New England Drivers: Where would a 12 -14 hour stop be driving?

[HeatherC]

Hi There!

Thinking of driving from Central Mass. to Disney for February break. Have read the other 2,000 mile thread, but am completely overwhelmed.

My thinking is:

1. We probably will leave around 4am on a Tuesday. Neither dh or I are night people and I think we would be a mess leaving at 6pm....even though I'd like to. I can never nap and dh gets up for work at 4am so by 9pm we are useless. Kids are also early morning risers, so I think this would be better. I know the traffic will be heavier though.

2. Will take 95 since the other route in winter is risky. Will go over the TappanZee to GSP to 95 to avoid NYC though.

3. Would love to drive about 12 - 15 hours and then stop at 6pm for the night. Where would that put us? I know Richmond is about 8 1/2 - 9 hours from us. (Did that last year.)

4. How much more time would we have to drive the next day?

Will be keeping my eyes out for airfare anyway, but part of me wants to try the drive and I would also love to save some money since we are doing some home projects this year that I don't want to keep putting off.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Thanks!!!!

 

[HeatherC]

 

[10_Kyle_10]

We drove from the MA/NH boarder many times and found Emporia, VA a good stop for the night. There are a ton of hotels in this town and its just 8miles from North Carolina.

 

[popgfd]

i'd suggest leaving by 3:30 to be past North Jersey by 7. this also allows you to catch just the end of rush hour at the beltway. i've stayed in Rocky Mount on the highway which is just 15 or so miles from pp.

good luck.
Pop

 

[BigTigger]

With a 2 am departure you can be almost through NC by noon to 1 pm depending on how many stops you have to make. Even if you leave at 3 am, you can go right down I-95 through NYC and miss the mess and clear NJ by 8 am with a stop for gas at the last rest stop on the NJTP (Clara Barton). You shouldn't hit much rush hour traffic in Baltimore or DC. White Marsh Road just north of Baltimore and the I-495 beltway merge north of DC are the usual choke points. South of DC near Quantico can be a pain too. If you really can do 12-15 hours you can be at the SC/GA Border and have a very short second day of driving.

Use 1010 WINS traffic on the 1's for NYC metro traffic updates and have an EZPass to save on tolls.

Happy driving!!

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

My wife hates to fly.
The first time we went to Walt Disney World, April 2004 with my 3 year old daughter We decided to go to WDW a couple of months before we went with little planning. We rented some points off the DIS forum, checked the airfares a couple of times and picked up a trip tick from AAA.

We drove from my office in downtown Boston to WDW Old Key West stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks.

After the first 3-4 hours in the car driving the rest of the way to WDW isn't that bad; more like a series of short trips.

Our Trip to WDW started Friday, 3/26/04 at 1 pm: Miles, Stopped, Time

Leaving, Boston to Walt Disney World: Friday, 3/26/04, 1:00pm
1, Boston to New Jersey 212 212 6:00pm
2, N J to Aberdeen MD 183 395 9:07 pm
3, MD to Rocky Mt NC 266 661 1:36 AM
4, NC to Florence SC 209 870 4:40 am
5, SC to S Newport GA 210 1,080 7:58 am
Arrived, GA to WDW 251 1,331 12:00 PM

Started, Friday, 3/26 0 1:00pm
Finished, Saturday, 3/27 1331 12:00pm
A 23 hr trip with 5 stops along the way down
76 gallons of gas, $131 for the gas, 17.78 mpg 58mph
Driving around WDW 21

The Trip Home started Friday, April 2nd 11 AM: Miles Stopped Time

Leaving Walt Disney World to Boston:Friday, April 2nd 11:00 am
1, WDW to St Augustine FL 116 116 12:44 PM
2, FL to Savanah GA 178 294 3:55 PM
3, GA to Florence SC 174 468 6:22 pm
4, SC to Battleboro NC 181 649 9:30 pm
5, NC to Aberdeen MD 295 944 2:17 am
6, MD to Bloomfield NJ 181 1,125 5:30 AM
Arrived, NJ to Boston, MA 237 1,362 9:30 am

