Question for DVC Members who Drive to FL

[Baileymouse]

Hi,

I'm debating flying vs. driving. Of course flying is expensive, although the prices from NJ for September are averaging a doable 150 per person.

For those of you who drive to FL, do you take 95 the whole way? Do you use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel as a detour? I'm curious because I haven't been to Florida by car since 1973 and I was in the back seat that time!

I like the idea of having my car with me down there but the auto train costs so much its better to fly. I welcome your suggestions, comments and ideas.
Baileymouse

 

[TriciaT]

Baileymouse,

We drove for the first time to Disney last July. I thought I would hate it. I always thought people that drove were crazy!

Well, let me tell you that it was great! It was so much better than I expected that I doubt we will fly again other than just short trips or trips without our kids.

Even with the increased gas prices, it cost us around $100 each way, including a motel. We packed food in the car and did not stop unless we needed a restroom or gas.

We took the GSP to the Turnpike, and continued on 95 until hitting I-4 in Daytona. Exactly half-way from NJ was Fayetteville, NC. There were plenty of AAA discounted motels that were decent for a shower, rest and they were $50 including breakfast.

We left Nutley at 3PM and drove until midnight, which got us in Fayetteville. We left Fayetteville after breakfast the next morning at 9:00 and were in Orlando at 5:00. DH and I both enjoyed the drive at night much more than the 9-5, but it was bearable.

I am very impatient, and hate waiting at airports and to be able to leave when I want and sort of control my own plans was a plus. The other thing is we saved at least $1000 in airfare, taxi and rental car costs.

So, there is my glowing report on driving from NJ. If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

[Baileymouse]

That was really helpful. There won't even be any children going this trip - it's supposed to be me, a friend from work and my Mom. I'm leaving the husband and the kid at home to fend for themselves, so maybe driving will be a good thing.

Thanks for the advice!
Adele

 

[Figaro30]

Just FYI....we drive from New York to FL about every 2 years. It's me and my DH. We take 95 all the way, and never have taken the Chesapeake Bay Bridge because it seems to out of the way. While it's nice to have things to pass the time we opt for things only directly on the way there and back.

We leave at 4:00 am and drive through till about 2:00. By this time we're at south of the border. We stop there and play some video games, gamble 20 bucks at that little casino, buy some magazines and some treats for the ride and continue on about 3:30pm. We then drive until about 9:00-10:00pm or until we are tired. Sometimes we have made it till 11:30. (In which case we arrived across the border in FL in one day!!!) Otherwise we'll stop deep into Georgia and get a motel there. Next morning we wake up early about 7:00, get breakfast and have about a 3hr ride to Disney World. By that time 3 hrs seems like 15 minutes. It's really not that bad. You have to put yourself into the right frame of mind and it's really alot of fun.

PS. Although coming back is a different story. Who enjoys going over the GW bridge after coming back from the greatest place on earth!

If you want more details I'll be glad to help you out.

 

[rbuzzotta]

We drive from Boston. We take 95 all the way!! Except in New York when we bypass the GW bridge and go for the Tapanzee.

I find the trip enjoybale too. I have maintained flight benefits at the airline I took and early retirement from and we fly on standby. We will be leaving in about 2 weeks and I prefer to drive opposed to fly!!! The flights look pretty good so I think we are flying this time.

Have a safe drive and enjoy yourselves!!

 

[JT40]

Hi,
We average 1 - 2 trips to Florida every year. We live in the Philadelphia area and have drove to DisneyWorld 5 times in the past 7 years. The trip down is not bad. Coming back to Pa is another story. We drive straight through to Disney (16 hours drive time) + stops. We leave late afternoon/early evening and have breakfast or brunch in Disney the next day. The trip home we stop in Hilton Head. If you are just heading home, somewhere in NC is a good place to stop. Fayetteville is half way.
We use I95 the entire way except for Richmond. It is better to take the bypass (295). Its a couple miles further but there is much less traffic and the speed limit is 65 vs 55 on I95 through Richmond.
The first time is fun. After that the trip home keeps getting harder. The rule we have now is 7 days or less, we fly. 8 or more we drive.

