Questions for NC DVCers

[cruise-o-matic]

What part of NC are you from? Do you normally fly or drive to WDW?

I'm from Greensboro and normally take Delta out of GSO. Little jets = quick loading and unloaded plus you can "pink tag" your larger carryon stuff so you don't have to wait at the baggage claim. Plus the flight path takes us right over HH, our home resort.

We'll be driving in summer '06, how long does it take to drive? If you are from this area, do you take 85-77-26 to 95 or go another way?


And finally, has anyone looked into the process of getting DVC license plates from the NC DMV?

 

[carol1231]

I am outside of W/S. For shorter, long weekend trips, we fly Delta. Usually grab the flight that leaves at 5:20am and arrives around 7am. When we do that we feel like we haven't lost any time traveling. It is also one of the smaller planes, which I love, like you mentioned, easy on easy off, no waiting for baggage.

When we drive, we take the route you mentioned. With the exception of 85 because we pick up 77 off of 40 outside Statesville. Takes us about 9 hours to drive. We leave about 3am and arrive around noon or 1pm depending on stops (we have two small kids).

Haven't checked out license plates.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Wow, 9 hours! How fast and how many stops........?

 

[carol1231]

How fast you ask... You're not wearing a badge under those mouse ears are you? Now, keep in mind, there isn't much traffic at 3am.

As far as stops... The kids usually sleep until about 7, then we stop at the next Mickey D's that we see for bfast. Then I'd say we make about 2 more stops.

You don't really hit any traffic until Jacksonville, and then sometimes a little around Daytona. Now coming home, we have timed it wrong and came thru Charlotte on a Friday at 4pm. That wasn't good.

 

[dis-happy]

Coming from Charlotte, we hop-scotch down for a night in HH first (we stay in a family condo for free) then on to WDW the next morning. That equals 4 hours plus 5 hours of drive time. Because of the kiddos, plus the cost of trying to fly out of Charlotte, we always drive down (we also consider having a car to use there a necessity).

 

[canda]

We are from Greensboro and our home resort is HHI. We also take 85-77-26-95. Going the 2 lane road between Asheboro and Rockingham is awlful. it takes me about 10 hours to get to WDW. That is with a stop for lunch, and some rest area stops walk around and rest. We try to leave around 5:30 am with a check in at 3. THat was before I had a baby. I wonder how long it would take with with baby to WDW. It took 6 just to get to HHI last time with our little one.

Don't fill up in GSO, (we store all the gas but we dont get it cheap) if you can wait until you get to Rock Hill SC (there is a real nice area off 77) Gas is sometimes upto 18 cents less than what we get.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Going the 2 lane road between Asheboro and Rockingham is awlful.

Yes, Ellerbe is a really bad bottleneck. Can't wait until they finish I-73/74. 73 will be a straight shot to Charleston, but it probably won't be completed until after our DVC contract expires in '42

I was thinking it was a longer drive to WDW. If we 2-day it where is a good place to stop? Brunswick? J'ville? Or south of J'ville?

 

[carol1231]

Last January, just the kids and I drove down and met DH there. We left home around 1pm and drove as far as Savanna and stopped for the night. Seems like between HH and Savanna is kinda the middle of the way. Once we get to Jacksonville, we think we're almost there. It is really an easy drive.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hey fellow NC DVCers! First, I want to mention checking over at the DIS meets forum. We are getting together a DIS meet in the Concord area in April. I think I entitled it Anyone up for a NC DIS meet?

Anyway, we are in Burlington. We used to fly. Sometimes out of Greensboro, other times out of RDU. The last 3 trips though we have driven. DW nor I EVER thought we would drive that far. But realizing we could get more trips in as DVCers we started leaning towards driving, but with apprehension.

