"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

Certainly have seen an increase in traffic and speed over the years. Our worst experience was driving the week between Christmas and New Year——- never again.

mac_tlc
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Driving that week is indeed brutal, but moving about in the parks (especially the MK) is worse.

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
We are coming from NY and i was wondering if anyone rents cars and if so do you rent for the whole trip or just rent for the drive down and drop off then pick up for the way home? Is it easier we leave in 3 weeks and i still am unsure what to do any help would be great
We use to rent a minivan years ago to make the drive. When I say years ago, I'm talking 25 or so. It cost $400 for a week and half. Lol
This last two week trip in September was the first time our van sat and didn't move. We used Minnie vans. We just like to drive. We fly for work and driving is just a tradition for us. Our dd from the time she was 9 months even enjoyed the drives. (She's 26 now) Our trip this past March, she drove a few hours down and drove a good half way home.
If money isn't the issue, what I liked about renting was if you had a problem, ( hey, come pick up your van and give me another one lol ).
We for the most part drive straight through. Especially heading home.
I'm near Allentown Pa, off of I78. Coming home we leave at 3am and hit home 7pm for the most part. Where you live, how fast you drive, how often and for how long you stop all have something to do with it.
Timing out missing major cities at rush hours is the key.
I'm in sales so I drive a lot for work and I'm on the road by 3am everyday so early morning, in the dark is easy for me.
Most of us here like to drive as opposed to flying. We for the most part do it because we like the drive and we all have a list why we like to drive. Lol
I can't really help you too much, you live further south than me but I can tell you that you came to the right spot to get good advic. A lot of people here from your area who made the drive plenty of times.
Good luck and enjoy the ride.
 
Got my Sunpass statement today. I used the newly opened express lanes in Charlotte NC. last month. The lanes that were open, they are not completely done yet, seem to save me some time, if anything less stressful. Used then South and North, cost me $4. Lol
Well worth the $4. Heavier the traffic, higher the tolls. It was pretty cool though, smooth transitions from regular lanes to express and back again.
 
Can anyone speak to current road conditions on 95 from Virginia to Florida. Any stand out construction?


We are driving in two weeks from Delaware. Going 13 South to Bay Bridge Tunnel (avoiding Baltimore and DC) Norfolk over to 95.

95 South to 407 to 528 to 417 to World Dr.

We have a E Pass Xtra transponder.

We’re towing a pop up camper driving over night. I drive a lot and work early morning shift so I’ll be driving most of the overnight time.

Just wondering if there are any notable issues on 95 through NC, SC, GA.

Do people take 295 around Jacksonville? Instead of 95 through Jacksonville?
 


Can anyone speak to current road conditions on 95 from Virginia to Florida. Any stand out construction?


We are driving in two weeks from Delaware. Going 13 South to Bay Bridge Tunnel (avoiding Baltimore and DC) Norfolk over to 95.

95 South to 407 to 528 to 417 to World Dr.

We have a E Pass Xtra transponder.

We’re towing a pop up camper driving over night. I drive a lot and work early morning shift so I’ll be driving most of the overnight time.

Just wondering if there are any notable issues on 95 through NC, SC, GA.

Do people take 295 around Jacksonville? Instead of 95 through Jacksonville?

I can't really help with the other stuff, but I can say that we've always (8 trips) just stayed on I-95 through Jacksonville and never had a problem other than one time when there was a slow down due to a car fire on the shoulder of the road. I will mention that we're always driving through at about 9:00 on a Sunday morning (both arriving and departing). We might consider taking 295 if we're passing through on a weekday morning (which we will be doing next summer). We run Waze and Googlemaps on 2 different phones when driving to Disney (or anywhere) and just follow their suggestions for the most part.
 
Can anyone speak to current road conditions on 95 from Virginia to Florida. Any stand out construction?


We are driving in two weeks from Delaware. Going 13 South to Bay Bridge Tunnel (avoiding Baltimore and DC) Norfolk over to 95.

95 South to 407 to 528 to 417 to World Dr.

We have a E Pass Xtra transponder.

We’re towing a pop up camper driving over night. I drive a lot and work early morning shift so I’ll be driving most of the overnight time.

Just wondering if there are any notable issues on 95 through NC, SC, GA.

Do people take 295 around Jacksonville? Instead of 95 through Jacksonville?
I just came back a few weeks ago but I hit 95 in South Carolina. I hit Jax and Orlando at 3-4am on a Saturday morning so traffic isn't an issue but Orlando has been a nightmare.
We run Waze and also we have the states apps that have live traffic cameras and also slow ups etc.... Have your copilot check them out, don't attempt while driving. SCDOT app is pretty good with live traffic updates. We drove down the day after Dorian came up the coast and the app was real good with updates.
 


Besides us, how many 2,000+ mile round trip drivers have ridden the Disney Skyliner? (And you thought I-4 could be scary!)

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
Besides us, how many 2,000+ mile round trip drivers have ridden the Disney Skyliner? (And you thought I-4 could be scary!)

All the best! :thumbsup2
Unfortunately it wasn't open yet when we were there. I can't wait to ride it. That's top of my list for next trip. I want to ride the whole system and see it all.
 
The Disney Skyliner is up and running again. A WDW statement, however, suggests that future stoppages should be anticipated...but hopefully not for nearly four hours. The statement did not include info on the need for more barf bags, which were in demand during the breakdown.

