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

[amcnj]

We left Rocky Mount at about 9:30am. The road was ice and snow covered pretty much to Selma. We were going 45-50mph. From then on, it was just wet and we were able to get back to pretty much normal speed. By SC, we were fine. We pulled up to our townhouse just before 8pm, so we probably only lost 1-2 hours to the storm. Not too bad really.

Glad to hear the weather effects were not too bad. Back home we had a lot more snow than was first predicted.

From your earlier post, were you in the D.C. area around 7 pm then on Friday? And there were no traffic issues at that time?

 

[The Druggist]

Okay, we are doing a week in March. DH and I, DDs 8, 6 and 22 months. Plan is to leave super early Friday morning. DH wants to leave at 3, I'm aiming for 12. We are driving straight through. DH does not want to make ANY stops, aside from gas/bathroom breaks. We will be packing food to eliminate food stops . Last year we left at 3pm and arrived the next morning exhausted with 3 kids full of energy. On the way home we left before lunch, got home in the very early next morning and were able to all get a few hours of sleep before the kids were awake for the day. DH seems to think we can make it down this year in the time it took us to get home last year. I pointed out that on the way home last year the kids were exhausted and slept whereas on the way down they will be excited and full on energy. In other words, DH is setting us up for disaster and I can't talk sense into him. My questions are, on the way down, do we take I-81 or I-95? Also, any tricks to entertain the 22 month old for several hours in the van? We are making her a busy/quiet book but she is my most active toddler and does not sit still (the grocery store involves running and we've stopped going out to eat). She won't watch movies and while she loves to color (on everything), she bites the tips off the color wonder markers.

We took a couple of these last time we went. They just use water and you can find them at Target too (around the school supplies).

Melissa & Doug
On the Go Water Wow! Water-Reveal Activity Pad - Animals

We bought some new toys for my daughter to open and play with once we got on the road. We got her a bigger sized Magna-Doodle and it entertained her for a few hours. Be sure to take plenty of snacks.

 

[The Druggist]

Travelling southbound had a lot of stop and go traffic. I don't really think it was construction or an accident, it just seemed like volume. Just very slow, but it was bad timing on our part - around 4 or 5 pm on a weekday.

Northbound was better coming home the following week - but still bad timing through rush hour traffic. Looking at the southbound lanes though, it seemed much slower for those drivers.

Thanks for the info. We always try to leave early enough to avoid rush hour in Atlanta, even on the weekends, but somehow end up stopping for lunch and taking enough breaks that put us in ATL right at rush hour. Every. Single. Time we have driven.

 

[BC1836]

Well as further consolation for your less than perfect drive down, the snow back home on Saturday turned out worse than had first been predicted!

Indeed! We were ahead of the storm by a day. There's an 11-degree windchill at home right now.

All the best!

 

[disneysteve]

From your earlier post, were you in the D.C. area around 7 pm then on Friday? And there were no traffic issues at that time?

We really had no significant trouble getting through DC. That's the 2nd time that's happened. We did utilize the EZ Pass express lanes at one point but otherwise, it really wasn't bad.

 

[amcnj]

Indeed! We were ahead of the storm by a day. There's an 11-degree windchill at home right now.

All the best!

On my way into work this morning, my car thermometer was always in singles digits, and at one point -1, so you picked a good time to go. It is supposed to be near 60 degrees here in a few days though!

 

[SwimDanceTaxi]

I've been following this thread for some time, and would appreciate your suggestions as you all have experience driving from long distances.

I'd like to plan a vacation to Disney this summer, and I'd like to try driving down for several reasons: save money, I don't want to rent a car, which I might do since I'd like to include universal. According to google maps, my trip from upstate NY would take roughly 18hours. I have this crazy notion that it would be a good idea to start driving in the evening, drive through the night, and arrive mid morning/early afternoon. This way my kids and husband could sleep in the car, and my husband could give me a few hours break at 3 or 4 in the morning (when he normally wakes up).