Started, Friday, 4/02 11:00 am 0
Finished, Sat, 4/03 9:30 am 1362
A 22 1/2 hr trip with 6 stops on the way home
81 gallons of gas $126 for the gas 17.58 mpg 60.5mph
Driving around WDW 62

157 gallons, $257 for the gas, $44 tolls, 17.68 mpg, 59.2mph 2776


The traffic was a mess from Hartford through Delaware on the way down.
It rained from North Carolina to Boston, Mass. on the way home

Me and my wife alternated turns driving our Nissan Xterra when we stopped for gas. My 3 year old held out a lot better than I thought she would on the way down and on the way back to Boston, WITHOUT, tapes, DVDs, video games, just a lot of singing and sleeping.

It's not that Bad!!!

April 2005 we caught a break in fares and flew down and back out of Logan on a non-stop with American Airlines , $504 round trip total for the 3 of us.

April 2006 we caught a break in fares so we flew down and back out of Logan on a non-stop with Song/Delta , $496 round trip total for the 3 of us.

The 2007 story and stops are pretty much the same as 2004.

We drove from my office in downtown Boston to WDW, Orange Lake Country Club, stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks.

After the first 3-4 hours in the car driving the rest of the way to WDW isn't that bad; more like a series of short trips.

Our Trip to WDW started Friday the 13th of April 2007, at 3:45 pm:

Destination, Miles, Total Miles from Boston, Time

Leaving, Boston to Walt Disney World: Friday, 4/13/07, 3:45pm
1, Boston to New Jersey 208 208 7:49 PM
2, N J to Laurel MD 219 427 11:44 PM
3, MD to Rocky Mt NC 250 677 3:36 AM
4, NC to Manning SC 219 896 7:00 AM
5, SC to Kingsland GA 226 1,122 10:30 AM
Arrived, GA to WDW 203 1,325 2:00 PM

Started, Friday, 4/13/07 3:45 PM
Finished, Saturday, 4/14/07 2:00 pm
A 22 hr trip with 5 stops along the way down
63 gallons of gas, $175 for the gas, 21 mpg


The Trip Home started at 9:45 AM, Saturday, April 21,2007
Destination, Miles, Total Miles from WDW, Time

Leaving Walt Disney World to Boston: Saturday, April 21st 9:45 AM
1, WDW to Kingsland Ga 194 194 12:44 PM
2, GA to Manning SC 226 420 4:16 PM
3, SC to Rocky Mt. NC 218 638 7:42 PM
4, NC to Aberdeen MD 292 930 12:26 AM
5, MD to Newark NJ 170 1,100 3:27 AM
Arrived, NJ to Boston, MA 246 1,346 7:30 AM

Started, Saturday, 4/21 9:45 AM 0 Miles
Finished, Sunday, 4/22 7:30 AM 1346 miles
A 22 hr trip with 5 stops on the way home
62 gallons of gas $175 for the gas 21 mpg

Total miles 2,671, about 21 mpg, about 70 mph
Total gas 125gallons $350
Total Tolls $50

April 2008 we caught a break in fares so we're flying down and back out of Logan to Tampa, 4/19-4/26, on a non-stop with AirTran , $753 round trip total for the 3 of us.

April 2009 we caught a break in fares so we flew down and back out of Logan to MCO, 4/18-4/25, on a non-stop with Delta , $609 round trip total for the 3 of us.

April 2010 we caught a break in fares so we're flying down and back out of Logan to Tampa, 4/17-4/24, on a non-stop with Delta , $717 round trip total for the 3 of us.

If all goes well,
The creek don't rise,
and there ain't no melt down,
We'll do it all again next year.

Good Luck all,
Joe

 

[HeatherC]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely check out Emporia and Rocky Mt..

