For those folks driving!


Yikes! That was a scary start to your drive home. Glad you were able to stay safe! On one of our drives about 15 years ago, we were literally outrunning a tornado on the way home. And this was before GPS so we were relying on the reports on the radio and a paper map! It was very scary as there were no towns/cities nearby and we were trying to figure out what we were going to do if the tornado would get closer to I-95. Thankfully, after about 10 minutes, it started to veer away from the highway and the skies cleared up. We never actually got close enough to see the tornado but we could see the ominous clouds and green hue.
 
Vacation getting closer come on October! Just reserved my mini van for $507.30 for 2 weeks through Enterprise great deal through my husbands work. We were looking at flying but driving is a lot cheaper
 


We drive from Central NC, takes about 11 hours with a few stops, for Food, fuel and bathrooms.

Its a pretty easy ride , and we stay of 95 for about half of it.


But man I hate the approach to Jacksonville.....cross over into that area and everyone drives like idiots....
 
4th trip to WDW and first one driving it. Flights from Nashville were not only ridiculously expensive but nothing direct so we were looking at 6+ hrs in airports anyway. Just reserved a minivan through Alamo for $480 for 9/29-10/9.

Any tips on driving from TN are appreciated! We will be taking 24 to Chattanooga then picking up 75. We are leaving after school on 9/29 and plan to stop over somewhere south of Atlanta for the night.
 
Hi all! We are driving down from Charleston, SC to WDW July 17-23! We have made the trip many times, but I was wondering if there is an alternate route from I-95 to Orlando instead of I-4? Any updates on the road construction on I-4? It's been a couple of years since we've been able to make it "home"! :wizard:
 


Any tips on driving from TN are appreciated! We will be taking 24 to Chattanooga then picking up 75. We are leaving after school on 9/29 and plan to stop over somewhere south of Atlanta for the night.
We've driven twice and both times we went through Chattanooga. Both times we spent a night IN Chattanooga since that's our halfway point from Central Illinois. Even with construction, I've not had a problem. We drive around Atlanta and the traffic is usually heavy, I can't imagine not taking the bypass.
 
Hi all! We are driving down from Charleston, SC to WDW July 17-23! We have made the trip many times, but I was wondering if there is an alternate route from I-95 to Orlando instead of I-4? Any updates on the road construction on I-4? It's been a couple of years since we've been able to make it "home"! :wizard:

We drove through Orlando on I-4 late in the morning on 6/20 and also early in the morning on 6/27. We didn't really have any issues with slow downs due to the construction. I believe most of the work that stops/slows traffic is being done at night yet. There are some lane shifts and general construction going on but nothing that really caused any traffic problems. You can always take the 417 route, but that has tolls (I think I read it's about $6 for the distance you would need to drive to get around Orlando). We used Google maps for the entire drive and it didn't show any major slow downs (there were a few "yellow" areas on the map due to construction but no "red" zones) on I-4 so we stuck with that route and had no issues.
 
I'm baaaaack. Driving again in August. Looking to stop somewhere along i95 in Georgia. Any thoughts? Safe is most important. Clean next.
 
We are also driving again in August. In the past, we have stayed at Springhill Suites in Savannah right off of I-95, Exit 94. It is a very clean and safe hotel. There are places all around to eat at as well and only a minute or two off the highway. We now drive to Jacksonville and stay at Springhill Suites at Jacksonville Airport area so we are closer to Disney for the next days drive.
 
Driving from N. NJ straight through non-stop to WDW. Planning to leave around 3-4pm. DH and I take turn to drive. First time driving this route for us. Any tips and suggestions please?? My kids are 8 and 4.
 
We are planning a late May 2017 trip; 3 children (16,19 & 21 then) plus us & Mom, 72.
Looked at flights--$600-700 each WHAT??!!
We realize it is a 20 hour drive. With 6 drivers...we are teachers so we have the time, kids are on summer break from school (oldest graduates in May). Gas estimates around $300...
We are staying off site, so we were looking at $3500+ for airfare & a van rental...
Are we crazy? Our 2 oldest go to school 10 hours away so we understand driving to some extent...we do get along pretty darn well as a family...will be in a Saturn Outlook.
 
The fly vs. drive question is one I constantly struggle with.

On one hand, I can book a Southwest flight in advance for around $150 round trip. This isn't bad at all and since I'm currently preparing for just myself (although that could change if I find the right person).

