HELP ME...first time driver

[mlegerto]

Hi everyone!!

I am VERY new to this forum and I seeked it out to find some advice on driving to Walt Disney World.

I am 22 years old and have been to Disney World 26 times, but I have never driven there.

My friends and I decided that we will go away in May 2011 - we need time to save the $ for this trip hee hee, but were trying to figure out if we should drive or fly again.

Can someone give me some helpful hints to making this decision.

I live in the GTA so I was wondering if you guys had some advice on;
- how long the drive will take
- how much the gas / tolls are going to cost us
- pit stops / places we must stop and visit along the way
- any suggestions on getting there and enjoying the drive


Here are some details that we know so far;
- 4 of us driving down there ( by that time we will all be 22 - 24 yrs old)
- the way there we would like to enjoy driving down there (planning to stop overnight and take 2 - 3 days to get there)
- the way home, we plan to do it in one shot (4 of us will have the ability to drive)


SO.....as I said, HELP!!!

 

[PanamaMike]

I'm a solo Toronto driver.

I made the trip last year down the I-75

Left home at 8:30am.
Stopped in Athens, TN at 10:45pm.

Departed the next morning at 07:45am
Arrived at the DTD Marketplace parking lot at 5:50pm.
24hrs, 20 mins total driving time

Drive home along I-95
Departed the DTD Marketplace parking lot at 10:45am
Stopped in Jonesville, NC at 9:15pm

Left the next morning at 8:15.
Back in Toronto at 9:40 that night.

23hrs, 40 mins total driving time.

Hard to know what you will spend on gas since that will depend on what you are driving and what the cost of gas will be in 20 months.

 

[mlegerto]

Thanks for your help and the timeline that you used.

Do you suggest booking a hotel to stop at, or is it pretty easy to find a hotel room during May along the way?

 

[nokidz]

When you get gas, always pick up the hotel/motel coupon booklet. they are by State. They will tell you which hotels are up ahead and sometimes you can get a very good rate.
We never book rooms in advance for our travels. We usually drive straight down and take a night on the way home.
We are north of Toronto (2 hours) and we can be in St. Augustine Fl in 23 hours with two drivers.
We cross at Fort Erie, head west to Erie PA, then cut south and wind our way to I-95.

 

[boudreau.christine]

My fiancee and I went last summer. Our first stop was Charlotte, North Carolina - 16 hours, at the Motel 6, $50. Then we spent the night in Orlando, Motel 6 again for $50. We went so far the first night cause we wanted to stop at Daytona beach and Jacksonville Zoo for a little while. From there, we arrived at Disney for 730 am so we could take advantage of our tickets.

the gas was $150 each way, we have a new Corolla but the gas prices last year were super high as well.

If you have more than one driver, you can do it in 2 days with time to spare.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Every summer my family and I drive down taking Interstate 75 and we take 2 & 1/2 days getting down there. On our first day of driving we leave our house at 2:00 AM and drive about 14 hours and spend the night in Cleveland, Tennessee. The next day instead of arriving in the evening around 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM, we drive to Valdosta, Georgia and stay there. That way we arrive the next day around 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM.

Also here is a tip you should know about. Most of the gas stations in Florida will not accept a Canadian credit card when paying for gas at the pump, because you need to enter a zip code and that's one thing we don't have. So what we usually do is pre-pay like $25.00 or $30.00 whenever getting gas. However most of the gas stations we been to in Michigian, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennesse and Georgia don't ask for a zip code. There was just one gas station in Georgia where we needed a zip code, so that's not bad.

 

[cslittle999]

We've driven the i79/I77 route four times now and it takes a consistent 21 hours to get from Orangeville to Orlando. We usually stop just now of Charlotte, NC because the hotels are a little cheaper. This trip we spent $190 US on gas total (there and back plus a little driving around Orlando). We have a Dodge Grand Caravan.

We always prebook hotels because we don't want the hassle of calling or stopping at multiple places. We might pay a little more than the coupons but I value my time.

What I would do is use Google Maps to get a route crossing at both Buffalo and Windsor. That would give you routes to look for places to stop. You could then go to CAA and get travel books. You could also do some searches online.

For the I79/I77 route it depends on what you want to do.

We stopped at Emerald Hollow Mine on the way home this trip and panned for emeralds. It was a lot of fun for not much cost.

If any of your group are Nascar fans then stopping in Statesville and Mooresville, NC would be fun.

For the trip home really the only thing to considered is when you will be leaving WDW and where you will be when it gets dark. You don't really want to be going through the mountains of VA/WV in the dark. There are a couple of stretches where the exits are far apart and you would want you gas purchased planned out. That's not so much of a concern for the I75 route.

If you decide on the I75 route get a copy of Along I75. It gives you exit by exit travel information.

 

[dissybroad]

i agree, either print or have access to the exit by exit travel information even if you think you know exactly what your itnerary will be. if anything goes wrong (like water in your gas in georgia!!!) you can make adjustments at a moments notice.

 

[mlegerto]

WOW....you guys have been so helpful!

I knew I could count on you guys!!!

Once again, thanks so much for everything so far and if anyone else has anymore information, please let me know, otherwise, thank you all so much!