For those folks driving!

[pumpkinbuddy]

Just a fyi. We got back last Wednesday. We live in pgh and it took soo long on the way down. We ran into construction all along but, the worst was near Brunswick,Georgia. We actually were parked on the highway for 30 minutes. My husband was freaking out. Beware

On the plus side we left Disney for home at around 4am and it was smooth sailing the whole way home. No traffic at all. It took us around 17 hours to get home including stops for lunch and dinner an potty breaks. Leaving at 4am really helped alot. Last year be left around 6:30am and it was afwul. Traffic in am traffic at lunch and traffic at dinner

Just wanted to give a heads up

 

[TyRy]

ok, too tired now to read through the whole thread. first; a question:
we come from chicago. we have considered trying to miss atlanta altogether by staying on 65 and going through Alabama. then either cutting over to Ga. (around Tifton) or heading down to 10 in fla. but nebo (DH) is concerned about these state routes. is it really slow going? any suggestions?

Spoke with DH and here's how we went coming from Berwyn...we took 55 to 294. 294 to 57 (tell Nebo it is the better way...why go all that way out of your way to Indy! ) 57 to 24 and then 24 to 65, which we picked up in Nashville. Then we took 65 all the way down into Alabama. Here are the directions we used - got them from Spiceycat:

Just stay on I 65 until you get to Montgomery; then take I85 get off on exit 9(if AAA is telling you to take on I85 exit 6 - don't - go a little further take exit 9 which is the next exit - you will be happily surprised at the time saved.... plus you won't get lost) right turn - when the road ends turn left on US 231. You can stay on US 231 until it gets to I 10 in Florida.

stay on I 10 until it get to I75.

people on I 10 can be fast - so you might see more Florida state troopers - they don't seem to mind 75 mph and even 80 mph - it is cars going over a 100 mph that they seem to stop.

Once near Disney, on the Turnpike I preferred taking US 27 - to US 192 - this lets you in the backroad of Disney - especially if you are staying in Kissimmee/Davenport or anything along or around US 27. while some people prefer taking the florida turnpike to I4.

Does that help? It might have been a little bit slower, but was a great drive...and since the way done was done overnight in AL, didn't have any traffic. We also were making record time to Nashville until we hit construction for a couple of miles..that slowed us, but we still got there pretty quickly.

Ty

 

[kristytru]

 

[wifey1220]

Just a fyi. We got back last Wednesday. We live in pgh and it took soo long on the way down. We ran into construction all along but, the worst was near Brunswick,Georgia. We actually were parked on the highway for 30 minutes. My husband was freaking out. Beware

On the plus side we left Disney for home at around 4am and it was smooth sailing the whole way home. No traffic at all. It took us around 17 hours to get home including stops for lunch and dinner an potty breaks. Leaving at 4am really helped alot. Last year be left around 6:30am and it was afwul. Traffic in am traffic at lunch and traffic at dinner

Just wanted to give a heads up

Thanks for the info
We are leaving from pgh on Saturday around 6am. hopefully we won't hit much traffic.

 

[lizzytizzy]

Hi all! My DH and DD and I along with friends are planning to drive to Disney from NJ for the first time on Black Friday! Yes. I already made reservations for a couple of hotels on the way there already. I need them for the way back. We plan to stay at a park all day and then drive back afterwards. Any recs for the way back? We were planning to stay somewhere in GA but I don't know if that will be too far to drive if we spent the whole day in the park that day. But, we plan to drive the rest of the way home the next day. Any recs on clean and safe hotels would be really appreciated!

 

[smidgy]

lizzy: we have stayed at many little motels along 75 in ga. knights inn,.best value, etc. depends how far we make it (tifton, amboy, macon, etc.) oh, take the macon bypass, there are quite a few along it and it's shorter.
since you don't know how long you will be in the park that day for sure, or how tired you will be, I suggets NOT makkies ressies. on the way down, stop at the GA> welcome center and pick up those motel coupon books. these discounts no not count for reservations. then as you get closer you can call and see which have availability. (we always call to see which have exterior corridors ,ist floor drive up(so we don't have to unpack everything,) and smoking.
you hate to have ressies for, say valdosta, but you feel like you can drive further, say to tifton. Or the reverse! youre just too tired but your ressies are 80 miles yet! that would be unsafe.

