For those folks driving!

[carissanboys]

We drive to Disney about twice a year from western New Jersey (about 15 miles east of Easton PA). Have usually taken I 95 or 476 for the majority of the way. I have been reading alot about the 81-77-25-95 route. Any suggestions if its worthwhile to try from NJ or the best route. Everytime I get near the beltway in DC I cringe..

Thanks,

Maybe it's because I live here (although not from here originally), but the beltway really isn't that bad as long as you don't hit it at rush hour I know that's harder to work out when you live further away though.

 

[ecpool]

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that we just returned from a wonderful week in Disney and we drove from Cohasset Massachusetts.(South of Boston)
After much debate and hearing stories etc, we drove down going the Mass Pike to Route 84, then to Rt. 81, to 77 to 26 and get on 95 way down near South Carolina.
Absolutely the most beautiful ride!!!!
We came home on 95 to compare(and basically to try and prove my mom wrong that their is no other way to go but 95!) It was the worst experience we have ever had and took almost 9 extra hours due to the Womans march, a horrible accident, torrential rain and just plain having to drive 95. We ended up cutting over and getting back on 84 the rest of the way home.
The end result for us is that we will never travel 95 again(bad roads, way too many tolls with none the other way, too much traffic and trucks, bridges, tunnells etc.) By going the 84 way, it is so pretty, less stress, about 100 miles more but believe it or not, it takes just about the same amount of time.

Just wanted to let you know our experience which was the best week we have had in Disney ever except for the horrid ride home! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
Jen

Jen, We are thinking of taking the same route this February. Do you think this route would be ok during the winter?

 

[MomtoGoofyandBelle]

Hi, I am new to this sight, so please bear with me. My DH and 2 DD's 12 and 5are thinking of driving this year to FL. We are leaving in August. I was wondering how long it takes to get to DW and where is there a good place to sleep along the way. We were looking at driving about 10 -12 hours and picking a place to stay and then get up the next morning so we can be in DW by noon. Any suggestions. I am just worried about the long drive. Thanks for all your help

 

[dawz1026]

Hi, I am new to this sight, so please bear with me. My DH and 2 DD's 12 and 5are thinking of driving this year to FL. We are leaving in August. I was wondering how long it takes to get to DW and where is there a good place to sleep along the way. We were looking at driving about 10 -12 hours and picking a place to stay and then get up the next morning so we can be in DW by noon. Any suggestions. I am just worried about the long drive. Thanks for all your help

HEY!
We drive from NY just about every year (not fans of flying) and we live in Long Island.It takes us 3-3.5 to get to Delaware and 10 hours to Florence South Carolina.We stop in Brunswick Ga for the night (14-16 hrs from NY) which leaves us with 3 to 4 hours the next day.It is doable for you because you are 3hrs closer than we are.I would imagine you guys could get to Ga in approx.12 hrs...ps-My ds was 10 months and made it 16hrs with no complaints dd 11 then..we are going again ds 22months dd 12 she loved the ride!Its a family adventure!!!! oh yeah..holiday inn in brunswick new and clean! great steakhouse in hotel and the hotel has indoor pool for kids..

 

[MinMouse]

Hi, I am new to this sight, so please bear with me. My DH and 2 DD's 12 and 5are thinking of driving this year to FL. We are leaving in August. I was wondering how long it takes to get to DW and where is there a good place to sleep along the way. We were looking at driving about 10 -12 hours and picking a place to stay and then get up the next morning so we can be in DW by noon. Any suggestions. I am just worried about the long drive. Thanks for all your help

We have done the drive from Wilmington, DE seven times! Our first drive the girls were 5 & 8 and we drove to Savannah, Georgia in about 12 hours. It was a few years ago but we stayed at a Fairfield Inn (I 95 Exit 94). It had an indoor pool (it was winter so that was the BIG treat for the LONG drive for our girls) and free continental in the a.m. Right now our favorite way to go is to leave DE around 3 a.m. (to get through Baltimore & DC before the rush) and stop in Florida for the night. Then we're really close in the morning. But our first trip we did just like you are planning and it worked great. Any more questions?

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[kellermomof3]

First time to post..hello ya'll....

Has anyone driven from Texas to Disney?? It seems like most of the post are from the Northeast. We are driving in June '08 from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and I was wondering if anyone has ever done this. My husband wants to drive straight through, looks like it will be around 19 to 20 hours . We want to leave around 3 or 4 in the morning and get there at night.

We will not be checking into Disney POR until the next day. We plan on staying in a "motel 6" style hotel the night before around the Disney area.

Has anyone done this??? Thanks!!

 

[marvel]

What are the places that one shouldn't miss on the way down? We are thinking of stopping in Virginia and Savannah but as a tourist in the US would love some advice on things we might want to see. Any advice would be great??

Thinking of seeing the mountains maybe??

 

[bigAWL]

What are the places that one shouldn't miss on the way down? We are thinking of stopping in Virginia and Savannah but as a tourist in the US would love some advice on things we might want to see. Any advice would be great??

Thinking of seeing the mountains maybe??

Sounds like you're coming from the northeast US? Then you're probably driving down I-95. That would be a bit of a detour to see the mountains, in Virginia, at least. What time of year? Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Natinal Park would be very nice way to see the mountains, especially for the fall colors.

Description: http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=10090
Map:http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/mapspark.htm

 

[marvel]

yes, we are coming down from NY but uncertain really about where to stop??

 

[pilferk]

yes, we are coming down from NY but uncertain really about where to stop??

Exit 121 in NC is going to be about 1/2 way for you...it is for us coming from NW CT.

