Best/Fastest/Easiest Route from Maine to Disney

[TheWhites]

We'll be driving from Maine to Disney with our 5th wheel in tow. I was wondering which routes people take that have worked out well for them. To me it seems that I-95 would be difficult with respect to New York and the Beltway around Baltimore/D.C.

Any input would be appreciated (at least from Maine/Mass. going south).

 

[brisem]

95 is the easiest way. The way to avoid NYC is take Rt15 in CT, then go over the Tapan Zee Bridge to the Garden State Tkp to NJ Tkp and then straight thru. We usually drive straight through and hit the Beltway in the middle of the night so it's no problem.
Hope this help
Welcome to the Boards

 

[maelstrom]

Here's what we do, coming from New York.

84 > 81 > 83 > 695 (Beltway around Baltimore/DC) > 95 > 4

81 and 83 take you thru Pennsylvania, which you wouldn't see if you took 95 all the way down. The Beltway goes around Baltimore/DC and honestly as long as you aren't there around rush hour, it's no problem.

I don't know what roads you'd have to take from Maine to connect you to 81 but I'm sure it's listed on a map.

The only bad thing about 81 and 83 is that there seems to be a very limited selection of potty stops. Most of them are truck stops, not a rest area like on 95. And once you get onto 4 in Florida, it's the same story. I actually had to get off in the city of Orlando to go because there are no rest areas.

 

[ZapperZ]

So, just out of curiosity, how many hours would that take?

Zz.

 

[tevange365]

We make the trip every year and we leave from North of Boston
going down we take trip tik from AAA
Rte 95 south to exit 25 Mass Turnpike
Mass Pike west to exit #9 1-84 (sturbridge)
follow 1-84 through Hartford 684 ----287 to garden state pky then its time to pick up 95 but we follow their directions around richmond and jacksonville

I would be more than willing to get you a copy of our trip tik also there are restrictions concerning propane so let me know

As for driving we do it straight thru we leave here at 7pm after nightime commute drive all night get there late afternoon in Orlando

 

[maelstrom]

So, just out of curiosity, how many hours would that take?

Zz.

It takes about 20 hours for us to get to WDW. Coming from Maine it's probably more like 24-26.

 

[coltow]

We make the trip every year and we leave from North of Boston
going down we take trip tik from AAA
Rte 95 south to exit 25 Mass Turnpike
Mass Pike west to exit #9 1-84 (sturbridge)
follow 1-84 through Hartford 684 ----287 to garden state pky then its time to pick up 95 but we follow their directions around richmond and jacksonville

I would be more than willing to get you a copy of our trip tik also there are restrictions concerning propane so let me know

As for driving we do it straight thru we leave here at 7pm after nightime commute drive all night get there late afternoon in Orlando

I'm 99% sure this is how my parents have gone on the 10 or so times they've driven. My dad used to like going non-stop and from Boston it took him 24 hours and he usually left around sunset so that my sisters would sleep through the 1st 1/2 of the trip. The last few times they have stopped overnight in Georgia on the way down and around DC on the way back.

 

[maelstrom]

Also, if you plan on stopping overnight --

Country Inn & Suites in Santee, South Carolina is very nice. There are plenty of food and gas options at this exit as well.

I forget the name of it, but at the exit after (if you're going north) the downtown Fredericksburg exit in Virgina, there is a nice convention-style hotel. Anyone who's travelled thru Virgina and had to stop for the night knows that there's slim pickins in that area. It wasn't overpriced and it was very clean. This is the ONLY place we'll stay in Virginia.

We've also stopped in Savannah, Georgia for the night and that was alright as well.

 

[jcc0621]

We drive from Philly every year. Can't help you with the NYC thing but we take 95 all the way down. I can tell you - take 295 South around Richmond (Knocks about 1/2 hour off the time). Also, take 295 South in Florida (Jacksonville to St. Augustine) which knocks another 1/2 hour or so off the trip and is a much prettier ride than going through Jacksonville.

We have been doing this drive every year since 1992 (when my parents retired down there and became cast members:sohappy: ) and we have found it easiest to leave at night. Not as many trucks on the road, and hitting DC after 10pm is a big plus.

Have a great trip :wave:

 

[brisem]

We make the trip every year and we leave from North of Boston
going down we take trip tik from AAA
Rte 95 south to exit 25 Mass Turnpike
Mass Pike west to exit #9 1-84 (sturbridge)
follow 1-84 through Hartford 684 ----287 to garden state pky then its time to pick up 95 but we follow their directions around richmond and jacksonville

I would be more than willing to get you a copy of our trip tik also there are restrictions concerning propane so let me know

As for driving we do it straight thru we leave here at 7pm after nightime commute drive all night get there late afternoon in Orlando

you might want to try 84 to 91s in Hartford.Take exit 17--rte 15s. It's quicker and no trucks to the 287. You also avoid the construction on Rt 84 in Waterbury.

 

[cptwife80]

I know this is off the beaten path... But what part of Maine are you from? I lived in Rockland 21 of my 26 years of life, and now on cape cod.:wave:

 

[TheWhites]

Thank you to everyone for your input. If anyone else has an opinion, please feel free to post. This has given us some things to consider when planning our route. Thanks!

