For those folks driving!

[sam_gordon]

leaving thursday on my 1500+ mile journey to POR. i read in the spring that I-75 thru kentucky was not great. anyone been on that route lately?

There are two areas where one lane is closed.... 128mm to about the 112mm, and 106mm to 97mm. Things flow fine about 60% of the time, the other 40% can be at a CRAWL. Heaven forbid there's an accident.

This can affect NB, SB, or both.

 

[ParrotBill]

Making my first drive from Western NY in 5 years due to the pandemic.
19-20 hours of driving. I'm the only driver, have adult daughter to keep me awake and navigate. Plan to take long nap breaks and avoid hotel unless it feels impossible.

I take I-79, US19 and I-77 rather than US15 and deal with Baltimore and DC beltways and I-95 traffic.

Least favorite part of drive: the 2 lane part of I-95 in SC, Wytheville VA area (heavy traffic), and Jacksonville area during busy times.

Looking forward to: Excessive Starbucks, loud music, and Buc-ees (new since we last drove!)

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Driving from Blacksburg, VA to Pop on Sunday. This is my first time driving to Disney since I lived in state. Any suggestions? It's just me so I can stop as much as I want - other than the fact that I have a bachelor party dinner to attend at 7:30pm that night. And a full day of touring on Monday to round out the bachelor party.

 

[Mikey15]

Driving from Blacksburg, VA to Pop on Sunday. This is my first time driving to Disney since I lived in state. Any suggestions? It's just me so I can stop as much as I want - other than the fact that I have a bachelor party dinner to attend at 7:30pm that night. And a full day of touring on Monday to round out the bachelor party.

Looks like you’re starting just off the 81-77-26-95 route that a lot of us northerners take! Off the top of my head:

1. I think the mountain pass & lookouts on I-77 right near the VA/NC border are gorgeous. Definitely a nice area to pass through in daylight, especially sunrise.
BUT
2. The more “off time” you are getting through Charlotte the better. Mind you are you doing this all on a Sunday? It probably won’t be that bad
3. I’m slightly confused about how much time you have to work with, but you’re driving a detour away from Charleston, and right past Savannah, both of which are considered gems of the south.
4. Another short detour off of I-95 is St. Augustine. Maybe this is higher on some people’s radar than others but personally I’ve found it’s criminally underrated and overshadowed by other coastal / Floridian destinations. Really neat OLD city with a really old historic fort.

I think you’re looking at an 11 hour drive? I’m pretty sure I made it from the VA/NC state line to Central FL check-in in 10 hours before, including pee breaks. To me that’s a straight-through drive if you only have Sunday, but plenty of places to stop if you have longer!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Looks like you’re starting just off the 81-77-26-95 route that a lot of us northerners take! Off the top of my head:

1. I think the mountain pass & lookouts on I-77 right near the VA/NC border are gorgeous. Definitely a nice area to pass through in daylight, especially sunrise.
BUT
2. The more “off time” you are getting through Charlotte the better. Mind you are you doing this all on a Sunday? It probably won’t be that bad
3. I’m slightly confused about how much time you have to work with, but you’re driving a detour away from Charleston, and right past Savannah, both of which are considered gems of the south.
4. Another short detour off of I-95 is St. Augustine. Maybe this is higher on some people’s radar than others but personally I’ve found it’s criminally underrated and overshadowed by other coastal / Floridian destinations. Really neat OLD city with a really old historic fort.

I think you’re looking at an 11 hour drive? I’m pretty sure I made it from the VA/NC state line to Central FL check-in in 10 hours before, including pee breaks. To me that’s a straight-through drive if you only have Sunday, but plenty of places to stop if you have longer!

Yeah - I'm doing it all in 1 day down. I guess I was asking about nice but quick places to take a short break from driving (and get gas, food, pee, etc). Google says 10 hours and 25 minutes so I'm hoping to only add an hour to that with stops. I've driven to/through Charlotte before (because that's where I usually hop a plane home). That mountain area and then the lake area into Charlotte is beautiful. I look forward to seeing that in the earlyish morning. Thanks for your advice.

