Driving Down

[Norm The Skull]

Well we are finaly starting in planing our trip to the World.

We want to arrive at Pop Century on Monday December 8th 2008.

We will be driving down from Ottawa Canada.
With some research I found out it should take 23 hrs of driving.
Since I don't drive my wife will be doing all the driving.

I tought about leaving on Friday December 5th in the afternoon.

Has anywone out there done a long road trip to the happiest place on Earth..

Any ideas on how to pass the time on the way there?
Good area's to stop to sleep?

I would love to hear yout ideas

Thanks again

 

[dandaman]

I've done the long drive several times from Detroit, Chicago, and Washington DC. Not quite as far as Ottawa, but still quite a long way. From Ottawa, I'm not sure exactly what route you'll take, but you'll probably be heading down 77 or 95 eventually. I have generally found that a stop in North Carolina or so makes the final days drive bearable, with arrival in WDW around 8 pm or so with normal stops. I wouldn't want to arrive much later than that to be ready for the parks the next day.

Exactly what we do. I'll also vouch for the Carolina hotel stop.

FYI, the OP's probably taking (through the US, at least) I-81 to I-95. Now should you decide to make the stop in NC/SC or thereabouts, you might end up attempting to drive through downtown Orlando via I-4 at rush hour the next day. Just be prepared for any case and don't make too many plans for your first night in Florida. :lol:

EDIT: Forgot to add, it's 24 hours straight for us, though my dad made it in 20 hours flat once!

 

[Eyekimore]

I just re-read my post and realized I never answered your question. On the way down we sometimes do games like on "Whose line is it anyway?" A conversation where the comments start on a-b-c,etc. A conversation that is only questions... We played these with my niece who was 8 at the time. It was great and educational!
There are tons of games from that show- the Irish Drinking song, etc.
Of course we also do the "What one thing do you want to do in each park"
There's always "I spy" - We look for UPS trucks- as DH works for UPS.

Hope that gives you some ideas..............

 

[catne]

We drive a similar distance (1480 miles) from Nebraska--Google maps estimates the drive time at 22 hours...we find they're correct except for the part through Atlanta, Ga (which takes anywhere from 1 - 2 hours to go about 20 miles--not during rush hour, & no accidents or construction. It's just a big, busy city. Found similar underestimates on time driving through Chicago, and driving from Philadelphia to Washington,DC.) Might be better going through the busy part of U.S. northeast on the weekend. If you do hit a major metro area at peak of rush hour, we find that's a good time to take a long meal break...much more refreshing to sit in a restaurant relaxing for 1-2 hours than sit in a traffic jam for 1-2 hours!

We've had very good luck finding hotels on unfamiliar routes through Tripadvisor...when you plot your route, and figure out where you're wanting to stay overnight you can search by city/state and get all kinds of suggestions. It's consumer-rated hotels, which we've found to be more accurate than most pro's reviews.

 

[sbkline]

A tradition is to put a sign up in one of the windows saying "HONK YOUR HORN!". Then when we see a Truck Driver we give him the jesture to honk his.

Just make sure you get the gesture right.:lookaroun When my parents took us to Florida in 1987 (when I was 11 or 12), we were driving down I-10 to Jacksonville to visit Dad's sister. And as we would pass the semi-trucks, I would give them what I thought was the hand gesture to honk their horn. However, when Mom saw me, she quickly pointed out what I was doing wrong with my hand gesture and told me the correct way to do it. She said that the hand gesture I was using was one that generally means "go play with yourself". :ROFLOL:

 

[AlishaMisha]

I forgot to mention that Georgia i not a problem state for use (1 1/2 hours) but rather Pennsyvania(sp?) which is 4 1/2 hours along w/ Connecticut (3 1/2 hours). For the south part of the US I think the Carolina's are ay longer than Georgia

:king: ~Leash

 

[AlishaMisha]

Just make sure you get the gesture right.:lookaroun When my parents took us to Florida in 1987 (when I was 11 or 12), we were driving down I-10 to Jacksonville to visit Dad's sister. And as we would pass the semi-trucks, I would give them what I thought was the hand gesture to honk their horn. However, when Mom saw me, she quickly pointed out what I was doing wrong with my hand gesture and told me the correct way to do it. She said that the hand gesture I was using was one that generally means "go play with yourself". :ROFLOL:

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL:
I know what gesture your talking about. It's simular to the right one so I can see why you may have mixed them up...

