Driving to Disney from NJ

[Bri1121]

Ok so we are driving for the first time. We are leaving from North Jersey and giving ourself one day plus a few hours the next morning. Anyone do this route before.

We have drove to Hilton Head SC a few times and have done it in a day. But we know we are going to need to stop for the night. We are hoping to stop at the end of Georgia. To only have a few hours into Disney in the am.

We have two smallish kids- 6 and 3. They have done great before. But we usually leave at 3-4 am to get to Hilton Head. But we are exhausted that night. Since we are just lounging at the beach/pool all day we usually do fine. But Disney is not so relaxing!! So dh wants to leave later to get some more sleep in. I am worried about traffic leaving later though?

Anyone have tips from coming down the east coast?

Thx!!!

 

[pixiesteno]

I am assuming that your travels will be taking you down I95 and coming from NJ you are going to have to deal with Baltimore/DC; right? I would plan on leaving early for high traffic areas. Things should be a bit smoother after Richmond. We enter on I 95 in Fredericksburg and it always seems so busy until after Richmond. Of course the day of the week and holidays also impact travel. You could always leave early in the a.m. get into SC or GA and get off the road in the evening so the kids had some playtime and then leave again early to arrive at WDW.
Call us crazy, we're leaving this Friday (of Memorial Day weekend) from western NY and driving down. We do have the advantage of the RV so we can stop for a few hours rest and then get up and drive with the truckers. Drive safe

 

[bgraham34]

Both times I have done I have left at around 5-6pm and drive straight through the night. I got to The Resort around noon the next day. I did not have kids on the ride so that made it easier. Driving through the night makes your drive much easier.

 

[baymenxpac]

my family did the drive annually for about 9 years from suffolk county on long island (roughly an hour east of NYC).

here was our departure/arrival agenda:

leave 4AM
stop santee, SC around 5 PM

leave next day 6AM
arrive at WDW 1PM

like an earlier poster said, you want to try to time getting through baltimore/DC area before or after rush hour. i would always recommend before. the earlier you leave, the better IMO. the first day of driving is definitely exhausting, but the more you do, you can have a quasi-normal day on day 2 and then be good to go for your first full day on property.

 

[Bri1121]

Yes we will becoming down 95. I dont think we are up for driving through the night. I also am worried that the kids might not sleep that good and we will be stuck with cranky kids.

We are planning on leaving a Saturday morning to get there by Sunday. I think the earlier the better too but dh wants to sleep a little more. Might have to talk him out of that!

My hope is to get to through Georgia if we can keep going. Would like to have as little of driving as possible the next day. Hopefully we can split the driving and rest a little, although I can not sleep in a car but maybe if I am exhausted!

Thanks for the tips!

Do hotels usually allow cancellation? Not to sure if we should book or wait and see how far we get?

 

[Zummi Gummi]

You can realistically make it all the way to Savannah the first day, which puts you about 4 hours from WDW.

Savannah is a lovely city (lots of good places to eat) and a good place to stop.

 

[piggy1116]

we drive every year from upstate NY. Last year we left around 7am and stayed the night in Hardeeville,SC (4 miles from GA border). the next day we arrived in Disney around 11:30am. We always take 17 to the turnpike, 95 to 695 around the Baltimore tunnel, then 495 around D.C then back on 95

 

[MaryJaneP]

Mid Eastern PA and I 95 all the way to GA (just south of Savanah). 3 kids and numerous bathroom/meal stops. Usually leave early AM and get to GA late PM. Stay overnight, get some sleep, head out the 2nd day mid-morning. with all the traffic in FL on I 95 and I 4, we don't get into WDW until mid afternoon (I don't know where the pp gets the 4 hour from Disney if in GA) anyway, in 98, we had a small TV/VCR combo in van, now combo of DVD and iPods keep kids busy until we are on property.