 

[huskies90]

I just finished reading this ENTIRE post. It took several weeks. Tons of great information on here. I have a question that I could not find anywhere in the post.

But before I get to my question…here is our story…

I am from CT and I have never driven. It is something I have always wanted to do just for sake of saying I have done it. But after dozens of trips to FL, I was always able to get a good enough airfare to cost justify flying. Our next trip is planned for President’s week in ’09. The party of 4 will be me, wife and two daughters 12 and 9. I thought this would be a great time to try driving. I don’t see us getting $200 round trip airfare for that week and with winter weather and airport delays, it is a good time to have the flexibility of driving.

So after reading all the amazing posts on this thread here is my plan. I’ve decided it would be best to drive straight thru. We’ll have 2 drivers. I am not a big driver, I usually fly so the thought of driving 12 hours, sleeping, then getting up and driving another 12 hours does not sit well. I rather just peel off the bandage in one swoop. I am planning on leaving CT after work on Friday and taking 84, 684, 287, GSP, to I95 the rest of the way. That allows me to circumvent NYC and the GWB and gets me to Philly by about 9-10PM and to DC by around midnight, hopefully, missing the bad rush hour traffic. Since my kids are a bit older, I have no doubt they will sleep most of the night as will my wife. So, I’ll handle the grave yard shift then hand it over to her when the sun comes up in the AM.

OK, so here is my question. As mentioned above, I don’t want to have to stop for the overnight, but if in the wee hours of the morning, I decide I NEED to stop because I can’t go any further and need to pull over for a cat nap, are there any rest areas and/or places to do this along the way. AND has anyone else ever done this? It just seems easier rather than pulling over, finding a hotel, going thru the hassle of checking in, waking up the family that will already be sleeping, getting them out of the car and into the room just to get two hours of sleep which would be all I would need. I don’t know what the areas are like south of DC since I have never been on the road down there. Also, I don’t anticipate this being necessary. I moonlight as a bass guitarist in a local cover band and I am often driving home from a club at 3-4AM and never have a problem.

So I guess I am looking for safe rest areas in the VA, NC stretch to pull over for 40 winks just in case I need it…And if anyone has ever done this…Anyone?

 

[JWollman]

Hi fellow CT'er!!!
We have driven the drive several times from CT. Actually, I have only flown to FL 2 times, and that was NOT to go to Disney!! I have driven every time... including this years trip with our toddler!
We usually leave at night- 10/11pm..... however the past two trips with the kid we have stopped overnight... just so he is not bonkers for being in a car seat for so long!!
One year we did the drive and stopped around 3am in GA.. at the border. The rest area was nice and big and quite! We snoozed in the back of the SUV until the sun came up! We have also stopped in NC on the drives down to catch some zz's as well.

I really think its a great ride, people think we are nuts, but actually it has been cheaper to drive then to fly for us. .. plus I can take WHATEVER I want!!

 

[BC1836]

Hi all! My DH and DD and I along with friends are planning to drive to Disney from NJ for the first time on Black Friday! Yes. I already made reservations for a couple of hotels on the way there already. I need them for the way back. We plan to stay at a park all day and then drive back afterwards. Any recs for the way back? We were planning to stay somewhere in GA but I don't know if that will be too far to drive if we spent the whole day in the park that day. But, we plan to drive the rest of the way home the next day. Any recs on clean and safe hotels would be really appreciated!

Search the "For 2,000+ Mile Drivers Only!" thread for more relevant replies from NJ (and other Northeast) drivers.

 

[pilferk]

I just finished reading this ENTIRE post. It took several weeks. Tons of great information on here. I have a question that I could not find anywhere in the post.

