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

[nono]

Hi all~
My family and I are taking the drive to Disney from the Jersey Shore in November. I was thinking about leaving around 3am on a Wednesday morning, and getting to at least Georgia. I have 3 young kids, so Georgia is my goal =).
I can't stand the Baltimore, DC traffic on 95 and was wondering if anyone has gone through Delaware and Maryland via 113 and then pick up 13 once in Virginia and cross Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I know it's not as direct as 95 but I won't hit as much traffic. Any thoughts on this is appreciated.

We drove a couple months back with our 6 & 3 yr olds. We went overnight via the ferry and down through VA Beach area, then over to I95 via Rt. 58. Really painless. We left on the 4:30 pm ferry, where I slept while they had fun upstairs. We got off the ferry at 6:10 p.m., then I drove, with one stop, to lower-NC, which we got to around 1 a.m. My husband, who slept almost that entire time, drove for 2 hrs., then I drove for another 2, then he took everything from daybreak onto WDW. We were checking in around 10:15 a.m.

Kids did great, and woke and chatted a bit at most of the changeovers, but were no problem at all. We definitely plan to take that route again in the future.

 

[DVC4US]

Well, it looks like DD and I are going to head out this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning and just take 3 days to get WDW. We were contemplating this idea yesterday morning and trying to decide what to do, then it became a no brainer.

A/C wasn't working yesterday morning so I called the repairman. Whe he got here yesterday afternoon he informed me it was terminal and I needed a new A/C unit. Grrrrrrreat!!!! Well, that settled it, we decided to leave Wednesday afternoon. I will suffer one night in a hot house but not two. It's 7am and it's 82 freaking degrees in my house! We are taking care of a few things this morning then loading up and hitting the road.

Safe travels to anyone else hitting the road in the next couple of days. Disney here we come!!!!

 

[monymony3471]

Well, it looks like DD and I are going to head out this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning and just take 3 days to get WDW. We were contemplating this idea yesterday morning and trying to decide what to do, then it became a no brainer.

A/C wasn't working yesterday morning so I called the repairman. Whe he got here yesterday afternoon he informed me it was terminal and I needed a new A/C unit. Grrrrrrreat!!!! Well, that settled it, we decided to leave Wednesday afternoon. I will suffer one night in a hot house but not two. It's 7am and it's 82 freaking degrees in my house! We are taking care of a few things this morning then loading up and hitting the road.

Safe travels to anyone else hitting the road in the next couple of days. Disney here we come!!!!

Stinks about the AC, but Yea for getting to leave early! Safe travels!

 

[Scott in GB]

Hello all!

We are heading down to WDW on 8/13!!! This will be our 4th time driving down. Each time we seem to push it further and further with how far we drive each day. We normally leave in the morning and get down to around Atlanta the first day. This time, due to my wife's work schedule, we are leaving Friday after work (around 5:30).

We are toying with the idea of driving straight through with maybe a couple of naps at rest stops along the way. First off, what's everyone's experience with taking naps at rest stops? My wife is worried about security. It will be my wife and I and our two kids DD11 and DS8.

What we will probably do is just play it by ear and stop at a hotel if we feel we need to. I am taking that Friday off so I can sleep in and be really rested and ready to go. My wife hates driving so it will just be me. So, any other suggestions on driving straight through?

Thanks! Scott

 

[BC1836]

Hartford-Jacksonville (July 3)
- Took I95 route, going over the GWB, eastern side of DC beltway and through Richmond
- Left Hartford at 12:30 am. Made it to northern VA by 6:30 am. Jacksonville by 7:30 pm.
- This was a holiday weekend. Mild traffic to DC beltway. Very little traffic on eastern side of beltway. Heavy traffic (but no slowdowns) from DC to Richmond. Heavy traffic with half dozen slowdowns and three major stoppages from Richmond to NC/SC border. Mild traffic through SC, GA and FL. Few trucks the whole way.
- Construction in Connecticut, south side of DC beltway and GA. None of these caused slowdowns at the times that I went through them.
- Avoid GWB. This road has major, car swallowing potholes. Complicated exits - easy to make a wrong turn.
- McD's near Fredricksburg was mobbed. Took over an hour for breakfast there. Should have waited for Richmond for breakfast stop.
- EZPass is a must-have. Saved half an hour of wait time.
- Garmin Nuvi 265T was very helpful. Rerouted us past two bad traffic stoppages.