 

[timeman]

I usually drive from just north of Richmond, VA and it takes me around 12 hours to get to Orlando. One thing I would recommend is take I495 around Washington DC and take I295 around Richmond. Right now they are working on I95 in the Richmond area and depending on what time you come thru you may hit a lot of traffic. If you take I295 around to bypass Richmond you will save some time as even though the mileage is about the same as if you stayed on I95 you will hit less traffic and the speed limit runs between 65 and 70mph on I295 making it quicker.

I stopped in North Carolina at the JR Cigars Discount store where they sell a lot of cool items back in December and was able to get a book about I95. The book was the 4th Edition of it and it covers I95 from Boston to Miami. The newer edition which is the 5th edition covers I95 from New Hampshire to Miami. The cool thing about this book is it lists Hotels, Gas Stations & Restaurants at each exit. The cool thing about the book is that it tells you about some of the interesting places along the way that you can check out.

You can visit their site and get some info and even order the book. The site is Drive I95

 

[LordHelmut]

For what it's worth

Depending on how you recover from the drive and how the kids take the long drive, GA might be pushing it a bit too far. (Lived in NJ for 30 yrs, drove down just about every year)

And this was when I was much younger.

Do you have a GPS with traffic ?

With construction pretty much from the MD line on 95, all the way through DC and beyond timing as they say, is everything.

Take a look at www.wtop.com - traffic center. If you zoom out enough, I believe that it covers a fairly wide area, up and down 95. Take a look at the times you believe that you'd be coming through. (weekday or weekend ?) IMO, weekend traffic around DC is as bad or worse than weekday, because you have amateur hour(s), no one really knows where they are going...

If get into the DC area pretty much any time earlier than 9:30am - you will sit in traffic somewhere. And no matter what NEVER take the western side of 495. There are far too many places where traffic stops dead for no apparent reason, even outside of busy times.

You should be able to pick up DC traffic on FM 103.5 just south of Baltimore (or at the Bay Bridge if you take 301).

Long story short, MD there are two routes, depending on day/time one may be better than other (95 or 301).

MD-DC - several routes toss up on accidents/time of day

VA - pretty much 95, unless you take 301 (it's longer and the Harry Nice Bridge is also under construction - not generally a good alternative now) If 95 is hosed, Rt 1 only works if you get to it within say 1/2 hour of the incident, otherwise everyone else already got there ahead of you.


However wait just a year(s), then our wonderful elected officials and independent highway commissions will have created (wait for it)

NEW TOLL LANES (95/495)

Yes for only a estimated $1.25 per mile* you'll be able to laugh and wave at all the rest of the folks sitting in traffic.

Oh and we're raising the tolls on 95 by 100% in 2012 and 2013.


*Subject to increase as construction costs are running a tad over budget
EZ pass required. Additional fee if you don't have EZ pass.
Photo Radar is almost also guaranteed, it's a great money spinner.

*rant mode halt*

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Mid Eastern PA and I 95 all the way to GA (just south of Savanah). 3 kids and numerous bathroom/meal stops. Usually leave early AM and get to GA late PM. Stay overnight, get some sleep, head out the 2nd day mid-morning. with all the traffic in FL on I 95 and I 4, we don't get into WDW until mid afternoon (I don't know where the pp gets the 4 hour from Disney if in GA) anyway, in 98, we had a small TV/VCR combo in van, now combo of DVD and iPods keep kids busy until we are on property.

I have made the drive from Savannah to WDW before, and it's always taken about 4 hours, never more than 5. Keep in mind, I didn't have children with me, and didn't stop at all. The only variables are traffic around Jacksonville and traffic once you hit I-4.

 

[NYwdwfan]

my family did the drive annually for about 9 years from suffolk county on long island (roughly an hour east of NYC).

here was our departure/arrival agenda:

leave 4AM
stop santee, SC around 5 PM

leave next day 6AM
arrive at WDW 1PM

I'm from Suffolk too and this was our exact itinerary growing up!!!