Once my cousin made a shirt that said "Give Me Peace(the sign for it)" but got the symbols mixed up and was actually demanding a Mercedes! :lol:

:king: ~Leash

 

[TheKeeler7]

Exactly what we do. I'll also vouch for the Carolina hotel stop.

FYI, the OP's probably taking (through the US, at least) I-81 to I-95. Now should you decide to make the stop in NC/SC or thereabouts, you might end up attempting to drive through downtown Orlando via I-4 at rush hour the next day. Just be prepared for any case and don't make too many plans for your first night in Florida. :lol:

EDIT: Forgot to add, it's 24 hours straight for us, though my dad made it in 20 hours flat once!

I-417 is a great alternative to I-4. Even on a Sunday afternoon I-4 was a hassle. 417 is well worth the toll's you pay.

 

[TheKeeler7]

One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier reponse is Fast Lane or EZ pass (name depends on state) Some states will let you get one even if your not a resident.(check the internet) This saves a lot of time and hassle. NY / NJ even has some lanes that you drive thru at 55 mph, instead of stopping.
The pass will work on every toll down the east coast until FL which is only an issue if you take 417 instead of 4 (which is worth the stopping for tolls)

 

[AlishaMisha]

One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier reponse is Fast Lane or EZ pass (name depends on state) Some states will let you get one even if your not a resident.(check the internet) This saves a lot of time and hassle. NY / NJ even has some lanes that you drive thru at 55 mph, instead of stopping.
The pass will work on every toll down the east coast until FL which is only an issue if you take 417 instead of 4 (which is worth the stopping for tolls)

In FL it's the SunPass, last I knew
They do in MA as well. Im surprised you havn't noticed. Maybe it's certain ones.

 

[Mikester71]

We split the 22 hour drive from Sarnia, ON, Canada (an hour north of Detroit) into 2 days. We leave at 5:45am on the Friday before our March Break and only stop for gas and food breaks on the way down; and also to get out and stretch. My wife and I switch off every few hours or so and find it really works out well this way. We usually have a van full too; me, my wife, 2 kids aged 10 & 15, my brother and my mother-in-law. The kids just watch movies on a portable DVD player and sleep. Every one else just listens to music and takes in the scenery. It isn't as bad or boring as it would seem actually. We arrived in Tifton, Georgia at around 10:30pm last trip and slept there for the night. Usually, if we stop around here, it only leaves us with 5 or less hours of driving the next morning. We got up around 9am on the Saturday and were checking in at Pop Century at 1:30pm that day.

I kept a journal last trip too of when we crossed into each State or filled up with gas or just stopped for a quick bite, so now I have a guideline for how we are doing for time and that (taking into consideration traffic and such will always be different). Plus, it is cool to pull it out every now and then and just look at the different cities and places we stopped on our last trip down there. Oh yeah! On the trip back, we usually drive straight through and it is not quite so much fun!

 

[mkt]

When I did a similar trip in the opposite direction (Orlando-Montréal), we spent the night in Philadelphia on the way up and in Raleigh, NC on the way back.

Had my travel partner had a larger bladder, I couldn't made it to NYC on the way up and Savannah on the way back :lol: If I ever do this trip again, I'd likely stop in Washington, DC both ways, and enjoy that city for a few hours each way.

 

[nankeldisney821]

We have the 18 hour drive to WDW down to a science! We also have 3 adult drivers. This helps as one person is always sleeping. The other is keeping the driver awake. We drive straight through. There is a site that lists all the exits off of I-95 and what food, hotels, and gas they have. This is a must have. We have found an increased number of panhandlers at rest stops in GA and SC. They come right up to the windows and knock scaring the heck out of us! Be vigilant- lock doors- walk in twos- you'll be fine. Have a great trip!