But before I get to my question…here is our story…

I am from CT and I have never driven. It is something I have always wanted to do just for sake of saying I have done it. But after dozens of trips to FL, I was always able to get a good enough airfare to cost justify flying. Our next trip is planned for President’s week in ’09. The party of 4 will be me, wife and two daughters 12 and 9. I thought this would be a great time to try driving. I don’t see us getting $200 round trip airfare for that week and with winter weather and airport delays, it is a good time to have the flexibility of driving.

So after reading all the amazing posts on this thread here is my plan. I’ve decided it would be best to drive straight thru. We’ll have 2 drivers. I am not a big driver, I usually fly so the thought of driving 12 hours, sleeping, then getting up and driving another 12 hours does not sit well. I rather just peel off the bandage in one swoop. I am planning on leaving CT after work on Friday and taking 84, 684, 287, GSP, to I95 the rest of the way. That allows me to circumvent NYC and the GWB and gets me to Philly by about 9-10PM and to DC by around midnight, hopefully, missing the bad rush hour traffic. Since my kids are a bit older, I have no doubt they will sleep most of the night as will my wife. So, I’ll handle the grave yard shift then hand it over to her when the sun comes up in the AM.

OK, so here is my question. As mentioned above, I don’t want to have to stop for the overnight, but if in the wee hours of the morning, I decide I NEED to stop because I can’t go any further and need to pull over for a cat nap, are there any rest areas and/or places to do this along the way. AND has anyone else ever done this? It just seems easier rather than pulling over, finding a hotel, going thru the hassle of checking in, waking up the family that will already be sleeping, getting them out of the car and into the room just to get two hours of sleep which would be all I would need. I don’t know what the areas are like south of DC since I have never been on the road down there. Also, I don’t anticipate this being necessary. I moonlight as a bass guitarist in a local cover band and I am often driving home from a club at 3-4AM and never have a problem.

So I guess I am looking for safe rest areas in the VA, NC stretch to pull over for 40 winks just in case I need it…And if anyone has ever done this…Anyone?

Howdy and hello.

We've (the family and I) done the drive 5 or 6 times now, using exactly the route you're mapping out.I vastly prefer avoiding NYC traffic at all costs, and prefer the Tappanzee and the Saw Mill Parkway to I-95. We just (this past January) did the "marathon" overnight drive, leaving Northwestern CT at around 2 PM and arriving in Florida just before noon...and that was with what I would consider a LOT of stopping (blantant plug: You'll see a link to the trip report in my signature, below).

The only difference between us is: I did all the driving. DW sat shotgun and rode herd with our kids, who did NOT sleep more than 2 hours (well, the older 2 anyway) the entire ride down. But it was a "surprise" trip...we told them when we picked my oldest up from school that day...and they were all hopped up on adrenaline.

We're doing it again in early December, coming up in a couple months...but not the "marathon" this time. We're stopping overnight in NC.

There are a bunch or rest stops as you head down, most of them seemed fairly safe and clean. We made a LOT of "potty" stops for our (young) kids. I took a catnap at a rest stop in GA for about 45 minutes as the sun was coming up. The halflight was messing with my eyes, and I needed to pull over until we got to full light.

Another suggestion would be Exit 173 in NC..there's a Walmart Supercenter there. You'll find campers, etc staked out in the parking lot that stay there all night. It's well lit and VERY safe. Would be a great place for a nap.

 

[pilferk]

I really think its a great ride, people think we are nuts, but actually it has been cheaper to drive then to fly for us. .. plus I can take WHATEVER I want!!

Yup, we find the same thing for our family of 5. Cheaper to drive, and no restrictions on what we can bring.

For us, we'd need to find airfare UNDER $200, round trip...and maybe closer to $175...for the airfare to approximate our driving costs. The other nice thing about driving is that we have our own car to drive around.

 

[lizzytizzy]

Search the "For 2,000+ Mile Drivers Only!" thread for more relevant replies from NJ (and other Northeast) drivers.

Where is this thread? I tried looking but couldn't find it.

 

[pilferk]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

There it is!

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Yup, we find the same thing for our family of 5. Cheaper to drive, and no restrictions on what we can bring.