 

[tigsmom]

We're from Orange Cty in NY (can you say Woodbury Commons? :lookaroun ) and we drive to Florida all the time. We leave early in the morning to avoid the traffic by DC, Baltimore and go around Atlanta; stop at Santee NC and get to WDW the next day. There is a lot of stress driving on 95 and if you switch off driving you should be ok. Just remember that you will have to stop for gas, bathroom breaks with the kids and to eat. Since you are going on a weekend the traffic may be lighter. We stay in Hampton Inns and Holiday Inn (regular & express) and the rooms are always clean.

 

[stratman50th]

I wrote up my route for this thread, who wanted driving info from Richmond. I started where I lived further north in case anyone was interested. It gives all of the bypasses I use. I live a little west of Baltimore and I avoid all of the DC/VA metro traffic by using Rt 301 almost all the way to Richmond. Anyway, give it a look as it's an alternative. Good luck and have a great time!

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=743151

We're a little farther north than you, near Baltimore, and we drive every year. You can pick up at Richmond, or pass it on to any MD folks that care.
I stay away from the Washington beltway by coming down 301, crossing the Harry Nice bridge into King George, continuing after 301 turns into 207. We pick up 95 one exit north of Kings Dominion at exit 104.
We take the 295 bypass around Richmond/Petersburg, then just boring old 95 all the way down. We used to spend the night just off the interstate, exit 3 in Kingsland Georgia. There's a lot of really nice new hotels on JSJ Rd off of Rt 40. Hampton inn was always our choice. Over the last couple of years we've driven the extra hour and stayed with family in Jacksonville.
Now that's another bypass. Even when we were staying in Kingsland we still took the 9A bypass around Jacksonville. 9A east towards the beaches. It's a nice ride with a lot less traffic and picks up 95 again south of the city. Highly recommended!
Sleep in till we wake up the next morning and it's only about 2 1/2 hours to Disney. Rt 95 to Daytona then Rt4 to Disney!

We always leave Home on a Friday morning. I want to leave by 5:00am, but with two teenage girls, I'm lucky if we're pulling out by 7:00. It's around 12 hours or so to Jacksonville. My goal is to be in Whatever Disney Resort lobby we're staying at by around noon on Saturday. We always dress for the parks on the drive Saturday, but have a carry on type bag with bathing suits and towels within reach in case we decide to hit the resort pool instead of a park right away.

 

[stratman50th]

Just noticed something

The suggestion of LordHelmut for using WTOP radio is a good one. You can get to their link if you have a smart-phone, or when you get in the Baltimore area, it's 103.5 FM. I commute from Baltimore to Washington every day and WTOP is the bomb for keeping you out of the tie-ups! Traffic and weather on the 8's.
As I said in my previous post, I haven't been on 95 until I hit Richmond in the last 17 years of driving to WDW. I always go 301. That being said, I wasn't aware the Nice bridge was under construction. I'll check with the Sheriff's Dept. and post the status, and I'll be going down a month before you and I'll let you know what it was like. If the construction issue is correct, it really could get ugly as once you're down there, there really isn't any alternative but tough it out or turn around and do 95, which in my opinion is really no option if you're already there.

 

[Keri]

I know this is going to sound crazy, BUT, we actually drive a different route. Route 78 to Route 81 to Route 77. Route 77 ends in South Carolina and you'll have no choice but to cut over to I-95 to go the rest of the way. It sounds TOTALLY out of the way but it is actually faster!!!! It is a beautiful ride, no major cities to go through, and no tolls. And best of all, NO traffic!

 

[cabihler]

made that drive many times

i live outside memphis,tn now but from 1978 to 1992 we made that trip several times a year. we lived in woodbridge,nj (north central jersey) and would always take I95 down to I4 to disney. many times we drove straight through but admittedly those were rough trips, more on the kids and wife rather than me till we purchased a mini-van. however, most trips we would stop somewhere off of I95 between fayettville,nc and florence,sc (these points are the 1/2 way or slightly more). just the 6 hour break we would take allowed time to get out of the car & off the road, shower, eat a meal, and sleep for a couple of hours.

