Tips from NJ-FL drivers, please!

[flip526]

We are looking to make our first ever road trip to Disney after years of flying. Route is Central NJ to FL. Any tips from those who have driven this route? Suggested alternate routes for congested areas in I-95? Any recommended stops? For those who have driven straight through, what time did you leave and is it doable or too hard?

 

[Farps]

We have driven straight through about four times from ocean county. I think the safest way is to have the car packed before bed and get up crazy stupid early and go. Like be on the road by 3am at the latest. This way you can be past D.C. Before 6:30 am. Also you will not be driving to late into the night .

 

[MaestroTK]

We have driven to WDW many times and have always taken 95 straight on down. We leave from Gloucester County right after dinner and drive straight on through the night. This allows us to bypass DC traffic & allows our kids to sleep through most of the drive. We always travel with our close friends so we have two cars driving down together which helps.

 

[bookwormde]

If you can sleep ahead of leaving then 2-3 am is by far the best time to leave. You will hit Richmond traffic but that is the worst of it.

If you can not sleep and can night drive then leaving after 6pm works good.

Straight though you are going to be about 16 hours, so 2 am puts you in at 4pm and leaving 6pm puts you in at 10 am.

When driving we leave mostly at 6pm so we have an extra partial day, even if it is low key.

 

[nono]

Reams of tips:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3124884

(and the three versions before this one)


Biggest tip: There's no ONE WAY to do it right from NJ. There's a lot of ways. Part will be trial and error figuring out what works for your travel group.

 

[darrengs]

We drove down in 2012 (straight through), and plan to do the same next month. We also are of the get some sleep and leave by 3:00AM mindset. We did not suffer any fatigue and the next day we were up and running. The money we saved by driving allowed us 2 days at Sea World and then some.

Next month on the way back we plan to stop overnight this time.

 

[amcnj]

Being used to getting up early due to that four-letter word, WORK, I am in the early morning camp. I can't do an overnight drive, but getting up a couple hours earlier and leaving home around 2:30 am works best for me. I am about an hour and ten minutes from the DE Memorial Bridge to give you a reference point. I am passing DC 5:30 am, Richmond before 7 am, and arrive in the WDW area 6:30-7:30 pm, depending on stops, traffic and weather.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I take 295 around Richmond rather than 95 through it.

 

[cranbiz]

Yes, do take 295 around Richmond. There is major bridge construction in Richmond that many times gets down to one lane.