Oh, and St. Augustine is on my radar for a future trip. My mom and I are ghost hunter fanatics and we NEED to get inside that lighthouse.

 

[gsuoumu]

My mom is a bit of an over planner and worrier and today the topic is toll roads. We'll be coming from down I-95 through Jacksonville and on I-4. Google Maps shows me that there are tolls onto WDW property but I can't seem to find definitive knowledge on how much we'll have to pay. It looks like maybe you just drive through and they bill you? Can anyone provide me that info so I can share with her?

 

[LadybugsMum]

There are tolls for the HOV lanes if she chooses to use them. I believe it's a bill by plate, but I have the NC Quick Pass which has an agreement with FL. She can avoid them for toll free driving.

 

[Mikey15]

My mom is a bit of an over planner and worrier and today the topic is toll roads. We'll be coming from down I-95 through Jacksonville and on I-4. Google Maps shows me that there are tolls onto WDW property but I can't seem to find definitive knowledge on how much we'll have to pay. It looks like maybe you just drive through and they bill you? Can anyone provide me that info so I can share with her?

There’s a few toll options possible (including none - there are toll free routes), and there’s a calculator here:
https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/tolls/toll-rates/

Coming from Jacksonville/Daytona/Deltona there’s a Western Beltway (SR-429) and a “Greenway” (SR-417) that split off of I-4, avoid downtown and the worst of I-4 traffic, and offer exits near Disney World (Western Way and World Center Dr). Whether they actually save you any time or not over I-4, which is the more direct route, depends on time of day and traffic.

Separately, if you stick to I-4 there’s a limited stretch of Express Lanes. I’m not sure if Toll by Plate works for them or if a transponder is needed, but if you have an out-of-state transponder like E-Z Pass or I-Pass, they work in FL.

 

[MikeF;NJ]

There are tolls for the HOV lanes if she chooses to use them. I believe it's a bill by plate, but I have the NC Quick Pass which has an agreement with FL. She can avoid them for toll free driving.

According to the I-4 Express website, Toll-by-plate does NOT work on the I4 Express lanes. You must have a transponder. In addition to the Florida transponders, many other state's transponders are accepted. See https://i4express.com/tolls/ for which are accepted.

 

[bluecastle]

According to the I-4 Express website, Toll-by-plate does NOT work on the I4 Express lanes. You must have a transponder. In addition to the Florida transponders, many other state's transponders are accepted. See https://i4express.com/tolls/ for which are accepted.

Thanks for posting this link! My DH hates paying extra for express lanes (here in VA they are outrageous) but I’m glad to see that they accept EZPass (which I always callFastPass)

 

[ParrotBill]

One week left before we start our 1 1/2 day drive. I cleaned the car and setting up for dueling GPS (so we can keep one on the end target and set one on intermediate targets), cooler, drinks, snacks, pillows, blankets... and a 20 hour playlist LOL.

 

[happily single]

Someone please talk me out of driving from RI in June! I've been wanting to do a quick 3 day trip to The World. I've been watching airfares and the news with all the plane issues and I'm honestly slightly scared to fly. I do live 8 minutes from PVD and the flight is about 3 hours. I've done the drive 3x before, the last being about 6 years ago, but I had three teens with me.

Has anyone done the cost breakdown? I would need to stop at least one night. I'm open to napping in a safe rest area as well. I would rent a car. Even if I flew to MCO I would also rent a car, so that cost is probably a wash.

 

[pens4821]

Someone please talk me out of driving from RI in June! I've been wanting to do a quick 3 day trip to The World. I've been watching airfares and the news with all the plane issues and I'm honestly slightly scared to fly. I do live 8 minutes from PVD and the flight is about 3 hours. I've done the drive 3x before, the last being about 6 years ago, but I had three teens with me.

Has anyone done the cost breakdown? I would need to stop at least one night. I'm open to napping in a safe rest area as well. I would rent a car. Even if I flew to MCO I would also rent a car, so that cost is probably a wash.

