Travelling by car from Washington DC to Saratoga springs

[chip&dale1]

Hi,We are considering travelling to SSR from Washington DC (after flying from the uk and staying the night on arrival of our flight) in July 2016. Has anyone done that trip? Any advice on places to stay for one night (in order to split the 860 mile journey)Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[dopey2]

We always drive from Maryland and usually stop in Florence South Carolina for the night. This is about halfway but when we want to get to Disney earlier we stop in Port Wentworth Georgia. This about a 11 hour drive the first day for us but leaves a short 5 - 6 hour drive the next day.

 

[dgaston]

And be aware the traffic around DC can be terrible. Bring your patience

 

[WilsonFlyer]

You might find this helpful. There are several of these on here over the years. I'm in NC basically on I-95 (the main throughfare to FL on the east coast) and we never fly anymore.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/advice-on-drive-from-va-to-wdw.3387120/

As I said, some searches will yield several of these but this is one of the most recent.

 

[tjcj]

Hi,We are considering travelling to SSR from Washington DC (after flying from the uk and staying the night on arrival of our flight) in July 2016. Has anyone done that trip? Any advice on places to stay for one night (in order to split the 860 mile journey)Thanks in advance for any replies.

You could also check out the auto train via Amtrak. Granted it's an added expense.

 

[JimMIA]

Another option would be the Auto Train, which will transport you and your car between Lorton, VA (suburb of Washington, DC) and Sanford, FL (suburb of Orlando, about 40 miles north of WDW).

I've never used it, but for whatever it's worth, here's a link: http://www.amtrak.com/auto-train

 

[gzmtlock]

It's important to know what day of the week and if near any national holidays (in your case, July 4; the week surrounding that day is a very common vacation week). As a PP said, I95 can be truly nasty from DC to Richmond. And, if your travel is near a holiday or on Sat/Sun, there are many spots that can slow up significantly due to heavy traffic, all the way to Florida.

I agree with Florence, SC, as a good stopping place. It's as nice as you'll get, close to midway - lots of hotels and restaurants.

I've never done the autotrain. But I have done Amtrak between North Carolina and Washington. And I can't recommend it. There are frequent delays through NC. (I've been told it's because Amtrak rents their time on the rail lines, actually owned by other companies, and the freight trains take precedent.) On more than one occasion, the train I was on either significantly slowed or stopped altogether in the middle of a rural area. More than half the time, the train was 1-2 hours late (on a 4-5 hour trip). Once travel by car became a reliable, safe possibility for me, I left Amtrak behind.

Perhaps the autotrain doesn't have those issues, and someone who has used it can chime in with better info.

 

[Tiggerette]

We have used the AutoTrain traveling from FL to VA. We had a very good experience, and if circumstances were such that we must take the car, and we can book early enough (there is tiered pricing based on availability) we would absolutely take the Autotrain again. We stayed in a bedroom, and it was very enjoyable. I don't think it's necessarily a price savings, however it is an "energy" savings by resting instead of driving. I think there's a transportation thread somewhere on the DIS that addresses this question. You may have more comprehensive options and opinions on that thread. All best, -krista "Tigger-ette"

 

[ldo]

we take the autotrain all the time. You can also get roomette with facing double seats that the cabin attendant makes into bunk beds. WE get 2 across form each other and put the kids in 1 and us in the other, then at bedtime, kids get upper bunks and adults each sleep in a lower berth. Otherwise, we stop in Florence at either the Residence Inn or Springhill Suites, both Marriotts, or sometimes we take an extra day and go over to Hilton Head, SC to the coast, before continuing. There is a Disney resort in Hilton Head, as well as plenty of other places.