Lots of good lodging options. If you want, I can list a bunch of them...or you can go here:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/NC-I95.htm

 

[verbiosa]

We're driving down from Central Iowa, starting out Sunday night. It should be interesting. We're hoping to make it in one fell swoop. Should take around 20 hours.

 

[Flyerfan]

Jen, We are thinking of taking the same route this February. Do you think this route would be ok during the winter?

We drove the 81-77-26-95 route last month. It's our favorite route. I agree with Jen....beautiful. When we left home the weather was foggy and rainy but the ride was still OK and it cleared up in Virginia. The problem was on the way home. After watching the Weather Channel and seeing the snow coming right up the Appalachians, we decided to take 95 all the way home. We still ran into some snow. You have to watch the weather because the mountains of North Carolina can get tricky if it's bad. But it's definitely a way better route than 95.

 

[marvel]

anything worth seeing around the Appalachians??

 

[Flyerfan]

anything worth seeing around the Appalachians??

It's just beautiful to see the mountains as you're driving, especially when the sun is coming up. We've only driven it twice and I can think of one thing, The Natural Bridge. We haven't stopped there but will this November. Maybe someone else can help you with more ideas.

 

[Kimbere]

Hey all! I'm new to this board and it's my first post. We are driving down to WDW in March from Michigan, pulling our camper to stay at Fort Wilderness. To say I'm DREADING this drive would be a huge understatement. We have 2 kids, ages 6 & 8, and I'm still wondering how I got talked into driving.

Does anyone have any suggestions, shortcuts, etc., that would make this trip more bearable? We have DVD for the car, and each child has Nintendo DS & Leapster for entertainment. Anyone have any good car games? Our driving route is from Detroit to Berea, KY (day one), Berea to Perry, GA (day two), and finally Perry to WDW on day 3. For those who have driving from MI, does this route sound about right? Many, many thanks!

 

[bigAWL]

Does anyone have any suggestions, shortcuts, etc., that would make this trip more bearable? We have DVD for the car, and each child has Nintendo DS & Leapster for entertainment. Anyone have any good car games? Our driving route is from Detroit to Berea, KY (day one), Berea to Perry, GA (day two), and finally Perry to WDW on day 3. For those who have driving from MI, does this route sound about right? Many, many thanks!

When I was kid, my parents had this game called Zit-Zingo for us to play. I always loved it. Not very high tech for today's kids, but it may be a way to get them to actually look out the window and experience a little bit of the drive, rather than just being absobed in the world of their little travelling arcade. I created a home-made version for my kids once (6 and 4), and they seemed to like it (it wasn't a very long trip, so we didn't get to play it very long).

It's basically a bingo game using pictures of things you would see while out on the road instead of numbers on the game board. So you have a 5x5 grid filled with pictures of things like a stop sign (and other typical signs), a police officer, an airplane, a water tower, a gas station, etc. You can make them as common or as obscure as you think would keep your kids interest. Print up a stack of game cards on your computer, each with a random layout of the same pictures.

Another game we played as kids was the license plate game. Give them a list of the 50 US states plus District of Columbia, and see how many different states' plates they can find.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[JonS99]

Our driving route is from Detroit to Berea, KY (day one), Berea to Perry, GA (day two), and finally Perry to WDW on day 3. For those who have driving from MI, does this route sound about right?

Its your trip, but I can't imagine stretching out that trip into 3 days like that, you are only doing about 400 miles each day.. Or are you doing other things on the way down?

 

[duffy]

We got back on Sunday. We drove from our home in western Pa. to our eldest's daughter's home in Maryland, just off the beltway. We took 95 the whole way down to I-4. We took a small side trip in St. Augustine to the beach. Neither my daughter or neice had seen the ocean, so they wanted to do that.

Coming home we compared times, and it took about 14 hours for us to make the trip back to Maryland. Again we slept at my daughter's place, then took the 3 hour drive back to our home.

Cost of gas was just under $200.

One thing I did was buy a hanging shoe organizer for each girl to have in the backseats. I tied them around the headrest of the front seat and they then had all these pockets to keep their stuff in! They had their Nintendo Ds in pockets, the games in others, paper backs, drawing materials, an mp3 player, snacks, trash etc. I am going to do this any time we take a long trip! Easy to keep organized!!

 

[tammyjeanm]

Hey all! I'm new to this board and it's my first post. We are driving down to WDW in March from Michigan, pulling our camper to stay at Fort Wilderness. To say I'm DREADING this drive would be a huge understatement. We have 2 kids, ages 6 & 8, and I'm still wondering how I got talked into driving.

Does anyone have any suggestions, shortcuts, etc., that would make this trip more bearable? We have DVD for the car, and each child has Nintendo DS & Leapster for entertainment. Anyone have any good car games? Our driving route is from Detroit to Berea, KY (day one), Berea to Perry, GA (day two), and finally Perry to WDW on day 3. For those who have driving from MI, does this route sound about right? Many, many thanks!

Hi Kimbere! We are considering driving to WDW from Michigan in October 2008. It will just be my husband and I. We will be celebrating our 10yr Wedding Anniversary down there. I am trying to make this trip as affordable as possible and it seems if we can get good gas mileage it will be cheaper than flying but definetly more time consuming. We plan on driving straight through by taking turns. Do you suppose you could let me know how you do on gas cost and mileage? I would greatly appreciate it.

As far as ideas to keep the young'ens busy...we always sang songs, played slug bug, I spy, tic-tac-toe, dots, and see who could blo the biggest bubble gum bubbles. I hope these ideas help.

 

[Beka'sMom]

Thinking about driving from NY this summer- should we leave in the am to get to GA for the night and then continue to disney the next day?
Wondering what time is best- was thinking 6am to get to DC after rush hr and also beat NY rush hr.
Any thoughts?