My "LIVE FROM I-95" Trip Report... Update 9/27.. Sad news.

[threegoofys]

To answer a few questions,


NC bbq.... We stopped at Parker's and it was good and something I would definately eat again, but it was a big change from the bbq I am used to. I am still partial to bbq with a tomato sauce... There is a place near my house called Dixie Bones, and I get pulled pork there with tomato bbq but I mix it up with a lot of their vinegar sauce. The meat comes out plain and you add sauce as you like.

That's NC BBQ. Go one place and bbq has tons of vinegar, another place and it's really sweet, go somewhere else and its plain and you add whatever sauce you like. Sounds like you are already having a blast and haven't even gotten to Disney yet. Lucky you getting to stop at the outlets, my hubby is always on a mission, To Disney or bust. He won't stop unless it's to go to the bathroom. Watch out for the troopers in GA, they are sneaky. They hide. Last 2 times we have gone down the car infront of us has gotten pulled, but not us. Knock on wood, it's a matter of time. Have a fun time!!!

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Great that you are doing a quick report as you all drive down- I will be doing the same- No air card but I have a Blackberry and it tethers to my laptop so I can get Internet anywhere! Hope your pooch is okay- The reason they lick the wounds is to clean it and help it to heal- In this case it may not do any good but it is an animals way...
We really are loving to hear how things are as you travel down and get there etc but don't forget to enjoy Disney! We will survive til you get back w/ a report! Hey! If you are needing some entertainment on the drive back- check out www.hulu.com - You can watch TV shows or movies- completely free! Found it through Bzz Agent myself and it is totally cool! Whole episodes, including sports, sitcoms, drama, even old shows that are no longer playing- I love keeping up on House & Monk since I miss them due to work! Be careful and no accidents though!

 

[brianm27]

Are we there yet?

 

[Laneychris]

Have a great trip!

 

[acejka]

Quick update!!

Did PI closing last night. THe "NYE" fireworks were awesome! I am glad we went.

Did MK today. Walked on most things that we tried. We didn't do any of the mountains because even though the waits were between 5 and 20 minutes, large tour groups always beat us to the line and made them longer. Loved the update on Haunted Mansion.

We did the BLT and AKL previews today. It was nice to see our home resort (AKL) for the first time. Still didn't like the BLT rooms, even in person. We will stay sometime if possible but aren't interested in buying.

We love love LOVE SSR resort. No problems with our room other than the tub jets being nasty in a big way. It took a few tries but that is resolved. We have a lovely view of the lake behind Paddock.

I am on a DVC pin trading mission! I got 5 DVC member pins today!

Encountered the dream team 2 times but no dreams. Maybe next time...

Off to cook dinner!!

 

[Anal Annie]

We hail from Ellicott City, MD. Our first day down we do a stopover in Florence, SC. Usually we average around 50 mph the whole trip (with the DC Beltway traffic slowing things down a bit and a stopover for gas and food in Roanoke Rapids, NC or Wilson, NC). So you figure roughly 450 miles or 8-9 hrs.

We made excellent time this last trip down though. Left last Saturday around 1pm and were in Florence by 8pm. Traffic on the beltway was very smooth. (We took the eastern/Wilson bridge route and then the HOV all the way past Potomac Mills.)

If you can bypass the DC Beltway you'll shave an extra 30-60 minutes off your travel time. Oh, and do not bother with the Richmond Bypass. Traffic through Richmond is never really busy and the bypass takes you an extra 20-30 miles off course. It's really only useful for heading to Williamsburg and Virginia Beach.

There's smooth sailing down I-95 past Richmond. But South Carolina and Georgia gets to washboard lane. They've been in the process of widening the roads to 3 lanes.

Also, try to time your trip to avoid rush hour through Jacksonville. That can get a little jammed around 5pm. Not nearly as bad as DC though.