 

[JimMIA]

we take the autotrain all the time. You can also get roomette with facing double seats that the cabin attendant makes into bunk beds. WE get 2 across form each other and put the kids in 1 and us in the other, then at bedtime, kids get upper bunks and adults each sleep in a lower berth. Otherwise, we stop in Florence at either the Residence Inn or Springhill Suites, both Marriotts, or sometimes we take an extra day and go over to Hilton Head, SC to the coast, before continuing. There is a Disney resort in Hilton Head, as well as plenty of other places.

How far in advance do you book? I'm thinking about Autotrain for a reverse trip next year -- to DC and back.

Also, do you have to pay when you book?

 

[ldo]

as far as 11 mths-pay when you book. Prices continue to rise as seats fill. Roomettes are refundable with a 10% fee and you can change for no fee (but have to pay prevailing rates). Regular seats are fully refundable if you don't ticket out. So, if we are just getting seats, we book as early as possible, as canceling is easy. For roomettes, we book when we are fairly sure that we are definitely going. Confirm cancel policy is still current when you book.

 

[JimMIA]

as far as 11 mths-pay when you book. Prices continue to rise as seats fill. Roomettes are refundable with a 10% fee and you can change for no fee (but have to pay prevailing rates). Regular seats are fully refundable if you don't ticket out. So, if we are just getting seats, we book as early as possible, as canceling is easy. For roomettes, we book when we are fairly sure that we are definitely going. Confirm cancel policy is still current when you book.

Thanks for the quick response! We'll be going to DC for a figure skating competition, and of course injuries are always a consideration. But those cancellation policies don't seem too onerous.

 

[Anal Annie]

I've priced the autotrain 2 or 3 times but feel it's cost prohibitive IMO. It's not cheap. We live in the DC suburbs & usually fly BUT we drove it in 2013 and again this past summer. In 2013 we stopped in Savannah, GA for the over night - great city to visit - very fun & lots & lots of good restaurants. IIRC it's about a 9-10 hour drive from the DC area. Then it is about a 4 - 4 1/2 hour drive from there to Disney the next day - easy peasy. This past summer we left later in the day & stopped last minute (no advance reservation) in Florence, SC as recommended by others above. Several decent hotels there right off the interstate for a quickie stop-over. By the time we stopped (9:30ish) the hotels were starting to fill up with other travelers and the 1st two hotels we tried were full up (so stop earlier if you don't want to play hop scotch with where you stay). I agree that the DC / I-95 traffic can be a real bear. If you can leave early enough tho I would recommend trying to get to Savannah by maybe 3:00 or so and enjoy the evening there in the historic district. Beautiful city. Super interesting to walk along River Street & enjoy the sights & musicians & food.

 

[AnnaS]

We drive from NY all the time. Go to the transportation board. Sorry can't link it right now. We time it so we can avoid the traffic in DC also. Harder to do on the way back. We put in as many hours as we can on the first day. We now stop a little earlier (6- 8pm) rather than 10-11pm). We try to leave 4/5 hour drive to WDW in the morning. We make many bathroom stops (medication), food, gas and hotel.

 

[amcnj]

If you time it well (avoiding rush hours) you could make that drive in 13-14 hours or so. In case you are possibly considering a non-stop drive.

 

[ldo]

sleeping cars on the AT really drive the price up. We book early and can get 4 tickets in seats and a car for abotu $600 one way. We usually take the AT south during heavy traffic times and then drive home splitting it over 2 days. This Christmas break, we splurged with 2 roomettes for 4 persons and a car was $800 one way with very early booking. The price quicky rose to $1200+. We could have done seats for about $600, which is what we normally do. We always get lower level seats--much quieter.

 

[BillPA]

Try this link, lots of info for traveling on I95
http://www.i95exitguide.com/lodging/

 

[jennib5426]

We live in Richmond and stay at the Hilton Head SC exit on way down, there are a few hotels on way to island about 10 miles off 95.
Where ever you stay for the night make a reservation!!!
We see many families turned away trying to get a room for the night when we stop going south and north.
There are many nice Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn or Fairfield Inn (Marriott) off 95 in NC, SC and GA.