Just did the drive from NY to WDW...

[Desnik]

For those who are planning the drive on I95, there is alot of construction going on from SC to Fl and again construction on I4 to WDW. It does slow you down a bit. We stood at a Hampton Inn(not the Hampton Inn suites) in Florence SC and would not stay there again and would not recommend it. Be careful in Virginia, there were so many state troopers there, people were getting pulled over left and right! When we drove down it was on a Sun. and there was no traffic and we made it from Orange county, NY to Florence SC in 9hrs! We only stopped for the bathroom and dinner. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[C.Ann]

Hope to drive down from upstate NY (Schenectady County) the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Just 3 gals - myself, grown DD and 3 yr. old granddaughter. Did you avoid the NY City and DC areas? If so, what route did you go?

Where would be a SAFE place for us to stop overnight? You said you made it to SC in 9 hours - how much longer to Orlando the next day?

Am I crazy to make this drive?
Thanks!

 

[Desnik]

First you are not crazy to make this drive!! This was our 5th time driving. From where we live we did not have to go through NYC. We take NJturnpike to I95south. Our second day was about 7-8 hours. Keep in mind we stopped for lunch and alot of potty breaks with our 4yr.old DD! We followed the directions we got off of www.mapquest.com exactly. It had us get off I95 by going on I395 I think.(I think this was to go around DC) It was alittle confusing at first but we just stuck to the directions and we didn't run into traffic on the way down. The way home we ran into NJ rush hour traffic. I would check out this website http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm This is how I found out info about hotels. On our way home this trip and last we stood at a Hampton Inn in Selma NC, it was clean and safe and included Cont. Bkft. I do have to say the tv/dvd player we had was a life saver for us. In the past our DD did the drive with no problem, now at this age all we heard was "are we there yet?" Until we put on a movie and she was silent!!

 

[musical2]

Desnik,

What did you not like about the Hampton Inn in Florence, SC? I have read here before that it was good. That is why I booked it for the drive back from Florida.

Bart

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks Desnik! By the way,do you recall how much you spent in gas on the way down and back? Trying to figure that into my budget to see if I can really do this.. I have a 94 Oldsmobile min-van - couldn't tell you what kind of mileage I get though..

 

[bobcat]

C. Ann I have a '97 Olds Shilloette and on the freeway I get between 26-30 mpg. I have a 1000 drive one way and I usually spend between $75-125 for the round trip. Gas in GA is cheap so I fill up here. I know my budget is pretty wide but last summer I spent $80 but since gas is higher this year I am planning on $125 just to be on the safe side.

 

[JudithM]

Desnik, if I didn't know better, I would have thought you were with us last week ! We stopped at the Hampton Inn on US 52 in Florence, SC & never again . We have stayed at many Hampton Inns up & down the East Coast - three others in the last three weeks. I talked to someone at the front desk before we checked out. Turns out this was one of the very early Hampton Inns & is about 14 years old.

It just did not feel like a Hampton Inn. For the amount they quoted me when we called from the SC Welcome Center, I expected better. The mattresses felt very soft & worn out & did not fit the springs on the bed, so we always felt like we were falling off the bed. As a Hilton Honors member we did not receive our bill on/under the door like we should have. The walls & bathroom door frame were dirty & marked up - needed paint, needed cleaning; etc. I will say they lived up to their 100% satisfaction guarantee.

 

[JudithM]

I cannot edit the above post ... Ironically we, too, stayed at the Hampton Inn in Selma, NC. It was a bit pricey, but we felt safe & it was very clean & felt like a Hampton Inn! We stopped there on our way south. We stopped by the outlets down the road & then ate at the new Quiznos (?sp) for dinner - delicious, made to order sandwiches & friendly employees!

 

[dandelion]

C. Ann - you are not crazy! We drove from Glens Falls NY area twice and probably will do it again some year. About avoiding NYC and DC, I would say it depends on how much time you have to travel, and the time of day you will be hitting those areas. One trip we had lots of time, so we took a more western route then headed back to the coast around Charleston. On the second trip, we left Niskayuna (dh works at KAPL) around 5, had dinner on the Thruway, then blew past NYC and DC areas overnight. No troubles at all. Also no small kids to need potty breaks. Our kids are 3 and 5 now.

 

[parrotheadlois]

I'd recommend the Best Western in Santee, South Carolina. Nice, safe area, nice restaurant. I've never found a place I REALLY liked on the way back. Usually try to make it to Virginia.

 

[Desnik]

Sorry it has takin me awhile to post. The reason we didn't like the Hampton in we stood at on the way down was a few things. The room was very small, it was actually maybe too narow. You had to walk sideways to make it to the bathroom past the armoire and bed! Then the armoire was broken and didn't close, so needless to say I got a nice scratch on my arm from banging into it! The iron was broken, the shower curtain was dirty with mildew all on the bottom. We did have ressies and requested a first floor room which we got. When we arrived we were tired and didn't feel like complaining. This place was like a motel6, not a Hampton Inn.
On the way down we stopped for gas only twice!! We had a full tank before we left, and filled up 2 more times on the way down. We get really good gas mileage. I don't know exactly what it is but, I do know we have a new Camry and it is a 4cylinder car.
Since we will probably always drive down I probably will try a different hotel on the way down. I just haven't found anywhere that I feel comfortable in.
Oh, I also forgot to mentionn that the exit#'s on I4 have changed. The old exit# is still on the top right hand corner of the exit sign. If you get directions online, they will probably reflect the old exit#'s like ours did, so stay alert!!
Also one more thing, I do believe there are 2 Hampton Inns around the Florence area, one is a regular Hampton Inn(where we were) and the other is a Hampton Inn and suites, so maybe that one is better. Musical2, if your ressies are for the one we were at, my advise, cancell and go somewhere else.

 

[musical2]

Thanks for the good information Desnik. I will try to find other accommodations.

Bart

 

[JudithM]

Musical2, I think the other Hampton Inn in Florence is near the Convention Center or something like that. I second Desnik's opinion/view about the Hampton Inn on US 52 - stay clear!

 

[WDWCamper]

Is the construction massive or does it look like it may be nearing its completion?
We are driving to WDW from upstate NY (Albany) in August for the first time. We have previously traveled south to Tenn. via 81S and found that a pleasant ride. We have mapped out the route to Orlando going this down 81 then cutting over to I95 in the SC region. There are a lot of tractor-trailers this way, but they are very well mannered in sharing the roads. 81 also provides a awesome view of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. At sunrise, its breath taking.Rest stops or exits were readily available. We did travel through NJ to go south a couple of times as well (though never dealt with the DC area) and definitely prefer the other way down 81...but of course we are pulling a trailer and its harder for us to navigate the busy metro areas. We did not find longer in time because the few extra miles you may travel are more than made up by the lack of traffic.

Unfortunately it appears we will be hitting the construction area you mentioned even with our nice 81 trip.

 

[musical2]

I have taken your recommendations and have cancelled my reservation at the Hampton Inn in Florence, SC and made new reservations at the Wingate Inn in Florence which is nearby. From the looks of the photos at the Wingate website, it looks good. Anyone have any experience with the Wingate Inn?

Bart

 

[Desnik]

musical2, glad I could help and good luck with your hotel choice. Please post after your stay, I would love to know about a good hotel to try next time.
WDWcamper, the construction wasn't that bad. I would just try to avoid it during "rush hour". We were entering the Orlando area on I4 just about when "rush hour" was starting, about4pm. The construction does not look like it is near completion, but I wouldn't say it was massive. It'll just slow you down a bit. Good luck and happy driving!!