Drive to Disney from NY

[SamandChel]

I am going to be driving from upstate NY, 2 hours north of NYC, to Disney for my wedding at Disney in mid January. I won't be able to leave home until around 10am so I would be at the DC section of I95 around 3:30, on a Tuesday. Anyone have expirience driving by DC at this time during the week or are there any other cities I might get stuck in.

Did this drive a couple months ago with my fiance but we just drove overnight so hit DC at 2am.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Fly

Cost of flights - less car fuel, less two very tired people, plus all that saved time (a minimum of a day and a half)

According to Google maps you're looking at a ONE WAY drive of around 19 hours (without stopping) or a ONE WAY flight of under three. I know which I'd be doing

 

[Disnee4Me]

Two hours north of NYC .... snow could be a BIG factor in January. We left Connecticut once when they were expecting an eastern seaboard snow ... got stuck BIG time in Virginia --- 7 hours to get through the state in middle of the night (midnight to 7 a.m.) Of course in the summer of '98 we got stuck in Hurricane Bonnie in the Carolinas in August so driving I-95 at anytime of the year can be a bit*h!!

 

[SamandChel]

I would love to fly it's how we normally would go, but my fiance spent way to much on her dress to trust putting it on a plane. Our car only takes about $200 worth of gas round trip and out of our local airport it's around $500 per person for flights to Orlando. I did the entire drive straight through a few months ago after working a 9 hour day without a problem and went directly into the parks when we arrived lol. We will be staying so long that a day and a half traveling isn't a big deal.

As for snow that's the one thing I'm hoping we don't get! If snow gets bad we are leaving the car at home and just taking the jeep. I can't imagine DC rush hour with a snow storm!

 

[Nemo14]

If you're 2 hours North of NYC, I'd say take I84 to I81 all the way past Roanoke,VA to I77, then down to I95. You'll avoid all the major traffic uissues that way, but it's mountainous so snow in the winter could be an issue, but it would be on I95 too.You're going to see a lot of snowbirds with big campers and travel trailers on the road then too, but they tend to move right along. Good luck and stay alert.

 

[SamandChel]

I'm thinking of taking 81. It only adds 30 minutes but I think that wouldn't make a big difference since I'd make it up missing the cities. Plus what's another 30 minutes on that long of a drive lol. Thanks

 

[Clamman73]

That's a tough one since you're counting on there not being any problems on the Turnpike all the way through Jersey to put you in DC at 3:30. Until you get past Richmond, 95 just sucks. And then it's boring until World Drive.

 

[Nemo14]

I'm thinking of taking 81. It only adds 30 minutes but I think that wouldn't make a big difference since I'd make it up missing the cities. Plus what's another 30 minutes on that long of a drive lol. Thanks

We drive that way from RI often. Just keep an eye on the weather.

 

[SamandChel]

Yeah I am not a fan of driving in nj. When we drove last time we we're in nj at like 11:00pm and were doing 30mph for a good portion of it because of construction. Took a little bit to get through. I think I may just do 81. Seems like the safer bet with the time frame we are leaving in. Between construction, rush hour, and snow it keeps making me wish I could fly hahaha.

 

[R W B]

FedEx/ups the dress down there, put a ton of insurance on it, ship it over night the day before you leave and call it a day then fly down.

Not the most cost efficient but beats all that driving.

(This coming from someone who just did a 29hr straight drive after a full work day, it sucks lol)

 

[SamandChel]

I've tried convincing her to ship it down. Disney will let us ship stuff to them two weeks early and they will hold it until we get there. She just won't let it out of her sight until the wedding sadley. We have other stuff to bring too: favors, centerpieces, etc... so I think she's too afraid of something breaking and not having it on the wedding day.

 

[MissingDisney]

Avoid DC always. We sat in a traffic jam at 9 pm on a Wednesday! We drive a longer, but more efficient route traffic wise, to get to Virginia, just to avoid DC.

 

[Susan Savia]

There is no such thing as non rush hour in that area. Bad weather could greatly impact the drive. We deal with that area daily.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

Don't be concerned about the airlines and your fiance's wedding gown. Just call ahead...like now....and ask them what their policy is. My daughter was married in Hawaii 4 years ago and the airline took took her wedding gown and hung it in the first class vertical storage.It was safe and sound for the entire flight.
Look into flying down....of course you will pay a premium for your tickets now. The traffic is unpredictable during the best of weather so in the winter, I would not be willing to take a chance. And as far as DC goes....UGH!!!! Don't do it. Why would you want to start such a wonderful vacation with that kind of stress.
Congratulations on your Wedding and have a Magical Time!

 

[micknminnie]

We always drive down from Philadelphia. We have left anywhere from 6 am through noon and I can honestly say the only traffic we ever seem to hit is when we get to Virginia. I don't remeber Washington being a problem but Virginia gets us every time. I think no matter what time you go you may still get some type of traffic delay.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Rush hour in D.C. is "typically" 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm, so you're cutting it a little close if you're running even the tiniest bit late. However, so long as you are prepared for it, and don't have to "rush" yourself, it will be fine. I do hope you're not trying to do the drive all in one day, however. (I live between Rochester and Syracuse -- my Dad used to do our drive down to WDW with just one 4 or 5-hour nap break in the middle -- we'd all tilt our seats back and just sleep in the van. The times we stopped at a hotel for the night instead made for far more pleasant travel experiences! Arriving at WDW a few hours later was worth it, since we were arriving refreshed and invigorated, instead of tired, dirty and cranky.)

 

[EOD K9]

I work in DC and I can tell you that 3:30 is terrible. It seems that rush hour now has moved up to 2:30ish. It wont be that bad from Maryland into DC, but DC into Virginia is horrid. You would need to get to DC around noonish or after 7 to have a smoother trip. Best of luck to you.