Please tell me about driving from Boston...

[DisCopper]

I'm sort of surprised by some of the really negative responses on here.

They have two drivers... it's not one person doing the drive all alone.

I go back to what I said in a previous post, if each of the drivers is able to sleep well in a moving car, then there should be no problem. One drives for four or five hours, the other sleeps. It's not the best sleep pattern, but after it's definately doable.

Would most people want to do this? I doubt it. But that was not the OP's question. They have no problem with doing it. They don't care if you'd enjoy doing it. They want to know if it's feasible/doable.

I say it is. I've driven the 24 hours straight from Disney to Boston. We had three drivers, and it was not a bad trip at all.

Good luck! Be careful! Have fun!

 

[stacyp9]

We have PLENTY of dollars in the bank, not to gloat but we are major savers who pay cash for everything. I shouldn't have said we "can't afford" to fly. We could, but we'd prefer not to since we just did in Jan and will again in Nov. If there was an emergency on the road, both my FI and I are schooled in car repair and could pay for and cover most emergencies, and pay for major emergencies if, god forbid, one happened.

I honestly have to laugh at some of these comments about putting other people at risk. Um? We are both fantastic drivers. I actually work in car insurance. I don't drive like a moron, thanks. I stated pretty clearly that we would be switching driving and neither of us would be driving 24 hours straight.

We've decided to go for it. And I'd venture a guess we're both safer drivers than half the people on the road.

Thanks all. If anyone has any advice about where traffic might be and what times are the best to avoid certain areas, we'd appreciate it!

You are being very dismissive. You asked how hard it would be. We are telling you. If you wanted a you go girl, you should have asked for it instead asking if the plan was insane.

I hope you reconsider, but if not I hope you stop when you are tired. Drives down to disney are easy, the drive home is way harder. Oh and massive crowds in tropical humidity and huge lines are not all that fun on very little sleep either. Imagine you are the driver and you crash the car and kill your sleeping husband and maybe a family of four going to disney. Worth the risk? Something to think about. BTW fantastic drivers would never consider driving 22 hours on next to no decent sleep. "Naps" in the car do not recharge you.

 

[tiggerplus5]

Welcome to the transportation board!

So..is this doable? Of course. The posts on here make it sound like everyone is going to die if you try this. We usually drive from MA because of budget issues. Much cheaper to drive 6 or 8 people than to fly them.

I can tell you that you will be tired the first day in FL. It's like having jet lag because your schedule has been disrupted. And one of the PP posters was right. Driving back is really depressing only because we just left disney. But not hard to do. It's driving...maybe some are afraid of the highway but we drive alot and it's not a big deal. I'm more worried about the other drivers that jump lanes and ride your bumper.

Some of the reactions here are judgmental. No one posting knows if you are bad drivers or not.

Check out this post. It's gotten quite large but it is a great support group for those of us that love to drive.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

Some quick thoughts off the top of my head. We don't drive through NYC anymore. We drive across the Hudson on the Tapanzee Bridge (north of the city). Get through the Delaware Memorial Bridge and DC before morning and you are usually good to go. Jacksonville has perpetual construction and traffic. The but most of the southern states are a straight drive through.

If one of you can sleep while the other is driving you are good to go! Good Luck!

 

[d1gitman]

You are being very dismissive. You asked how hard it would be. We are telling you. If you wanted a you go girl, you should have asked for it instead asking if the plan was insane.

I hope you reconsider, but if not I hope you stop when you are tired. Drives down to disney are easy, the drive home is way harder. Oh and massive crowds in tropical humidity and huge lines are not all that fun on very little sleep either. Imagine you are the driver and you crash the car and kill your sleeping husband and maybe a family of four going to disney. Worth the risk? Something to think about. BTW fantastic drivers would never consider driving 22 hours on next to no decent sleep. "Naps" in the car do not recharge you.