Have fun

 

[Dean]

For 3 people I'd consider flying. It won't be any cheaper driving for that many and the extra time and energy are likely worth it. Depending on where you're staying, you may need a rental car but even then it's worth it. In addition to your time, you need to cound meals, gas, wear and tear on the car along with possibly an extra night in a hotel each way. Now if you had 6 kids, I'd vote the other way. Good luck either way.

 

[Cindy B]

We drive from the Philly area.

Take I 95 all the way, drive through the night, leave at 4pm and get in about 6 am...

 

[JT40]

Hi Cindy B,
Do you drive straight through when you return home? We did the first 2 times. Just got too hard.
Have you ever tried 295 around Richmond?
14 hours!!! Thats impressive. Thats an average of over 70 mph with no stops!!!

John

 

[Lesley]

We've done the drive twice so far. We only get off 95 to get around the cities....DC (I think, or is that still 95?) Richmond and Jacksonville. But its not really like exiting or anything- the loops just take you out around the cities then back to the regular 95. We don't get on 95 until Wilmington, as that's the most direct route for us.

Our first time we headed out at 7 am, drove (with stops) until about 7pm and stopped in Walterboro SC. We were back on the road before 8 the following morning and reached Daytona by 11 or so. On our return trip we headed home at noon, stopped in Fayetteville around 9 and got back on the road by 8 the next day...home by 5. That seemed to work really well on the way home.

Our last trip we left PA around 1:30PM (baby's naptime )and drove until we got to WDW...about 10 AM. It took particularly long because the baby had a hard time going to sleep. I think I stopped at every exit in NC to nurse her and as soon as we'd get back on 95 she'd wake again! Once she was asleep it became well worth it....we got in 4-5 hours of driving without a single stop. It felt so much faster than the previous trip to WDW! We made a huge mistake coming home though. We didn't leave WDW until 6pm. We thought that perhaps we could just drive straight home. But the week of action had taken its toll on us. We tried pulling in at a motel around 1AM, but when we got to our room, it looked already occupied...no one was in the bed, but the bed was torn apart, there were stains on the walls, the furniture was all out of place....needless to say, we left after getting a refund! Re-energized by the fresh air and hassle, we drove about 2 more hours, finally stopped and got some sleep. And we still didn't get home until after 9pm the next day, because we hit a terrible downpour about an hour from home and ended up in the middle of an accident caused by the wet roads . It was a pretty miserable drive, plus my son had begun showing the first signs of a cold as we left WDW. By the time we got home it was full blown.

I do think it takes us longer than many because we tend to take longer stops....because we have kids we linger outside of the car a bit at each potty stop and take longer meal breaks. As they get older our time should improve. I am a bit worried about January...my dd will be 22 months, and my ds will be turning 7 on the trip. Ds should be able to handle it better than in the past, but I am a bit worried about my dd.

We will probably only fly for short trips (under 5 days, where dh won't be taking a whole week off from work). If my dh's taking the week off anyway, we might as well drive. Plus our driving days tend to be the weekends, so we save some points (no strategy, just works out that way). We do like the convenience of having a flexible schedule, which driving allows us. No one says we have to leave by a certain time....we can add a day to our stay (we did last time!), it won't be a terrible horrible thing if we don't leave our house at exactly the right time, and no one can cancel our flight! Also, we keep an eye on the weather, and we can time our driving to avoid any problems.

Sorry, didn't mean to write a book....must be feeling chatty tonight.

 

[Cindy B]

Lets see, this was the friday after Thankgiving, left a 4 pm, no DC traffic, (good sign!)... stopped for a quick break in the VA/NC border... went on...until we reached SOB, in SC... another quick stop... and then got to FL at 6ish...

Now we then stopped at Palm Coast, between jacksonville and Daytona.. spent the night.. have relatives there.. from there only about a 45 minute/1 hour drive to Orlando.

Remember the 70 mph speed limit in almost all the states... We dont stop on the way home either... it gets too much, we tried it once, and just made the journey longer....

 

[JT40]

That sounds about right. Its takes us the same amount of time. For a second there I thought you had some extra Disney magic under the hood.
I see many PA and NJ plates in the parking lots. More Disney fans around here than I realized. Also they don't mind driving 1000 miles one way.

Have a good one,
John