Some dear friends of ours who have been DVCers since 92 told us of their driving experiences. So we followed their advice. Leave around 2am-3am. This puts you in WDW around 10 hrs. Last trip we left at 2:40am, arrived in WDW in 9 1/2 hrs. By leaving this early, you are able to avoid business traffic in Charlotte, Columbia, Savannah, and most importantly, Jacksonville and Orlando. This is by route of 85,77,26,95 and 4. We stop to stretch and eat breakfast along 26, also fuel up. This will get you to Kingsland GA, approx 3 1/4 hrs from WDW. Fuel up here, gas prices jump up quick after crossing FL. border. Lots of places to stay and eat. We used to stop here and stay on way back, but last time we drove back all they way. Night driving isnt bad. Later it gets, less traffic. Take turns. This helps.

After driving so many times, we dont really want to fly to WDW again. Its nice to have the vehicle there. You can drive to DTD which eliminates those long bus waits. By having a car, it has opened up a world of possibilties of
things we wouldnt have done before. We now eat at AK, Poly and other places, because it isnt a chore to get to those places with a car.

One other thing, join AAA. If you have a breakdown, middle of the night, it is a blessing to have. Never happened to us, but my parents. My Dad said it was great. They were there within minutes and installed a new battery and he was on his way. It gives us peace of mind. AAA also will provide you with maps and TripTiks which gives you insight on places to eat, fuel up, etc. This is nice when you might not see things for miles.

Hope to see yall at the DIS meet!

 

[Beaniebug]

Hey! I am from Oxford, NC, just about 30 minutes North of Raleigh. We drive because we can take more stuff with us. It takes us about 10 hours with a few quick stops. It wasn't a bad drive down. We left at 3:30am and arrived about 1:30pm. The kids slept for the first few hours so it didn't seem quite as long for them. Can't wait to do it again in October.

 

[rlt431]

I'm from Clemmons, just outside Winston-Salem. We just bought SSR last Oct. while visiting. Our first trip home will be next Oct 28. We have flown the last 3 years and if we can get a good deal on tickets we will fly again this year.

Where can I find the site about the NC Meet?? I would be interested.

 

[jimmytammy]

The site about a DIS meet is over on the DIS Meet board. It is located under the Just For Fun Forums. The thread is entitled "Anyone Up For A NC DIS Meet?"

Right now we have tentative plans but hope to be solidifying those real soon.

Hope you can join us!

Sorta helps to get you through til the next trip.

 

[reesecup]

Hi you guys!!! We are from Salisbury, so the meet would not be far at all for us to come. That would be kind nice actually putting faces with usernames.
We have a contract in with BWV and are hoping to become members soon.
We have both, driven and flown and I do have to say, although the drive is really not that bad (going down was a lot worse b/k we got into a lot of traffic), I enjoyed flying and renting a car. We got a great deal on renting. And the way I figure is, we only used it mainly to go to Universal and Sea World and the next time we visit, we won't go there. So, it would be nice to take advantage of the shuttle at the airport they will be offering.
It was amazing though, when we were coming home, the kids (5 and 6 at the time) slept the entire way back! We drove straight through. Left there at about 3 p.m. Got home just a tad bit earlier than midnight.

 

[dis-happy]

Thanks jimmytammy--a meet sounds like fun!!! Especially with Concord so close to Charlotte. I had a chance to meet a bunch of DISers at Hilton Head last Thanksgiving and came to the conclusion that DVC+DISboards create the best people around...funny and interesting, and of course passionate about one favorite thing. Hope to meet more of you....

 

[Muushka]

We always drive (husband hates to fly). We load up the car, put it in automatic-pilot and cruise down. It takes us between 10.5 and 11 hours.
We alternate driving and we do not speed (well, maybe 6 miles over the posted, but no higher-fear of points-the bad kind!).

We like having a car while at WDW. We drive to all parks but MK, and we do eat off-site, so it works out great for us. Plus now with all the delays at the airports for early checking in, it is so much easier to drive.

Oops. Forgot to mention, we are from Cary, just outside of Raleigh.