Jacksonville-WDW (July 5)
- Left Jacksonville at 4pm. Made it to Kissimmee by 6:15 pm via I95/I4.
- Mild traffic, no construction, no slowdowns/stoppages.

WDW-Greensboro,NC (July 16)
- Took I4 to I95 to SC-38 to US-220
- Left Kissimmee at 10am. Slowdown in Kissimmee on I4. Heavy traffic to I95. Light traffic rest of way. Made it to Greensboro, NC by 8pm.
- US220 (aka I73 and I74) is a new road and is a great ride with almost no traffic. Recommended.
- Advice: don't "wing it" when getting a hotel on a Friday night. Available rooms were hard to find. Again, Garmin Nuvi 265T was very helpful in finding something that was available.

Greensboro,NC - Hartford (July 17)
- Took US-29 to Shenandoah National Park. Then I81 to I78 to I287 to Tappan Zee Bridge to I95.
- Left Greensboro at 8:30am. Made it to Shenandoah National Park by 12:30pm. Drove through Shenandoah National Park. Back on I81 by 4:30pm. Hartford by 11:30 pm.
- US-29 is a beautiful road. 65 mph most of the way, scenic, no trucks. Very safe. Recommended.
- Shenandoah National Park is beautiful, of course. But we had been in the car for a long time at that point and probably should have skipped it.
- Trucks not a problem on I81/I78. I81 was a nice road.
- Light traffic up to Tappan Zee bridge. Heavy traffic with slowdowns from Tappan Zee to Bridgeport, CT.
- Connecticut drivers suck. Avoid I95 in Connecticut during evening hours. Lots of dangerous drivers, lanes are poorly marked, partially finished paving, grooved roads, etc.

Total mileage: 2860 miles

A first-rate, detailed report!

All the best.

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Hello all!

We are heading down to WDW on 8/13!!! This will be our 4th time driving down. Each time we seem to push it further and further with how far we drive each day. We normally leave in the morning and get down to around Atlanta the first day. This time, due to my wife's work schedule, we are leaving Friday after work (around 5:30).

...

Thanks! Scott

Hi fellow Cheesehead! No suggestions for napping at rest stops and driving straight through. But question for you. Do you take I-65 through Indiana? Or I-57 all the way down through Illinois? I'm (very) slowly planning my first drive down in a few years, and keep going back and forth on which route I'd prefer. So I'm asking anybody who comes along which way they prefer!

 

[Disneyholic]

As DH & I get older the drive down is still fun, because of the Disney rush we get, but the drive back seems to take forever. We have resorted a few times to take the Auto-train home unless we have 2-3 extra days to drive. The straight thru on the way home just isn't happening. The Auto-train does the driving for us and gets us to only about 4 hours drive to home w/ 16-20 of rest & relaxation on the train. We get a sleeper car because I have to sleep flat and also because I don't do well sharing a large space sleeping with strangers, as in coach.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We are leaving in 29 days, driving from the Jersey Shore.
I've never done this before so what time would be the best time to leave if we want to make it to Savannah GA by 9 or 10PM (or earlier). I am trying to avoid the infamous DC traffic. I'd really like to make it to Savannah, then the next day just drive the rest to Disney. We have a 5 yr old too so we will need to add in some breaks.
Thanks!

 

[bdoyledimou]

We are toying with the idea of driving straight through with maybe a couple of naps at rest stops along the way. First off, what's everyone's experience with taking naps at rest stops? My wife is worried about security. It will be my wife and I and our two kids DD11 and DS8.

