Myrtle Beach to WDW ?

[5togetherWDW]

We have the chance to go to Myrtle Beach on our way to WDW. Online mapping shows the path driving on 17. It looks like a beach road. Is it slow? Is the estimated 9 hours accurate?

Also - how bad is the traffic in the Myrtle Beach area? How long does the drive really take from the beach to the dinner shows? Is it the stop and go we have seen on all the other beach paths? (So triple or more of the online estimates?)

Thanks

[Melanie]

Traffic in MB depends on the time of year. In the height of summer, it's busy and there are lots of stop lights with stop and go traffic. But still, it's not terrible like what you'd experience in a big city.

Hwy 17 is mainly four lane, with it increasing to 6 lanes through the busy areas. You'd pick 95 back up around Beaufort, SC. It's not a bad drive. We've done it a few times.

[TheDuckRocks]

We most always combine our travel down to WDW with a prolonged road trip. Last Nov. on our return leg we spent the night in Hilton Head Island, SC. Our next stop was Wilmington, NC and we thought it would be fun to stay off the Interstate for the most part. Used the AAA trip-tick funtion on their website and routed us through Myrtle Beach on Hwy. 17. Due to the traffic and large number of stop lights the ride was 3 hours longer than the AAA time estimate. AAA guides are the way I always chart our trips and this was the first time I've ever had more than a half hour off on the times.:shrug:

[Melanie]

Used the AAA trip-tick funtion on their website and routed us through Myrtle Beach on Hwy. 17. Due to the traffic and large number of stop lights the ride was 3 hours longer than the AAA time estimate. AAA guides are the way I always chart our trips and this was the first time I've ever had more than a half hour off on the times.:shrug:

Wow Kay!! 3 hours to get through Myrtle Beach?

[DonaldsBFF]

As PP have said it could take hours to get through MB on 17. Last year when we were there I used the new bypass, I think it was Rte 30 or 31 can't remember. This will take you down to Surfside Beach and will avoid the very busy parts of MB This cut the time down to about 15 minutes. We stay at the very beginning of NMB and sometimes it could take at least an hour to get to Broadway on the Beach area by taking 17. So I guess it would depend where you are staying at in MB to see if it would make sense for you.

[Melanie]

We stay at the very beginning of NMB and sometimes it could take at least an hour to get to Broadway on the Beach area by taking 17.

But that's pretty much the entire stretch from one end of the 'busy' Myrtle Beach to the other. I can definitely see that stretch taking an hour. Personally, I like that drive. It's full of interesting scenery and places to stop. :)

[TheDuckRocks]

Wow Kay!! 3 hours to get through Myrtle Beach?

Mel, I think it was just the whole Hwy. 17 thing that put us so far behind. Going through Beaufort, the outskirts of Charleston, the Pawley Island area south of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach itself and then the traffic in and around Wilmington added all together it just made for a very unexpected long, long day. We kept seeing that we were falling behind timewise but being unfamilar with the area we couldn't see an easy fix to getting back to a quicker route.

[5togetherWDW]

Thanks for all the replies. I don't want to underestimate drive time - especially if I make any reservations.