I am in upper Montgomery Co. and have not tried driving to Orlando....yet. Well, we drove to St. Pete once many, many years ago when we used to live in Frederick...nightmare drive...went to Hagerstown & took I-81 instead of I-95...drove over night, straight thru - took more like 16 or 17 hours - said we'd never do it again! We also have been reluctant to take 2 days driving time in each direction...(too much vacation time and not enough time at the world)! But I have been wondering about the drive with the price of gas these days....what kind of vehicle do you drive and how much do you budget for the total round trip? I have a Honda Pilot, but I don't seem to get the mileage it's supposed to get. I have gone to north central WV a few times (about 225 mi. 1 way) and get TERRIBLE mileage on that trip. From where we live we'd go down I-270 and pretty much would HAVE to pick up the Beltway...it takes us somewhere between 2 or 2 1/2 hours to get to like the Kings Dominion area in VA. How long do you think it would take from here and about how much $ as opposed to flying. We're just a family of 3 so I have always felt the cost was a toss up to fly and get there in 2 hours - but then when we came home from our cruise this summer we had about a 4 hour wait for our flight - which ended up with about a 3 hour weather delay....then there was a delay getting the luggage at BWI....we got off the ship at 9:00 am and got home around 11:00 pm !! Do you think we could we do this drive in 12 or 13 hours and less than $500 in gas?

 

[Disney Spaz]

We live in Columbia. MD and I work in Silver Spring in Mo County. We always drive if the trip will be longer then 4 nights. We always save more money that way. We are going in Jan and for 4 airline tickets it would be $1000 but driving, budgeting for $5 a gallon and $100 for food we will only spend $700 round trip. This is in a minivan hauling tons of baby stuff so I think we get about 22 miles a gallon. Either way I would tell you if you do the drive leave at 10-11PM at night so you avoid much of the DC beltway traffic. It can shave hours off your trip. With the cost of gas less you probably could do it for less then $500. Hope this helps.

 

[nikkistevej]

We hail from Ellicott City, MD. Our first day down we do a stopover in Florence, SC. Usually we average around 50 mph the whole trip (with the DC Beltway traffic slowing things down a bit and a stopover for gas and food in Roanoke Rapids, NC or Wilson, NC). So you figure roughly 450 miles or 8-9 hrs.

We made excellent time this last trip down though. Left last Saturday around 1pm and were in Florence by 8pm. Traffic on the beltway was very smooth. (We took the eastern/Wilson bridge route and then the HOV all the way past Potomac Mills.)

If you can bypass the DC Beltway you'll shave an extra 30-60 minutes off your travel time. Oh, and do not bother with the Richmond Bypass. Traffic through Richmond is never really busy and the bypass takes you an extra 20-30 miles off course. It's really only useful for heading to Williamsburg and Virginia Beach.

There's smooth sailing down I-95 past Richmond. But South Carolina and Georgia gets to washboard lane. They've been in the process of widening the roads to 3 lanes.

Also, try to time your trip to avoid rush hour through Jacksonville. That can get a little jammed around 5pm. Not nearly as bad as DC though.

Hey neighbor, I'm in Catonsville, question about the drive- how long was the trip the 2nd day of the trip? We are planning on driving to WDW next year, we usually fly, and we only want to drive about 3 hours the secong day of out trip.Thanks!!

 

[Debbie H]

We are even further up in Hanover, Pa, above Carroll County, MD. We drive a lot and enjoy it. Takes us about 15 hours. We like to drive because we can take our "stuff" with us and we can leave when we want and stop when we want.

