Stop or drive straight through

[MOUSE FAN]

Driving down from the Northeast (MA) in a few weeks, anyone have a tips??

 

[tigsmom]

We tried driving straight thru from NY a few years ago...never again. We usually stop in Fayetteville and spend the night. :wave:

 

[MOUSE FAN]

Have done it a couple times but stopped both times first time took 95 second time took rt 81 I believe, its about 65 miles longer but you miss the major cites and traffic.

Thinking of leaving the night before between 10 and midnight so the kids can sleep.

 

[crazygirley]

When we drive from Michigan (Detroit), we usually drive straight through. Then when we get a little past Atlanta, we pull off at a rest area and get a couple hours of sleep. We usually leave Detroit around 10:00 am and arrive in Orlando at 12:00 noon the next day. It's not hard, just have at least two willing drivers.

 

[Nicole]

We tried driving straight thru from NY a few years ago...never again. We usually stop in Fayetteville and spend the night. :wave:

Next time, give me a heads up and we can meet for dinner!

 

[CaptChris]

I drove straight through to Savannah from Southern Maine. I left at 6 PM and pulled into Savannah at 3:00 PM. We did stop for about an hour at South of the Border to stretch our legs, but made great time. Going down it was fairly easy to stay awake as I was excited to be going to WDW. It was great to drive through all of the big cities in the middle of the night. I think I was the only car on the Capital Beltway!

With the price of gas though, we are flying our next trip. We got great airfare from Boston Logan. It is cheaper to fly than drive!

 

[WDWKat26]

To move down here we drove over 2 days. Left early one morning, stopped in Charlotte, NC and drove the rest of the way the next day. There's no way I could have driven the whole way through, I guess it depends on how much you think you can handle. Plus, you need to think about the weather changes and rain and all that fun stuff. We got delayed 2 hours on our first day driving due to such heavy rain.

 

[MOUSE FAN]

Hopefully the weather will be nice. We'll have to see what time we get to VA then judge from there.

 

[luvorlando]

Not to put a damper on anything, but it has been proven that driving while exhausted is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

First and foremost, take care of yourself and your family. Disney will still be there if you need to pull over for a few hours for a little nap. :snore:

Have a safe and happy trip!

 

[Atta83]

I live here in houston and its a 14 hour drive and drive straight through making rarely no stops if we have to, i mean besides getting gas. But when we stop for gas those are the potty breaks. If not we stop in Lake City.

 

[maelstrom]

We have never driven straight through. We've gone from New York to Savannah, Georgia in one day, or to Santee, South Carolina. I think that overnight sleep in a bed is important.

 

[jesserin]

I'm going to say that it depends on if you have kids or not -


No kids? Get up at 4am and hit the road - you'll make the long trip a lot easier by not hitting any traffic for the first few hours. Make sure you do not hit Charlotte around 9am or 5pm as you'll add 2 hours to your trip.

Kids? Get up at 9am and hit the road - stop in Charlotte at the Amerisuites (great prices, good breakfast, nice rooms) and then hit the road the next morning - you'll only be about 6-7 hours away at that point so if you start out by 9 or 10 you'll be in the parks by dinnertime!

 

[Budahman]

I live in Nebraska. We made the drive down twice previously. We'd get up and on the road at 3:30am, and make it to Atlanta about 7pm EST. This gives us a good night sleep and on the road out of Atlanta at 7am, and making it into Orlando approx 2:30pm in the afternoon. From Nebraska it's a pretty easy drive. The drive back home sucks, but when I think of it as just a full day and 1/2 in the car..it's not really that bad.

I plan on driving my next trip, unless I can get plane tix for under $200.00 each.

 

[Gregory]

I drive, every February, to Hilton Head (theres a DVC resort there).. Its about 18 hours from where I am in NY during the day, and 15 at night (7pm - 10am)...

More than that, and I don't think I'd be able to do it... We've talked about going to Florida by car, but I wouldn't be able to stomache it...

So, its up to you... Personally, I do the drive because I like it... So, its up to you.. If you don't mind long drives, go for it... But, nothing beats getting on a plane, taking a quick nap, and waking up to palm trees in balmy florida...

What I would suggest, though, is going all or nothing.. Don't stop at a hotel... That just adds on two days of travel, which means two days less at WDW.. If you're driving alone, it might be you're only option... But, if you're driving with another driver, take shifts... Get a few books on tape, and you're ready for the 20-something hour drive! If it were up to me, I'd drive through the night. Less traffic, and I enjoy car trips at night better... You'll end up driving during the day at some point, but I would suggest starting right after a 5pm diner (in order to miss rush hour), and only stop for gas and bathroom breaks, and a sit down breakfast to take a short break...

Good luck!
-Gregory