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

[3princesses+aprince]

I have a question about traffic and timing. We know we are leaving MA on friday 9/17.

If we send the kids to school that day, we will leave after they get out of school at 3:30. Would leaving at 5pm be ok with traffic?

Or if we keep the kids home that day we could leave in the morning, dh and I already have that day off as a vacation day. We would want to leave early. What time would you suggest for traffic and timing of getting to Disney World. This will be our first time driving, so I don't have a clue really. We have drove to New Jersey before, but we left at 2am and got to our destination by 7am, so no traffic there. I have heard the New Jersey turnpike can be brutal at times.

So, i'm really interested to know the times to avoid certain areas!

Thanks so much!!

 

[Goofy22]

Thanks Ill try Brunswik. We are leaving on the weekend(saturday)

No I havent tried that! But I will definately try I get so mad at it when it tries to take me off the highway right away.


Yes it helps alot!


We are leaving around 4:30am Saturday.

Thanks you guys Rock

We may also be driving this year! The air fare is ridiculous from ACY or PHL to MCO! We drove in December and it was ok. But it's looking like we're driving again in August! It looks like we'll be at pop just before you. We check out on Sept 5th.

 

[NickTim&Sami'smom]

We are driving for the first time to Disney (alway's fly). Okay so as it stands right now, we leave Dartmouth Mass. on Oct.7th after 4pm. (Could leave earlier) My Cousins live in Stafford Virginia and have offered us to stay there for the night and then head to Disney. They say 8hrs there and 8 hours to Disney World from there house. Check in at 4pm at Sheraton Vistana Resort (using a friends time share offsite for the first time) What time should we leave Mass. and what route, We have 3 drivers and only potty and coffee stop needed. (will pack snacks, drinks, and food) Also have a GPS.

 

[disneymom06]

We are driving for the first time to Disney (alway's fly). Okay so as it stands right now, we leave Dartmouth Mass. on Oct.7th after 4pm. (Could leave earlier) My Cousins live in Stafford Virginia and have offered us to stay there for the night and then head to Disney. They say 8hrs there and 8 hours to Disney World from there house. Check in at 4pm at Sheraton Vistana Resort (using a friends time share offsite for the first time) What time should we leave Mass. and what route, We have 3 drivers and only potty and coffee stop needed. (will pack snacks, drinks, and food) Also have a GPS.

We leave from Westchester County and on our last drive (which was our best drive time yet!),we left at 1:45am and arrived at Disney at 8:30pm. Did you map your trip with the GPS or maybe AAA, your drive time of 16 hours I think is a bit off.

Also if you are going to hit NYC during rush hour? Never a good idea as you will hit traffic all the way thru NJ as well.

 

[nono]

We are driving for the first time to Disney (alway's fly). Okay so as it stands right now, we leave Dartmouth Mass. on Oct.7th after 4pm. (Could leave earlier) My Cousins live in Stafford Virginia and have offered us to stay there for the night and then head to Disney. They say 8hrs there and 8 hours to Disney World from there house. Check in at 4pm at Sheraton Vistana Resort (using a friends time share offsite for the first time) What time should we leave Mass. and what route, We have 3 drivers and only potty and coffee stop needed. (will pack snacks, drinks, and food) Also have a GPS.

Hmmm. I plugged in Stafford, VA to Orlando, FL and bing maps comes up with a 12 hour trip.
http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/?o...uto&lat=33.741601&lon=-79.494353&z=5&pid=5874

I've found the bing maps time estimation to be fairly accurate. You might want to try some of the other sites to see what they say the elapsed time will be so that you have a good collection to average. It'll help with the planning your departure times.

 

[LoveKermit]

Not from the east, but I would have said VA to WDW in 8 hours was a bit optimistic (or very illegal). On the DVC site, there is a SC guy who takes about 8 hours and he'd have a few (at least) hours on someone in VA. He leaves about 4 or 5 AM and arrives early afternoon.

 

[Marshay]

I'm from around Dulles Airport (1 hour North of Stafford, VA) and I can tell you there is NO way you are making WDW in 8 hours from Stafford. I'd say more like 12 -13 hours and that is without stopping for gas, food or restrooms.

We are near Dulles Airport and when my parents leave from my house it takes them 14 hours driving. Our TripTik from AAA says we can do it in 13.5 hours driving.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[BC1836]

I'm from around Dulles Airport (1 hour North of Stafford, VA) and I can tell you there is NO way you are making WDW in 8 hours from Stafford. I'd say more like 12 -13 hours and that is without stopping for gas, food or restrooms.