Based on this I would probably drive I-95 instead of the inland route, and would spend arrival day as a pool day/lounge around the hotel. I think I would also want to leave on a Saturday night to minimize commuter traffic in the morning which we would experience during the workweek.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Nothing is set in stone, including this vacation, so I'm really just trying to think about what we want to do, and I can certainly explore flying. But I feel that driving would offer us more flexibility, even if it means more travel time.

 

[disneysteve]

I have this crazy notion that it would be a good idea to start driving in the evening, drive through the night, and arrive mid morning/early afternoon.

If you do this, I highly recommend having a hotel booked so that you can check in right away when you arrive, even if that means paying for an extra night. We made the mistake one time of driving through the night, arriving at 8am, and couldn't check in until 3pm. That really messed us up. Had we been able to check in right away and crash for a couple of hours, we would have been fine.

 

[The Druggist]

I've been following this thread for some time, and would appreciate your suggestions as you all have experience driving from long distances.

I'd like to plan a vacation to Disney this summer, and I'd like to try driving down for several reasons: save money, I don't want to rent a car, which I might do since I'd like to include universal. According to google maps, my trip from upstate NY would take roughly 18hours. I have this crazy notion that it would be a good idea to start driving in the evening, drive through the night, and arrive mid morning/early afternoon. This way my kids and husband could sleep in the car, and my husband could give me a few hours break at 3 or 4 in the morning (when he normally wakes up).

Based on this I would probably drive I-95 instead of the inland route, and would spend arrival day as a pool day/lounge around the hotel. I think I would also want to leave on a Saturday night to minimize commuter traffic in the morning which we would experience during the workweek.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Nothing is set in stone, including this vacation, so I'm really just trying to think about what we want to do, and I can certainly explore flying. But I feel that driving would offer us more flexibility, even if it means more travel time.

I like driving for the flexibility it offers if kids get restless, sick, or if there is a problem at the airport. Plus, we can take anything and everything we need; don't have to worry about restrictions on luggage size or carry-on liquids. I personally like seeing the scenery change as we drive through the different states.

And disneysteve makes a good point with having a hotel pre-booked for that early check-in.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Okay, we are doing a week in March. DH and I, DDs 8, 6 and 22 months. Plan is to leave super early Friday morning. DH wants to leave at 3, I'm aiming for 12. We are driving straight through. DH does not want to make ANY stops, aside from gas/bathroom breaks. We will be packing food to eliminate food stops . Last year we left at 3pm and arrived the next morning exhausted with 3 kids full of energy. On the way home we left before lunch, got home in the very early next morning and were able to all get a few hours of sleep before the kids were awake for the day. DH seems to think we can make it down this year in the time it took us to get home last year. I pointed out that on the way home last year the kids were exhausted and slept whereas on the way down they will be excited and full on energy. In other words, DH is setting us up for disaster and I can't talk sense into him. My questions are, on the way down, do we take I-81 or I-95? Also, any tricks to entertain the 22 month old for several hours in the van? We are making her a busy/quiet book but she is my most active toddler and does not sit still (the grocery store involves running and we've stopped going out to eat). She won't watch movies and while she loves to color (on everything), she bites the tips off the color wonder markers.

Where r u driving from?

 

[disneysteve]

I like driving for the flexibility it offers if kids get restless, sick, or if there is a problem at the airport. Plus, we can take anything and everything we need; don't have to worry about restrictions on luggage size or carry-on liquids. I personally like seeing the scenery change as we drive through the different states.

I agree with all of this.

Another factor for us is that we always stay offsite, which means we'd also need a rental car. Actually, even if we stayed onsite we would want a car. So driving saves us that expense and hassle.

 

[SwimDanceTaxi]

We're driving from upstate New York; between Binghamton and Albany.

I definitely see your point about having a room booked so I can nap upon arrival. And I agree about the ability to take everything we need without airline restrictions.

Having never driven in the Disney area, will that be a problem? While I am perfectly capable of driving in busy traffic, it's not my preference.

