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

[dvczerfs]

I just checked this on googlemaps and Emporia is if you go down 95, correct?
Looks like Roanoke, VA is just about 6 hours on googlemaps when I punch in my town, Alburtis, PA to Roanoke, VA. Anyone stayed near there?
Then it's about 12 hours from Roanoke to Kissimmee. Maybe we should shoot for a little more south than Roanoke. Not sure yet exactly what time we're leaving on Friday. I won't be able to pinpoint it until my friend gives me her work schedule as I'm caring for her kids that day!

no, you wont hit shore traffic in the shenandoah mtns on rt81 or rt77. roanoke is also well populated and a good spot to stop. just remember leaving the lehigh valley on a friday at 4pm, you will hit traffic between allentown and harrisburg. theres realy no way of telling how fast you will get through that. you could get through with no problem or you could crawl to harrisburg. i would plan on roanoke. also leaving that late, you make a resi. at a hotel, theres no turning back without losing your deposit. most hotel cut off for cancellations is 4pm.

 

[loveysbydesign]

no, you wont hit shore traffic in the shenandoah mtns on rt81 or rt77. roanoke is also well populated and a good spot to stop. just remember leaving the lehigh valley on a friday at 4pm, you will hit traffic between allentown and harrisburg. theres realy no way of telling how fast you will get through that. you could get through with no problem or you could crawl to harrisburg. i would plan on roanoke. also leaving that late, you make a resi. at a hotel, theres no turning back without losing your deposit. most hotel cut off for cancellations is 4pm.

Thanks...we'll shoot for near Roanoke then!

 

[cruisingkat]

We drive Chicago to FL several times a year. We stop just south of Atlanta (we do Holiday Inn Express) in McDonough, GA. for our first night. That takes us through Atlanta late evening so we avoid the traffic. Coming home, we stop in Kimball, TN just northeast of Chattanooga on I24 - we usually don't leave Disney until 11am or noon.

 

[Vickis3js]

Anyone stay in Brunswick, GA? We normally stay around Savannah, exit 94, I am trying to get a little closer to WDW this year. I figure the extra 60 miles will shave off about 45 min giving us a 4 hour drive the next morning. I saw that there is a Country inn and suites around there that has a room that will sleep 5 of us for less then $100. It got some good reviews on travelocity but wanted to check with you guys first.

 

[nytimez]

Anyone stay in Brunswick, GA? We normally stay around Savannah, exit 94, I am trying to get a little closer to WDW this year. I figure the extra 60 miles will shave off about 45 min giving us a 4 hour drive the next morning. I saw that there is a Country inn and suites around there that has a room that will sleep 5 of us for less then $100. It got some good reviews on travelocity but wanted to check with you guys first.

I always stop in Brunswick for the pulled pork at the GA Pig and gas... but haven't stayed there. I can recommend that pulled pork sandwich, though!

 

[BC1836]

Anyone stay in Brunswick, GA? We normally stay around Savannah, exit 94, I am trying to get a little closer to WDW this year. I figure the extra 60 miles will shave off about 45 min giving us a 4 hour drive the next morning. I saw that there is a Country inn and suites around there that has a room that will sleep 5 of us for less then $100. It got some good reviews on travelocity but wanted to check with you guys first.

Why not try a brief push on to Yulee, FL, a few miles over the border? You'll wake up in FL and have a three-hour drive to WDW.

[BTW: We're in WDW right now! Off to EPCOT....]

 

[my disney girls]

Friday afternoon is not a good time to leave Limerick for Fla. Traffic in Baltimore and D.C. will be awful. You would be better off to wait until early, early Sat. a.m to leave. We left close by you (Linfield) on Friday 4/30 at 2 a.m and checked in at Disney at 6 p.m We stopped for lunch and gas stops and never went over the speed limit. Traffic was wonderful and we will always do this again.

 

[sharadoc]

Friday afternoon is not a good time to leave Limerick for Fla. Traffic in Baltimore and D.C. will be awful. You would be better off to wait until early, early Sat. a.m to leave. We left close by you (Linfield) on Friday 4/30 at 2 a.m and checked in at Disney at 6 p.m We stopped for lunch and gas stops and never went over the speed limit. Traffic was wonderful and we will always do this again.

Thanks. We just don't want to drive straight through. We thought leaving at 4:00 puts us in DC at 7:00, which should be at the tail end of rush hour.

I believe there are folks who live around there who post on this thread and could give me some good "windows of opportunity" of driving through DC on Friday night in December. In my world, I'd prefer to stop at a hotel at 11:00 pm, sleep and drive again another day. I can't go to work on Friday, get two hours sleep and drive for 16 hours. I admire those who can, but I'll just be knocked out and miserable for the rest of the trip if we would drive straight through.

Oh, and hi neighbor!!

 

[CharliNye]

I forgot an old friend of mine from HS lives in Atlanta and she told me to try and get to Macon if possible as staying much closer would ensure that even the next morning(sat early) we could run into some pretty heinous traffic.

So we booked at a Wingate by Wyndham in Macon. The place looks really nice for such a decent price. I would rather be safe then sorry not knowing the neighborhoods.