Can you let me know what website this is...you can pm me if you need to. I am driving down on the 15th from MA and stopping at a friends house to stay on Friday night, as this is the 1st time I am not driving straight through and my daughter will be able to get her license while we are gone so she can't help with the drive. My friend's house is right outside Washington DC and I need to find a safe place for her and I to be able to stay overnight on Saturday the 16th, after we leave my friend's house. I would like to get at least 9-10 hours of driving in so I am trying to figure out around where I will be after leaving DC and driving for about 10 hrs. I need to find a place to stay so if any of you could help that would be great too! That website would be great too! Thanks! :wave:

 

[tigsmom]

Exactly what we do. I'll also vouch for the Carolina hotel stop.

FYI, the OP's probably taking (through the US, at least) I-81 to I-95. Now should you decide to make the stop in NC/SC or thereabouts, you might end up attempting to drive through downtown Orlando via I-4 at rush hour the next day. Just be prepared for any case and don't make too many plans for your first night in Florida. :lol:

EDIT: Forgot to add, it's 24 hours straight for us, though my dad made it in 20 hours flat once!

NEVER go thru downtown Orlando, take the road that goes around (whose name I can't think of right now). It saves time and aggravation.

 

[AlishaMisha]

NEVER go thru downtown Orlando, take the road that goes around (whose name I can't think of right now). It saves time and aggravation.

Th GreenLine is it?

 

[DisneyPirate85]

It is almost a 16 hour drive from Indianapolis to the Orlando area.The worst area we have found when driving was Georgia as that states seems to never end and dont get me started on Valdosta and Macon GA, :hurl: Those areas smell so bad when dring thru you almost want to find alternate route.The best part of driving tho is the scenic view...thats why I fly now so I can see all of the Disney scenery sooner!

Well I would most WHOLE HEARTEDLY agree! Being from Greencastle, just west of Indianapolis, Georgia is so LONG, But it is a BEAUTIFULL drive, But that being said we have just decided to fly anymore Southwest usually has a $49.00 + tax...But back on topic we take our Laptop and games or DVD's:wave:

 

[TheKeeler7]

NEVER go thru downtown Orlando, take the road that goes around (whose name I can't think of right now). It saves time and aggravation.

It's the Central Florida Greenway which is also Rt 417
its was so much better than I-4

 

[TheKeeler7]

Can you let me know what website this is...you can pm me if you need to. I am driving down on the 15th from MA and stopping at a friends house to stay on Friday night, as this is the 1st time I am not driving straight through and my daughter will be able to get her license while we are gone so she can't help with the drive. My friend's house is right outside Washington DC and I need to find a safe place for her and I to be able to stay overnight on Saturday the 16th, after we leave my friend's house. I would like to get at least 9-10 hours of driving in so I am trying to figure out around where I will be after leaving DC and driving for about 10 hrs. I need to find a place to stay so if any of you could help that would be great too! That website would be great too! Thanks! :wave:

If your a AAA member you can build your own triptik on-line and customize your route for the roads you want. (most map programs take you over the George Washington when the Tappen Zee Bridge is a better alternative).
you can then print it out along with maps showing rest areas ect. I just returned and it was worth having the AAA for the triptik alone.

Have you made the drive from Mass before?

 

[mrerk]

In FL it's the SunPass, last I knew
They do in MA as well. Im surprised you haven't noticed. Maybe it's certain ones.

SunPass or E Pass, depending on the road.

I haven't noticed any full speed toll lanes in MA. There are a few lanes I can think of that are 2 lanes wide, but they still require you to slow down to 15mph.

 

[dandaman]

NEVER go thru downtown Orlando...

I'm not saying I do... I'm just saying many have attempted.* :lol:


*And gotten out alive. That's important, too. :lookaroun

 

[mrerk]

Can you let me know what website this is...you can pm me if you need to. <snip> :wave:

The website is:

http://www.i95exitguide.com/

There is also a book my RV friends use called "The Next Exit" As the name implies it tells you what services are available at the next exit. It covers all Interstates, not just I95.

http://www.thenextexit.com/