Charlotte NC to WDW - Driving?

[CoffeeJedi]

Charlotte NC -> WDW

I'm kicking around the idea of saving airfare and driving for our trip in September. Google maps puts the time at 10 hours, but a coworker said that he's done it in about 7 hours.

Has anyone ever made the trip from Charlotte North Carolina to Walt Disney World by car? About how long does it take? I'm not against long drives, i once drove 18 hours straight from PA to spend only 2 days at WDW, then drive back after the weekend, but i want a good idea of how long it takes before i plan.
Thanks!

 

[sbkline]

I drive from Mattoon, IL and it takes about 18 hours. That includes stops along the way for supper, gas, etc.

Of course, the wife has since put her foot down and said no more driving straight through. We now have to stop at a motel along the way and pick up the trip the next day.

But I'm sure NC would be a shorter drive than central Illinois.

 

[PhiPackAttacka]

I've driven it many times, and I would put it at about 8 hours, depending on how fast you drive. I probably average around 75 mph when I'm on open highway. We typically leave home around 8:00am when we go, and get there by about 4:30 to 5:00pm, including about an hour's worth of stops for lunch and bathroom breaks.

You will want to avoid rush hour in Jacksonville, but otherwise there are no real traffic tie-ups along the way. Also, avoid I-4 through Orlando if at all possible. I have been burned by it many times, and I just found out about highway 417, the Florida GreeneWay, which sounds like a better alternative. It looks like you can get on it from I-4 just north of Orlando and miss the traffic, which is awful on I-4 at all times and all days. I believe the GreeneWay is a toll road, but it would be well worth it.

Here's a link to a map of the GreeneWay, although it seems to go from South to North, instead of vice versa:

http://www.swamphen.net/roads/diagrams/fl417.htm

 

[cat2403]

I drive from Charleston, SC and it takes me about 5 hours as long as I don't hit any traffic so you could probably make it in 7-8 hours.

 

[Frosty466]

8 hours doesn't sound bad at all.

We drive from SE Michigan and do it in 2 days-Detroit to Chattanooga, TN. to WDW. About 10 hours each day with gas, food and pottie breaks for Mom, Dad, Grandma & 3 children.

One thing to consider if you have kids is a DVD player, either pre-installed or protable. These are a God send, especially when the drive is getting long & boring in the "11th" hour.

 

[technoarch]

Its 9 hours from Charlotte to WDW.

I'm just north of you in Davidson.

 

[beerbaron]

I live in Fort Mill and have made the drive to Orlando twice in the last year, once for work and once for fun.

The drive takes right around 8 hours...it all depends on 26 between Columbia and I95 and traffic in Jacksonville. It's really not a bad drive at all.

 

[CoffeeJedi]

Thanks everyone!
It's not the drive down that worries me, its the drive back up! I'll have to force myself to go to bed early on the last night of the trip (so hard, i always want to stay up as late as possible to prolong the Magic). But I think that a) the money savings, and b) having someone in our group with a car, will be worth it.

 

[PhiPackAttacka]

On our last trip, we decided to try something different from the straight through drive both ways. We drove down and stayed in a Super 8 in Kissimmee the night before. Then, we spent 6 nights/7 days at POFQ. The last day, we checked out and stayed in the parks until about 5:00pm, then headed out and drove until we felt tired. We stopped in Brunswick, Ga. (I think it was) and then finished the drive the next day. It was great, and we got to basically use 7 full days at Disney. I would definitely do it that way next time.

 

[cat2403]

My father hates sitting in traffic. At Christmas we got up at 3:30 in the morning and drove back to Charleston which completely sucked; however we got home at 10:00 (we stopped for breakfast) and it was nice to not have to spend the whole day in the car and we slept most of the way back. :snore:

 

[sbkline]

On our last trip, we decided to try something different from the straight through drive both ways. We drove down and stayed in a Super 8 in Kissimmee the night before.

Cool. We've always stayed at the Super 8 in Kissimme on Vine street, so maybe you're talking about the same one.:animwink: If our trip next year takes place, it will be the very first time staying on property.