 

[disneysteve]

Having never driven in the Disney area, will that be a problem? While I am perfectly capable of driving in busy traffic, it's not my preference.

Once you learn your way around, it's really no different than driving anywhere else. I've spent so much time down here that I zip around like a local, use back roads, and generally know how to avoid the traffic.

 

[disneysteve]

We left for home this morning, got on the road just before 9am. Stopped for lunch in Jacksonville and dinner in Lumberton, NC. We are spending the night at the Country Inn and Suites in Emporia, VA. We got a free upgrade to a queen suite - one bedroom with 2 queens and a door separating it from the living room with a sofa and chair, desk, and bar area with fridge and microwave. It's very nice and was only $96 with AAA rate. We had no trouble at all today. One brief bit of misty rain but otherwise clear and dry and no traffic at all.

 

[disneysteve]

We are back at home. We left the hotel in Emporia (which was very nice if you're interested) about 8:50am. Stopped for lunch in Baltimore. Rolled into the driveway about 2:10pm. The trip today was clear and dry without a hint of traffic. Smooth sailing the whole way.

Does anyone know what happened to the JR store in Selma? Do they only sell cigars now? There used to be a ton of billboards advertising all types of merchandise - clothing, perfume, boots, etc. Now there are just a few signs that only mention cigars.

 

[BC1836]

We are back at home. We left the hotel in Emporia (which was very nice if you're interested) about 8:50am. Stopped for lunch in Baltimore. Rolled into the driveway about 2:10pm. The trip today was clear and dry without a hint of traffic. Smooth sailing the whole way.

Does anyone know what happened to the JR store in Selma? Do they only sell cigars now? There used to be a ton of billboards advertising all types of merchandise - clothing, perfume, boots, etc. Now there are just a few signs that only mention cigars.

We also questioned the lack of JR's signs driving down. Over the years, we never saw the store's parking lot full; perhaps economic circumstances caught up with the business.

But how does South of the Border stay open?

All the best!

 

[disneysteve]

We also questioned the lack of JR's signs driving down. Over the years, we never saw the store's parking lot full; perhaps economic circumstances caught up with the business.

But how does South of the Border stay open?

All the best!

We've been to JRs a few times. It was always busy and people seemed to be buying things. We've bought a number of things there ourselves. It's a shame if it closed up.

As for South of the Border, I think that has a reputation and tourists feel they must stop there just to say they did. We did it once. I would never go back but I know people who visit it every trip.

 

[BC1836]

Once you park your car at a WDW resort, head on over to the MK for its new "rope drop" experience: the new welcoming show takes place in front of Cinderella Castle, in order to lessen the traffic jam at the entrance to the park. Also, the Main Street Bakery and Caseys will be open, as well as the Emporium. All of this happens before the park is "open."

All the best!

 

[nono]

Our plan is to leave early Wednesday AM & drive to Annapolis to spend Wednesday and Thursday nights with DS & our grandkids. Then leave Annapolis early Friday morning to Savannah to see friends. How long does that take? What is a good route?

TIA

Not sure if anyone answered this part of your question, as I've been missing in action for a bit. With limited stopping, you can get from Annapolis to Savannah in about 11ish hours. I'd really shoot for hitting the road by 5 a.m. at the latest or wait 'til about 8:30 a.m. to begin the trek. You need to get ahead of, or behind the bulk of DC traffic. My 2 cents. Good luck planning!

 

[Hopefully]

Not sure if anyone answered this part of your question, as I've been missing in action for a bit. With limited stopping, you can get from Annapolis to Savannah in about 11ish hours. I'd really shoot for hitting the road by 5 a.m. at the latest or wait 'til about 8:30 a.m. to begin the trek. You need to get ahead of, or behind the bulk of DC traffic. My 2 cents. Good luck planning!

Thank you. No one had answered.
Google maps had estimated 9 hours but that is without any stops. Thank you for the leaving early advice too. I was thinking 7 but wasn't thinking about D.C. travel.