 

[DVC92]

I am in upper Montgomery Co. and have not tried driving to Orlando....yet. Well, we drove to St. Pete once many, many years ago when we used to live in Frederick...nightmare drive...went to Hagerstown & took I-81 instead of I-95...drove over night, straight thru - took more like 16 or 17 hours - said we'd never do it again! We also have been reluctant to take 2 days driving time in each direction...(too much vacation time and not enough time at the world)! But I have been wondering about the drive with the price of gas these days....what kind of vehicle do you drive and how much do you budget for the total round trip? I have a Honda Pilot, but I don't seem to get the mileage it's supposed to get. I have gone to north central WV a few times (about 225 mi. 1 way) and get TERRIBLE mileage on that trip. From where we live we'd go down I-270 and pretty much would HAVE to pick up the Beltway...it takes us somewhere between 2 or 2 1/2 hours to get to like the Kings Dominion area in VA. How long do you think it would take from here and about how much $ as opposed to flying. We're just a family of 3 so I have always felt the cost was a toss up to fly and get there in 2 hours - but then when we came home from our cruise this summer we had about a 4 hour wait for our flight - which ended up with about a 3 hour weather delay....then there was a delay getting the luggage at BWI....we got off the ship at 9:00 am and got home around 11:00 pm !! Do you think we could we do this drive in 12 or 13 hours and less than $500 in gas?

I live near you and have been driving to WDW for almost 20 years. If you are leaving on a weekday, you need to avoid rush hour, 7-11 in the morning. After that, you are usually OK until about 2-3 in the afternoon. Weekends are usually OK absent an accident, but it can get a little slow as you approach Fredericksburg, VA. After Fredericksburg, it is usually an easy drive the rest of the way. I always go straight through Richmond since it shorter than the bypass.

 

[Anal Annie]

I live near you and have been driving to WDW for almost 20 years. If you are leaving on a weekday, you need to avoid rush hour, 7-11 in the morning. After that, you are usually OK until about 2-3 in the afternoon. Weekends are usually OK absent an accident, but it can get a little slow as you approach Fredericksburg, VA. After Fredericksburg, it is usually an easy drive the rest of the way. I always go straight through Richmond since it shorter than the bypass.

Rush hour is like never ending around here 'eh? We would definitely leave off-peak. But so do you drive it straight thru or stop over night somewhere like in the Carolina's? Does it take around 12-13 hours? I would imagine IF we decided to drive it we'd be doing a Sun-Fri kind of trip because of the extra days for the drive - so no rush hour to deal with but so far we usually fly and do a full 7 n week stay... I fare watch ALL the time for cheap air...usually find something for between $160-$210 pp. Not sure how much if anything I'd really be saving for just the 3 of us with gas hovering in the $4 range....Fly for $600ish and drive for $500ish?! Not sure it's worth it.

I might price the auto train for next time too..........but it doesn't go to Orlando, does it? I am not sure that it saves any money either if you take an SUV...........

 

[DVC92]

Rush hour is like never ending around here 'eh? We would definitely leave off-peak. But so do you drive it straight thru or stop over night somewhere like in the Carolina's? Does it take around 12-13 hours?

It seems rush hour never ends anymore, but there are times when traffic doesn't come to a stop absent an accident or construction. I always do an overnight and find Santee, SC a good spot. The first day's trip is about 480 miles and the 2nd day is about 400. 12-13 hours sounds about right. I find leaving Santee at about 10 in the morning usually gets me to Disney at about 4, just in time for check-in. I never go for less than 7 days, usually longer, and like having my car.

 

[JimC]

Quick update!!

Did PI closing last night. THe "NYE" fireworks were awesome! I am glad we went.

Did MK today. Walked on most things that we tried. We didn't do any of the mountains because even though the waits were between 5 and 20 minutes, large tour groups always beat us to the line and made them longer. Loved the update on Haunted Mansion.

We did the BLT and AKL previews today. It was nice to see our home resort (AKL) for the first time. Still didn't like the BLT rooms, even in person. We will stay sometime if possible but aren't interested in buying.

We love love LOVE SSR resort. No problems with our room other than the tub jets being nasty in a big way. It took a few tries but that is resolved. We have a lovely view of the lake behind Paddock.

I am on a DVC pin trading mission! I got 5 DVC member pins today!

Encountered the dream team 2 times but no dreams. Maybe next time...

Off to cook dinner!!

Welcome Home Hope the rest of the trip is as much fun.