 

[collcass]

Nighttime construction is horrible. It could cost you hours of drive time. It generally begins around 8 pm/ 95 through CT is being worked on. I know there are spots in NJ

the AAA site might have info on where there is night construction.

 

[Clare Voince]

Welcome to the transportation board!

So..is this doable? Of course. The posts on here make it sound like everyone is going to die if you try this. We usually drive from MA because of budget issues. Much cheaper to drive 6 or 8 people than to fly them.

I can tell you that you will be tired the first day in FL. It's like having jet lag because your schedule has been disrupted. And one of the PP posters was right. Driving back is really depressing only because we just left disney. But not hard to do. It's driving...maybe some are afraid of the highway but we drive alot and it's not a big deal. I'm more worried about the other drivers that jump lanes and ride your bumper.

Some of the reactions here are judgmental. No one posting knows if you are bad drivers or not.

Check out this post. It's gotten quite large but it is a great support group for those of us that love to drive.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

Some quick thoughts off the top of my head. We don't drive through NYC anymore. We drive across the Hudson on the Tapanzee Bridge (north of the city). Get through the Delaware Memorial Bridge and DC before morning and you are usually good to go. Jacksonville has perpetual construction and traffic. The but most of the southern states are a straight drive through.

If one of you can sleep while the other is driving you are good to go! Good Luck!

Don't dismiss those of us urging caution as people who are afraid to drive. Of my 15 trips to Disney, I have only flown there once, and I live 1000 miles away. During all those road trips I've had in my lifetime (I drive lots of other places too), I've seen my share of careless sleepy drivers and the havoc they can cause. The most memorable one was a trip to NYC one early morning when I witnessed a sleepy commuter being taken from his car in a body bag. Driving should not be an endurance test. If you are a driver you have to be a responsible one, or it could end up it tragedy. It might not, but is that a risk you want to take? If you don't have time to stop and sleep overnight, you shouldn't do it.

 

[tiggerplus5]

I'm going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and wish them well. She has assured us that she will sleep and that she will drive responsibly. Yes there are a lot of bad drivers out there. There are a number of reasons why people get in accidents. It all boils down to if you are a responsible driver or not. I know my limits. I stop driving when I get tired. *My children are in the car!* And I hope the OP would too.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Really? Are you serious? Sounds like an overreaction. Honestly, reactions like this are NOT helpful. I have driven on no sleep before numerous times with no problems. Jump to conclusions much?

Respectfully, one is able to do MANY negative things without the 'worst case' result - until that worst case happens. Maybe someone has never gotten a speeding ticket... until they do, despite having regularly exceeded the speed limit. Maybe someone has never been stopped for driving without a seatbelt... until they're stopped for driving without a seatbelt. Maybe somebody has never had a car accident... until they have a car accident.

It's great that you can get by in normal life on no sleep. You may not realize how a lack of sleep slows your reaction time. You may actual experience dozens of bursts of microsleep per hour while you're driving, when you're functioning without any knowledge of what you're doing - and not realize it because your brain is asleep.

Thanks all. If anyone has any advice about where traffic might be and what times are the best to avoid certain areas, we'd appreciate it!

The best times to avoid driving between Boston and Lake Buena Vista on no sleep are 7:52 PM June 15, 2010 through midnight June 15, 2100. Yes, I mean that, in direct response to your question. Oh, and traffic will be on allll the roads between here and there, and the best areas to avoid are all the roads/cities/communities with traffic.

 

[d1gitman]

...The best times to avoid driving between Boston and Lake Buena Vista on no sleep are 7:52 PM June 15, 2010 through midnight June 15, 2100...Oh, and traffic will be on all the roads between here and there, and the best areas to avoid are all the roads/cities/communities with traffic.

 

[Shreggor]

I'm sort of surprised by some of the really negative responses on here.

They have two drivers... it's not one person doing the drive all alone.

