For those folks driving!

[LinaNate]

Specifically, the room didn't seem guest ready... was lacking cleanliness, toiletries, no hot water, they charged us for stealing towels that weren't ever in the room, it smelled smokey, guests were on the sketchy side... Honestly, the root issue was our lack of advance planning I think. All the area hotels around Macon, GA were booked up and the overflow filled nearby towns so that pushed us into a less than optimal room off the beaten path late at night. Lesson learned. It was rough but Disney makes everything better

I'm sorry you had a bad experience there. I'm sure it was very frustrating after a long day of travel. Do you mind sharing what the issues were?

I hope your Disney stay is much more magical than your drive there!

 

[bluezy]

Specifically, the room didn't seem guest ready... was lacking cleanliness, toiletries, no hot water, they charged us for stealing towels that weren't ever in the room, it smelled smokey, guests were on the sketchy side... Honestly, the root issue was our lack of advance planning I think. All the area hotels around Macon, GA were booked up and the overflow filled nearby towns so that pushed us into a less than optimal room off the beaten path late at night. Lesson learned. It was rough but Disney makes everything better

Yuck. I would have been upset, too. I'm sorry you had such a bad stay....but at least you had Disney to look forward to!

 

[Minniedap]

In four weeks, we will traveling from Wisconsin to Disney World. How bad is the road construction in Chattanooga, TN.

 

[crazelion]

In four weeks, we will traveling from Wisconsin to Disney World. How bad is the road construction in Chattanooga, TN.

Road Construction in Chattanooga, TN is really very bad now. Its be bumper to bumper all way to Atlanta Ga because they have road construction to.

 

[ambellina]

Road Construction in Chattanooga, TN is really very bad now. Its be bumper to bumper all way to Atlanta Ga because they have road construction to.

Are you an ATL or Chattanooga local? I'm just wondering if you might know when the construction deadline might be.

We're driving from Ohio, but stopping in Wilmington, NC first to visit family so we will miss ATL for that drive. But was contemplating what to do for our drive back. We usually just go straight back up I-75 the whole way but the other night I started thinking about a route through Alabama and then stopping for the night in Nashville since we love Nashville and haven't visited there in a long while, either.

 

[thegash35]

We are gearing up for our 5th drive from NYC to WDW in about 3 weeks.

We always do 95 but I was thinking for a change of scenery perhaps going through Delaware and doing the bay bridge/tunnel. I know it is slightly longer, both distance and time wise (less than an hour - so on a 16-17 hour drive basically negligible) but I was wondering if anyone has ever done this and their experience with it.

We usually leave NY around 3AM on Saturday. Traffic in VA has been hit and miss. No real issues with DC but mid VA is sometimes jammed up where the express lanes end through Fredricksburg and sometimes as far as Richmond. I think maybe only one year was smooth sailing. In '19 waze routed us to the Jefferson Davis Highway (which wound up really being no better).

So I'm wondering if it would be worth it to just skip all of that completely and go through DE.

 

[ambellina]

We are gearing up for our 5th drive from NYC to WDW in about 3 weeks.

We always do 95 but I was thinking for a change of scenery perhaps going through Delaware and doing the bay bridge/tunnel. I know it is slightly longer, both distance and time wise (less than an hour - so on a 16-17 hour drive basically negligible) but I was wondering if anyone has ever done this and their experience with it.

We usually leave NY around 3AM on Saturday. Traffic in VA has been hit and miss. No real issues with DC but mid VA is sometimes jammed up where the express lanes end through Fredricksburg and sometimes as far as Richmond. I think maybe only one year was smooth sailing. In '19 waze routed us to the Jefferson Davis Highway (which wound up really being no better).

So I'm wondering if it would be worth it to just skip all of that completely and go through DE.

I've done that route in the past and really enjoyed it since it was a change of pace (usually just straight down 95). Are you planning to stop for the night, or just going right to the resort?

[Edited to add]: Depending on what time you would arrive in Maryland you may hit a bump in traffic in Salisbury due to people driving back home from Ocean City. Definitely avoid going west on Route 50 towards Annapolis and DC, stay on to Norfolk.

 

[thegash35]

I've done that route in the past and really enjoyed it since it was a change of pace (usually just straight down 95). Are you planning to stop for the night, or just going right to the resort?

[Edited to add]: Depending on what time you would arrive in Maryland you may hit a bump in traffic in Salisbury due to people driving back home from Ocean City. Definitely avoid going west on Route 50 towards Annapolis and DC, stay on to Norfolk.

We usually stop on the trip south around Savannah, GA, but this year we are driving the whole way and checking into Royal Pacific that same day. We always do the return in a straight shot though, so we are no strangers to the marathon.