 

[seabee1]

It takes about 20 hours for us to get to WDW. Coming from Maine it's probably more like 24-26.

We just did it in December, and it took about 25 hours. That includes bathroom and food stops. It actually wasn't that bad. We didn't have our camper with us this time, but I am sure that trip isn't too far away. We did 95-495-Mass Pike-84-91-15-95-4. If we do take the camper sometime I will probably want to avoid NY, and the GW bridge. But we didn't have that bad of a time on the Beltway, so that doesn't really worry me.

 

[Todd L]

AVOID THE GWB AT ALL COST IT WILL TAKE YEARS OFF YOUR LIFE:fork::fork::fork::hammer::hammer::hammer::dazzle:

 

[TheKeeler7]

Definitly do the Mass Pike to 84 ( 95 thru RI and Conn is the worst)
Also take the Tappen Zee as many have suggested
The only thing I have not seen mentioned is FAST PASS , I'm not sure if Maine has it but you can get it from other states even if your not a resident. Just be sure to get it early 'cause it takes a few days to be active up and down the coast. It will be a huge time and Headache saver.

Also AAA.com will let you customize and print a trip tik for free, they are great to have.

Have a safe trip and great vacation !!!

 

[Phonedave]

I live in Northeast NJ (right next to the George Washington Bridge)

My family has a house in Vermont, right on the NH/VT border, about 20 miles south of St. Johnsbury. We used to have a house in Canada on the Vermont border.

I have made that drive 2 or 3 times a year, for the last 15 years or so, and have ridden with my parents numerous other times while a kid.

My preferred route is, heading South

Interstate 91 to Interstate 84 in Hartford, to either 684 or the Saw Mill Parkway (684 is faster, but somtimes if there is a backup the Saw Mill is faster, but the Saw Mill is a twisty little one lane each direction road) to 287. The over the Tappan Zee bridge.

From the Tappan Zee you can take 287 to the Garden State Parkway south to the NJ Turnpike (which is really 95)

Or, you can do what I do, and take the Palisades Interstate Parkway south and pick up Interstate 95 on the NJ side of the George Washington Bridge. If you do that, be sure to wave about 2 miles after you get on 95, as you pass within abour 300 yards of my house

-dave

 

[brisem]

Fast Pass will save you a couple of hours (depending on the time you leave).
You can get a Fast Pass through the Mass Turnpike.

 

[kucarachi]

Fly, take a train, take a boat through the atlantic ocean! Are you driving to save money or do you really want to spend 40 plus hours of your vacation on the open highway? But if you must drive i would see if you can find any tractor trailers delivering cars from boston to florida and see if he'll hook you up for a hundred bucks.

 

[Rob562]

Fast Pass will save you a couple of hours (depending on the time you leave).
You can get a Fast Pass through the Mass Turnpike.

The OP lives in Maine, so they should be able to get EZPass through the Maine Turnpike (if they don't already have it). (FastLane is the Massachusetts Turnpike's version of EZPass, but they work on each others' systems)

EZPass will get you through all of the tolls between Maine and Virginia, including the Maine Turnpike, the Hampton tolls in NH, Mass Pike, Tappan Zee Bridge (you'd pay coming home only), Garden State Parkway, Jersey Turnpike, the Delaware Memorial Bridge (Or the "Dell Member" as my family calls it), and the random toll bridge or tunnel going through Maryland.

Also, you can sometimes get discounted tolls using EZPass. I know that on the NY Thruway, EZPass users get a 10% discount on their tolls. I don't recall if this applies to the Tappan Zee or not. And starting 12/1, the NJ Turnpike is introducing discounts for EZPass users during off-peak hours.

Unfortunately, EZPass isn't accepted on any of the Florida toll roads, which all seem to have their own versions of electronic tolls. (And there's like three different ones!) *WHY* don't they get an agreement with EZPass???? I'm sure there'd be a lot of snowbirds that would be very happy if they did...

As for routing, I don't know the roads beyond DC, but my preference is 84 to 684 to 287 across the Tappan Zee. Then if I'm heading down through NJ I get on the Garden State Parkway. (sometimes I'm heading into Central PA or down to my parents in Shenandoah Valley, so I'd stay on I-287 around to I-78...)

-Rob

 

[Phonedave]

As for routing, I don't know the roads beyond DC, but my preference is 84 to 684 to 287 across the Tappan Zee. Then if I'm heading down through NJ I get on the Garden State Parkway. (sometimes I'm heading into Central PA or down to my parents in Shenandoah Valley, so I'd stay on I-287 around to I-78...)

-Rob

If you are heading south out of NJ, I still prefer to get on the Palisades Interstate Parkway just after you cross the Tappan Zee (you can even go 9W to the PIP and save another 8 miles or so, but now you are on local roads)

You take the PIP all the way to the Southern end, making sure you don't get on the GWB into NY, and you can pick up I-95 right there. It's a spaghetti bowl of roads on a map, but its really not that bad.

The upside is you avioid going out west on 287 and then back east on the GSP. You also avoid what can be horrible traffic jams on the GSP in the area south of Clifton. Of course the Turnpike (I-95) can jam too, but the GSP does twice a day during rush hours, the Turnpike only does it when there is an accident or construction.

-dave