First time Driving

[tractorm3]

So my wife and I have booked our dream WDW vaca. 9 days 8 nights at a deluxe studio room at the Poly. We have had to downgrade/cancel this hotel several times due to budget and family matters. This will most likely be our last trip with out kids as well.

To cut cost of flying from NH we are tossing the idea of driving from New Hampshire. Figuring a total 24 hour trip. Check in Thursday oct 20th, we where thinking of leaving Tues Oct 18th at night. we would alternate driving with tanks of gas. The back of my truck is big enough we can nap as the other drives. We are hoping to hit FL by late weds, stay at a friends and check in first thing.

If gas AVG was $3/gal we would save $500 total which can really go a long way here.

Any advice for first time drivers?

 

[tractorm3]

The drive home we are not gonna try to do in one shot from WDW to NH. We figure out check out is Friday, we will spend the last day there until we are ready, hit the road and go until we can't. This is early a backup plan.

Any one had flights get cheaper as it gets closer?

 

[ArielLover]

I have made the ride 29 times from New Hampshire. We choose to drive for a number of reasons (mostly my intense fear of flying). I am happy to answer any questions you have. Send me a private message and I can share my email address if you would like.

Joe

 

[DManRightHere]

I am currently looking at amtrak.com tix for $139 per person from NYC to Orlando. 23 hour trip. I've always wanted to take the train, but it is never cost effective from my location.

If driving non-stop, my worry would be not being able to sleep when I am needed to. I planned to sleep on a red eye flight from vegas to east coast and it did not happen. It was a tough 2 hour drive!

 

[RKSteel]

I have driven down the last few years from Long Island. Definitely stop every 3 hours or so and walk around. I generally look for Cracker Barrels if no rest area is available. If you are taking the NJ turnpike to 95 and can make it to the DE welcome center on I95, stop there. Its cleaner than the last few NJ rest stops. Also, there are only two more rest stops after it on I95, both in MD. The next are not until you get to Northern VA, otherwise you have to exit I95.
If the Southbound I95 HOV lane is open after the 495 beltway in N VA take the HOV lane. In the past, the non-hov lanes would slow down sooner due to the bottleneck when the HOV land ended. Once you are south of Fredricksburg, VA, it is generally a smooth ride. Take 295 S around Richmond to save some time. The speed limit on 95 in Richmond drops to 55 and it gets congested.
On our drives home, we stop just north of Richmond in Glen Allen, VA and are on the road by 4-4:30am. Its about 90 mins from the 495 beltway, but you get there just before the morning rush hour. Again take the NB HOV.

 

[cdeev8690]

If you don't mind my asking, where in NJ? I'm from Bergen County and my wife and I were thinking about driving down next year to save some dough. Was the money you saved worth it?

I drove from Burlington County twice and it's really not that bad although I'm accustomed to long drives. I live in Philadelphia now and I am considering doing this for my upcoming trip in December. My partner and I push right through the ride with little stops. When we need gas, we try to do it where there's a Wawa or Sheetz so we can use the bathroom and get water or other snacks that we're craving. We leave the evening before, take an hour nap at a rest stop, and keep it moving. The key is to avoid the traffic in D.C and Virginia so leaving sometime after the PM rush hour and making it through those two areas well before their AM rush hour is key to keeping your sanity in tact. With this, you will see a lot of lane closures for evening road work.

Yes, it's definitely more convenient to fly but much more adventurous and cheaper to drive.

 

[cdeev8690]

I have driven down the last few years from Long Island. Definitely stop every 3 hours or so and walk around. I generally look for Cracker Barrels if no rest area is available. If you are taking the NJ turnpike to 95 and can make it to the DE welcome center on I95, stop there. Its cleaner than the last few NJ rest stops. Also, there are only two more rest stops after it on I95, both in MD. The next are not until you get to Northern VA, otherwise you have to exit I95.

They updated some of the rest stops. They're much cleaner.

Yes, Cracker Barrel was a savior. Also, DON'T BELIEVE YOUR "MILES TILL EMPTY" METER ON YOUR CAR. We tried to stick to the "gas/bathroom/eat-only stops" and saw there was a Sheetz 2 miles away off of the highway somewhere in North Carolina. Two exits before, the car started stalling. We made it off of the highway, onto the service road, but got stuck on the over pass. We had to push the car (after sitting down for 8 hours) over the overpass, jump in and coast into a sketchy gas station. It all worked out, but we didn't let the car get near empty again. If you see a sign for gas and you think you're getting a little low, get off the highway at that stop and fill up.