I think it depends on how many people are going. There were three of us and we figure we saved probably 800-1000 driving from Pittsburgh rather than flying. That’s factoring in the extra couple days of travel (gas and food) and a night in a hotel there/back. That’s also a rough estimate since we figure we saved quite a bit on brining water/gtorade/snacks with us that we didn’t have to buy if we were thirsty/hungry at the resort.

The major downfall for us is the drive home. Between staying at the parks late then up early to start the drive home, that first day is always quite tiring. The next day isn’t too bad though.

 

[happily single]

I think it depends on how many people are going. There were three of us and we figure we saved probably 800-1000 driving from Pittsburgh rather than flying. That’s factoring in the extra couple days of travel (gas and food) and a night in a hotel there/back. That’s also a rough estimate since we figure we saved quite a bit on brining water/gtorade/snacks with us that we didn’t have to buy if we were thirsty/hungry at the resort.

The major downfall for us is the drive home. Between staying at the parks late then up early to start the drive home, that first day is always quite tiring. The next day isn’t too bad though.

True!! I would be going solo. The "kids" refuse to do anymore roadtrips. I did some quick math, and if I left my home at 6pm (after work) on a Saturday and drove for 6 hours I could get to the Maryland Welcome Center. Then its a 13 hour drive to Disney. That's probably not doable in one day. So now I have two nights of hotel on the way down. Gas one way is about $150. I think I'm talking myself out of hte drive!

 

[OKW Lover]

Someone please talk me out of driving from RI in June! I've been wanting to do a quick 3 day trip to The World. I've been watching airfares and the news with all the plane issues and I'm honestly slightly scared to fly. I do live 8 minutes from PVD and the flight is about 3 hours. I've done the drive 3x before, the last being about 6 years ago, but I had three teens with me.

Has anyone done the cost breakdown? I would need to stop at least one night. I'm open to napping in a safe rest area as well. I would rent a car. Even if I flew to MCO I would also rent a car, so that cost is probably a wash.

No cost breakdown but seriously if you are looking at a 3 hour flight (plus check-in, etc) compared to a 24 hour drive there really isn't any contest. Especially if you are spending 2 of your three day trip driving there and back.

 

[pens4821]

True!! I would be going solo. The "kids" refuse to do anymore roadtrips. I did some quick math, and if I left my home at 6pm (after work) on a Saturday and drove for 6 hours I could get to the Maryland Welcome Center. Then its a 13 hour drive to Disney. That's probably not doable in one day. So now I have two nights of hotel on the way down. Gas one way is about $150. I think I'm talking myself out of hte drive!

For solo I think it’ll be cheaper to fly. 300 in gas, 200 for hotel (if only staying one night there and one back), maybe 100 in food/drink for the extra couple days of travel.

 

[bluecastle]

True!! I would be going solo. The "kids" refuse to do anymore roadtrips. I did some quick math, and if I left my home at 6pm (after work) on a Saturday and drove for 6 hours I could get to the Maryland Welcome Center. Then its a 13 hour drive to Disney. That's probably not doable in one day. So now I have two nights of hotel on the way down. Gas one way is about $150. I think I'm talking myself out of hte drive!

The chance of MD to WDW being only 13 hours is very low. With all the traffic, it will be more like 15-16. (We drive from NoVA and we stop once along the way. Total driving time is usually around 15 hours)
The fact that you will be alone is also concerning. 95 is so boring! We depend on our music and singing and talking to keep us awake!
Also, the fact that it is a short stay, as PP said, you will be spending so much time getting there and your time in WDW will go by in a flash. When we drive, we stay for 6-7 nights at WDW.
I know airfare is nuts, but if you can swing it, I’d say go for it. (And I’m not a big fan of flying either, although I’ve done it a few times when it’s a shorter stay)

 

[happily single]

Thanks everyone. Driving is on the back burner. Now searching for reasonable airfare and flight times