? for those who drive from the Phila/SJ area

[Hasil72]

I'm going to defer to the experts who have done it before. We're driving to Disney this year leaving around dinner time on Friday, 11/13 scared1. Every site I go to tells me a different area as the halfway point. Can anyone who's made the drive tell me your experience on where you have found yourself at the "half way there" point? We hope to drive around 8 or 9 hours Friday night, stop, then finish up on Saturday. I'm thinking somewhere at the southern end of NC maybe?

Thanks!

 

[crazy4claspooh]

As a kid we did this and always stayed around "South of the Border". I have not been brave enought to do this drive with my 4 kids. Good Luck!!

 

[jobie61]

I would say Lumberton NC is approximately the half way mark, and a great place to stop for the night. Lots of Hotel Choices.

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

I would say 1/2 way is the NC/SC line WDW is just over 1000 mile from the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the NC/SC line is just under 500 miles.

DISTANCES
New Jersey = ?????
I-95
Delaware = 20 miles or less depending which bridge you use
Maryland = 109 miles
Virginia = 178 miles
Norht Carolina = 181 miles
South Carolina = 198 miles
Georgia = 113 miles
Florida = 122 miles
I-4
65 to 70 miles depending on which WDW exit #

A Friday Night & Around Washington DC's traffic mess you'll be lucky to get to NC in 9 hrs.

I hate that drive. We live in Wilmington DE and have sat in DC trafffic to many times. This trip I am going down US 13 cross the CBBT pick up I-64 east to US 17 south to US 64 West to I-95 at NC mile marker 138 I did this trip 3 weeks ago and it took me just over 7 hrs to get to I-95 this way. The only traffic I saw was on I-64 east around Virginia Beach but it wasn't bad at all. Coming back I stayed on I-95 and the trip took 11 hours. I sat on the beltway around Washington DC for 3 hours due to Road/Bridge construction and another 1 1/2 hrs in Baltimore at the I-695 Construction and it was a Sunday.

I see you live in South Jersey. Can you take the Cape May Lewes Ferry to save some driving time? I haven't been on the Ferry in years and have no idea what they charge now.

If you go the Ferry. The route is US 9 west to Delaware 1 south for a couple of miles to Delaware 24 west to US/Del 113 south to US 13 south and follow above directions you should be at I-95 exit 138 in 5 to 5 1/2 hours after you get off the ferry

 

[bookwormde]

Normally the NC/SC border is a good time ½ way, but with the time you are leaving you are likely to be an extra 1-2 hours (if there are no accidents) getting through Wilmington/Baltimore/Washington (and to a lesser extent Richmond. So I would move it to the middle of NC.

Going down the peninsula might be a little better since you are past beach season but I find the 1 to 113 to 13 a lot better than 1 to 13 especially on a Friday night. It is still going to take an extra hour over better travel times down 95.

Getting down to the Lumberton area would still be a good stop even if you have to drive a little longer.

Sorry there are no really good alternatives for leaving this time on a Friday night. Quite honestly you are a lot better to get going by 3am Sat and just drive straight through. You might even arrive earlier at WDW unless your stop is not a full nights sleep. Also you avoid al the Friday night “impaired drivers”



bookwormde

 

[Hasil72]

Thanks everyone! I guess it was asking for too much when DSis/BIL thought we might miss the DC traffic by leaving SJ around 5 or 6. (We're about 20 minutes from PHL by way of the Commodore Barry Bridge.) BIL has to work half a day and neither family wants to pull the kids out for yet another day of school.

OK, so instead of trying for Florence, SC, maybe we should aim a little north.

Thanks again.

 

[Nohal]

I also live in SJ and have driven many times. I don't know if this is an option for you but we would leave between 12am and 1am. We would drive right through to Jacksonville FL. The trip would take us about 14hrs barring no traffic or road construction or accidents. We would stay overnight in Jacksonville and get up early the next day and head on to Disney which was about 2hrs away. Doing it this way we felt like we only spent 1 day traveling instead of 2. Coming home we would leave around 5am and drive straight through. We found after a few years of doing this that letting the kids stay up until you leave (which was a real stretch for them) they would sleep most of the day in the car. We only also stopped for gas and quick meals.

 

[Moomduck1]

I'd play it by ear. We never make hotel reservations when driving down and we've never had a problem. If the roads aren't very crowded, you might make really good time and might be able to make it to Florence. Otherwise, Lumberton is a nice stop. I'd drive til you're tired!

 

[Missytara]

Once you are in Lewes, it isn't worth going all the way back up to 95; that is about two hours back north.

From Lewes, you go south and take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel; you are only about ten minutes from the MD border at Lewes.

My friends left from Dover, and completely missed all the 95/Baltimore/Washington traffic and went to the Tunnel. It cut off about an hour from their trip.