 

[jesserin]

if you're on the road by 6 - you'll be there before check in - the drive's not to bad... although flying is sooo much easier if you can afford it... we had Independance air in charleston last year with direct flights to MCO - that was awsome!

 

[mtnhiker74]

We have made the drive down from Charlotte, NC to WDW many times. It's really not that bad. We typically leave around 6am, then stop for brunch in Savannah, GA around 10:30am. Then we continue driving to Orlando and pull in to WDW around 4:30 or 5pm. Keep in mind, this is with a stop for brunch in Savannah and 3-4 potty/leg-stretching breaks for the little ones on the way. This time frame works good for beating the traffic in the congested areas (Jacksonville, I-4 in Orlando).

If I could just throw out one word of advice: use a radar detector in SC. For some reason SC highway patrol loves to pull people over more than any other place on the planet (or so it seems).

 

[Hoop Raeb]

Just did the drive this past weekend. Watch out around state lines. For some reason, the po-po like to sit around there. :veryconfu I did it in 8 hours with a couple of stops for gas and potty breaks for us and the dogs.

I-77 to I-26 to I-95 to I-4. If you hit it right, you can miss traffic in Jax and O-town. Not that bad, just annoying at times. Maybe I just used to O-town traffic since I live here. :hammer:

 

[PixyDust]

We live outside Hickory, and with multiple stops we always make it in 10 hours. Its not that bad of a ride. Jax is the worst of it. We've only made it through there twice without getting stopped for an extended period for some type of roadwork or accident. We just always try to time it so we aren't in Jax anywhere close to rush hours.

For the ride home, we always stop off for a night in Hilton Head. You are right, it is much harder driving home than getting there. However, if you have a second driver, you can do it.

 

[Dagger]

I live in Charlotte (hello from the Ballantyne area!) and it's probably more like 8. Our family lives in Ohio and we make that 10 hour trek a few times a year with not many problems but the MAJOR difference is that from NC to OH is mountains and from NC to FL is for the most part flat....it should be a nice ride and we are choosing to drive next July.

 

[slacker]

We drive from just outside toronto, canada. it takes about 22 hours.
the second day we reach charlotte and then i would say it is about 9 or ten ours from there.
The drive is super fun. we take charlotte as a sign of almost being there.

 

[CoffeeJedi]

I live in Charlotte (hello from the Ballantyne area!) and it's probably more like 8. Our family lives in Ohio and we make that 10 hour trek a few times a year with not many problems but the MAJOR difference is that from NC to OH is mountains and from NC to FL is for the most part flat....it should be a nice ride and we are choosing to drive next July.

Sweet! Hi over there! We're on Tryon, outside of 485. :wave:

Over Easter weekend I made the drive back to visit my parents in Pennsylvania, I think it was 8.5~9 hours~ish. When I was kid, my family would drive from PA, stopping over night at the very southern end of South Carolina. The next day, we'd leave at around 5am (sometimes earlier if we couldn't sleep from too much excitement) and drop through Georgia to get to WDW around 9~10.

I should add that we don't have kids yet, so I can go at my own pace. I won't even have my wife with me, as our schedules just don't match up nicely this year (work, school, etc), so i'll be going down solo to meet up with friends.

 

[jonesenon4]

im not sure but wouldnt it be easier to take 85 over to 75 and then its a straight shot to the fla turnpike directly into orlando . i live in s ga. my dad lives in lexington nc so we make that trip often. when we go to wdw we just hope on 75 very easy trip. next trip sept 24 06 at wilderness lodge.:sohappy:

 

[CoffeeJedi]

im not sure but wouldnt it be easier to take 85 over to 75 and then its a straight shot to the fla turnpike directly into orlando . i live in s ga. my dad lives in lexington nc so we make that trip often. when we go to wdw we just hope on 75 very easy trip.

No, 85 goes really far west before hitting 75 in Atlanta. Charlotte to Atlanta is almost 5 hours by itself!
I think 77 -> 26 -> 95 is the better option.