For those folks driving!

[staceychev]

I'm kind of excited, because we just decided to drive for our trip this fall. (I know--crazy, right?) We drove from South Jersey, near Cherry Hill, when we went four years ago, and I swore that the next time we'd fly. We discussed it yesterday, though, and decided that just because we could fly this time, we'd still like to save the money. I have a Prius, so I think we can make the trip for around $100, which is way different than $1200 for plane tickets! Plus, I think road trips are kind of fun.

I think we'll probably drive straight through--which is what we did last time, because it just seemed easy enough to keep going. I'm not sure if we'll leave super-early or go overnight--we're driving with a 9 year old and a 5 year old.

Thanks for all the great advice on this thread--I've been taking notes!

 

[DizDaD7]

Tried to search but really not coming up with what I am looking for and I am starting to get frustrated. So I apologize in advance if what I am asking has already been answered elswhere.

There is a total of 4 adults and 2 children driving down to Disney from South Jersey. Out of the 4 adults only three will be sharing the driving. So the first day we are looking to get somewhere between 3 and 4 hours of our final destination. Yes we could drive through but with this many people we will need to stop and recharge overnight.

So my questions are: 1) What town should I stop in 2) Any recommendations for a safe, clean, affordable hotel.

Thanks everyone.

We're making our 3rd driving trip, from Bergen County NJ this August...

What we usually do is get on the road, right after work ( roughly 4 pm ) & try to get around D.C. after rush hour has disappated...We stop for a quick bite, kids change & go to the bathroom, & fuell up, then they end up sleeping for the next10 hours. By the time they wake up , it's 6 or so & we are either in lower S.C. or somewhere in Ga. Only a couple hours to go and we would be in our Happy place.....My sister usually stops in Santee S.C. whic is roughly 5 1/2 hrs from WDW..... Neat lil town... If I were you and I were going to be roughly 4 hrs or so away I'd just assume finishing the trip...Especially with 3 drivers....Should make it a lil easier on you all. My DW will not sleep when I'm driving, so therefore if I needed a break, I can't sleep when she takes over, so I end up just driving the whole way....LoL

 

[mshanson3121]

So we're going to be driving from Northern Maine this summer (end of June). Plan on doing the 84 to 81 route through the mountains, bypassing NY, DC etc... It's about 27-28 hours drive time.

We're planning on doing 2 nights/3 days, first day getting to Scranton, 2nd day into Carolinas, then 3rd day to Orlando. We're driving with an 8 & 5 year old. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

 

[paults]

anybody have a cost for gas both ways from Rehoboth beach , de or vicinity. I know there are websites with this but all 3 I tried give diff answers. (gas buddy, AAA etc. I don't care what car you used, just let me know what it was.

 

[ngchiro]

Nice. I love driving to Disney. So much anticipation. A little harder on the drive home, but worth it.

 

[cranbiz]

anybody have a cost for gas both ways from Rehoboth beach , de or vicinity. I know there are websites with this but all 3 I tried give diff answers. (gas buddy, AAA etc. I don't care what car you used, just let me know what it was.

Rough guess is 3 tanks of gas down and 3 back. Going to depend on the vehicle but that was what my pickup would take. Figuring I used to gas up at the last exit on the NJ Turnpike, then in Roanoke Rapids, NC, then Waltersboro, SC, then Daytona Beach, FL to WDW.

It's about the same distance if you start with a full tank in Rehoboth Beach as my stop in NJ. I would usually get about 20 MPG out of my truck. and each fillup for me was about 20 gal. Depending on gas prices, you are looking at about $300 on the low side to $400 on the high side for a round trip.

If you drive a prius, my numbers are way high, if you drive a full size van with a big V8, my numbers are low.

 

[DizDaD7]

I drove a minivan the 1st time and it was around $475.

Then I drove my Big conversion van, which is super comfy for the DW and kids, and that was around $525 r/t.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Anyone driven to DLR from PA??? We have driven from PA to FL every year for the past 7!

 

[deedeew80]

We will be driving from South Jersey at the end of April. We check in on April 28th, so we will be leaving the day before, April 27th. Our plan is to leave around 4am. According to Google Maps, it takes about 14hrs 35mins. Considering any stops we need to take, I'm hoping to make it to Orlando by about 8pm, maybe sooner. It will be 4 of us going, me DH, DD5 & DS2. So, my question is, what is the best hotel to stay at once we arrive in Orlando. I would like to be as close to Disney as possible so we won't have much drive time in the morning. However, I also don't want to spend an arm & a leg! TIA!

 

[LuvEeyore]

We will be driving from South Jersey at the end of April. We check in on April 28th, so we will be leaving the day before, April 27th. Our plan is to leave around 4am. According to Google Maps, it takes about 14hrs 35mins. Considering any stops we need to take, I'm hoping to make it to Orlando by about 8pm, maybe sooner. It will be 4 of us going, me DH, DD5 & DS2. So, my question is, what is the best hotel to stay at once we arrive in Orlando. I would like to be as close to Disney as possible so we won't have much drive time in the morning. However, I also don't want to spend an arm & a leg! TIA!