 

[Rash]

From Cary also. Leaving for the world tomorrow as a matter of fact. We always fly. Tomorrow it's Delta - 1.5 hr flight non-stop $163. We charge EVERYTHING to our AMEX blue Cash card all year (pay off the balance each month of course), so we usually get back most of the flight cost in cashback. We print our boarding passes online and use curbside check-in - takes the hassle out of the airport. Rent a car while there - about $150 for 10 days (I figure gas alone would be over $100 in an SUV if you drive). Use Emerald reserve - takes the hassle out of car rental. Stay first night at a value or moderate (POFQ this time) then off to DVC (BWV this time) - grocery stop on the way. I think we have it down to a science. That'll change in August when kid #2 arrives.

I'll be there for the Super Bowl so please join me in cheering......

E...A...G...L...E...S...EAGLES!!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

We are from the coast (Morehead City area). We have done both. I HATE to drive so DH does most of it. I did drive "all the way through Georgia" once while he slept. It took him a bit to realize that is all of 90 miles, isn't it? Oh well, for a short while he was impressed, lol! From our area it is a 12 hour drive. Doing it in one swoop led to DH having a coma-like sleep and he lost a day of park time! We now usually stop in Savannah and finish up the next day.
I prefer to fly but our little airport uses US Airways and takes us to Charlotte to connect. Get this- RT from New Bern to Charlotte is over 500.00 per person! I can get to Los Angeles for less, Europe too! Alaska! But, book New Bern to Orlando and get it for 226.00!? If I wanted to fly to Charlotte only it would be cheaper to book to MCO and toss the second part of the ticket. How wacked is this?

 

[KristiKelly]

We're in Burlington. We have made the drive 3 times each one DH has taken a different route. We have taken 95, 77 (from Charlotte) & another way - I don't remember (seems like it was through Asheboro). We always seem to make it in about 10 hours. Driving down we usually leave around noon, stopping for lunch then we drive as far as Brunswick. We get a hotel (usu. Days Inn on New Jessup Hwy) for around $59/nt. w/ cont. b'fast. We get up the next morning eat & leave around 9:00 a.m. & arrive @ WDW around 12-12:30. DH doesn't trust himself to drive at night, this works well for us & we are all well rested when we arrive @ WDW (our kids don't sleep well in a car either). We drive all the way home in 1 day, leaving around 10 or 11 a.m. & get home around 9-10 (depending on # of stops). Dh loves road trips so driving is not a problem for us, we have the portable vcr/dvd for the kids & everyone is happy!!!

 

[cruise-o-matic]

From Cary also. Leaving for the world tomorrow as a matter of fact. We always fly. Tomorrow it's Delta - 1.5 hr flight non-stop $163. We charge EVERYTHING to our AMEX blue Cash card all year (pay off the balance each month of course), so we usually get back most of the flight cost in cashback. We print our boarding passes online and use curbside check-in - takes the hassle out of the airport. Rent a car while there - about $150 for 10 days (I figure gas alone would be over $100 in an SUV if you drive). Use Emerald reserve - takes the hassle out of car rental. Stay first night at a value or moderate (POFQ this time) then off to DVC (BWV this time) - grocery stop on the way. I think we have it down to a science. That'll change in August when kid #2 arrives.

I'll be there for the Super Bowl so please join me in cheering......

E...A...G...L...E...S...EAGLES!!

I'm one of those rare NC Eagles fans too! It's going to be too nice for me to wear my Eagles Sweatshirt tomorrow though.

We love Delta out of GSO. Now that we have Independence Air, the fares have dropped too. The only thing is since the last time we flew in Nov, the flights now leave b/n 5-5:30am instead of 6-6:30.....

 

[threegoofys]

Hi NC Dvcers!!! We live in Timberlake, NC just north of Raleigh-Durham. We use to only fly;however, we have been driving a lot lately and will be driving down next month. We take 40 to 95, with my hubby driving usually takes 10 hrs, with me driving about 11hrs. Really isn't a bad drive, especially since our daughter can watch a movie in the car. As long as we keep the movies going, she is a happy camper. Lately we have been stopping at our home at HHI to spend the night, then get up early in the morning and make the rest of the way down to WDW.
We haven't looked into getting a DVC liscense plate because we already have a plate of TOOGOOFY, thought about changing it but the tag fits our family pretty well. Welcome to the DVC family!!!