Winter 2014 drive to Disney (I-81 route)??

[heathandhail]

Curious if anyone did the drive to Disney last Winter form SE Ontario?

We are thinking of taking the 81-66-17-95-4 route....

but I know the weather was super bad in even the more southern states last year, and I'm worried it will be again for 2014/2015.

any advice would be appreciated!

 

[mickey65]

We drove it not last Christmas but the one before. We were hauling a trailer and the weather was bad in NY and Pennsylvania. We had freezing rain. Once we were out of that area it was not bad but it was cold until Georgia. Cold like only 3C. The way back was better until NY and we hit a snow storm near Watertown so we had to pull over for the night.
We are going again this Christmas and hoping for better weather for the drive.
Where are you driving from?

 

[heathandhail]

We drove it not last Christmas but the one before. We were hauling a trailer and the weather was bad in NY and Pennsylvania. We had freezing rain. Once we were out of that area it was not bad but it was cold until Georgia. Cold like only 3C. The way back was better until NY and we hit a snow storm near Watertown so we had to pull over for the night.
We are going again this Christmas and hoping for better weather for the drive.
Where are you driving from?

Haven't decided if we are crossing at Ogdensburg or 1000 Island. Probably Ogdesnburg.

 

[cey]

We drive that exact route every year as we are snowbirds and leave the middle of February and return the end of March. The last two years we have had to leave a day early due to weather and tend to be ready to go at least two days ahead of time. You really have to pick your days driving during the winter due to the variety of weather patterns which occur at that time! We always cross at T.I. and drive 8-10 hours to make sure we are close to or past Washington. We have found that this allows us to beat the snow but freezing rain can be an issue in the early am! On the way down we usually stop in Winchester VA or Fredericksburg VA the first night, and Florence SC the second night. Our third day is almost 9 hours but as we can't get into our villa until 4 pm, it saves us the cost of another hotel. In the past, we have stayed a third night in Daytona Beach or St Augustine which gives you a quick 2.5 hour drive to Kissimmee! We don't pre-book hotels anymore, but use the coupon books at the State rest stops. We really try to drive during the day light hours of 7 am to 5 pm. We can't believe that we use to drive it straight through when we had to travel during March Break! I would much rather drive these days than fly, as we really enjoy setting our own pace.

 

[minnie mum]

Our experiences are pretty much the same as Cey's. I watch the forecasts like a hawk and a couple of times we've left a day early to beat weather systems. There is a weather website that let's you see the forecasts for cities along each interstate. Priceless.

We also confine our driving to daylight hours whenever possible and give ourselves plenty of time for unforseen road conditions. We aim to arrive a day early and stay that night offsite

 

[heathandhail]

We drive that exact route every year as we are snowbirds and leave the middle of February and return the end of March. The last two years we have had to leave a day early due to weather and tend to be ready to go at least two days ahead of time. You really have to pick your days driving during the winter due to the variety of weather patterns which occur at that time! We always cross at T.I. and drive 8-10 hours to make sure we are close to or past Washington. We have found that this allows us to beat the snow but freezing rain can be an issue in the early am! On the way down we usually stop in Winchester VA or Fredericksburg VA the first night, and Florence SC the second night. Our third day is almost 9 hours but as we can't get into our villa until 4 pm, it saves us the cost of another hotel. In the past, we have stayed a third night in Daytona Beach or St Augustine which gives you a quick 2.5 hour drive to Kissimmee! We don't pre-book hotels anymore, but use the coupon books at the State rest stops. We really try to drive during the day light hours of 7 am to 5 pm. We can't believe that we use to drive it straight through when we had to travel during March Break! I would much rather drive these days than fly, as we really enjoy setting our own pace.

Thanks! That's very helpful! Where would you say Was approx. the area you started to see less snow? I would be driving end of Feb too.

 

[bankr63]

Our drive this past March break was fine. On the way down we had snow well into Virginia (and Skyline Drive was closed due to weather). A week later the snow line had retreated into Northern PA, and we had a wonderful drive up the Skyline.

The one other suggestion I have is to watch the weather systems and if there is a coastal system to stay with I-81 further south and if there is an inland system move over to I-95 sooner, The Appalachians can buffer the weather somewhat if you pick the correct side to drive down.