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

[Marshay]

On our trip last year we decided to wing it for the driving overnight as well and it turned out to be a bad idea. I guess it depends on what time of year and what kind of hotel you are looking for but for our exoerience it was Easter weekend and I like the Hamton Inn chain or Hilton Garden Inn. We weren't sure how far we'd got so I didn't make a reservation, I waited until about 8 pm and then starting checking on my iphone for available hotels and I was shocked to find so many placed with no vacancy. And I called as well since I didn't trust the online info I was getting and it was correct - no vacancies. Add to my stress level that night that there were also very bad storms on the way. I finally got the last room in a Hampton Inn in SC (about midway thru the state if I recall and about an hour more driving than I would have wanted but beggars can't be choosers) and we got in the door seconds before a major thunderstorm hit. Needless to say, this year I will have a reservation well in advance!

Another good reason not to wing it! thanks guys for the advice!

 

[BC1836]

Hi All. Question for you.

Leaving in a week and this time we're trying a different time strategy.

We're leaving home around 9 AM, plan to get through DC around noon, then stop for the night around 7-8 pm in Walterboro. Since it's a Friday, do you think we'll hit any major traffic leaving DC into Virginia? We are still nervous about Virginia since our August vacation, and we had to deal with bumper-to-bumper traffic the entire length of Virginia.

Friday noontime traffic in northern VA does not sound like something positive. [Friday a.m. rush hour traffic in northern VA is not a positive alternative.] Who knows, you just might get lucky. But the odds are not in your favor. We would be very interested to know all the details of your drive in that area since we will be doing a rare Friday departure to WDW in the months ahead.

All the best!

 

[disneylovin24]

We drive at night on the way down... leave NY around 10-10:30 pm and get through Dc by 2ish. A lot of people seem to do this since the 1st VA rest stop after DC was very busy last Feb.

On the way down I am planning on stoppnig in Savannah. We did Brunswick, GA in Feb and this was just a bit too far.

I am considering the inland route for the trip home this August. We will be travelling over the Labor Day weekend so it may be worth it. The inland route will onyl add about an hour to the trip but we easily lose at least 1/2 hour every time we go through DC.

You leave at a great time so I'm sure traffic going down is easy.Timing really is everything. I would take the inland route going home for sure!! Pretty much from Richmond, VA to NYC traffic is always a risk

 

[dvczerfs]

You leave at a great time so I'm sure traffic going down is easy.Timing really is everything. I would take the inland route going home for sure!! Pretty much from Richmond, VA to NYC traffic is always a risk

on the way home, take 95 to exit 133 (not bus.) follow rt17 to int 66 to int81. you avoid the va.,balt., dc traffic. ive been taking that way for 14 years after i got tired of sitting in traffic. we take the same way going down. its an easy ride and you dont drive 2 hours out of your way taking int. 77 to int.81.

 

[edbo77]

I know I've seen this posted a thousand times on this thread but I'm too lazy to look for it. What's the inland (non I-95) route that I can take to avoid DC/NYC coming home from FLA back to Mass? I've got my drive timed on the way down so that I will avoid everything, but I don't have that luxury on the way home. I've always done 95 down/back, but I'm dreading what DC and the GWB are going to be like coming home on school vacation week. Who can help?

 

[disneylovin24]

I know I've seen this posted a thousand times on this thread but I'm too lazy to look for it. What's the inland (non I-95) route that I can take to avoid DC/NYC coming home from FLA back to Mass? I've got my drive timed on the way down so that I will avoid everything, but I don't have that luxury on the way home. I've always done 95 down/back, but I'm dreading what DC and the GWB are going to be like coming home on school vacation week. Who can help?

I26 in South Carolina to I77 to I81 (77 runs right into 81) to avoid DC/Richmond/Baltimore traffic.

 

[Marshay]

Getting to DC around noon-time is the better of 3 evils!

I live outside DC so we just try to avoid going on the Beltway from 6am - 10am and 2pm - 7:30pm. Sometimes you get lucky but ...

10am - 2pm is "better". Just be prepared for traffic and then you may be pleasantly surprised if it's not that bad.

WTOP is the news station for DC area...traffic on the 8's (12:08pm, 12:18pm, etc). They have three different channels: 103.5 FM is the main one; 103.9 and 107.7 can also be heard better in different areas).

Good luck!

 

[shafke]

I know I've seen this posted a thousand times on this thread but I'm too lazy to look for it. What's the inland (non I-95) route that I can take to avoid DC/NYC coming home from FLA back to Mass? I've got my drive timed on the way down so that I will avoid everything, but I don't have that luxury on the way home. I've always done 95 down/back, but I'm dreading what DC and the GWB are going to be like coming home on school vacation week. Who can help?

I26 in South Carolina to I77 to I81 (77 runs right into 81) to avoid DC/Richmond/Baltimore traffic.

Dependng on where in Mass you are from to you can take I81 all the way to Scranton and then I84 to Mass. You bypass all of the NYC traffic and only have to worry about Harrisburg and Scranton which are not too bad. You also bypass a ton of tolls this route. I think the only one you will hit is Newburgh Beacon bridge. Going up I95 you toll in all of the states north od DC.

Another option to bypass NYC... A little past Harrisburg (20-30min) I78 starts. Take this into NJ and eventually you hit I287 which you can use to bypass a lot of the nasty NYC traffic areas.

 

[sharadoc]

Getting to DC around noon-time is the better of 3 evils!

I live outside DC so we just try to avoid going on the Beltway from 6am - 10am and 2pm - 7:30pm. Sometimes you get lucky but ...

