Drive to Disney

[Ricky Spanish]

We drive from Chicago.
Have driven straight through and also have stopped in Georgia for one night.
I prefer straight through, takes about 18 hours.
The worst part of the drive is Atlanta but we try to time it to miss traffic.
We like driving and we take alot.
We usually go for 2 weeks and we bring our breakfast food, snacks, 2 cases of water, 3 six packs diet soda and 4 cases of Gatorade.
Might sound like a lot of drinks, but I got seriously dehydrated at WDW a few years ago and I will never let that happen again.
I also take a small cart to bring everything to our room.
If bell services are available, I pay them to lug everything.

 

[Madmavis49]

You can download content on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Movies Anywhere so that you do not need to stream. Even if you have a cellular iPad you’ll eat through data and battery life trying to stream on the road where connections can be spotty at best in less populated areas.

That’s true. I didn’t think of battery life and spotty service. Thanks

 

[Red Wench]

We live about 5 hours from WDW so it makes perfect sense to drive every time.

 

[Figgy1]

That’s true. I didn’t think of battery life and spotty service. Thanks

My kids are older they watched movies in the car when portable DVD players were high tech. They plugged in so we didn't have to worry about a battery

 

[JohnD]

my wife & i have done it quite often for our trips from NJ. we take 95 all the way down. we’d leave between 6-7am & stopnonce we reach Georgia. after that it’s about a 3-4 hour drive.
if you’ve never driven it before, 95 could get hectic around the Maryland & DC area depending on the time of day.
the good news is there’s plenty of gas stations, fast food restaurants, rest areas, & hotels along the way. hope this helps.

I used to live in DC but am a native of Jacksonville so drove that stretch a lot. So, regarding the I-95 portion from DC down, once you're beyond the Capital Beltway, take I-95 south to I-295 just north of Richmond. Take I-295 around Richmond to pick up I-95 again. Continue down I-95 to Jacksonville. It's really a crap shoot at this point on whether to drive I-95 straight through Jacksonville or take the I-295 West- or I-295 East Beltway around Jacksonville. The shortest route is actually the I-295 East Beltway which takes you over the Dames Point Bridge. Follow that to Route 9B (to be renamed I-795 at some point I think) which is a spur straight to I-95 at the Jacksonville-St. Johns County line. (I-95 straight through puts you through construction in downtown Jacksonville while the I-295 West Beltway goes a little farther west before wrapping back around due east to cross the Buckman Bridge of the St. Johns to rejoin I-95. As both of these options result in entering a heavily under-construction I-95/I-295 interchange my recommendation is taking I-295 East Beltway / Route 9B by avoiding this interchange altogether).

Jacksonville · Florida

Florida

goo.gl

 

[mf1972]

I used to live in DC but am a native of Jacksonville so drove that stretch a lot. So, regarding the I-95 portion from DC down, once you're beyond the Capital Beltway, take I-95 south to I-295 just north of Richmond. Take I-295 around Richmond to pick up I-95 again. Continue down I-95 to Jacksonville. It's really a crap shoot at this point on whether to drive I-95 straight through Jacksonville or take the I-295 West- or I-295 East Beltway around Jacksonville. The shortest route is actually the I-295 East Beltway which takes you over the Dames Point Bridge. Follow that to Route 9B (to be renamed I-675 at some point I think) which is a spur straight to I-95 at the Jacksonville-St. Johns County line. (I-95 straight through puts you through construction in downtown Jacksonville while the I-295 West Beltway goes a little farther west before wrapping back around due east to cross the Buckman Bridge of the St. Johns to rejoin I-95).

Jacksonville · Florida

Florida

goo.gl

speaking of downtown jacksonville, how long has that construction by the bridge & that section if I-95 been going on? seems like forever.

 

[JohnD]

speaking of downtown jacksonville, how long has that construction by the bridge & that section if I-95 been going on? seems like forever.

I know that Gov. DeSantis had the Florida DOT work on construction around the state during the shutdown since fewer people on the roads. I'm aware of Central Florida having some expedited work done. Not so sure about Jacksonville. The majority of the work are interchanges south of the Fuller Warren (St. Johns River) bridge to Butler Blvd.

Here's the info on the project: https://www.i95overlandbridge.com/

 

[Wngo905]

speaking of downtown jacksonville, how long has that construction by the bridge & that section if I-95 been going on? seems like forever.

If my memory is correct, I believe that downtown stretch of I-95 was under construction on our first family drive to WDW in 2008. I hated it! It was horrible! Going back in 2010, I went through it again Clutching the wheel! Coming back the GPS routed us i-295 (the east side of Jacksonville). I LOVED IT! Every trip since then, we take I-295 East. While some trips there was construction on 295, it was never, never, never like what we experienced on i-95. Only one of our trips since have we flown (because I went down for a work conference and the family came down four days later). It is always cheaper for us to drive from Upstate SC to Florida (I-385 to --26 to I-95 to 295 to I-4 to toll in Sanford wrap around Orlando and right into Disney property ).