We drove from near the VA/NC line and started about 3:30 am and drove to Daytona and were there by 330 pm with several stops. We stayed Ocean front then left by 5 am and were at Universal/Royal Pacific Resort by 6:15 am and in the park by 7:00 am

 

[disney-inspired]

This our first time driving. Originally from California so we've only flown. We are heading out of Columbus, GA. Can anyone suggest a good route? Safe areas to stop and rest or good places to eat?

Thanks so much for your help

 

[3mama3]

So we're going to be driving from Northern Maine this summer (end of June). Plan on doing the 84 to 81 route through the mountains, bypassing NY, DC etc... It's about 27-28 hours drive time.

We're planning on doing 2 nights/3 days, first day getting to Scranton, 2nd day into Carolinas, then 3rd day to Orlando. We're driving with an 8 & 5 year old. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

We're doing the same drive in May! I'll let you know how it goes! We are actually driving from Nova Scotia! But we'll drive to Portland our first day and spend the night, leave the next day from Portland! Excited, but a little nervous!!

 

[mshanson3121]

We're doing the same drive in May! I'll let you know how it goes! We are actually driving from Nova Scotia! But we'll drive to Portland our first day and spend the night, leave the next day from Portland! Excited, but a little nervous!!

Oh awesome! I'll be anxious to see how you make out

 

[LuvEeyore]

I'm kind of excited, because we just decided to drive for our trip this fall. (I know--crazy, right?) We drove from South Jersey, near Cherry Hill, when we went four years ago, and I swore that the next time we'd fly. We discussed it yesterday, though, and decided that just because we could fly this time, we'd still like to save the money. I have a Prius, so I think we can make the trip for around $100, which is way different than $1200 for plane tickets! Plus, I think road trips are kind of fun.

I think we'll probably drive straight through--which is what we did last time, because it just seemed easy enough to keep going. I'm not sure if we'll leave super-early or go overnight--we're driving with a 9 year old and a 5 year old.

Thanks for all the great advice on this thread--I've been taking notes!

We left from VA about 3 am. We drove on Jan 1 and did very well. We were in our hotel room by 4 pm in Daytona with only the last hour the next morning.

 

[RustManFan]

If I drove all the way from NJ to FL (both ways of course), I would need a vacation from my vacation. Many times we have driven as far as Northern Virginia and then taken the Auto Train. Once we only took going down and then drove home. Not in one day! We took the opportunity to stay a night in South Carolina, one in Virginia and another (via a slight detour) in Gettysburg, PA. What a fantastic trip that was.

 

[bafleyanne]

We've now driven twice from Delaware. The first time we drove straight through, leaving in the evening. The second time we left at about 3 am (to get through DC before rush hour), drove to Savannah to spend the night, then had an easy drive the next day. I vastly preferred the second time. We were much less exhausted.

 

[bluezy]

We've now driven twice from Delaware. The first time we drove straight through, leaving in the evening. The second time we left at about 3 am (to get through DC before rush hour), drove to Savannah to spend the night, then had an easy drive the next day. I vastly preferred the second time. We were much less exhausted.

We're in the same boat. We drive from the Philadelphia area and spend the night in Savannah. We get a good night's rest there and head out about 7:30 or so in the morning so we're at DW by lunch time. My son and his fiance have driven straight through and they ended up needing to nap and then get to bed early that first day at DW so they didn't really gain anything by driving straight through. Now they do the Savannah stop as well.

 

[marie8461]

We're in the same boat. We drive from the Philadelphia area and spend the night in Savannah. We get a good night's rest there and head out about 7:30 or so in the morning so we're at DW by lunch time. My son and his fiance have driven straight through and they ended up needing to nap and then get to bed early that first day at DW so they didn't really gain anything by driving straight through. Now they do the Savannah stop as well.

Can you recommend a place to stay in Savannah? We are driving from Jersey - 12 hours to Savannah - but at least we will get to rest before heading to Disney the next day. Thanks.

 

[bluezy]

Can you recommend a place to stay in Savannah? We are driving from Jersey - 12 hours to Savannah - but at least we will get to rest before heading to Disney the next day. Thanks.

We've always stayed at the Comfort Suites Savannah North (Port Wentworth). It was brand new the first time we stayed there. When we were there in 2013, I started to notice little odds and ends of things that needed updating or repairing but we still enjoyed our stay. For us, it's just a place to sleep one night and take a shower in the morning. We don't even spend 12 hours there so as long as it's clean and has 3 beds in the room, we're good.

It's convenient because it's right off I-95 and we've always been able to get a decent rate (usually around $100 for the night). There are several restaurants close by but the kids seem to think we always need to order Domino's and have it delivered to the room. For some reason, they think that's the "coolest" thing. They also love swimming in the (tiny) indoor pool. The free continental breakfast has enough options for us.

 

[patclairesmom]

Can you recommend a place to stay in Savannah? We are driving from Jersey - 12 hours to Savannah - but at least we will get to rest before heading to Disney the next day. Thanks.

Pooler, Ga is a good stop. It's the exit before Savannah. We stayed at the Quality Inn but there are lots of hotels and restaurants. Also if you have time, there is a great museum: National Museum of the Mighty Eighty Air Force. I highly recommend it.