. We can't drive straight thru - so we are planning one overnight each way.. On the way down, I think we'll stop in TN, but am considering not booking, and just calling ahead when we get close to stopping. On the way back, we don't know how early we'll leave Disney so we're not sure how far north we'll get. (I can't imagine how hard its going to be to leave without a flight forcing us to go.)

Does any do it this 'loose?' - any hints/thoughts on how to choose a hotel 'on the fly?'

pending on what time of year we go, we will "wing" the hotel for over night on the way down. we seem to leave to go down the same time so we hit the same hotel. oct and dec gen. isnt a problem. we went last may and stopped at a few hampton inns till we found one but that was a friday. we just make resis. now because we stop at the same place. the hampton inns will let you change your resi with no penalty on the same day as check in and i know theres others that do that. we just like staying at hampton inns and we are a hampton inn member so we get points etc to come home, we leave okw at 3:30 am and drive straight thru till we get home (7:30pm or so)... good luck on your drive!!

 

[tinkfreak1981]

We drive to disney every summer from central texas!! LOVE dirving with the kids...especially since we do it in an rv!!!!

We will be at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds June 5th through June 11th
with 4 kids ages 3, 7, 8, 12.

CANNOT WAIT!!!!!137 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!

 

[disneylovin24]

I have a LOT of reading on this thread but have much more to do. We are driving from WI (~2700 miles round trip) for the first time. We've flown the last 3 times to disney. As a matter of fact, the last time "I" drove, I was 11 - my parents drove us in our motorhome. Thats when there was only MK and 3 hotels + the campground.

So I have looked and the route is pretty straightforward, but I have a ton of things I'm trying to figure out. We can't drive straight thru - so we are planning one overnight each way.. On the way down, I think we'll stop in TN, but am considering not booking, and just calling ahead when we get close to stopping. On the way back, we don't know how early we'll leave Disney so we're not sure how far north we'll get. (I can't imagine how hard its going to be to leave without a flight forcing us to go.)

Does any do it this 'loose?' - any hints/thoughts on how to choose a hotel 'on the fly?'

What hotel chain do you like? My family is very fond of Holiday Inns, so we always make sure to know where they are on our trip. If there is a certain chain you like then I'd make sure to note where they are located. This also helps you avoid dirty hotels. In 2003 we got stuck in this nasty, nasty, nasty days inn!!

 

[RD-SOX]

Thanks for this great post.

We have been to Disney World many times but never drove there. This will be an adventure for my family. Its too expensive to fly and there are too many restrictions nowadays.

I am the experienced driver in my family having many road trips under my belt. My longest one-way was San Diego, CA to Manchester, NH in 4 days. I did have my sister with me so we swapped driving when we needed.
I plan on doing most of the driving. We will leave around 10 pm ish and I plan on driving till about 7 am when DH is ready to take over.

My question is for those of you night drivers out there have you had any problems with drunk drivers, crazy truck drivers or anything else? Most of my trips have been day time.

Any advice would be great..

 

[vroomagain]

I second St.Augustine. We stopped for our second night there. Fountain of Youth was really cute- they had peacocks and squirrels that my kids loved feeding. There was also a zoo right across although we didn't go to it and the beaches were lovely.

St Augustine, FL is a neat little town as well. I know it's close but we have stopped here on a second night for the way down. We have stopped outside Savannah as well. If you decide to take the 81 route ( a little longer but nicer ride down 81) Shennandoah NP and the Atlanta area are both nice, too.

 

[sters]

Those of you who drive from the NJ area (I noticed a few)... how much do you pay for gas roundtrip? I've never driven to FL, I'm just curious to know prices in comparison to flying.

From south jersey we used about 3 tanks of gas going down.

 

[Marshay]

Thanks guys for the info on Kitty Hawk... I thought it was pretty far off -- will save that for a separate vacation.

As for winging it on hotels, we planned to do this as well. Being our first time driving, we have no clue how long we'll be able to drive ( or more appropriately how long the kids will handle it).

But my plan was to scope out some hotel prices ahead of time about 8-10 hours away...just so I don't {totally} get ripped off by making same day reservations...

Hmmm, does anyone know if Priceline or hotels.com lets you make same day/last minute reservations?

 

[sharadoc]

From south jersey we used about 3 tanks of gas going down.

Same for us.

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Thanks guys for the info on Kitty Hawk... I thought it was pretty far off -- will save that for a separate vacation.

As for winging it on hotels, we planned to do this as well. Being our first time driving, we have no clue how long we'll be able to drive ( or more appropriately how long the kids will handle it).

But my plan was to scope out some hotel prices ahead of time about 8-10 hours away...just so I don't {totally} get ripped off by making same day reservations...

Hmmm, does anyone know if Priceline or hotels.com lets you make same day/last minute reservations?

Instead of winging it we found it really helpful to reserve rooms ahead of time- just so we didn't feel taken advantage of . I found many hotels on travelocity that I could book a reservation at without any deposit and no cancellation fee. On our last trip I booked two hotels for each night. One at the closest place I thought we could go and one at the farthest (about 100-150 miles apart). Each of them had a cancellation policy that allowed us to cancel before 6:00pm the day of the reservation. This way, we could make a judgment about how the drive was going and how we were feeling. We ended up driving to our farthest hotel and calling and canceling the closest (with no charge).
I highly recommend this... it's so nice to have two options for the night - a couple hundred mile apart- that you have already researched and feel comfortable that there will be a comfy bed and good breakfast available at a good price. When you just stop when you're tired, you have to do with whatever rate they give you and whatever that particular hotel has to offer.
It's worked for us... it made me feel so much better about our overnights when I read about this idea on this thread about a year or two ago!

