Help please with driving plans and motel suggestions.

[suevee]

Thank you so much for the suggestion. That is just the kind of info I was looking for.

 

[DSLRuser]

I am 66 and driving by myself to WDW. It has been about 3 years since I have done such a long trip by myself. I am starting from a place a little south of the Baltimore area, Howard county.

Plan A.
Leave at 6 am on Thursday June 14th. Try to make it to Savannah by 6 pm. Stop south of Savannah. Continue to WDW on Friday, June 15th.

Plan B
Leave about 2 pm on Wednesday, June 13. Drive about 4 hours and stop somewhere south of Richmond in the Petersburg area around 6 or 7.
Leave at 730 am on Thursday, June 14 and drive to Jacksonville area around 6 pm.
Head to WDW around 8 am.

Which would you do? And any suggestions for comfortable safe motels?
Thanks

Plan c...leave at 4pm on thursday....drive all night...arrive at WDW at 11am Friday....relax by the pool for a few hours and enjore your vacation

 

[suevee]

Plan c...leave at 4pm on thursday....drive all night...arrive at WDW at 11am Friday....relax by the pool for a few hours and enjore your vacation

Afraid I can no longer drive safely at night. So plan c doesnt work for me at this point in my life...now 20 years ago..

 

[Jimsig]

Not sure if it has been mentioned but is it convenient for you to get to Rt US301? You would avoid the Beltway and quite a bit of I-95. You could then take I-295 around Richmond and it brings you to I-95 just south of Petersburg VA.

 

[suevee]

I live next door to I95. Just 35 minutes north of DC, 25 minutes south of Baltimore and 35 minutes west of Annapolis. Since i use the medical center at Walter Reed Bethesda i am familiar with the beltway. Since i dont feel like leaving at 5 am I am going after the worse of rush hour. I know I said noon but probably more like 10 am. Lol

 

[FtW Mike]

Suevee Depending on when you leave and traffic conditions in DC and Richmond you MIGHT want to consider going to exit 49 of 95 in NC. This is on southern edge of Fayetteville. There is a CB at that location (We love that one) with a major chain hotel next door forget the name. We stayed at a Camp ground off exit 69 one trip and made to our next stop outside of Jacksonville in about 8hrs. Next day Ft Wilderness was 4 hours away and we did 3 major stops ( Shop at Camping World for needed parts, Fuel, Florida Reception Center to walk the Dogs.)
For some practical advise consider this. We have found fuel prices vary greatly on the way down. Both Va and SC are far cheaper than NC ( Like 50 cents a Gallon) So we try to fill up in Va at one of the places at exit 11 or 4 before we get to NC on trip down. If I really need it we will stop in Florence SC otherwise we try for exit 5 just before Ga line as price takes another hike there (25 cents a gallon. With an 80 gal. tank it adds up)

 

[suevee]

Thankyou for the advice on gas prices. By the way does anyone know a good NC bar b q place off 95?

 

[DSLRuser]

Afraid I can no longer drive safely at night. So plan c doesnt work for me at this point in my life...now 20 years ago..

I hear you. In my mid 40's now.....have done 17 trips driving to Disney straight through....16 hours...1,008 miles......I wonder how many more I have left in me. When I can no longer drive all night, it will be time to suck it up and pay for air fare.

 

[suevee]

I hear you. In my mid 40's now.....have done 17 trips driving to Disney straight through....16 hours...1,008 miles......I wonder how many more I have left in me. When I can no longer drive all night, it will be time to suck it up and pay for air fare.

I am retired and I think I will enjoy the solitary liesurely drive to WDW before being joined by 6 grandchildren. 5 will be driving back with me

Originally I planned to leave on Friday, then Thursday, now it is Wednesday. Also pushed time back from 1 pm to 10 am. My room reservation at WDW starts on Friday. Kids joining on Monday so will have a few days on my on to play.

 

[suevee]

Okay found out Lynchburg SC is the half way mark for me. A little less than 7 hours so that will be my goal on the first day. I may be arriving two days earlier than I originally planned. So will have 3 full days to relax before the crew descends.

 

[drwadadli]

We used to leave from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and drive to Florence, SC. That makes it a nice drive without being too long on the road. Then get us the next morning and drive to WDW. Florence would be closer to halfway coming from Baltimore just as it was for us.