"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (IV)

[tci1212]

OK, that's two people who take Rt. 58 across southern VA. (I'm the other! -- We go via the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and take Rt. 24 to Rt. 113 to Rt. 13. Rt. 113 moves better than if we cut over to Rt. 13 "higher up.")

Make it three people who take that route across the Cape May Lewes Ferry we are headed down next Friday And we live only a mile from the ferry,

 

[amcnj]

Make it three people who take that route across the Cape May Lewes Ferry we are headed down next Friday And we live only a mile from the ferry,

Hi. So do you then get on 95 in Emporia VA? How long does it take you from your home to Emporia going this way?

Thanks!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Hi. So do you then get on 95 in Emporia VA? How long does it take you from your home to Emporia going this way? Thanks!

You do get on 95 in Emporia, but I live in MA so not sure how long it would take you.

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[dvczerfs]

I found this on the local news this morning.

http://www.wfmz.com/news/Drivers-shocked-by-man-hanging-on-back-of-car/26721076

 

[dvczerfs]

You do get on 95 in Emporia, but I live in MA so not sure how long it would take you.

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have a good time DD!

 

[amcnj]

You do get on 95 in Emporia, but I live in MA so not sure how long it would take you.

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Right, I had quoted someone who lives near the ferry, I think! So in your case, how long does it take from the ferry in NJ till you reach Emporia and/or on the way back from Emporia till you are landing in NJ on the ferry?

Thanks!

 

[asmit4]

Can anyone comment on driving the 77 or driving 75 down? I can do either one and had planned on doing 77 but some have commented that 77 is a real PIA- driving through small towns, not major highways, lots of turns where you have to focus on your GPS.

Is 75 really that much better?

 

[dvcville]

Here it is:


I-95 WARNING!

We have driven 32 times to WDW since 2002 and have never seen I-95 as bad as it was today.

We were in Colonial Williamsburg for several days and left at 10:00 a.m. this morning. We should have arrived home at about 4 p.m. but due to the traffic (daytime, Saturday, construction, etc.) we arrived home at 5:20 p.m.

From Fredericksburg to the Potomac heading north was stop and go with an occasional brief speed up...and then back to a crawl. Just north of the Baltimore harbor tunnel, construction slowed things down. Delaware was a complete crawl (made worse by the closing of 495 due to the bridge problem). Once we crossed into NJ, the traffic was "normal."

We used to say: avoid I-95 in northern VA at rush hour.

Now we say: avoid I-95 during in northern VA during the daytime hours, especially on weekends.

We will depart, as usual, in the late evening for our next WDW drive in August. Our return drive could be tricky unless we do a straight-drive-through and pass northern VA after midnight.

All the best.

Hi BC, We were looking at a 9 am Departure on a Wed.. How bad did the southbound traffic look. We were hoping to be trough Richmond by 1-2 pm time frame but after reading your post we are not sure what to do. We have always driven over night but wanted to leave early morning this year.

Thanks!!

 

[NJRRK]

Can anyone comment on driving the 77 or driving 75 down? I can do either one and had planned on doing 77 but some have commented that 77 is a real PIA- driving through small towns, not major highways, lots of turns where you have to focus on your GPS.

Is 75 really that much better?

From the looks of things I'd choose I-77 just to avoid Atlanta, but I've never been on I-77 north of I-81 so others would be better to answer this.

 

[nono]

Make it three people who take that route across the Cape May Lewes Ferry we are headed down next Friday And we live only a mile from the ferry,

Hi neighbor!

amcnj -- You didn't quote me, but figure first of all it's 90 minutes for the ferry crossing/unloading. That doesn't count how long we wait to board and get going. So figure 2 hours total including wait time/load time/crossing/unload time. Because we live so far south, it's 1 hour 45 min to the Del Mem Bridge for us. So 2 hours including wait time to cross isn't a bad deal. Including those 2 hours, it's about 7 hours to Emporia for us with a rest stop (leaving from Cape May). With no traffic, it's about 6 hrs 15 min for us to go around and get to Emporia.

But, if we leave at the same time of day, in looking at past trips, we don't lose any time, because if we leave at 6- 6:30 a.m. from our house, we encounter no "rush hour" on the eastern shore and just travel along. But if we were to leave at the same time and go up and around, we hit Baltimore traffic, and the tail end of DC rush too, which can add boatloads of time and make the ferry route a faster route. (So yeah, if we're going up and around, we leave much earlier. And in that case, it's quicker to do the up and around.) I prefer these days to catch the first ferry over after a good night's sleep. The drive is easier/more interesting to me, and I am someone who does sleep well the night before a trip.

Second thing is for me on the ride over, even with a good night's sleep, I can nap on the ferry. So, I stay in the car, and nap or rest my eyes and listen to an audiobook while the kids and my dh go play cards upstairs in the lounge.

Finally for the ride home, since we have under 5 miles to drive home, by the time we hit the ferry terminal in Lewes, we feel like we're home. I don't know if I'd feel that way if I had more hours to drive once I debarked in NJ. So you need weigh that too.

It's not for everyone. It's a whole different experience. I like the ratio of road-to-highway-to-interstate driving mix that this route delivers. No 75/80 mph for the beginning of the trip...but we get enough of that once we get to NC.

HTH

 

[amcnj]

Hi neighbor!

amcnj -- You didn't quote me, but figure first of all it's 90 minutes for the ferry crossing/unloading. That doesn't count how long we wait to board and get going. So figure 2 hours total including wait time/load time/crossing/unload time. Because we live so far south, it's 1 hour 45 min to the Del Mem Bridge for us. So 2 hours including wait time to cross isn't a bad deal. Including those 2 hours, it's about 7 hours to Emporia for us with a rest stop (leaving from Cape May). With no traffic, it's about 6 hrs 15 min for us to go around and get to Emporia.

