For those folks driving!

[justreading]

Does anyone know how I’m able to check the weather along i95 from Philadelphia to Florida? We are heading down in 10 days and I want to keep an eye on the weather for our travel. Thanks!

I sometimes use the apps Drive Weather or Highway Weather.

 

[deedeew80]

Hi all! We are headed back home to NJ from our week at Disney! We plan on stopping about halfway, in Fayetteville, NC. Any hotels that are recommended and ones to avoid? Thanks!

 

[garada3]

Recent Experience and Advice Please:

Driving to WDW next week (weekday drive) with planned overnight just north of Jacksonville near the intersection of 95/295. The plan is to leave that hotel by 4:30am and we hope to be on property by 7:30am.

When leaving Jacksonville that early, should we take the 295 bypass or just take 95?

Then as we approach Orlando, should we avoid I4 since arrival to that Orlando corridor will be about 6:00am? Considering taking 417 (toll) from near Sanford. Google searches indicate 7am is start of rush hour.

Any big construction projects that will impact plan?

I will check info on maps for accidents etc during the drive. I was just hoping for recent experiences or frequent travelers’ advice. Last time we did the drive to Disney from the north was 2014.

 

[ximfinity]

Recent Experience and Advice Please:

Driving to WDW next week (weekday drive) with planned overnight just north of Jacksonville near the intersection of 95/295. The plan is to leave that hotel by 4:30am and we hope to be on property by 7:30am.

When leaving Jacksonville that early, should we take the 295 bypass or just take 95?

Then as we approach Orlando, should we avoid I4 since arrival to that Orlando corridor will be about 6:00am? Considering taking 417 (toll) from near Sanford. Google searches indicate 7am is start of rush hour.

Any big construction projects that will impact plan?

I will check info on maps for accidents etc during the drive. I was just hoping for recent experiences or frequent travelers’ advice. Last time we did the drive to Disney from the north was 2014.

Just did the drive and we stopped at the Savannah Airport Area as there were a lot of decent hotels available for good rates. We didn't aim for rope drop though and it took ~5 hours with one quick pit stop. We were on a weekend too, but I'm thinking aside from your last 45 minutes you should be ahead of most traffic.

 

[garada3]

Just did the drive and we stopped at the Savannah Airport Area as there were a lot of decent hotels available for good rates. We didn't aim for rope drop though and it took ~5 hours with one quick pit stop. We were on a weekend too, but I'm thinking aside from your last 45 minutes you should be ahead of most traffic.

Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience with the drive.

It is that last 45 minutes of the drive I am most worried about and is the reason I am thinking of taking 417 from Sanford to property.

A few years ago we drove in from Tampa and the traffic was bad. We did make our goal of rope drop that morning but it was added stress for sure.

 

[fla4fun]

Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience with the drive.

It is that last 45 minutes of the drive I am most worried about and is the reason I am thinking of taking 417 from Sanford to property.

A few years ago we drove in from Tampa and the traffic was bad. We did make our goal of rope drop that morning but it was added stress for sure.

you might be okay using I-4 if you plan to take the toll express lanes instead of the free interstate. You do have to have a transponder to use the lanes (no cash or pay-by-plate) but they are compatible with several other transponders. You can read about the express lanes here:

https://i4express.com/

Otherwise, taking the 417 or 429 is a good idea. It is a little out of the way, but you should make up time with less congestion. Both the east 417 and west 429 will lead you to Disney at the southern end. You can use toll-by-plate if you do not have a transponder.

https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/traveler-help-center/using-our-expressways/

I have worked in downtown Orlando and in the Universal/I-Drive area. I can definitely recommend not using free I-4 during rush hour. I would drive surface streets before I would use free I-4.

Safe travels!