 

[disneylovin24]

Thanks for this great post.

We have been to Disney World many times but never drove there. This will be an adventure for my family. Its too expensive to fly and there are too many restrictions nowadays.

I am the experienced driver in my family having many road trips under my belt. My longest one-way was San Diego, CA to Manchester, NH in 4 days. I did have my sister with me so we swapped driving when we needed.
I plan on doing most of the driving. We will leave around 10 pm ish and I plan on driving till about 7 am when DH is ready to take over.

My question is for those of you night drivers out there have you had any problems with drunk drivers, crazy truck drivers or anything else? Most of my trips have been day time.

Any advice would be great..

We actually have never had any problems with bad/drunk/crazy drivers at nights on the major roads. That thought honestly never occurred to me untill now Even when we stop at a gas station, we have never had any problems seeing any undesirable characters.

 

[disneylovin24]

From south jersey we used about 3 tanks of gas going down.

Long Island here (so around Northern NJ) and we use about 3-4 tanks depending what route we take. That's in a 2006 chevy 4 door pick-up. It usually costs $500ish dollars round trip.

 

[disneylovin24]

Instead of winging it we found it really helpful to reserve rooms ahead of time- just so we didn't feel taken advantage of . I found many hotels on travelocity that I could book a reservation at without any deposit and no cancellation fee. On our last trip I booked two hotels for each night. One at the closest place I thought we could go and one at the farthest (about 100-150 miles apart). Each of them had a cancellation policy that allowed us to cancel before 6:00pm the day of the reservation. This way, we could make a judgment about how the drive was going and how we were feeling. We ended up driving to our farthest hotel and calling and canceling the closest (with no charge).
I highly recommend this... it's so nice to have two options for the night - a couple hundred mile apart- that you have already researched and feel comfortable that there will be a comfy bed and good breakfast available at a good price. When you just stop when you're tired, you have to do with whatever rate they give you and whatever that particular hotel has to offer.
It's worked for us... it made me feel so much better about our overnights when I read about this idea on this thread about a year or two ago!

I don't know if I myself would go ahead and book two, but I would make sure to know where nice hotels were. In 2003 we never cared where we stayed on the way down and we ended up at this horrible Days Inn in the Carolinas Now, we always research hotels we might stay out and about 3 years after that we noticed we were stopping around the same exit in Georgia and we started to book a hotel there in advanced

Also, someone else said note when your travling. We've noticed how much NASCAR races can be a burden to our trips!!! If there is a race within a hour radius the hotels will be booked up!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

From south jersey we used about 3 tanks of gas going down.

we drive 1080 miles each way, drive a town and country mini van (sometimes not exactly the speed limit) and drive about 20 miles while we are there and for some reason i burn 98-100 gallons of gas each trip.

 

[Marshay]

Instead of winging it we found it really helpful to reserve rooms ahead of time- just so we didn't feel taken advantage of . I found many hotels on travelocity that I could book a reservation at without any deposit and no cancellation fee. On our last trip I booked two hotels for each night. One at the closest place I thought we could go and one at the farthest (about 100-150 miles apart). Each of them had a cancellation policy that allowed us to cancel before 6:00pm the day of the reservation. This way, we could make a judgment about how the drive was going and how we were feeling. We ended up driving to our farthest hotel and calling and canceling the closest (with no charge).
I highly recommend this... it's so nice to have two options for the night - a couple hundred mile apart- that you have already researched and feel comfortable that there will be a comfy bed and good breakfast available at a good price. When you just stop when you're tired, you have to do with whatever rate they give you and whatever that particular hotel has to offer.
It's worked for us... it made me feel so much better about our overnights when I read about this idea on this thread about a year or two ago!

yes, that is a great idea ... I haven't stayed in a non-Disney hotel in ages...if I can reserve w/o a cancellation fee, we should know by 4pm or so how much longer we need to go. Thx!

I don't know if I myself would go ahead and book two, but I would make sure to know where nice hotels were. In 2003 we never cared where we stayed on the way down and we ended up at this horrible Days Inn in the Carolinas Now, we always research hotels we might stay out and about 3 years after that we noticed we were stopping around the same exit in Georgia and we started to book a hotel there in advanced

Also, someone else said note when your travling. We've noticed how much NASCAR races can be a burden to our trips!!! If there is a race within a hour radius the hotels will be booked up!!!

Never thought of that! I'll go try to check out NASCAR race schedules for our time...

EDIT -- just checked -- not near our DC<WDW route for our dates!

Any other big events like this that may book up the hotels?

 

[disneylovin24]

yes, that is a great idea ... I haven't stayed in a non-Disney hotel in ages...if I can reserve w/o a cancellation fee, we should know by 4pm or so how much longer we need to go. Thx!



Never thought of that! I'll go try to check out NASCAR race schedules for our time...

Any other big events like this that may book up the hotels?

I don't think there's anything like a NASCAR race that will book up as many hotels. Other sporting events don't attract as many travelers. But I guess the best thing is to go online and see if any of the hotels you are looking at are booked.