I'm thinking that if we can make it to Santee, SC on the first day, then the second day would be much easier. I think Mapquest has that as 14 hours from our house.

This would get us there (leaving at 4am) around 6 or 7pm. That would be good....kids could swim for a while, have dinner and go to bed. Then about 6 1/2 hours the next day?

Part of me is excited. The other part is telling me I'm nuts!!

 

[Tjkane28]

I'm thinking that if we can make it to Santee, SC on the first day, then the second day would be much easier. I think Mapquest has that as 14 hours from our house.

This would get us there (leaving at 4am) around 6 or 7pm. That would be good....kids could swim for a while, have dinner and go to bed. Then about 6 1/2 hours the next day?

Part of me is excited. The other part is telling me I'm nuts!!

You are NOT nuts...just returned from our first road trip to Disney with three children (11,9,6). DW and I said without reservation we would do it again. I found the drive to be fine.

We left from Albany, NY at 2:20AM, and stopped in Santee, SC at about 3:30 PM. Best Western Santee was very affordable and had a pool. We swam and slept until 2:00 AM when we left for WDW. We arrived at Beach Club at 8:00 AM, and were walking into Blizzard Beach at 9:00 AM.

Leaving earlier in the AM from central MA can get you through the DC area before traffic starts to get too heavy. Even on a Saturday, it was noticeable as we got on the Beltway about 7:30 AM. That was the part of the trip I was worried about. Once through DC, it is smooth sailing. Speed limit goes to 70 in the Carolinas, so traffic moves between 75 and 80.

I know you say you are not early risers, but if it is at all possible, leave earlier than the 4:00 hour.

Again, you are not nuts.

 

[pilferk]

Exit 173, Roanoke Rapids, in North Carolina.

We're from NW CT, and that's about 11 to 12 hours into our drive...would be around 13 or 14, I'd think, for you.

Great lodging, Super Walmart near by, cheap gas (believe it or not) and a Cracker Barrel just perfect for a pre-long day driving breakfast. For us, this marks almost the exact 1/2 way point, miles wise.

We find this little gem to be an AWESOME tool to bring along with us. We print the exit guide for each state....always useful when looking for a Flying J.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/Driving_to_Florida.htm

 

[pilferk]

You are NOT nuts...just returned from our first road trip to Disney with three children (11,9,6). DW and I said without reservation we would do it again. I found the drive to be fine.

We left from Albany, NY at 2:20AM, and stopped in Santee, SC at about 3:30 PM. Best Western Santee was very affordable and had a pool. We swam and slept until 2:00 AM when we left for WDW. We arrived at Beach Club at 8:00 AM, and were walking into Blizzard Beach at 9:00 AM.

Leaving earlier in the AM from central MA can get you through the DC area before traffic starts to get too heavy. Even on a Saturday, it was noticeable as we got on the Beltway about 7:30 AM. That was the part of the trip I was worried about. Once through DC, it is smooth sailing. Speed limit goes to 70 in the Carolinas, so traffic moves between 75 and 80.

I know you say you are not early risers, but if it is at all possible, leave earlier than the 4:00 hour.

Again, you are not nuts.

Definitely not nuts.

We've found a couple of tricks to avoid some of the traffic, but....alas, rush hour is rush hour:

First, to avoid NYC if you'd hit it during traffic, for the original poster, take 95 to 91, 91 to 84, 84 to 684, 684 to the Sawmill Parkway, the Sawmill to 287 (North/West), the 287 to the Garden State Parkway, and the Parkway down to 95. You end around NYC, which can be a HUGE time saver if you'd normally hit it between 6:30 AM to 9 AM or 3 PM to 6:30 PM, weekedays.

Second, to avoid some (but not all) of the DC traffic, you can take the Harbor tunnel in Baltimore, and then take the Baltimore/Capitol Parkway. To do that, follow the signs for the Harbor tunnel/895 while you're on 95, around Baltimore. It'll dump you right on 295 (the Baltimore/Washington pkway). Follow 295 and it will put you right back on 95, on the other side of DC...which at least avoids the beltway. It's still "traffic-y", especially during rush hour. But we came through around 6 PM, and it was rough, but not nearly as bad as the parking lot that was the beltway (from what we saw and heard). Again, only worthwhile to avoid rush hour....the beltway is much quicker on weekends and "off" hours.