We slept at a few rest stops on our last trip. We survived.

We picked a spot in the middle of the lot, close to but not directly under a light, with our keys in the pocket.

Its amazing how a quick 40-60 minute rest can fully recharge you.

I believe the rest stops are also under camera surveillance, and more than once a State trooper pulled in and drove by, but didn't come up to the van at all.

 

[Disneyholic]

We slept at a few rest stops on our last trip. We survived.

We picked a spot in the middle of the lot, close to but not directly under a light, with our keys in the pocket.

Its amazing how a quick 40-60 minute rest can fully recharge you.

I believe the rest stops are also under camera surveillance, and more than once a State trooper pulled in and drove by, but didn't come up to the van at all.

We usually stop to sleep at rest stops that have signs saying "Patrolled by State Police" Usually a larger stop. We park under a light, but have shades for the side windows and the blackout shade for the front. I also have a blanket with a hood that I pull down over my eyes.

 

[Scott in GB]

Hi fellow Cheesehead! No suggestions for napping at rest stops and driving straight through. But question for you. Do you take I-65 through Indiana? Or I-57 all the way down through Illinois? I'm (very) slowly planning my first drive down in a few years, and keep going back and forth on which route I'd prefer. So I'm asking anybody who comes along which way they prefer!

I haven't tried the I-57 route yet. Every mapping service I check has that as a good amount longer trip. Since I usually hit Chicago on a weekend or late at night it hasn't been a problem. Avoiding Chicago during normal weekday hours would be the only reason I would try I-57.

I-65 in Indiana is heavily traveled and is only a 4-lane highway for most of it so it keeps you on your toes. Not a relaxing stretch that is for sure. One other thing to consider is that Indiana has a 70 MPH speed limit - not sure what it is on I-57.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Marshay]

We just got back from our first drive down to WDW (we took the AT back up to home).

We decided we definitely like being able to pack whatever we wish! We had a very easy drive down (except for a massive t-storm Friday night coupled with a traffic accident). Other than those 2 things, traffic was moving and no complaints between NoVa and WDW.

We will definitely drive again either one way w/AT or round-trip ... the latter esp as our youngest gets older and has more to entertain her.

 

[jasko5990]

We are leaving in 29 days, driving from the Jersey Shore.
I've never done this before so what time would be the best time to leave if we want to make it to Savannah GA by 9 or 10PM (or earlier). I am trying to avoid the infamous DC traffic. I'd really like to make it to Savannah, then the next day just drive the rest to Disney. We have a 5 yr old too so we will need to add in some breaks.
Thanks!

Not knowing where in Jersey you're leaving from, I can only suggest that you leave so you get through DC and into northern VA before 6am. We're about 15 miles from Philly, and we leave around midnight, get to the DE/MD border in about an hour, and get through DC around 3am. We do drive straight through and arrive at WDW around 4pm, so I'd gauge we pass through Savannah around noon. We only stop twice to refuel, eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel during the first fuel stop, and bathroom breaks when needed.

If you do stay overnight in Savannah and are concerned about getting there too early with nothing to do, there's a neat museum right next to I-95 at GA exit 102. It's called THE MIGHTY EIGHTH AIR FORCE MUSEUM and it covers the 8th Air Force from it's inception in WW2, as well as other WW2 and aviation history.

 

[sharig5576]

Not knowing where in Jersey you're leaving from, I can only suggest that you leave so you get through DC and into northern VA before 6am. We're about 15 miles from Philly, and we leave around midnight, get to the DE/MD border in about an hour, and get through DC around 3am. We do drive straight through and arrive at WDW around 4pm, so I'd gauge we pass through Savannah around noon. We only stop twice to refuel, eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel during the first fuel stop, and bathroom breaks when needed.

If you do stay overnight in Savannah and are concerned about getting there too early with nothing to do, there's a neat museum right next to I-95 at GA exit 102. It's called THE MIGHTY EIGHTH AIR FORCE MUSEUM and it covers the 8th Air Force from it's inception in WW2, as well as other WW2 and aviation history.