 

[stratman50th]

I know this is going to sound crazy, BUT, we actually drive a different route. Route 78 to Route 81 to Route 77. Route 77 ends in South Carolina and you'll have no choice but to cut over to I-95 to go the rest of the way. It sounds TOTALLY out of the way but it is actually faster!!!! It is a beautiful ride, no major cities to go through, and no tolls. And best of all, NO traffic!

I could see where it might benefit you since your in the middle of the state, and not too far from 78 to begin with. Have you ever checked mileage, and how long does it take you? I'm not opposed to trying something new, but it looks really out of the way for me. I could see myself eating up any time or mileage advantage just getting over there. But it does look interesting.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Ok so we are driving for the first time. We are leaving from North Jersey and giving ourself one day plus a few hours the next morning. Anyone do this route before.

We have drove to Hilton Head SC a few times and have done it in a day. But we know we are going to need to stop for the night. We are hoping to stop at the end of Georgia. To only have a few hours into Disney in the am.

We have two smallish kids- 6 and 3. They have done great before. But we usually leave at 3-4 am to get to Hilton Head. But we are exhausted that night. Since we are just lounging at the beach/pool all day we usually do fine. But Disney is not so relaxing!! So dh wants to leave later to get some more sleep in. I am worried about traffic leaving later though?

Anyone have tips from coming down the east coast?

Thx!!!

Not sure exactly where you are in northern NJ but, we live in Bergen County (approx. 6 miles from the GWB), we are right off of route 46. Anyway, we have done the drive a few times and will be doing it again at the end of June:sohappysorry, I get so excited when I think about it). We take I95 all the way.
We have tried a variety of departure times (very early a.m., mid day, late afternoon, dinnertime and midnight) and the time that is preferred by all is early evening-right after dinner. We also prefer to drive straight through but, we have stopped for the night in Santee, SC (it's approx. 12 hours from our house to Santee).

This is our usual plan: (keep in mind we usually leave after dinner)

-I try to sleep as much a possible the day we are leaving because I am the overnight driver.
-Tire the kids out for a few hours before you leave (running around the yard, riding bikes, kickball etc.)
-have the kids take warm bath or shower right before you leave, it relaxes them.
-avoid sugary snacks and drinks (or drinks with caffeine-soda, iced tea) the day you are leaving because you don't want the kids wired in the car.
-have each child pack a tote bag that they keep near them with things to entertain them. (nintendo DS, coloring books and colored pencils-avoid crayons because they melt in the hot car very quickly, books, travel games, notebook and pens for the license plate game, etc.)
-a portable DVD player in the car is wonderful. we have a dual screen model and the kids know they must take turns choosing the movies. (pack a couple of new ones and a few old favorites).
-each child brings a blanket and pillow.
OUR COOLER:
-small water bottles
-juice boxes
-string cheese
-grapes
-sandwiches
OUR SNACK BAG
-mini muffins
-granola bars
-goldfish crackers
-small boxes of cereal
-mini bagels
-m&m's (gotta have my chocolate)
MISC. BAG:
-small garbage bags (excellent for emergency vomit bags, and for garbage)
-roll of paper towels
-baby wipes (for hands and faces)
-tissues

*we pack a ball and a frisbee for the kids to toss around at the rest areas (10-15 minutes of running around is a big help)
*when the kids were little we would try to stop at a fast food place that had a playplace so the kids could run around for a half hour after they ate.
*for you little ones in car seats try placing a small suitcase or cooler on the floor in front of them to rest their feet on. When their feet aren't dangling for hours and hours it really does make a difference regarding their comfort level.
*I always make sure my I-pod is loaded with my favorite music so that when I drive during the night I don't disturb anyone with the radio.(I only drive with one ear bud in so I can hear any emergency vehicles etc.)
**Ear plugs are a must for the other driver, it allows them to get some rest even if the kids are awake.

*remember if you are tired pull over. napping at rest areas is very common. watch your speed and drive safe.

**sorry this is so long, I tried to remember everything. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

 

[JohnnyDollaz89]

my family did this drive for 13 straight years, my dad would usuaslly drive straight down 195 and get us there in like 19-21 hours and check in at the Contemporary at 3 in the AM