But, if we leave at the same time of day, in looking at past trips, we don't lose any time, because if we leave at 6- 6:30 a.m. from our house, we encounter no "rush hour" on the eastern shore and just travel along. But if we were to leave at the same time and go up and around, we hit Baltimore traffic, and the tail end of DC rush too, which can add boatloads of time and make the ferry route a faster route. (So yeah, if we're going up and around, we leave much earlier. And in that case, it's quicker to do the up and around.) I prefer these days to catch the first ferry over after a good night's sleep. The drive is easier/more interesting to me, and I am someone who does sleep well the night before a trip.

Second thing is for me on the ride over, even with a good night's sleep, I can nap on the ferry. So, I stay in the car, and nap or rest my eyes and listen to an audiobook while the kids and my dh go play cards upstairs in the lounge.

Finally for the ride home, since we have under 5 miles to drive home, by the time we hit the ferry terminal in Lewes, we feel like we're home. I don't know if I'd feel that way if I had more hours to drive once I debarked in NJ. So you need weigh that too.

It's not for everyone. It's a whole different experience. I like the ratio of road-to-highway-to-interstate driving mix that this route delivers. No 75/80 mph for the beginning of the trip...but we get enough of that once we get to NC.

HTH

Thanks for the info! I am about an hour and ten minutes from the DE Memorial Bridge, and like 40 miles from the ferry terminal. I had assumed the ferry would take me a little longer overall, but wondered exactly how the timing would be compared to going my normal way. It might prove more of an option on return trips, especially if 95 is having major problems. Although the ferry schedule doesn't mesh well with my current driving time habits coming or going. I am sure that ferry break would be real welcome for people coming from further north too.

 

[BC1836]

Hi neighbor!

amcnj -- You didn't quote me, but figure first of all it's 90 minutes for the ferry crossing/unloading. That doesn't count how long we wait to board and get going. So figure 2 hours total including wait time/load time/crossing/unload time. Because we live so far south, it's 1 hour 45 min to the Del Mem Bridge for us. So 2 hours including wait time to cross isn't a bad deal. Including those 2 hours, it's about 7 hours to Emporia for us with a rest stop (leaving from Cape May). With no traffic, it's about 6 hrs 15 min for us to go around and get to Emporia.

But, if we leave at the same time of day, in looking at past trips, we don't lose any time, because if we leave at 6- 6:30 a.m. from our house, we encounter no "rush hour" on the eastern shore and just travel along. But if we were to leave at the same time and go up and around, we hit Baltimore traffic, and the tail end of DC rush too, which can add boatloads of time and make the ferry route a faster route. (So yeah, if we're going up and around, we leave much earlier. And in that case, it's quicker to do the up and around.) I prefer these days to catch the first ferry over after a good night's sleep. The drive is easier/more interesting to me, and I am someone who does sleep well the night before a trip.

Second thing is for me on the ride over, even with a good night's sleep, I can nap on the ferry. So, I stay in the car, and nap or rest my eyes and listen to an audiobook while the kids and my dh go play cards upstairs in the lounge.

Finally for the ride home, since we have under 5 miles to drive home, by the time we hit the ferry terminal in Lewes, we feel like we're home. I don't know if I'd feel that way if I had more hours to drive once I debarked in NJ. So you need weigh that too.

It's not for everyone. It's a whole different experience. I like the ratio of road-to-highway-to-interstate driving mix that this route delivers. No 75/80 mph for the beginning of the trip...but we get enough of that once we get to NC.

HTH

Thanks for the ferry details! The ferry ride is an attractive method to break up the drive and possibly avoid some I-95 traffic problems. Alas, for us, the non-stop method works best: it's drive, drive, drive.

And we expect to hit the road next month to that multi-theme park complex in Lake Buena Vista.

All the best.

 

[dvczerfs]

Ticker check!!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

AAA is reporting 41 million Americans are hitting the road for the forth of july weekend this year. a two percent increase from last year.

I wonder how many of those 41 million are heading to wdw?

 

[ddluvsdisney]

have a good time DD!

Thanks we are!!!!

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[julluvsdisney]

has anyone stayed in a hotel in Walterboro SC? Looing for clean hotel not motel in that location. I am currently booked at Sleep inn in Walterboro. YAY or NAY? Another suggestion?

 

[dvczerfs]

has anyone stayed in a hotel in Walterboro SC? Looing for clean hotel not motel in that location. I am currently booked at Sleep inn in Walterboro. YAY or NAY? Another suggestion?

I have stayed at the Hampton inn already. it was clean, no problems. I know Sharon stays in Walterboro a lot, maybe she has stayed at the hotel your talking about.

 

[julluvsdisney]

I have stayed at the Hampton inn already. it was clean, no problems. I know Sharon stays in Walterboro a lot, maybe she has stayed at the hotel your talking about.

Awesome!!!! Thank you!

 

[dvczerfs]

Awesome!!!! Thank you!

we also have stayed at the days inn at the Walterboro exit and..........

to be fair, it was about ten years ago and we were not impressed. maybe things have changed so I don't want to toss them under a bus but.........
it wasn't the nicest or cleanest place we ever stayed at. i know you are basically there to shower and sleep but ............
we would just rather stay at the Hampton inn.

 

[nono]

Alas, for us, the non-stop method works best: it's drive, drive, drive.

And that, in the end, is what's most important, eh? Each driving team has to figure out its preferred way to go. Many ways to be right!