We are leaving from NY, about an hour north of NYC. It should take us about 5 hrs to get to the DC area. However, we cannot leave before 4-5am. Would we be okay leaving at 5am and getting to DC around 10ish?

 

[bookwormde]

If you are traveling on a weekend you are OK, If nto you are going to hit traffic around Wilmington and Baltimore in the 7-9 time period.

bookwormde

 

[cksmm5]

We are from Lopatcong, NJ (near Phillipsburg, NJ/Easton, PA). We are planning a trip in August with four children ages 10,8,6 & 5. We have a check-in for The Dolphin on 8/19, transferring to CBR on 8/20 and checking out 8/27.

My dilemma is this; my husband and I cannot agree on when to hit the road. I want to leave around 6pm on 8/18 and drive straight through so the kids will sleep through a large portion of the trip. DH wants to leave around 8am on 8/18, stop for the night and resume the trip the next day. I am worried that if we follow his plan we will hit traffic and have "Are we there yet?" whiny kids which will result in a miserable "We are never doing this again!" trip.

Has anyone tried it both ways who can help us make our decision?

 

[LadyBeBop]

Who's going to do most of the driving. I have a feeling that DH is afraid of driving while overly tired. Because of that, I'd lean towards taking two days.

We've done it both ways, and driving through the night used to not phase us (it does now that we're older). However, I'm assuming your DH isn't used to being up at 2 AM.

I'm not on the East Coast, so I don't know what time you'd have to leave to avoid the Baltimore/Washington/Richmond rush hours. We only have to worry about Atlanta and possibly Knoxville. But I'm thinking maybe you could semi-compromise and leave about 3 or 4 AM on the 18th. You can take the first shift driving. That way, you should have about 4 or 5 hours of your children sleeping...especially if you don't send them to bed until after midnight.

Get a portable DVD player and a few new DVDs and you should be OK. Good luck.

 

[sharadoc]

We are leaving from NY, about an hour north of NYC. It should take us about 5 hrs to get to the DC area. However, we cannot leave before 4-5am. Would we be okay leaving at 5am and getting to DC around 10ish?

Not on a summer Saturday. It will be a parking lot from DC to Richmond by then !

 

[mousebymarriage]

We are from Lopatcong, NJ (near Phillipsburg, NJ/Easton, PA). We are planning a trip in August with four children ages 10,8,6 & 5. We have a check-in for The Dolphin on 8/19, transferring to CBR on 8/20 and checking out 8/27.

My dilemma is this; my husband and I cannot agree on when to hit the road. I want to leave around 6pm on 8/18 and drive straight through so the kids will sleep through a large portion of the trip. DH wants to leave around 8am on 8/18, stop for the night and resume the trip the next day. I am worried that if we follow his plan we will hit traffic and have "Are we there yet?" whiny kids which will result in a miserable "We are never doing this again!" trip.

Has anyone tried it both ways who can help us make our decision?

We have done it both ways and I have to say that I much prefer to drive straight through the night. I agree that there is much less " are we there yet?" from the kids because they sleep for a good portion of the trip plus there is usually no traffic during the night. Driving through the night works for us because I am a night owl by nature. I usually try to sleep as much as possible during the day that we are leaving so that I am well rested for the night long drive. Dh drives the first portion and when he gets tired (usually around midnight or 1am) we stop to gas up and bathroom break and then I take over for the night. DH sleeps with ear plugs in while I am driving and I use my i-pod (1 ear bud only) loaded with my favorite tunes. In the morning we stop for breakfast after the kids wake up and then DH takes over and then I sleep with the ear plugs in(ear plugs are a life saver). The kids are always so surprised how far we have driven when they wake up in the morning.

 

[DVC4US]

Stinks about the AC, but Yea for getting to leave early! Safe travels!

Thanks! We hit the road about 1pm and stopped for the night in Paducah, KY. Back at it again tomorrow.