10am - 2pm is "better". Just be prepared for traffic and then you may be pleasantly surprised if it's not that bad.

WTOP is the news station for DC area...traffic on the 8's (12:08pm, 12:18pm, etc). They have three different channels: 103.5 FM is the main one; 103.9 and 107.7 can also be heard better in different areas).

Good luck!

Thanks so much. This is perfect info.

I'll be sure to let you all know how it worked.

 

[BC1836]

Why do we drive 2,000+ miles to and from WDW?

Today's answer: unruly passenger on jet tried to open emergency door; flight diverted.

 

[disneyfan55]

Why do we drive 2,000+ miles to and from WDW?

Today's answer: unruly passenger on jet tried to open emergency door; flight diverted.

Actually just yesterday or the day before a different reason with the 17 yr. old with a prayer book strapped to his head that he refused to remove and the plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia!! What a shame what things are getting like. I remember when young the worst was an airline being hijacked (no one was really ever hurt) for money. Now it's a shame!

 

[starwood]

We are going to try next month. I'm hoping we don't get snow. I want to compare the price to flying. I just got a Prius and I'm going to keep track of gas, tolls, food and hotel and compare to the cost of a flight. President's week it looks like most flights from NNJ are around $250-$300 per person. Then add in $25 extra per suitcase and car rental!

 

[BC1836]

We are going to try next month. I'm hoping we don't get snow. I want to compare the price to flying. I just got a Prius and I'm going to keep track of gas, tolls, food and hotel and compare to the cost of a flight. President's week it looks like most flights from NNJ are around $250-$300 per person. Then add in $25 extra per suitcase and car rental!

If possible, leave very, very early (pre-4 a.m.) on a Saturday morning. That's what we try and do most of the time...if possible.

Still, whenever you depart: all the best!

 

[CJsMom]

Hi! We are considering a trip this November, driving down from Boston area either the day before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day (and we'll stay the week after Thanksgiving). We would probably do an early morning departure (around 4am) and try to get to GA on the first day, stay overnight somewhere, then do the rest of the trip the next day, as many of you have recommended. My question is, are we nuts to consider driving either of those days, with the crazy traffic? Would we be better off waiting until the day after Thanksgiving? Thanks!

 

[disneyfan55]

Hi! We are considering a trip this November, driving down from Boston area either the day before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day (and we'll stay the week after Thanksgiving). We would probably do an early morning departure (around 4am) and try to get to GA on the first day, stay overnight somewhere, then do the rest of the trip the next day, as many of you have recommended. My question is, are we nuts to consider driving either of those days, with the crazy traffic? Would we be better off waiting until the day after Thanksgiving? Thanks!

We actually left from central NJ at about 11 pm on Thanksgiving night. We did go to the Atlanta area on the way to wDW so we drove on 81 for the most part. We had no traffic at all and got to Marietta GA about 2 pm the next day. We drove to WDW on Sun after and had a lot of traffic. My guess it the day before Thanksgiving would be a high traffic day. I would go the day after. In fact, we are going to WDW starting that Sun after Thanksgiving and will most likely leave here on Fri.

 

[JVL1018]

Hi! We are considering a trip this November, driving down from Boston area either the day before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day (and we'll stay the week after Thanksgiving). We would probably do an early morning departure (around 4am) and try to get to GA on the first day, stay overnight somewhere, then do the rest of the trip the next day, as many of you have recommended. My question is, are we nuts to consider driving either of those days, with the crazy traffic? Would we be better off waiting until the day after Thanksgiving? Thanks!

I'm curious about this, too..though our plans are firm, so we'll just make the best of it.
We are leaving the day before Thanksgiving, around 3pm(I know, I know, but DH has to work and gets out at 2 for the holiday weekend and the kids have school until 12:30) and just drive as far as we can until it's time to stop for the night-probably until about 11pm.
We live a few miles outside of NYC, and it *usually* it takes 4 hours to get just past DC, I am sure it will be awful, but it's better than not going at all!

We drive to Hilton Head every year and that's always easy, but that's a Saturday in June. We've driven to WDW twice as well, but again not at Thanksgiving.

 

[Beauties n the Beast]

I'm excited to do a road trip this time around!! Yeah...flying gets you there to the fun SO much quicker...but road trips are fun too!!!
We'll leave about 6 or 7pm on Friday and I'll drive thru til we get there (stopping at a rest stop if need be). I live about an hour north of DC so I don't want to get caught in too much of that fun traffic.

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Going 95 through NYC and over the GW Bridge at about 8:00/9:00pm on a Friday night--- bad idea?

We always go this route and it really does seem to be the most direct for us, however; we usually leave at a different time and hit NYC about 7:00am on Saturday morning. We have never had a problem at that time of day, but I'm concerned that a Friday night will be very different! Should we go around?

I don't want to add extra time to our drive, but I know I'll be miserable (my husband will make sure of that!)if we end up stuck in traffic.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I would be driving from MA. I was thinking about leaving at about 3/4am on a saturday morning. We want to drive straight through (with plenty of stops in between of course) and get to Disney Sunday morning.

What do you think of that time and being a saturday with traffic. Will we be ok because it's a weekend?
Thanks.

I'm trying to plan the drive to be as painless as possible. My dh will be "nervous" if we sit in traffic for hours

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

I-95 from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to Richmond will be the most painful experience of your life the day before thanksgiving from noon to midnight, I live in Fredericksburg VA and work in DC, trust me, do not do it, 60 miles will take at least 3 hours