Question for New Englad drivers

[glo]

Do you go through NYC on 95S or do you go around using the Garden State Parkway and the Tappan Zee Bridge? We are leaving on a Sunday at about 3 am to do the drive to WDW...would you risk it and go through on 95S or take the other way. I keep playing on the tripkit through AAA and it adds over an hour to the trip going the Garden State Parkway.

 

[toystorymom]

We have made the trip several times and always make the drive down on weekends. We have always taken 95 to the GW Bridge and haven't had any real delays. Our trips home vary, usually it ends up being a weekday afternoon, in that case we come home via the Tappen Zee. Have a great trip!

 

[lisa-upnorth]

rates are cheap from TF green just a thought.have a great trip!

 

[Robert P]

(As a de facto new England driver) I would say on a Sunday morning, take the GW and stay on 95.

 

[BillZ]

I live in the NYC area and my advice is to listen to either 880 (traffic on the 8s) or 1010wins (traffic on the 1s) as you get closer. If there is any delay on the Cross Bronx which is part of 95 avoid it at all costs. It will slow you down significantly. One alternate is to get off of 95 at 287 (the CT/NY border) and get on the Hutchison Pkwy South all the way to the Cross County East. You take this to the Saw Mill/Henry Hudson which will take you to the GWB. Personally, I avoid 95 by the bridge all the time because there always seems to be a delay. You can also get onto the Major Deegan to the bridge but again there can be some traffic depending on the time of day.

Cutting over to the Tappan Zee Bridge to the GSP will take a lot of time and is probably not necessary. It is a backup option if the traffic reports indicate that GWB is real bad.

 

[winterman]

I don't drive to WDW but I do go to Philly. On a sunday morning you will not have any problems with the GW. Taking the GW is 22 miles shorter than going over the Tappan Zee. Driving thru Washington DC is much shorter than the beltway.

Have a safe trip.

 

[glo]

That is my next questions...

On a Sunday afternoon do you go the Beltway or go right through Washington D.C.?

THis trip needs to be a bargain basement trip There are four of us and driving in a hybrid SUV even if we stopped and did a decent hotel will not cost as much as airfare. We usually fly, but this time it has to be done cheap!

 

[Rockmtn]

We decided to drive on our last trip.
Coming from ME, we left on a Saturday night at 10pm.
We cruised right through NY taking 95 and the GW bridge at about 3:30 am.
Made it all the way through DC by about 8 am. At this point I was toast and traded drivers.
We continued on till we hit Savannah Georgia. That was about 4 pm and we had already made a reservation at the best western for about $55. It was very clean, right off the exit and surrounded by plenty of food options. Free breakfest the next morning. Stopping at 4pm was nice because we had a nice relaxing evening and knew that the next day would only be about a 4-5 hr drive to orlando.

It sounds like a alot of driving the first day, but like I stated we made up for it with a nice relaxing evening and only a short trip the next day. We even slept in the next day knowing we could not check in till the afternoon.

 

[GranddadTom]

I live in the NYC area and my advice is to listen to either 880 (traffic on the 8s) or 1010wins (traffic on the 1s) as you get closer. If there is any delay on the Cross Bronx which is part of 95 avoid it at all costs. It will slow you down significantly. One alternate is to get off of 95 at 287 (the CT/NY border) and get on the Hutchison Pkwy South all the way to the Cross County East. You take this to the Saw Mill/Henry Hudson which will take you to the GWB. Personally, I avoid 95 by the bridge all the time because there always seems to be a delay. You can also get onto the Major Deegan to the bridge but again there can be some traffic depending on the time of day.

Cutting over to the Tappan Zee Bridge to the GSP will take a lot of time and is probably not necessary. It is a backup option if the traffic reports indicate that GWB is real bad.

I do exactly what BillZ recommends. I really do not like the Cross Bronx part of Rt. 95. I like to sneak onto the GW Bridge by taking the Major Deegan. I usually head for the lower span.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

We continued on till we hit Savannah Georgia. That was about 4 pm and we had already made a reservation at the best western for about $55. It was very clean, right off the exit and surrounded by plenty of food options. Free breakfest the next morning. Stopping at 4pm was nice because we had a nice relaxing evening and knew that the next day would only be about a 4-5 hr drive to orlando.

It sounds like a alot of driving the first day, but like I stated we made up for it with a nice relaxing evening and only a short trip the next day. We even slept in the next day knowing we could not check in till the afternoon.

We're doing the road trip from RI for the first time. Can you tell me which Best Western in Savannah you stayed at and where you got the rate? Were there any 'shady' parts of Savannah to avoid?

 

[Rockmtn]

There were plenty of dining options right around the hotel. We also went to alot of the factory outlet stores that were around.
the rooms were actually nice and clean. My wife is a fanatic about checking the beds and the seams and sheets for critters.
As you will see on the map in the link it is actually on the outskirts of Savannah. It is literally right off the exit from 95.
We encountered many families that we talked with that were either enroute or coming back from WDW staying at this hotel. So you really do not have to go very far from 95 for this place.

I used hotelplanner.com
here is the link

http://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotel/H...utDate=04/21/08&Bid_ID=0&NumRooms=1&NumBeds=2

 

[seashoreCM]

The Tappan Zee is obviously longer than the George Washington so I don't use the TZ unless I know in advance of problems further south. Unfortunately on a recent trip I got stuck before the GW for an hour all because one car stalled at the top the ramp to the GW from my approach (I-87 Deagan). All the while the traffic reports said everything was fine.

At any rate the best bet is not to do it 3 to 7 on weekdays.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

 

[glo]

So, if I leave at 3 am I will be ain NYC around 6:30 -7 am on a Sunday morning. I should hit Washington around 11 am or so? Both times going straight through on 95 unless I hear on the radio of any trouble? In NY listen to 880 AM or 1010AM...in Washington anyone have any good ideas for traffic report stations?

Also, isn't going 95 just the other side of the Beltway in Washington DC.? I do not see a straight through route on my AAA trip kit. I do not want to end up in a bad part of that city, did that many years ago and scared the holy heebie jeebies out of myself!

I am hoping we can make the trip in 21 hours or less. Getting us to Tampa at about midnight on Sundat/Monday night. Then our meeting Monday a day and a half of beach, and up to WDW for a few days!

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

We've driven down to WDW from Boston on Friday afternoons and did the Garden State Parkway and the Tappan Zee Bridge both times.
No Problems either time.
Make sure you have an E-Z pass for the tolls, a Massachusetts turnpike E-Z pass works all the way down the coast except Florida.
Good Luck, Have Fun,
Joe

 

[glo]

We've driven down to WDW from Boston on Friday afternoons and did the Garden State Parkway and the Tappan Zee Bridge both times.
No Problems either time.
Make sure you have an E-Z pass for the tolls, a Massachusetts turnpike E-Z pass works all the way down the coast except Florida.
Good Luck, Have Fun,
Joe

How long did it take you? Did you stop for anything but bathroom and gas?

 

[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're flying 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.

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