For us, we'd need to find airfare UNDER $200, round trip...and maybe closer to $175...for the airfare to approximate our driving costs. The other nice thing about driving is that we have our own car to drive around.

I agree with this! We are asking for gas cards for Christmas My mil is always telling us she never knows what to get us! This would work great!

 

[grammynelliebelle]

We will be heading down Mid October from NJ. 95 all the way. If you are recently back please let us know how you did. Thanks Grammy

 

[vital]

I'm leaving in a couple of weeks and driving for the first time. I've heard it'll take anywhere from 10-15 hours. Just curious as to the drive times from other folks. I'm VERY familiar with the areas until Destin. After Destin I'll be venturing into new territory. Is there anything I need to know? Speed traps? Bad areas not to get gas at? Anything will help.

 

[crazyhusband]

where in mississipi are you driving from? i live in phenix city alabama and we go through albany ga to tifton ga(I-75) to the state line to the fla turnpike. when on the turn pike you will need at least 10 dollars in quarters for tolls. that will get you in and out from there. when u get to the first toll ask the attedant it should only be 25 miles from there to highway 429 follow to exit 8 which takes u in right through the back gate past animal kingdom lodge. it only takes me and the wife 6 hours to drive. u should be able to take I-10 to I-75. do not know how long it will take u. let me know where u are driving from and i will try to help u figure out how long it will take. going again in december!!!

 

[vital]

where in mississipi are you driving from? i live in phenix city alabama and we go through albany ga to tifton ga(I-75) to the state line to the fla turnpike. when on the turn pike you will need at least 10 dollars in quarters for tolls. that will get you in and out from there. when u get to the first toll ask the attedant it should only be 25 miles from there to highway 429 follow to exit 8 which takes u in right through the back gate past animal kingdom lodge. it only takes me and the wife 6 hours to drive. u should be able to take I-10 to I-75. do not know how long it will take u. let me know where u are driving from and i will try to help u figure out how long it will take. going again in december!!!

I'm on the outskirts of Jackson. I lived in Hattiesburg and grew up in south mississippi until I moved up here so I'm familiar with the roads all the way to Destin. Just trying to get an idea of how far it is past Destin. I'll pick up I10 in Mobile and head on over from there. Any information you can give me will be appreciated!!!

 

[crazyhusband]

when you get on I-10 you will be on that road for a good while. you will go through tallahasse to lake city where you will pick up I-75, take that south until you see the florida turnpike(exit will be to the left). you will need about 10 dollars in quarters for tolls in and out of the turnpike. you will follow the turnpike to highway 429(another toll road). take that to exit 8(hartzog road). once there just follow that road through the back gate and just follow the signs to the resort you are staying at. as far as the tolls go, the first is 2.50 and the second is 1.00. there are only 2 in and out so the 10 dollars in quarters will do you just fine. by the way what resort are you staying at? when me and my wife go in december we will be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. we will be there for 9 days. can't wait!!!

 

[vital]

when you get on I-10 you will be on that road for a good while. you will go through tallahasse to lake city where you will pick up I-75, take that south until you see the florida turnpike(exit will be to the left). you will need about 10 dollars in quarters for tolls in and out of the turnpike. you will follow the turnpike to highway 429(another toll road). take that to exit 8(hartzog road). once there just follow that road through the back gate and just follow the signs to the resort you are staying at. as far as the tolls go, the first is 2.50 and the second is 1.00. there are only 2 in and out so the 10 dollars in quarters will do you just fine. by the way what resort are you staying at? when me and my wife go in december we will be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. we will be there for 9 days. can't wait!!!

We will be at All Star Movies. You will love POFQ!!! That's the first place we stayed there and it's EXACTLY like New Orleans minus the drunks and smells (good and bad). Be sure to take the boat to DTD at least once. It's really cool and easy to do. Thanks for the directions and the tip on toll money. I had no idea it'd cost that much . What would you estimate the time from Mobile to WDW? I drive 75-80 depending on the traffic.