 

[Club Cooloholic]

We’re considering driving from Rhode Island to Disney next May. It will take approximately 18 hours. Has anyone done this and what are your thoughts?

Most everyone I have ever spoken to that has done the drive from anywhere in the Northeast to WDW, says it's something they never plan to try again. But my cousin drives every time and doesn't mind it. But he leaves in the afternoon and drives all through the night, while the family sleeps. Less traffic, but not easy.

 

[Raineman]

Since 2016, we've driven to Florida 3 times, from London, Ontario, Canada, twice to WDW and once to a vacation home in Davenport. The total drive time is 19-20 hours, and we usually drive through to southern Georgia/northern Florida, stop for the night, and then a short drive the next day into Orlando. When we drove down in March, we left in the evening, stopped in southern Ohio, drove to Valdosta, Georgia the next day, stopped for the night, then onto Orlando the next day. The trip is straight down I-75 until you take I-4, 429 or 27 when you get to the Orlando area. My wife and I both like the trip, my teenage daughter is not fond of it. The mountains in Tennessee are breathtaking, definitely the best part of the drive. Atlanta is a traffic nightmare most of the time, although the express lanes are nice. We've never done the eastern route that you are considering, because it wouldn't make sense for us, but I'm sure that there are parts of that trip where the scenery is great. Although, looking at the trip down I-95 on Google maps, having to drive through NYC, Philly and DC, all in the first leg of the trip, could require some planning on the timing of the drive through those areas.

 

[mpostak]

Good advice. I have an old iPad. I’ll have to see if it can stream movies. We have Disney plus so movies wouldn’t be a problem

Disney plus I believe allows you to download movies to the ipad for offline viewing. You would just need to download prior to the trip

 

[Mainahman]

Disney plus I believe allows you to download movies to the ipad for offline viewing. You would just need to download prior to the trip

It does. Id also reccomend picking up one of those Anker battery packs. we have one for our phones in the parks from using MDE all the time. Also comes in handy for said Ipad and Said children remaining quiet in a car Sanity can be bought for such a small price

 

[Madmavis49]

It does. Id also reccomend picking up one of those Anker battery packs. we have one for our phones in the parks from using MDE all the time. Also comes in handy for said Ipad and Said children remaining quiet in a car Sanity can be bought for such a small price

Lol so very true!

 

[NeverEnufDisney]

We've gone down 5 times from upstate New York, pulling a travel trailer, and yes it's a long haul. I recommend doing an overnight stay along the way. Otherwise unless you have several drivers you're wiped out for a day after arriving.

 

[Madmavis49]

We've gone down 5 times from upstate New York, pulling a travel trailer, and yes it's a long haul. I recommend doing an overnight stay along the way. Otherwise unless you have several drivers you're wiped out for a day after arriving.

There will be 2 or 3 of us doing the driving.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Since 2016, we've driven to Florida 3 times, from London, Ontario, Canada, twice to WDW and once to a vacation home in Davenport. The total drive time is 19-20 hours, and we usually drive through to southern Georgia/northern Florida, stop for the night, and then a short drive the next day into Orlando. When we drove down in March, we left in the evening, stopped in southern Ohio, drove to Valdosta, Georgia the next day, stopped for the night, then onto Orlando the next day. The trip is straight down I-75 until you take I-4, 429 or 27 when you get to the Orlando area. My wife and I both like the trip, my teenage daughter is not fond of it. The mountains in Tennessee are breathtaking, definitely the best part of the drive. Atlanta is a traffic nightmare most of the time, although the express lanes are nice. We've never done the eastern route that you are considering, because it wouldn't make sense for us, but I'm sure that there are parts of that trip where the scenery is great. Although, looking at the trip down I-95 on Google maps, having to drive through NYC, Philly and DC, all in the first leg of the trip, could require some planning on the timing of the drive through those areas.

The eastern route is not very scenic.

 

[Raineman]

The eastern route is not very scenic.

The I-75 trip is very scenic from Kentucky through to northern Georgia, but Michigan, Ohio, most of Georgia and Florida are not much to look at. It feels like it takes forever to get through Georgia-hours upon hours of nothing but pine trees.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

The I-75 trip is very scenic from Kentucky through to northern Georgia, but Michigan, Ohio, most of Georgia and Florida are not much to look at. It feels like it takes forever to get through Georgia-hours upon hours of nothing but pine trees.

I-95 is really bland. Not even too many easy yet interesting stop offs either. It says something that South Of The Border does so well as an attraction stop!

 

[Wngo905]

I-95 is really bland. Not even too many easy yet interesting stop offs either. It says something that South Of The Border does so well as an attraction stop!

The billboard signs for South of the Border are landmarks in themselves

 

[Raineman]

I-95 is really bland. Not even too many easy yet interesting stop offs either. It says something that South Of The Border does so well as an attraction stop!

The billboard signs for South of the Border are landmarks in themselves

I had to Google South Of The Border, never heard of it before. It looks like something you'd find on Route 66.