North Carolina folks....driving to Disney?

[kawc1945]

Several months ago we booked a September 2010 Disney vacation.....fast forward to now and we are relocating across the country to North Carolina in three weeks. Fortunately, we did not buy airline tickets with our package because we were waiting to see if they'd drop in price.

So, if you live in North Carolina and drive to Disney, where do you like to stay along the way? Great beach hotels? Cheap places? Best route from Charlotte? Good sights to see with two younger kids who are NOT used to long car trips? Fun restaurants along the way? A fun thing you do each trip?

Our plan will most likely be to drive the majority of the way and stay overnight and then try to get to Disney for a fairly early start on our arrival day. Driving to Disney seems so unreal being so far away for so long!

 

[tar heel]

If you're in the Charlotte area, you don't need to stay anywhere as it's only eight hours!

Sometimes we have stayed at Disney until closing, then drove a little ways. We've stayed in Ormond Beach, St. Augustine and Savannah, almost always in interstate Hampton Inns.

There's an outlet mall just off the interstate in the St. Augustine area that has a Disney outlet -- good place to spend any leftover $ on the way home.

From Charlotte -- I-77 to I-26 to I-95 to I-4.

 

[Kirby]

I'd make sure you had a DVD player in the car. Having movies for the kids to watch are a lifesaver sometimes. Of course, the drive from here is a lot longer than what you will be doing. I get on the internet to see what is on our route and we stop a time or two, even if it's just to take pictures so we can stretch our legs.

 

[torinsmom]

Takes us closer to 10 hours because we live in the middle of the state, but we still don't get a hotel room. We either leave early in the morning and get there late afternoon or we leave in late afternoon and get there the next morning. We stop for meals and always stop at the rest stops when we enter each state.

Marsha

 

[dejr_8]

It takes us about 9.5 hours to get to Disney from Chapel Hill but almost 2.5 hours of that is spend just getting to the NC/SC boarder and I95. As was mentioned, Charlotte to Orlando will be significantly faster.

 

[MickeyisBeast]

From Concord it takes us about 9 hours

 

[bored]

We're in Western NC so it takes us 10 hours +/-. We usually leave around 2-3 in the afternoon and stop in Kingsland, GA (Exit 3 in Georgia) or around the Jacksonville airport. Few hotels in Kingsland that have indoor pools with the kiddie loves to be able to blow off some steam. The next morning about 4 hours to go so you can get up at a decent time and arrive around 12-1 and hopefully go ahead and check-in.

 

[Christine]

I live in the DC area so I am about 14 hours. I've driven straight through once. I'm always envious of NC and south residents as I figure they can do it in a day. If it wasn't over 10 hours, I push through.

 

[GingerJay]

We live in SE NC and it takes us about 11 hours but we definitely try to drive straight thru if we can. If not, we will stop in Savannah (about 1/2 way there) for rest.

Have fun!!

 

[Swimnoid]

We sometimes must leave after work or after DD's classes so we don't even start until 7 or 8 sometimes. So we usually get a hotel room around Savannah. There are tons to choose from. The next day we will get a big breakfast and leave in time to get to WDW between 1-3 so we can spend a good amount of time in the park that day.

 

[MomofKatie]

We live in a SE suburb of Charlotte, and make the trip in 8 1/2 hours. We don't stop for anything besides gas and food along the way, and we don't feel like we are worn out from driving when we arrive.

Most trips, we either leave after school, arriving by midnight, or get up super early and get to Orlando by 1pm. If we do the after school thing, we just check into our hotel and get a good night's rest before hitting the parks bright and early the next morning. If we get up really early and drive in the morning, we check in and take it easy, lay around the pool, then have a nice dinner at a WDW resort and maybe stroll around DTD or the Boardwalk area in the evening.

 

[terri01p]

 

[Jennasis]

Break up the drive? From Charlotte?? No way! You can do it in one. We live about 45 minutes north of Charlotte off of I-40 and can make it in 8 1/2-9 hours (I admit, I have a lead foot, so it's 8 1/2 if I drive and 9 if DH drives). It's an EASY EASY drive. Very little traffic and super easy to follow directions:

I-77 south to Columbia,SC and pick up
I-26 east to
I-95 south. Stay on this all the way to
I-4 to Disney!

You can do it! The closeness to Disney was a big bonus to moving here from NY where a drive used to take 20 hours!

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

It always takes us about 10 hours from Charlotte and that's including several stops to eat, restroom, walk around and of course the Florida welcome center for some juice.

I had fogotten all about that place! Aww, I miss it cuz it means no more states to go before WDW.

It usually takes us 10 hours. We live in the foothills and this lines right up with the folks from Concord and Charlotte who say it takes them 9. When we drive, we always stay overnight in St Augustine...it's just a tradition for us. We always spend one day and one night there. Going thru SC is the worst. If it wasn't for SC, we would be SOOOOO close to Disney!! lol
Nothing wrong with the state, it just takes forever to drive thru!!!

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Break up the drive? From Charlotte?? No way! You can do it in one. We live about 45 minutes north of Charlotte off of I-40 and can make it in 8 1/2-9 hours (I admit, I have a lead foot, so it's 8 1/2 if I drive and 9 if DH drives). It's an EASY EASY drive. Very little traffic and super easy to follow directions:

I-77 south to Columbia,SC and pick up
I-26 east to
I-95 south. Stay on this all the way to
I-4 to Disney!

You can do it! The closeness to Disney was a big bonus to moving here from NY where a drive used to take 20 hours!

This is our route. We live about 3 miles from 77. Are you near Statesville?

 

[Jennasis]

This is our route. We live about 3 miles from 77. Are you near Statesville?

Right next door! Mocksville.

We always make two stops along the way. First at "our" Chik-Fil-A in Columbia for something to eat on the go, and then again in Georgie to Gas up (will have to ask DH what exit and town in GA but I know there is a Wendy's on the left once you get off if you were heading south on 95).

 

[MichelleVW]

I drove from NC to Disney many times and it's so easy!! It's an easy one day drive.

 

[DisneyTarheel]

It takes us around 9 hours from Cary. Our last few trips, we left around 2am on Sunday morning This lets the kids sleep for a large portion of the drive and avoids heavier traffic. Our next trip we plan to leave mid-morning on Saturday and stop in the Palm Coast area on Saturday afternoon/evening. This means the kids will likely be up for the whole trip, but it lets me stay on a normal sleep schedule.

 

[kawc1945]

Thanks for all of the replies!

 

[stichy]

We are in Charlotte and it takes us about 7.5 hours. We drive during the night so it's faster then during the day. I'm not sure which roads we take since I am asleep but we just follow our GPS.