Questions for those who drive from NYC/NJ...

[DisneyFanatik]

Just wondering what your plan of action is for the drive down.
What time do you start out on your trip?
Does your start time enable you to avoid D.C. rush hour?
How far do you drive before stopping for the night?
(Do you stop? - If you do......)
Do you have hotel recommedations for the first night stop?
How long does it take to get to WDW the next day?

We will be leaving on a Thursday from Staten Island. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

 

[Uncleromulus]

I'm sure you'll get more direct responses from NY/NJ residents, but for what it's worth, you should plan to be THROUGH DC no later than 6:00 AM. By then rush hour is in full swing, and lasts until well after 9:00. In the afternoon, it is in full swing again starting around 3:00PM and lasts at least until 7:00 PM or so.

 

[ducklite]

Just wondering what your plan of action is for the drive down.
What time do you start out on your trip?
Does your start time enable you to avoid D.C. rush hour?
How far do you drive before stopping for the night?
(Do you stop? - If you do......)
Do you have hotel recommedations for the first night stop?
How long does it take to get to WDW the next day?

We will be leaving on a Thursday from Staten Island. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

My DH makes this round trip every month. I've made it with him and alone a dozen times or so.

He's got it down so he can make it from the Bridgewater, NJ area to the Orlando area in about 16-17 hours.

He tries to drive on Saturday or Sunday on the way down, and hits minimal traffic on the Northeast corridor that way. We have also left on Thursdays.

When leaving during the week, you'll pretty much have to resign yourself to hitting some DC traffic. You'll want to be on the road around 3:00am to miss the worst of it. If you make minimal stops and have a couple drivers to swap every few hours, this should get you to WDW non-stop by about 11:00pm. DH used to drive a truck, so he is used to long distance driving. I can't make the trip straight through if I am driving alone.

When I do the drive alone, I have stopped several places, depending on when I've left. I try to make it to the Hampton Inn in Richmond Hill, GA. From there, WDW is another five hours or so. Even if you get stuck in traffic, that hotel is a doable drive in one day.

Anne

 

[Hef4545]

We have done this drive many times. Good advice about leaving at 3:00am and no later than 4:00am. You will hit traffic in the Washington area but it won't last long. The Saturday, Sunday is the best way of avoiding it. We do the bulk of the drive the first day.
We have stopped in Savannah, Georgia which has a very nice Comfort Inn and Suites with an indoor pool. You don't say if you are traveling with children but I have found the indoor pool is nice to let the kids gets some of that energy out after all day in a car. We make it to Savannah in about 14 hours with quick stops on the way down...bathroom, fast food lunch. We then have a decent dinner before ending the day in the pool. Next day we get up at a reasonable hour, have a nice breakfast and head to Disney. This gets us there at Check in time so a room is ready. We have made it as far as Brunswick, GA last year and stayed at an Embassy Suites there. Very nice and clean. Family Friendly exit. I noticed a new Holiday Inn and Suites on that exit as well which looked very nice.
If you get to Savannah, it is about 7 hours to disney.
If you get to Brunswick, it is about 6 hours to disney.
There is a very nice website I can recommend which has feedback from other travelers and plenty of tips all about traveling on I95 Southbound and Northbound. It is very helpful.
http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm
Enjoy your trip!

 

[DisneyFanatik]

Thank you all so much for the advice!