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Driving To WDW from Philly Area... Any Travle Suggestions?
- Thread starter Sammy5150
- Start date
coachwnh
Well-Known Member
We did this drive a few summers ago from the Lehigh Valley. We left at 4:50 pm, and arrived at our resort at 10:10 am the next morning. It was an easy drive down at night with almost no traffic. The miles on 95 count down, so it was like a game in the middle of the night for me to get to the nest state. I drank cokes and coffee and ate snickers and milky ways to help me get by. The excitement kept me awake. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived, so we actually headed into MK until late that afternoon! Be safe and have fun!
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DisneyDebNJ
Well-Known Member
Driving to WDW from Jersey, used to be a yearly thing. (and I actually enjoyed it!) We have stayed at the very same Embassy Suites several times and loved it! (ask for a Lanai room on 2nd or 3rd floor) We used to leave early am (between 5-6am) to try to beat the rush hour around Washington DC. We used to stop at J&R every trip, then stop at a Cracker Barrel along the way. Bring Disney DVDs, saving your family's fav movie for when you hit the Georgia/Florida border. If you don't want to stop for meals, plan a *car picnic* (which we did alot and I swear, the car smells like an Italian Deli by the time you reach Orlando LOL) Have a wonderful trip... and be safe!
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Mrsdonaldduck
Well-Known Member
We drove with the three little guys last year and we enjoyed it so much we are doing it again this year! It is 18 hours from NJ an we break up the trip in South Carolina. I eat lots of Swedish fish and pop tarts to stay awake. We play the license plate game and watch Disney movies. Have a wonderful trip!!!
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Zipadeelady
Well-Known Member
Really interested in how it works out for you...Were driving from Northern Indiana (17 hours) and thinking of driving through too. I'm the problem though, as soon as it gets dark and I'm in a car I can't seem to stay awake. We would have 3 drivers so maybe we would be able to do it. Let us know how it worked out.
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Thanks for the Room request info. And I've been trying to define a smell for the van, Italian Deli Is Perfect! Movies so far will be "42" and Lion King. I will be listening to Van Halen.
Thanks,
Ed
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lover_doll
Member
Hi!
The last time we drove down from Northern Maryland we took all of our Harry Potter Audio books along (even though we have listened to them countless times). Jim Dale reading the books to us was WONDERFUL. We were entertained the entire time. Even the grandparents started enjoy Harry's adventures.
About an hour before we arrived, my husband put in a CD of the music from Pirates of the Caribbean---great music to listen to as we were watching for signs.
We also had lots of snacks and soda to keep awake.
Another suggestion is that when you stop for gas---everyone gets out to stretch their legs and use the restroom. There were 7 of us---one stop is better than stopping many times.
If anybody suffers from leg cramps, have a bottles of water handy---it helps.
Try to keep all of your luggage in the trunk of your car or back of your van. The more room to move around the better. My mom is a notorious over packer so things were a little crowded in the last row of seats in the back of the SUV.
Oh, and do stop at the Florida Welcome Center---my children love it just because they get the little cup of orange juice. In fact, my son took his first steps at the Florida Welcome Center.
Have a good time and stay safe.
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WLBound
Well-Known Member
You're absolutely right on with everyone getting out to stretch and use the restroom. We couldn't get our nieces on board with this and that resulted in far more stops than we intended. It was a blessing when they finally fell asleep because we weren't having to stop every 30 minutes or so. The Welcome Center is another must do. The OJ was so delicious and hit the spot after being in a car for over 12 hours.
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coachwnh
Well-Known Member
Yes I was. It was a completely unplanned trip. We returned from WDW about 2 weeks before and had hoped to see the Shuttle Atlantis launch the last time. We stayed as long as we could, but eventually had to leave. It launched the next day. So my wife raised the idea of going down to see it land (our APs still had another week before they expired). So i drove on pure adrenaline. It was exciting. We did get to see the shuttle land!! Amazing last minute trip!!!!
PS You can cruise on an empty I 95 all night long!!!
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WLBound
Well-Known Member
I would almost rather that detour than the one we got stuck with. We had to travel down during a hurricane which caught up with us near Petersburg, VA. We were told by relatives back in PA that 95 was shut in NC so we ended up going the long way through NC (all the way around the west side(?) entering SC via Charlotte). By that point I was ready to bail on the rest of the family and catch a flight, probably because they woke me up at 2:30 AM to drive. All the soda in the world didn't make that long, rainy boring drive worth it.
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WLBound
Well-Known Member
Well, I was entertaining myself thinking of evil things to do to my husband and BIL who were snoring away, especially my husband who was responsible for my having to get up. I'm getting my revenge this year making him get up at 4 AM to start driving. That should teach him
.
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AngryEyes
Well-Known Member
Well, I was entertaining myself thinking of evil things to do to my husband and BIL who were snoring away, especially my husband who was responsible for my having to get up. I'm getting my revenge this year making him get up at 4 AM to start driving. That should teach him
My wife thinks it's funny to turn the heated seat on for me. I guess I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, because I'm always about to catch fire by the time I realize what she's done.
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Figgy1
Premium Member
We just did the drive from the High Point NJ, NY, PA border area. We left at 6am and headed west to 81 south to avoid a tropical storm heading north up the coast and stopped at the Super 8 in Brunswick Ga to get some rest and the next morning we hit DTD by 10 am. The ride home was from Kennedy Space Center about 17 or 18 hours straight through. We love the drive and the boys have hand held video games and portable dvd players to keep them busy. Be safe and avoid South of the Border!
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WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
As a kid this was a yearly trip for us from NJ. 95 south was all to familiar to us and we had fun all the way down. Play all kinds of games to pass the time. Enjoy the signs for South of the Border and yes, stop there! Its one of those places that is very tacky but its not an official trip to Florida until you can say you stopped there.
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