Help Driving from Southern NJ to Disney

[Sophie's Mom]

My husband and I just purchased our first travel trailer and will be taking it to Fort Wilderness in August (I know....hot!!). We are going to take two full days to drive down - leaving from the Atlantic City area the first day. We are going to take the Cape May Lewes Ferry and then drive down the Delmarva - picking up I-95 in North Carolina. We would like to stay in motels/hotels going down and just park the TT. The truck - travel trailer combination is long. The TT is 38'. Any suggestions for motels along the way that will let you park the truck and TT?

Our intent is to get very close to Orlando by the end of the second day. Again stay in a motel and then check into Fort Wilderness early the next morning!

Thank you!

 

[FtW Mike]

SM welcome . We go From Just North of Dover De and have gone the way you are discussing. First make sure you know highway once you get out of CBB&T Southern loop of I 64 bypass is toll free northern has another bridge and toll.
As for hotels we stayed at a Days Inn in Hardeville SC ( Exit 33) and found it okay nice Cracker Barrel for breakfast next door I would call and ask about parking. In the same area is Camp Lake Jasper CG which gets rave reviews. We had a semi reservation for our last trip ( all they had was my name and phone number ) so when an emergency the day before caused us to abandon our plans we didn't bother to call and cancel. The following day they called us to make sure we were okay says a lot I think. As for in Orlando lots of chain hotels call and ask

 

[team bradfield]

Dumb question, why wouldn't you camp on the way down?

 

[Sophie's Mom]

Dumb question, why wouldn't you camp on the way down?

Our intent is drive late each night - not sure if we would have sunlight to set up the TT. As I said we are newbies to the RV world and a little nervous about setting up after dark!

 

[PaHunter]

We leave from Southcentral PA, and I drive 13 hours to GA, this is our overnight stay on the way down, and we have plenty of time to set up before dark. From there is a few hours to the Fort. On the way back we split the trip more evenly and stay in Ft Chiswell, VA which is just about halfway timewise for us. When we camped overnight with our tt, a lot of times we did not even unhook if the campsite was pretty level. Other times we would unhook and pull the truck just clear, so all I had to do in the morning was back straight up and hook up. With our new fifth wheel we need to unhook in order to level, but for a single night will still only pull forward enough to clear the trailer and then in the AM reconnect and go.

 

[Sophie's Mom]

PaHunter

Thank you! Good tips!

 

[PaHunter]

Just remember when you are that long you can't just pull in to any gas station for fuel. And believe me there are many that are not set up for more than a car or small trailer. We almost got blocked in last trip down at one that was set up badly. So now especially with a 42 ft trailer and a Crew Cab Dually I use mainly truck stops.

 

[Sophie's Mom]

PaHunter

Thanks again! I've already started plotting out where all the big truck stops are to fuel up. We have an extended cab F150 with an 8' foot bed. So we are long!

 

[topiney]

We purchased the I-95 Travel Guide last year because it was our first time traveling with the tt south to Fort Wilderness. Usually we would just look for gas stations on our own but like PaHunter we almost ended up in a "pickle" (as my grandson called it) when we ended up in an extremely busy, not very large convenience store/gas station. I think I purchased it on amazon and it proved very useful for sleeping, eating, and getting fuel.

 

[PaHunter]

We purchased the I-95 Travel Guide last year because it was our first time traveling with the tt south to Fort Wilderness. Usually we would just look for gas stations on our own but like PaHunter we almost ended up in a "pickle" (as my grandson called it) when we ended up in an extremely busy, not very large convenience store/gas station. I think I purchased it on amazon and it proved very useful for sleeping, eating, and getting fuel.

One of my tools for preplanning a stop is now I use Google Earth to check on a place or location to see what it looks like from an aerial point of view. Nice to have that birds eye view to keep one out of a pickle.

 

[topiney]

One of my tools for preplanning a stop is now I use Google Earth to check on a place or location to see what it looks like from an aerial point of view. Nice to have that birds eye view to keep one out of a pickle.