 

[dizfanz]

Quick update!!

Did PI closing last night. THe "NYE" fireworks were awesome! I am glad we went.

I thought they stopped doing the NYE fireworks a couple of years ago. When did they start doing them again?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

To answer a few questions,

We are staying at SSR! I am excited! That is where I originally wanted to buy, but the incentives were better for AKL. We really aren't that concerned with the exact place we stay as long as it is DVC, so we bought somewhere that we wouldn't mind staying every trip instead of buying somewhere where we LOVE staying.


NC bbq.... We stopped at Parker's and it was good and something I would definately eat again, but it was a big change from the bbq I am used to. I am still partial to bbq with a tomato sauce... There is a place near my house called Dixie Bones, and I get pulled pork there with tomato bbq but I mix it up with a lot of their vinegar sauce. The meat comes out plain and you add sauce as you like.


We are in Savannah GA right now. I love love LOVE it. I want to move here. I like the college town atmosphere, and the food is YUMO! We ate at Corleone's and it was great! Tomorrow is Paula Deen's.


OK AND I THINK THE FOLLOWING WILL BE A SHOCK!

So I have a confession, I am a COACH addict and there were outlets in Hilton Head... so of course I took over driving and went to them...

MY HEART NOW RESIDES IN HILTON HEAD SC. I think there will be purchasing of a resale contract. I must go back there and stay there. SOON.

That is all for now, I have a food coma from all of the good italian food!!

You know there is a coach outlet at the outlet mall on Vineland which is very close to DTD just on the other side of I-4. I was there this past week and 70% off deals !

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I am in upper Montgomery Co. and have not tried driving to Orlando....yet. Well, we drove to St. Pete once many, many years ago when we used to live in Frederick...nightmare drive...went to Hagerstown & took I-81 instead of I-95...drove over night, straight thru - took more like 16 or 17 hours - said we'd never do it again! We also have been reluctant to take 2 days driving time in each direction...(too much vacation time and not enough time at the world)! But I have been wondering about the drive with the price of gas these days....what kind of vehicle do you drive and how much do you budget for the total round trip? I have a Honda Pilot, but I don't seem to get the mileage it's supposed to get. I have gone to north central WV a few times (about 225 mi. 1 way) and get TERRIBLE mileage on that trip. From where we live we'd go down I-270 and pretty much would HAVE to pick up the Beltway...it takes us somewhere between 2 or 2 1/2 hours to get to like the Kings Dominion area in VA. How long do you think it would take from here and about how much $ as opposed to flying. We're just a family of 3 so I have always felt the cost was a toss up to fly and get there in 2 hours - but then when we came home from our cruise this summer we had about a 4 hour wait for our flight - which ended up with about a 3 hour weather delay....then there was a delay getting the luggage at BWI....we got off the ship at 9:00 am and got home around 11:00 pm !! Do you think we could we do this drive in 12 or 13 hours and less than $500 in gas?

We're in Wilson/R Mount NC and it's about 2.5 hours N to King's Dominion for us. 9 hours to WDW so you're probably looking at 14-15 hours.

I've never driven further south than Jacksonville once to the Peach Bowl (NC State v. Notre Dame) and SWORE off that I'd NEVER do it again but given the current state of airfare AND car rentals, we're destined to try it this Dec. I keep telling myself that it's no further than central NJ and we do that one 2-3 times per year (my wife's from Matawan).

The drive is WIDE OPEN once you pass Richmond. Speed limit through NC is almost all 70+ (all you can get ) and traffic is mostly non-existent once you get out of the Richmond metropolitan area until you get to Jacksonville FL.

Don't forget the advantage of already having YOUR car while you're down there. Don't know if you usually rent a car or not but the advantages of having one are immeasureable once you've been down there and done it. You'll never ride a bus again and you'll only ride the monorail for fun.

I guess it depends on how you drive and your likes and dislikes but I can't imagine making it a 2 day drive from the MD area. Granted, it will likely be a hard one day drive for you and you'll be tired when you get there but it beats losing another day on the road.