With driving, I can make it from Pittsburgh to Orlando in about 16-17 hours, assuming I stop for some stretch breaks and eat the food I've packed. I'd likely also stop halfway at a grocery store to get some stuff for the trip with the intent of eating some meals in the hotel and getting snacks which aren't easily purchased at WDW (namely fresh produce and skim milk). For me, this is a one-day drive, although I'm likely going to crash at the hotel that night.

Factoring in gas, we're looking at maybe $150-175 total, round trip, assuming I don't use the car much or at all at WDW. However, having the car makes it far easier to go to a resort to eat if I'm not staying there.

Then there are the questions of convenience...

• Do I really want to drive a total of 38 hours round trip vs sitting in a plane for 5 hours round trip?
• Do I really need the car at WDW?
• Is the extra 33 hours worth it for the sake of having the convenience of a car I don't have to rent?
• How important is it to get groceries at a place that doesn't price gouge?
• How much am I planning to buy souvenir-wise at WDW?

That last question is the biggie for me. My suitcase is big enough to accommodate a lot of purchases, but let's say I get some fragile stuff--we'll say some Christmas ornaments, mugs, dishes, etc. Let's also throw in something larger size. Last time, I bought a Hollywood Tower Hotel robe. Those aren't exactly small--folded up, it takes up as much space as a typical laptop bag.

I'm not too concerned about the luggage that I'm taking, it's the luggage I may bring back. I know there are some people who have perfected the art of putting these things into suitcases, but I'm not one of them. I have a degree in education with a minor in psychology, not a degree in shipping with a minor in fragile objects. I don't really want to pay to have things shipped, either. Part of me is thinking of taking a relatively empty carry-on and using that on the airplane on the ride back, plus if I buy something like a robe or towel (believe me, I have more Hollywood Tower Hotel stuff than you can shake a stick at) it can serve as packing material.
 
I'm also making another entry regarding routes since some folks have talked about them.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the most convenient route to WDW from Pittsburgh. This would be I-79 to US 19 to I-77 to I-26 to I-95 to I-4. For starters, 95 is a rough highway once you hit the Florida line. 4 is a bear no matter how you attack it. 19 is loaded with those pesky traffic lights around Summerville. 77 in Charlotte can be congested if you hit it at the wrong time. Plus, I used to drive that route a lot going from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, so it's sort of boring for me personally.

I'm looking into trying a new route if I drive next time. It will take an additional hour or two, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried it...I-70 to I-71 to I-75 to the Florida Turnpike, bypassing I-4 entirely. I realize Atlanta may be somewhat crowded, plus Cincinnati and Knoxville are along that route, but I figured it may be OK for a change of pace. If I need to stop for a night, I do know my way around Alpharetta/Roswell and could stay there.
 
We are driving down from northern Illinois! We love the drive and take it nice and easy though we go straight through. We like to stop at cool things along the way but we don't stay anywhere for longer than a couple hours. We spend 2-3 days in St. Augustine and then we hit up WDW for 10 days, head out the DCL and then back to WDW for a goodbye character breakfast and 2-3 days on the Gulf before heading back home!
 
Reading some of these entries makes me think our 9-10 hour drive is not so bad. :rolleyes:
 
We used to head down 95 to New Haven and go up Rte 34 to catch 84. It was recommended by my mid-western BIL to avoid NYC, etc., it was tedious though. Now we take Rte 9 up towards Middletown to catch 91 and head S then W. (I have no idea why I trusted a mid-westerner to tell me how to get around home??) I can honestly say we would never choose 95 after going the Rte 81-77-26 route. If you do happen to try it, let me know your thoughts afterwards. I have friends who've finally tried it and been thrilled with it. Others just feel that the straight through nature of 95 is best for them.

This is how we drove home in January (we live just outside Harrisburg). We had non-stop flights to BWI, but that was the weekend they got hit with 3+ feet of snow. Flight cancelled and reimbursed and we rented a van to get home. The flight down was delayed for about three hours and our 2.5 hour flight ended up taking about 12 hours of travel time. I told my husband I'm driving next time. He can fly and meet us.
 
If you are hitting Charlotte on 77 when traffic is heavy you can skirt the backup by taking 485 Outer (south). 485 is the beltway around Charlotte, and you can get back on 77 at the South Carolina border.
 

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