 

[steviej]

I drove from Burlington County twice and it's really not that bad although I'm accustomed to long drives. I live in Philadelphia now and I am considering doing this for my upcoming trip in December. My partner and I push right through the ride with little stops. When we need gas, we try to do it where there's a Wawa or Sheetz so we can use the bathroom and get water or other snacks that we're craving. We leave the evening before, take an hour nap at a rest stop, and keep it moving. The key is to avoid the traffic in D.C and Virginia so leaving sometime after the PM rush hour and making it through those two areas well before their AM rush hour is key to keeping your sanity in tact. With this, you will see a lot of lane closures for evening road work.

Yes, it's definitely more convenient to fly but much more adventurous and cheaper to drive.

Yeah, if we do the drive, we said we'd leave after work on a friday around 6 pm. Load up on coffee lol

Snacks and stuff on the way down

 

[YozhikRoth]

We drove from Long Island a few years ago due to insane airfare prices. We left Long Island around 5 am, as I wanted to miss as many of the bottlenecks from NY to DC as possible. We were in Delaware for breakfast by 7 am, and south of DC by 10 am. We hit our overnight stop in NC by about 1. The next day, we were on the road by 9, and pulled into Orlando around 4. Given the airfare, it was quite a bit of savings ($1500 in airfare vs. about $600 between RT hotels, gas, tolls and food.).

 

[JustPlainBill]

I've driven our family down to WDW three times from Chicago and won't fly unless absolutely necessary. We usually stop over someplace
overnight but my next time down I'm going to try going straight down. I find I don't sleep well in the motels and think I would have been better driving instead of tossing and turning all night. The first time I ever drove down it took forever. It was before GPS and the speed limits were 55 mph. I remember being super tired. Rolled in to Nashville at 9:00 pm, should have gotten there by early afternoon! I knew I should have taken I-65 through Indiana instead of US-41! What a rookie I was, GPS today makes it so much easier to plan!

 

[MKgirl85]

we are driving down in sept,my husband, myself and our 2 year old. we have driven once before, we are going to save about 700-900 by driving so even if we are alittle tired by arrival it is worth it for us. we are driving from Massachusetts . When we did it before it wasnt bad, we drove straight through other than, gas, bathroom breaks and food. whatever you feel is best for you!

 

[yfd326]

We drive from Long Island. Done this about 25 times. 4 of us and luggage. Wife won't fly. We make the best of it. Start out at 4 or 5am and drive 95 from NYC. We stop every 2 to 3 hours and make all go to the bathrooms. We eat at Cracker Barrel (good food to drive on) We drive till tired or midnight. When we stop to sleep it is not at a hotel. Saving money for Disney!

We pull into a well lit rest stop (be surprised how many other cars do the same.) Tilt the seats back and nap. Get up at 5am and go.

One time we drove until the Florida State line in one trip. (Not a clue as to how we did it.)

Keep in mind that what ever you do....if you get to the hotel too early your room will not be ready and you'll have to find something to do. Pack a bathing suit in a small bag!

Good luck and have a safe trip!

 

[Jeff456]

I would fly, the cost of running your car is not simply the fuel so that would eat into your savings anyway?

 

[WDWDreamer4]

We drive every year in September from central southeast PA. We are a family of 5 so flying is expensive. Even when Southwest has their sales it is still almost $700 for all of us. We also really like having the car on property so we don't have to take the buses.
We are also staying at the Polynesian this year. If you are staying at a Disney resort you do not have to pay for parking at either the resorts or the parks.
We always start after dinner and drive through the night to get down. However on the way back we prebook a hotel room around Hardeeville, SC. The drive back seems so much longer. This year I have it estimated the trip down will cost us $325, $75 for the room on the way home and $250 in gas. That is with gas at $2.50/gal As of today gas is cheaper than that around here at $2.11/gal so that could be a bonus if it stays low through our trip.
Good luck with whatever your choose but I would try the drive once. You may find you like it and if not you know not to do it again.