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!!!

 

[jim1051]

I often drive from SE PA. We leave around3 AM to get past DC before the bureaucrats wake up. I've found that any later than 4 AM is a real problem.

We used to stop at Santee or as far south as Savannah. Last 5 or 6 times we have driven through to WDW. We usually arrive around 7:30 PM.

Early enough to ge a good night's sleep.

We go almost yearly so we don't feel like we have to be up at dawn that first day,

 

[dizzney]

We drive from Staten Island (when I dont get a good airfare) and leave at 3am, i get the kids into the car in their pj's, we get thru DC, stop in Dale City Virginia for them to change and have some breakfast. Then they arent cranky.

The movies start then.

The traffic has been tough thru Virginia of late and even in NC, there's alot of construction going on and it slows the driving to a stop at times

We stop around 4 (provided the traffic isnt bad sometimes it has been later) in Hardeeville SC, just four miles north of the Georgia border. There is a Comfort Inn right off the exit with a Shoneys next door. We can walk to Shoneys for dinner, get to sleep at a decent hour and then wake at 7 and get on teh road by 8, we usually get to the world by 1pm and the kids are in a good mood becuase we havent pushed them too much

Drive carefully, and have fun

 

[Bri1121]

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.

We are also from Bergen County!! I am not a night driver and either is dh but have heard that is the best time. What is the worst?!

Thank you everyone for your tips. I am printing these pages to discuss with dh and possible the people over at AAA. I have gps but its new and I am not sure it has traffic? Will look into in a little.

Got it wtop radio!

We have done this trip down 95 to Hilton Head a few times but we now live 2 hours north of where we use to in NJ so even if we leave the same time we will be 2 hours behind. We have always been lucky getting through DC (going anyway) because of the early hour. We did hit traffic in North/South Carolina though.

It is what it is though right!

 

[stratman50th]

I feel so privileged that when people are driving almost the entire east coast the area where I live gets singled out for top mention for having the crappiest traffic to deal with consistently.

Try and commute in it every day!

Good luck on the drive down, as everyone on here knows, the end is worth the trip!:sohappy:

 

[Bri1121]

Oh I am sorry that must stink! I have to say though here in Bergen County and NYC traffic is a nightmare too. We actually have a law that no stores expect for restaurants are allowed to be open on Sundays- to give everyone a break on traffic!!

Yes the destination will be worth it!

 

[llrain]

thats how we would do it from massachusetts.
Leave MA at midnight.
and arrive in Savannah around 11pm the next day.
Sleep here till 6am, get up and leave.
Arrive at disney by 11am

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.

 

[chucknstuff]

Been a while .....

I used to live in Delanco (Burlington County)...Here is what we did....

- I would get off work and nap till midnight then hit the road (I-95)
- We would have a cooler with the essentials (Drinks/Snacks)
- I drove while wife and son slept. I stopped for gas every 350 miles and would stop at rest areas every 4 hours between fill ups. This is so I can strech my legs.
- I would judge how tired I was around South GA. We always booked a room North of Jacksonville (near the Budwieser Plant). We would get there around Dinner time.
- Hit the sack and get up and get the resort. I would plan on a 3-4 hour drive depending on traffic and driving styles.
- I always tried to get to the resort around 7am so we can check in before the airport passengers start arriving. This will give you time to check in grab a snack and get to the park for a whole day of DISNEY MAGIC....

 

[mrerk]

thats how we would do it from massachusetts.
Leave MA at midnight.
and arrive in Savannah around 11pm the next day.
Sleep here till 6am, get up and leave.
Arrive at disney by 11am

How fast (or slow) do you drive? Lots of stops? We did MA to Vero in 23 hours and honestly expected it to be more like 21 hours. :shrug:

 

[Bri1121]

It sounds like driving overnight is a good idea but hubby is not into driving at through the night and I can't sleep in the car! Not a great mix. I am hoping to convince him to leave around 3 am. If we get to bed about 8 that should give us a few good hours. Once we hit the bed we are good to be out!

if we get in 15 hours of driving we could easily stop for the night around 8? We will definitely have some stops for potty. We would bring our own lunch to eat at a rest stop( 20 minute stop) and then stop for dinner later.

Of course all of this depends on traffic.

 

[tigsmom]

Oh I am sorry that must stink! I have to say though here in Bergen County and NYC traffic is a nightmare too. We actually have a law that no stores expect for restaurants are allowed to be open on Sundays- to give everyone a break on traffic!!

Yes the destination will be worth it!

The Blue Laws (dating back to the 1600's) were for religious reasons and not for traffic reasons. We used to visit my grandmother every Sunday in Jersey City and hated that we could not go shopping in Two Guys (seemed like a cool store to a kid :lol: ).

 

[Bri1121]

The Blue Laws (dating back to the 1600's) were for religious reasons and not for traffic reasons. We used to visit my grandmother every Sunday in Jersey City and hated that we could not go shopping in Two Guys (seemed like a cool store to a kid :lol: ).

"The blue laws have been in effect in Bergen County since the 1950s to give our citizens ... one day of rest from the traffic jams, noise pollution and accidents that are a nightmare on Saturdays and long weekends," McNerney told the panel.

 

[flavious27]

We live in Del and have made the trip down twice in our car (once with the train, not a pleasant experience). The traffic matters what day of the week you are going.

If it is during the week, you should miss the morning commute if you leave by 8 am. This time will have you miss the traffic on 295 in camden and burlington counties. Past that, you really won't hit any rush hour traiifc; at about 4 pm, you will be near rock mount nc. At about 7 or so you will hot Florence SC, which will still put you at 8 hours from wdw.

 

[disneygirl76]

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!!!