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
Besides us, how many 2,000+ mile round trip drivers have ridden the Disney Skyliner? (And you thought I-4 could be scary!)

All the best! :thumbsup2
So I was excited about riding them when we’re there next weekend, but now not so much. I’m a little nervous to try it.
 
Disney Skyliner still up and running. We passed on using it last night since we couldn't risk missing the Eat to the Beat concert.

Yet another I-4 crash today.

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
Hi Everyone!

I was directed to this thread about my upcoming trip and so glad I was. My family and I are driving to Disney from Rochester NY. We are checking in on Sunday November 17th. It’ll be myself, my 13 yo son, my brother and my dad, so three drivers. We’re planning on driving straight through, as we’re no strangers to long trips. However, we’ve never driven to Florida, so this will be our first Disney Road trip!!

Where we are in NY allows for two possible routes. The first is 95 going through Washington and the other looks like it’s 79-77-26-95. GPS says either should take about 18 hours, but obviously before traffic etc. I have an EZ-pass, but can I use that in place of a sun pass? I will take any and all tips!
Thanks so much!
 
Hi Everyone!

I was directed to this thread about my upcoming trip and so glad I was. My family and I are driving to Disney from Rochester NY. We are checking in on Sunday November 17th. It’ll be myself, my 13 yo son, my brother and my dad, so three drivers. We’re planning on driving straight through, as we’re no strangers to long trips. However, we’ve never driven to Florida, so this will be our first Disney Road trip!!

Where we are in NY allows for two possible routes. The first is 95 going through Washington and the other looks like it’s 79-77-26-95. GPS says either should take about 18 hours, but obviously before traffic etc. I have an EZ-pass, but can I use that in place of a sun pass? I will take any and all tips!
Thanks so much!

I think most people who have the choice of 95 or the inland route will say to go with the inland route as long as the weather is good. I know you are used to snow but hopefully there won't be snow to worry about mid-November, so I would say to take your inland route. Because I take 81 to 77, I was wondering if that was feasible for you to go from Rochester to Harrisburg, PA where you can pick up 81S instead of traveling along the lake and through (or around?) Pittsburgh. Not sure if that might be a little shorter or not.
 
We are about a half hr from the DMB. On our last drive we left at 4am but didn’t hit rush hr traffic because it was the day after Thanksgiving and I guess most were off work. We might have to just leave earlier I guess in order to get ahead of that traffic.
We live in Toms River NJ. We leave at 7-8 pm so we are driving through Bal, DC and Richmond in the early morning hours. Usually in SC when the sun is coming up. Arriving in WDW for a late breakfast or lunch
 
We live in Toms River NJ. We leave at 7-8 pm so we are driving through Bal, DC and Richmond in the early morning hours. Usually in SC when the sun is coming up. Arriving in WDW for a late breakfast or lunch

Not counting an initial drive from East Hanover, NJ in 2002, our 45 departures from Barnegat, NJ usually began very late at night or very early in the morning, early enough to beat the rush hour traffic in southern MD and northern VA. We did 13 straight-through drives but later made overnight Florida stops in such places as Yulee or Palm Coast, which yielded a three hour drive the following day.

Since we moved to central Fl in 2017, we usually make it to WDW in just under an hour.

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
Hi Everyone!

I was directed to this thread about my upcoming trip and so glad I was. My family and I are driving to Disney from Rochester NY. We are checking in on Sunday November 17th. It’ll be myself, my 13 yo son, my brother and my dad, so three drivers. We’re planning on driving straight through, as we’re no strangers to long trips. However, we’ve never driven to Florida, so this will be our first Disney Road trip!!

Where we are in NY allows for two possible routes. The first is 95 going through Washington and the other looks like it’s 79-77-26-95. GPS says either should take about 18 hours, but obviously before traffic etc. I have an EZ-pass, but can I use that in place of a sun pass? I will take any and all tips!
Thanks so much!

We drive from Buffalo almost every year and we have taken the inland route every time, the 79-77-26-95 route. We have two small children so we are prepared before we leave to take as many stops as possible. Our plan is simple, we leave at 2am from Buffalo and get to Richmond Hill, GA around 7 or 8 at night. We bunker for the night at a lovely Holiday Inn Express, take advantage of free breakfast and on our way to Disney by 8am the next day where we usually arrive around lunch time.
The key to the inland drive is Charlotte. Jacksonville can be tricky also, but Charlotte is the city you want to time to avoid rush hour and football games. Otherwise, it is a nice, easy drive.
I usually do all of the driving so i know the ins and outs of the different highways. With taking turns you will have the advantage of staying fresh though and driving straight through shouldn't be an issue.
OH one last thing, if anyone in your group gets car sick, watch out for the hills of West Virginia. We have had to clean up plenty of sickness from the car at rest stops in those hills.
 
The NJ visitors will soon be here for the so-called "Jersey Week," which reflects the closing of public schools for a Thursday and Friday because of the 11/8-9 NJEA convention.

All the best! :thumbsup2
 
The NJ visitors will soon be here for the so-called "Jersey Week," which reflects the closing of public schools for a Thursday and Friday because of the 11/8-9 NJEA convention.

All the best! :thumbsup2
We went for Jersey Week for 7 or 8 years until our daughter was into middle school and we couldn't pull her out anymore as she missed too much work. It was a great time to go back then.
 

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