I go back to what I said in a previous post, if each of the drivers is able to sleep well in a moving car, then there should be no problem. One drives for four or five hours, the other sleeps. It's not the best sleep pattern, but after it's definately doable.

Would most people want to do this? I doubt it. But that was not the OP's question. They have no problem with doing it. They don't care if you'd enjoy doing it. They want to know if it's feasible/doable.

I say it is. I've driven the 24 hours straight from Disney to Boston. We had three drivers, and it was not a bad trip at all.

Good luck! Be careful! Have fun!

THANK YOU!!! I know, I seriously don't get it either. We have two grown adults who will be switching off, and who have done long road trips before. All I wanted was advice on time, traffic etc. since this is not a route we've done. The preachy responses seriously have my baffled.

I appreciate all the good advice and links! The only concern FI has now is the crowds in July. We're spoiled by going during the off seasons...

I'll keep you guys posted!

 

[kidd_freeper]

So you have two drivers and both are able to sleep in a car.
I think its a cool idea!

I'd say you two are going out to make a memory! The driving itself will be part of the memory. Many people here on the transportation board consider the driving part a good part of the experience.

To make it a good memory, make the drive as pleasant but as short as possible.

1. Get your car checked out. Belts, hoses, battery, shocks, tires, lights, wipers, oil. Make sure the spare is filled and is easy to remove.

2. Consider getting a GPS with traffic advice. I got a Garmin Nuvi 265T from Amazon.com for $120. I got a "vent mount" elsewhere because I didn't like the suction cup.

3. To avoid construction on I95 in Connecticut, go I90 to I84 south and pick up Rte 15 (Merrit Parkway)...no trucks, no construction. Nice road too.

4. Get an EZ Pass. Saves lots of time

5. Avoid I95 from Washington DC to Fredricksburg VA unless you can travel through it between 1am-7am or 1pm-3pm. If you cannot avoid it, consider taking I81 through Virginia. The I78/I81/... route is one hour longer, but less chance of traffic jams.

6. It has been reported that there are traffic cameras on I95 in the southern half of South Carolina. Also, the speed limits change inexplicably on I95...watch for speed traps. Watch how the trucks are driving, they have CB radios and know where the cops are waiting.

7. If you feel sleepy, pull off the road and take a 20 minute power nap. You will be amazed how much better you'll feel.

 

[Shreggor]

Welcome to the transportation board!

So..is this doable? Of course. The posts on here make it sound like everyone is going to die if you try this. We usually drive from MA because of budget issues. Much cheaper to drive 6 or 8 people than to fly them.

I can tell you that you will be tired the first day in FL. It's like having jet lag because your schedule has been disrupted. And one of the PP posters was right. Driving back is really depressing only because we just left disney. But not hard to do. It's driving...maybe some are afraid of the highway but we drive alot and it's not a big deal. I'm more worried about the other drivers that jump lanes and ride your bumper.

Some of the reactions here are judgmental. No one posting knows if you are bad drivers or not.

Check out this post. It's gotten quite large but it is a great support group for those of us that love to drive.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1655918

Some quick thoughts off the top of my head. We don't drive through NYC anymore. We drive across the Hudson on the Tapanzee Bridge (north of the city). Get through the Delaware Memorial Bridge and DC before morning and you are usually good to go. Jacksonville has perpetual construction and traffic. The but most of the southern states are a straight drive through.

If one of you can sleep while the other is driving you are good to go! Good Luck!

Thanks! I'll definately check that thread out.

I figure we'll sleep in the first day. We aren't going for a full on WDW vaca, just to do the ToT and check out the other changes and summer only stuff. So it will be pretty low key. I'm excited. Good to know about the traffic. We're in MA so we're used to traffic lol

 

[Shreggor]

UPDATE:

Well, in the end, we aren't going because FI's car needed work. So for $$ reasons, we decided to skip it and go to Williamsburg instead for this summers road trip.

Thanks for the advice anyway. I'll hang on to it for a future adventure.