 

[VicarJT]

We are gearing up for our 5th drive from NYC to WDW in about 3 weeks.

We always do 95 but I was thinking for a change of scenery perhaps going through Delaware and doing the bay bridge/tunnel. I know it is slightly longer, both distance and time wise (less than an hour - so on a 16-17 hour drive basically negligible) but I was wondering if anyone has ever done this and their experience with it.

We usually leave NY around 3AM on Saturday. Traffic in VA has been hit and miss. No real issues with DC but mid VA is sometimes jammed up where the express lanes end through Fredricksburg and sometimes as far as Richmond. I think maybe only one year was smooth sailing. In '19 waze routed us to the Jefferson Davis Highway (which wound up really being no better).

So I'm wondering if it would be worth it to just skip all of that completely and go through DE.

That is our go-to route. It's very pretty, and even though it is a longer distance, because of the lack of traffic, we have found that the timing is roughly the same. Now if you *really* want to have an adventure, take the Garden State down to Cape May and ferry over to Lewes, DE. That does involve an overnight somewhere, but is lots of fun.

 

[thegash35]

That is our go-to route. It's very pretty, and even though it is a longer distance, because of the lack of traffic, we have found that the timing is roughly the same. Now if you *really* want to have an adventure, take the Garden State down to Cape May and ferry over to Lewes, DE. That does involve an overnight somewhere, but is lots of fun.

We love vacationing in Cape May and have done the ferry over to DE for a day trip. That would definitely be a nice add-on to this sometime when we are one a more leisurely pace

 

[VicarJT]

We love vacationing in Cape May and have done the ferry over to DE for a day trip. That would definitely be a nice add-on to this sometime when we are one a more leisurely pace

We’re in northern RI, so doing the trip in one day is a non-starter anyway. Depending on when we leave, we stay either in Ocean City or someplace like Roanoke Rapids.

 

[java]

Need hotel help. We are on the road now and are planning on stopping someplace in South Georgia- which normally is no problem. This year nothing! And very low ratings on hotels recently on cleanliness. I am thinking short staffed. Any suggestions? There are 5 of us

 

[LadybugsMum]

Need hotel help. We are on the road now and are planning on stopping someplace in South Georgia- which normally is no problem. This year nothing! And very low ratings on hotels recently on cleanliness. I am thinking short staffed. Any suggestions? There are 5 of us

The GA/FL line at exit 3 should have a few hotels that are good in Kingsland, GA if you can get that far.

 

[java]

The GA/FL line at exit 3 should have a few hotels that are good in Kingsland, GA if you can get that far.

Those are the ones with poor reviews - all very recent. I was looking at Comfort Suites but yikes the reviews! Not much availability- thinking short staffed. (La Quinta booked country inn booked) but thanks for trying

update! Booked one in Jacksonville

 

[java]

Looks like tolls are coming to I4

 

[LadybugsMum]

Those are the ones with poor reviews - all very recent. I was looking at Comfort Suites but yikes the reviews! Not much availability- thinking short staffed. (La Quinta booked country inn booked) but thanks for trying

update! Booked one in Jacksonville

Ah, ok. My parents used to live down there, but moved 4 years ago to be near me. Jax is good since there's so much choice.

 

[djbogue]

Are you an ATL or Chattanooga local? I'm just wondering if you might know when the construction deadline might be.

We're driving from Ohio, but stopping in Wilmington, NC first to visit family so we will miss ATL for that drive. But was contemplating what to do for our drive back. We usually just go straight back up I-75 the whole way but the other night I started thinking about a route through Alabama and then stopping for the night in Nashville since we love Nashville and haven't visited there in a long while, either.

We go through Alabama just to not going through atl. It is a little longer but worth it to us.

 

[Mikey15]

Looks like tolls are coming to I4

The tolls are for the new "express lanes" that have been / are being built. General I-4 traffic will remain toll-free.

https://i4ultimate.com/project-info/express-lanes/

 

[rj9555]

Those are the ones with poor reviews - all very recent. I was looking at Comfort Suites but yikes the reviews! Not much availability- thinking short staffed. (La Quinta booked country inn booked) but thanks for trying

Yeah, I looked at the reviews of the Comfort Suites in Kingsland and I see what you mean. Someone did say they took their business to "the hotel next door which was 10 times nicer." I don't know which one they were referring to.

 

[rusafee1183]

Hi all! It’s been about 100 years since I’ve posted here, but the last time I traveled to WDW, it was pre-children and I always flew down. My husband and I will be driving from Pittsburgh to WDW in April with our two little boys, and TBH I am not even sure where to start.

We’ll be traveling with a 3 year old and a 7 month old. I’ll take just about any tip that anyone has! This is the longest drive (nearly 15 hours) that we have taken with our kids, and I’m definitely nervous.