That would be my husband's answer to this problem.....I, on the other hand, still try to use books and paper...lol, yes I know, I really need to give into the age of technology.

 

[peg110]

ust remember when you are that long you can't just pull in to any gas station for fuel. And believe me there are many that are not set up for more than a car or small trailer.

This is absolutely a concern. We have found, however, for the most part, if they offer Diesel (even though we are "Gas") that they are usually (but not always) accommodating to larger vehicles. My best advice here is not to stress to much about this, but rather start checking for gas stations when you are about a "Quarter Tank" that way you can find an alternative if necessary.

We have an extended cab F150 with an 8' foot bed. So we are long!

Okay, I have to ask... Is it going to tow your TT okay? I have a 37' and an F-250 (Crew Cab/short bed) and I wouldn't dream of towing it with my former F-150 (also was Crew Cab/Short Bed). Granted both were "Gas" and not Diesel. (Diesel typically has better towing capacity, but not always).

While my previous F150 probably could have towed my current TT, it would have been really close to it's limits (if not slightly over). While a short trip (under 100 miles) might have been considered... a LONG trip (for us 1100+ miles) would NOT be okay. It's hard on the vehicle and almost as hard on the driver too. (believe it or not)

As a general rule, you do not typically want to tow at the Vehicles capacity. I personally like to leave 10% (or more) buffer. So if the vehicle can tow up to 10,000 Pounds, I won't tow more than 9,000 (if at all possible)

My F250 can tow up to 15K and my TT is about 10K (rated). I suggest a few short trips around the area before taking the long haul, just to be sure you know how it handles. Don't forget that food, water, fuel, batteries, clothes, accessories are all adding weight, but you need to make sure you don't go over the GVWR for your Tow vehicle as well as your Travel Trailer.

 

[morrik5]

We have all of the Pilot/Flying J POIs on our GPS for just that reason - not easy to maneuver a regular gas station with a 34.5' Class A towing a Chevy Equinox.

 

[FtW Mike]

We have all of the Pilot/Flying J POIs on our GPS for just that reason - not easy to maneuver a regular gas station with a 34.5' Class A towing a Chevy Equinox.

We don't have them in our GPS but when we plan a trip I print out on trip planner that show CG's we have reservations for or are willing to try On the back of the page I hand write the address, phone number and web address for each one.
On a second page I have Pilot /Flying J locations I indicate exit # and miles between each. Found this helps me. I try to do my research well enough in advance and know in advance where we will overnight how far we will travel approx how long each leg will take (I add 25 to 30% of time trip planner says) where my favorite Cracker Barrel's are and where all the major rest stops are ( 2 Adults 60 + 1 senior dog nearing 14 and 2 pups 1yr ) these are important as we find a stop even more enjoyable

 

[morrik5]

We don't have them in our GPS but when we plan a trip I print out on trip planner that show CG's we have reservations for or are willing to try On the back of the page I hand write the address, phone number and web address for each one.
On a second page I have Pilot /Flying J locations I indicate exit # and miles between each. Found this helps me. I try to do my research well enough in advance and know in advance where we will overnight how far we will travel approx how long each leg will take (I add 25 to 30% of time trip planner says) where my favorite Cracker Barrel's are and where all the major rest stops are ( 2 Adults 60 + 1 senior dog nearing 14 and 2 pups 1yr ) these are important as we find a stop even more enjoyable

Funny, I spend a good portion of planning determining how far we want to drive each day and make reservations (of course after checking with DH who does all of the driving). I only recently learned how to put in custom POIs into our GPS and include Walmarts as we do our groceries there en route after we cross into the US. Wish they weren't so strict at the US border for taking in meat and potatoes. Our trip planner has each stop for each camp ground and I print out the reservation confirmations and directions to follow along in case I don't hear or see the GPS which is not within my reach. I have a separate stapled list of all of the Pilot/Flying J's and know ahead of time (before I put the POIs in the GPS) where the next one is so we can watch once we hit 1/2 a tank of gas and need to start looking. Good luck with your travels.

 

[KristinU]

Welcome Sophie's Mom!