 

[HeatherC]

Thank you all so much! Now I'm actually excited!!!

I think we would be able to leave around 2:30 or 3am. We are actually very early risers. It's the night drivers that we aren't.

Sounds great to get to a hotel late afternoon, swim, eat, rest and hit the road early the next morning and be there by noon.

Let the planning begin!

Thanks again!

 

[Tomh]

Driving isn't as bad as you are anticipating! We drove down from the Mid Hudson Vally in NY last summer with DS4, DD13, DD19, plus my mother, and my cousin. We took three days on the way down, spending a good bit of the first afternoon in D.C., then staying in VA for the night. On the second day we drove from VA to Kingsland GA (just short of the FL border), leaving a short drive (just over 3 hours) for the third day.

On the way back, we drove from Disney to Florence, SC the first day (a relatively short day), and then the rest of the way home the second day. The traffic in / around D.C. stinks, really. It was rough on the way from D.C. into VA the first night, which was a Sunday, so I wasn't expecting really bad traffic. It was much worse coming back through that area on the way home, which was a Thursday night. The traffic through the VA / D.C. area added about 4 hours to our ride on the way home. (Ok, actually the traffic added around 3 hours, but because of the delay, we decided that we had to stop for supper too, and that added another hour).

Really though, the rest of the ride was a piece of cake. That was the only area we ran into serious traffic. The kids kept themselves occupied largely with the DVD player, their MP3 players, and some Disney velvet posters I got them to color on the way down ($1.00 each at Wal Mart). Reading the billboards can be plenty entertaining for the adults, and there are plenty of sights to see along the way.

One thing about Mapquest / Google maps, etc. Their driving times assume that you will be driving the entire time. If your family is anything like mine, you aren't going to make it much past 2 hours without stopping for a bathroom break. Besides, the opportunity to stretch your legs, and give you bottom a break from the seat is plenty welcomed by the 2 hour mark, or at least it was for me. I figure on a half hour break for every 2 hours of driving, so for every 4 hours of driving time, I allot 5 hours. We usually manage to get a bit ahead of schedule that way, as most breaks don't take a full half hour, but that gives us a realistic idea of what time we are likely to arrive at our destination.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

We travel every Aug to Lorton to catch the Autotrain to FL. We leave the Hartford, CT area at 2 am. We take the Merritt Parkway down into NY. We pick up i95 to cross the GWB. We go pass Newark Airport just as the sun is rising about 5 am. We stop in Maryland for breaksfast at a cracker barrell at approx 7 am. We do take the harbour tunnell then hop onto 295 s to avoid the DC loop. 295 ends at 95. It is much better than the loop or 95. We are usually getting off in Lorton VA at 11 am. Mind you we have made more than a handful of bathroom breaks--with 4 little ones we have to stop and an hr for breaksfast. We don't hit any traffic the entire way down. this year we are getting an EZpass to make the tolls quicker.

We generally don't sleep before we go- too busy packing up the car and then too afraid of sleeping thru the night instead of getting up and going. DH drives and I navigate the whole way. It works for us.

My 1st trip to lorton we took the tappen Zee and the GSP and that was just plain crazy. there was toll stations the entire way down. Aleast on NJTP you pick up your ticket and pay at the end. Much easier.

We have never driven it the whole way before. We had the chance to last year when TS Fay cancelled our return train. It took us all of a second to say Nah- we're staying till the train can get us out. We stayed an extra 5 days and never regetted it.

good luck w/ your decision and enjoy your trip.

 

[InLoveWithDOTS]

Have you considered taking Amtrak? It's cheaper than flying and everyone is refreshed and rested when you get there!