For what it's worth, we added a cash day on each end of our reservation (opening Saturday and the final Friday night) a couple of months ago when we just resigned ourselves to the fact that airfare just wasn't coming down and decided to drive it once to see. We figured we could leave at 6am and get there just in time to check in and actually GAIN a day on each end of our vacation. We figured even with the CR on Friday and the following Saturday, we gained 2 more 1/2 days on our vacation (we have AP's so we can hit the parks the night we get there just for FW and fun and DTD before we leave for souveniers) and even with the cost of gas, we added 2 days on our vacation even if the money was, at best, a wash (airfare+car rental). I'm figuring $300 for gas in round numbers.

We're gonna try it once anyway. I think in MD, I'd try it too. We were looking at the same ~225/person airfare for 3 that you are looking at PLUS the cost of a rental once we got there.

Just some random thoughts for consideration.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I keep trying to work the figures for driving (from Maryland) vs. flying, and for two people, there is no savings once you factor in hotel for one night on the way down and back. I think if you are a family of 3 or more traveling, then you will see the savings.

 

[Anal Annie]

WilsonFlyer - we usually fly and take the ME bus so have never driven at WDW. Don't know that it's worth it to have a car. Esp. with the price of gas. Hopping around from park to park looks like it would waste as much time & gas as anything. I know at home little errands seem to use as much as road trips. We'd probably still use the buses. We stay in studios and only eat breakfasts in our unit (I do not want to cook while I am on vacation). I pack some snacks, coffee filter packets, oatmeal packs & those pre-packaged cereal cups that you just add the milk to which are all small & lightweight and we pick up some milk on site and make do. Maybe I might also take some presliced bagels and pick up a cream cheese with the milk...and we'll buy water on site...yes that's expensive but it's cheaper than renting a car... We swore we would never do it in one long day again. We were EXHAUSTED the one time we did it and it took a whole day to recover. That's not solving anything, esp. now with a kid. Back then it was just us. You are probably 5 hours closer than us. From NC, sure, I can see driving it sometimes.

BWV Dreamin - I think unless you are driving a real gas miser little tiny kind of car you'd be ahead to fly for only 2 people...well. Maybe depends on WHEN you're going. Airfare for Presidents Day week / weekend is high as is Spring break. MLK weekend fares are still reasonable - it really depends on the exact date / price for the air. Any fares I can find in the $200 range these days (give or take) are what I would consider reasonable and worth flying and using the ME bus. Once the airfare jumps to over $300 pp the idea of driving becomes more attractive for sure. I just HATE the idea of having to shave a day off of our actual time at WDW for driving.

 

[BroganMc]

Brogan, we are going to HHI in November. From Westminster,we will catch rt. 27, to 70,to 270 to catch 95. Will we still hit the Wilson bridge from that route?

My sympathies. No that is the western route of the DC Beltway. The 270 spur is always a PITA, especially around rush hour. Try to hit it between 11am - 2pm and you'll be ok. Or else after 9pm. Get there during 3-6pm or 7-10am and you'll be crawling as the spur mixes with beltway traffic.

You could always try the far western route and avoid I-95 through the beltway altogether. I-66 or something like that. Head west towards Frederick and pick up the interstate that runs through Harrisonburg, VA.

Otherwise, take 70 to 95 (further east) and then you'll be on the Eastern side of the beltway where the Wilson Bridge is.

In other words, avoid 270 if you can help it. I've never known it not to be a mess.

 

[Love That Mouse]

We will be driving this year over Christmas. We are leaving the 25th around 11:00 A.M. Hopefully no traffic on that day. We are planning on driving for 12 hours ( says my superstar driving husband---I have my doubts ) and spending the night somewhere. We are coming home on Jan. 2nd.

We have never driven before, but since there are 3 of us we are going to give it a try. We will let you know how it goes. I can't imagine driving if staying less than 7 day/nights.