Right now our new question is: Where do we stop on the way home? The husband is thinking of maybe driving through but I know our kids won't go for that. So what city would put as at about 10-12 hrs past Orlando to Chicago?

Tennessee? Where would be the best? We're trying to book places now.

 

[dvczerfs]

Why not try a brief push on to Yulee, FL, a few miles over the border? You'll wake up in FL and have a three-hour drive to WDW.

[BTW: We're in WDW right now! Off to EPCOT....]

bc, just to remind you that at page 250 on this thread they are going to lock the thread. i nominate you to start 2000 + driver II !!!

 

[Vickis3js]

Why not try a brief push on to Yulee, FL, a few miles over the border? You'll wake up in FL and have a three-hour drive to WDW.

[BTW: We're in WDW right now! Off to EPCOT....]

Well for some reason DH does not want to stop in FL. I have no clue why but since he does all the driving I say whatever sweet heart and try and get as close as I can without going over the border LOL. Years ago he had some issues in Jacksonville so if its anywhere near there its a big fat NO from him. I finally got him to agree to stop further south in Georgia so not sure I want to push it.

 

[emh1129]

So... we're back! We made the trip from CT to WDW and back and lived to tell about it
And I am definitely a convert. We will be driving from now on! It was so nice to be able to bring all of the things we wanted to & not worry about how much the bags would weigh, or missing our flights, etc. (Or that one of the kids would be too loud & disturb people around us.. oh, I could go on and on!)
We were completely on our own schedule & that was a beautiful thing!

We left Hartford at 3 a.m. on Sat 5/21 and arrived in Kingsland, GA around 8:00 p.m. that evening, where we spent the night. We stayed at the Microtel with a coupon we found near one of the rest stops. With tax it was $52 and it was a nice, clean hotel. A great place to rest for the night. We enjoyed the pool before heading to bed.

The next morning we continued on our way and drove another 4.5 hrs (including a gas stop, a stop at the Florida welcome center, and a drive-through place for lunch). So we arrived early afternoon. We were very lucky in that we didn't hit any traffic at all.

Coming home, we left Fort Wilderness at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday 5/23 (we had stayed at MK late the night before so we got a bit of a late start) and arrived in Fredericksburg, VA at 1:45 a.m. We had already booked/pre-paid a Homewood Suites room there, otherwise I would have stopped sooner. I was nervous about availability with it being Memorial Day weekend.
The next morning (Monday, Memorial Day), what should have taken 8 hours to get from Fredericksburg to Hartford took 12. Traffic was really heavy that day and completely stopped in some parts. We saw at least four accidents along the way.
Other than the traffic on the way home (and really, that could have been avoided if we had just driven on another day- we knew what we were getting into!), we had a great time driving.
DH and I enjoyed talking and the spontaneous nature of it all. The kids had a blast, too, and loved having their own pillows, blankets, etc. along for the ride. It was a great family trip. Thanks to all of you for the great advice! It really helped in the planning and made it a much 'smoother ride'

 

[sharadoc]

bc, just to remind you that at page 250 on this thread they are going to lock the thread. i nominate you to start 2000 + driver II !!!

YAY - here's another vote for bc. At the rate we're going, I'd say new thread by June 15.

 

[kidd_freeper]

So... we're back! We made the trip from CT to WDW and back and lived to tell about it

Thanks for the report. Going down, did you go through DC? How was traffic the morning you left?

 

[Lisa75]

Hi everyone! I have never needed to look at this thread before as I always fly out of Philly to WDW. Usually with my mother or solo since DH does not go. We are obsessive about our dogs so we don't leave them with anyone.

But DH is going with me in November for our anniversary! And we are also taking !!!

This should be , I mean fun! So this means no flying and no onsite. We are renting a house near the parks that welcomes pets.

Our drive will be straight through per DH. He has driven to Alabama, Orlando, etc. for work before so that's on him. I was telling him that folks on this thread suggest an alternate route to 95, the 77,81, 75? I am sure I got that wrong.

Can anyone from this area, maybe PA/DE/Jersey point me in a direction to get started? We would be going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel Complex to start.

Thanks and I want to say I am really glad I found this thread. This is all new to me!!

Lisa

 

[bookwormde]

Here is a mapquest link from georgetown, 13 to 64 to 664 to 58 to 95

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Geo....40428&2g=-81.58065&2v=ADDRESS&2id=263233968#

bookwormde

 

[Lisa75]

Here is a mapquest link from georgetown, 13 to 64 to 664 to 58 to 95

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Geo....40428&2g=-81.58065&2v=ADDRESS&2id=263233968#

bookwormde

Thank you

 

[DVC4US]

Thanks...we'll shoot for near Roanoke then!

I am not sure what you are looking for but there is a nice Comfort Suites off of I-81 at exit 137 in Salem, VA which is just past Roanoke. DD goes to Roanoke College in Salem and we have stayed at this hotel several times. There are some hotels in Roanoke too, but this area is a little less congested and is a nice fairly new hotel.

 

[BC1836]

WDW Hess just dropped from $2.63 to $2.61 per gallon regular.

 

[monymony3471]

[BTW: We're in WDW right now! Off to EPCOT....]

Lucky!!!