Just to add to the gas station conversation:
We just took our maiden voyage towing our Jeep behind our 31 ft class C, just a regional trip about 3 hours each way to get it under our belts. Also stopped for gas to get that under our belts. Had to hop a curb since I misjudged our turning radius (for the record DH was co-piloting and though we could make it as well...just sayin') no backing up with a car in tow...had to go for it! Anyway, we've decided if there is ANY doubt whatsoever when we're towing, we'll do a drive by and figure out the best plan of action for gas.

Flying J's often have RV lanes, and their app (MyPilot) will tell you if they have them or not. I'm looking forward to gassing up outside of New England!

Sophie's Mom - if you do want to give overnighting in your RV a shot, look for campgrounds that have pull through sites that you can book for overnights on the way down, that helps a lot with late night arrivals and early morning departures. No hitching or unhitching, just hop out and go to bed.

 

[FtW Mike]

We purchased the I-95 Travel Guide last year because it was our first time traveling with the tt south to Fort Wilderness. Usually we would just look for gas stations on our own but like PaHunter we almost ended up in a "pickle" (as my grandson called it) when we ended up in an extremely busy, not very large convenience store/gas station. I think I purchased it on amazon and it proved very useful for sleeping, eating, and getting fuel.

I know I got my copy on AMAZON. We love it and I even brought it on 2 very long out of state trips I was part of for work and my co workers were very happy I had it for finding places to eat, potty stops, and driver change overs. My only complaint is i like to stop and eat at Cracker Barrel restaurants while on the road and those locations are not LISTED.

Forgot to tell you in my PM If you need fuel before you get through the CBBT on Rt 13 in Va there are a number of ROYAL FARMS stores that sell both Gas and Diesel and can normally handle those with RV's

 

[Sophie's Mom]

Thank you all for your great advice..we appreciate any and all tips.

Peg110 - Our F150 is 3.5 Eco Boost (whatever that means! My DH is up on all the truck capabilities!!) with the max tow package. According to Ford we can tow 10,500lbs and the loaded TT weighs in at 9,200 - so we have some room!

 

[PaHunter]

Thank you all for your great advice..we appreciate any and all tips.

Peg110 - Our F150 is 3.5 Eco Boost (whatever that means! My DH is up on all the truck capabilities!!) with the max tow package. According to Ford we can tow 10,500lbs and the loaded TT weighs in at 9,200 - so we have some room!

Except that you should not tow at your max. It is best to tow only up to 80 percent of the trucks capacity. One can tow at the max, but it will affect the lifespan of the tow vehicle.
Our last truck and trailer combo was a Chevy 1500 and a TT that came in around 7000 lbs. After a trip to Disney and back, getting a whopping 6 mpg, we decided we needed a bigger truck. Now we went all out and went to a 3500 dually with the intention of one day getting a fifth wheel, and that just recently happened. With the 3500 we got about 12-13mpg towing on a trip to Disney.
Just my 2 cents, take it for what it is.

 

[peg110]

Thank you all for your great advice..we appreciate any and all tips.

Peg110 - Our F150 is 3.5 Eco Boost (whatever that means! My DH is up on all the truck capabilities!!) with the max tow package. According to Ford we can tow 10,500lbs and the loaded TT weighs in at 9,200 - so we have some room!

Also Echoing a bit on what PAHunter said.... the closer you are to the limit, the harder it is on the Tow Vehicle. I don't know much about the "Eco Boost" other than it supposedly gets great MPG (at least for a truck) but not so much when towing. My former F150 (5.4 Triton V8 - Gas) got about 15 MPG when NOT towing.... Dropped to close to 5 MPG on our first trip with the TT to Disney. I knew it would drop, just didn't think it would go THAT low. (I estimated about 10MPG. Boy was I wrong)

Anyway, I suspect the Eco Boost MPG will take a big hit when towing as compared to not towing. Just be prepared for that. Again, Towing will take it's toll on the tow vehicle, so the closer you get to Max, the more "Toll" it will take.

Be careful and enjoy your trip.