Hi there,

I haven't driven down from NJ but I have done the drive from DC to HHI to WDW. I agree that the big days of driving are hard and you need a lot of energy for WDW. I actually just did the DC to HHI drive and then to WDW. And I was exhausted. I even had a couple days of rest on HHI before making the trip to WDW. But after 12 hour days at Disney, I was completely drained for the drive home. The only thing I can say about traffic, is try not to hit the "major cities" around rush hour in the a.m. or the p.m. For example, you don't want to hit Jacksonville at 9 a.m. So if you can avoiding hitting those areas by leaving a bit later, then it will be fine to leave later. If you think you will hit those spots at rush hour, then I recommend leaving early.

 

[nancymousehouse]

Made the drive from NJ to WDW 20 straight years! Baymenxpac has the times just about perfect.

One tip that worked for us when kids were little: Start collecting little trinkets from dollar store or elsewhere, candy, pencils, crayons, little tablets, little books, tiny Lego kit, etc.. Put one item in a brown paper lunch bag. Everytime you stop for gas or food, when you get back in the car give each child one of the bags as a little treat. Keeps them busy at least 20 minutes and then they'll fall asleep! haha. Kids really looked forward to treat bag.

Leave 1st day by 4 a.m. I never would drive thru the night because I worried about the other drivers being tired!!! Santee, SC is a great stop. Takes about 11 hours including all your food/gas stops. Have an early dinner and get to bed by 8. You'll get a good 8/9 hours sleep which will revive you. Early start the next day. NOTE: Most free breakfast buffets don't start until 6 or 6:30 a.m. so account for that. A good breakfast is important.

And as for the second day of driving -- believe me, after the 11 hour driving the day before, the 7 hour 2nd day of driving seems short! And once you hit Welcome to Florida (stop at welcome center for cool brochures and your free sample of OJ) you feel like you're there -- even though you have 3 more hours to drive.

Some of our best family bonding time was on these drives.

And, the best news:

DAUGHTER IS NOW A DANCER IN THE PARADES AND SHOWS IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We fly now as we can't wait to see her perform!

Enjoy

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We used to make the drive from NJ all the time when I was a kid. We were a little farther south (Union County), but we'd just take the Turnpike to 95 until we were in the Daytona area and pick up I4 (well, except for that crazy year my dad took my cousin's "advice" and took a slower scenic - if you want to call it that - inland rte). Every now and then my dad would get crazy and drive straight through, but most times we'd spend the nt in Petersburg, VA...although, a few trips we pushed it a bit farther and spent the nt in Florence, SC (one time made it as far as Savannah, GA). He always timed our departure around the Baltimore/DC traffic. We always had a AAA TripTik for the drive and stocked the truck with snacks, drinks, and a variety of games/activities.

 

[yoyoflamingo]

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

Almost exactly what I used to do; leave at 3-4AM from Suffolk, stop exit 109 (first exit in Georgia) around 6-7PM, then leave 6AM the following morning and get to WDW around 11 or 12.

We didn't stop often (was before kids) but we never hit traffic around any of the major cities. Even driving through Daytona during the Daytona 500 in Feb wasn't an issue, since most of the traffic was from the opposite direction.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

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!!!

I have gone the the Merry-go-round to get to Orlando 8 times now from Southern New Jersey Shore. I recommend that you get the book called Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia 5th Edition [ http://www.amazon.com/Drive-I-95-Exit-History-Trivia/dp/1894979397/ref=lh_ni_t ] . That Book is great! it shows you whats at every exit along Interstate 95. A portable DVD player will be Help full with little kids in the car. I recommend to take a break at every state so you're not cooped in the car for 2 or more states. The Traffic From Baltimore to Virgina will be HOURS (One Trip I did not get into VA untill 10pm even though I left at 11AM). Do Not Stop at South of the Border, If you do, DON'T eat there!

 

[Bri1121]

I have gone the the Merry-go-round to get to Orlando 8 times now from Southern New Jersey Shore. I recommend that you get the book called Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia 5th Edition [ http://www.amazon.com/Drive-I-95-Exit-History-Trivia/dp/1894979397/ref=lh_ni_t ] . That Book is great! it shows you whats at every exit along Interstate 95. A portable DVD player will be Help full with little kids in the car. I recommend to take a break at every state so you're not cooped in the car for 2 or more states. The Traffic From Baltimore to Virgina will be HOURS (One Trip I did not get into VA untill 10pm even though I left at 11AM). Do Not Stop at South of the Border, If you do, DON'T eat there!

Yikes was that on a Saturday??

We are definitely leaving earlier than that!


Thank you everyone for your tips!! Its great to see so many of you have done the drive and with kids!! I am sure we will do ok. We have done the HHI the past few years just lived 2 hours south so that was is really throwing me off.

We use to leave around 4am to get to HHI and would arrive there around 5-6pm. We are usually beat by then but I am hoping to get further. Like another 3 hours or so.

 

[stratman50th]

Example:
There was a fatal tour bus accident on I-95 NB this morning prior to 6:30am (don't know exactly when it occurred) It's 11:20am now and according to WTOP and Google Maps, traffic is still hosed. That's 5 hours!
This was at the exit ramp just north of Kings Dominion (Kings Dominion Blvd Rt 30).

 

[mickeysshoes]

Example:
There was a fatal tour bus accident on I-95 NB this morning prior to 6:30am (don't know exactly when it occurred) It's 11:20am now and according to WTOP and Google Maps, traffic is still hosed. That's 5 hours!
This was at the exit ramp just north of Kings Dominion (Kings Dominion Blvd Rt 30).

95 is the worst...you never know what to expect and it does not matter what time it is or what day of the week it is..but add a holiday or the threat of snow and it get 10 times worse. I am so glad my DD drives herself to and from school now (but now I have to worry about her driving) and I dont have to sit in the traffic.