We are near Dulles Airport and when my parents leave from my house it takes them 14 hours driving. Our TripTik from AAA says we can do it in 13.5 hours driving.

Good luck in your decision!

Indeed!

Here are our driving times from the VA/NC to the FL border on I-95:

4/05: 7:42
5/06: 7:37
3/07: 7:33
12/07: 7:25
5/08: 7:31
10/08: 7:23
12/08: 7:38
3/09: 8:07
6/09: 8:01
12/09: 7:43
3/10: 8:05

As you can see, with stops only for gas and the bathroom, it takes anywhere from seven-and-a-half to eight hours of driving just to drive from the VA/NC border to the FL border. And it's approximately three hours more until the WDW entrance at Exit #67 on I-4.

All the best.

 

[Tina]

Jumping on the band wagon here....
I recently did the drive home from Saratoga Springs to western Prince William county (1 hour northwest of Stafford). I was driving solo, do I did minimum stops. I stopped 3 times for gas and bathroom. Drove a solid 70mph the whole way. Left SSR at 11am and arrived home in my garage at 1am on the dot. 13 hours door to door.

 

[Donald is #1]

Have you tried to program your GPS so that it is on highway only? I know on my Nuvi I can choose highway only, no highway, fastest, and most direct routes. Hope this works for you as it will keep you on the highway and give you more confidence in your GPS. I loved mine going down to WDW. There is only one route I ignored and that was to go a route through Indiana that is shorter in miles but takes more time because it goes through towns.

HTH

Very interesting! I'll have to check my Garmin, I only remember, fastest or shortest distance options.

 

[angwill]

I took out my Nuvi to look and under route preferences it shows faster time, shortest route, and off road. If you look under avoidances it has traffic, u-turns, highways, unpaved roads, toll roads, ferries, and carpool lanes. It could be that the other poster has highways or toll roads listed as something to avoid? HTH

 

[Vickis3js]

We may also be driving this year! The air fare is ridiculous from ACY or PHL to MCO! We drove in December and it was ok. But it's looking like we're driving again in August! It looks like we'll be at pop just before you. We check out on Sept 5th.

You are not kidding about the airfare from ACY. I just looked for our Dec trip and its up to over $250 per person each way. I know we are going for Christmas but thats insane. Times that by 5 and add in baggage and forget it. I even looked at the autotrain and driving is really the only option anymore.

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

Jumping on the band wagon here....
I recently did the drive home from Saratoga Springs to western Prince William county (1 hour northwest of Stafford). I was driving solo, do I did minimum stops. I stopped 3 times for gas and bathroom. Drove a solid 70mph the whole way. Left SSR at 11am and arrived home in my garage at 1am on the dot. 13 hours door to door.

Agreed, that is a very normal time, if anyone is doing it from stafford in 8 hours they are really moving fast

 

[NickTim&Sami'smom]

Hello, Sorry it took so long to reply...Had to get new charger for laptop. The first one they sold us didn't work, We had to go back and get another one. Anyway, Thanks for responding. So my cousins time is off for Virginia to Orlando, not a big deal but as far as traffic goes, what time should we leave Dartmouth, Mass. and what time should we leave Stafford Virginia so as to not hit much traffic? What would be a good route? Like I said we do have a Garmin Nuvi GPS we are just was wondering everyone's experiances in driving and the good and the bad of certain routes. Thank you again for your help.

 

[Tina]

We always leave (Virginia) around 5 or 6am and take 95 the entire distance into Florida. I've never had a problem with traffic. Some like to skirt around Richmond, but honestly, its not that bad.

 

[BC1836]

We always leave (Virginia) around 5 or 6am and take 95 the entire distance into Florida. I've never had a problem with traffic. Some like to skirt around Richmond, but honestly, its not that bad.

We agree. Eighteen round-trip drives through Richmond via I-95 since 2002 and never a problem.

All the best.

 

[sticker231]

Starting our journey from Jersey in a few hours....

 

[bookwormde]

Have a safe trip

bookwormde

 

[nono]

Starting our journey from Jersey in a few hours....

We'll wave as you go by....

 

[BC1836]

Starting our journey from Jersey in a few hours....

Let's see, right about now...somewhere near DC?

All the best.