Driving to Disney

[nu2mousehouse]

Hi folks.
We're driving from New York in December. Are there any of you east coasters that can make suggestions on hotels along the route? I'm thinking of stopping in the Blacksburg Virginia area for night 1 and southern GA to Tallahassee, before hitting WDW.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Good local restaurants along the route would be good to hear as well.

thanks!

[princessimagineer]

heyyy my parents arent the only crazy people in this area! im from jersey and we have driven down EVERY time that i have gone. its very exciting on the way down but the way back your always thinking "cant we just make one simple turn back around"

i live in the northern-central area so for us we wake up at about 3 in the morning and leave by 4. we try to make it so that were in Savannah (sp?) for the hotel that night and we usually arrive in disney around lunch time the next day.

back in the day we would always stop to eat at like Craker Barrels but after one stop where we decided to just get mcdonalds, we decided quick stops were better. as much as Craker Barrel is nice, you wait a while to be seated, and to us thats precios time to be getting to our magical destination that much earlyer.

we make a stop at all the welcome centers. once we reach like maryland its usually breakfast time. we bring a cooler with coldcuts and rolls so wen we reach i believe its north carolina, we stop to make sandwiches for lunch. then for dinnner its just a late mcdonnalds at the hotel befor bed.

hope i gave you good suggestions

[T-Belle]

Forgive me if this is too personal, but is there a specific reason for you to go out of your way to Tallahassee? Or maybe your thinking of Jacksonville? Tallahassee is in the Florida pan handle while Jacksonville is along I-95 on the east coast.

[iceicebritney]

clark's inn / restaurant in santee south carolina is a great place to grab a bite along i-95. its really good food, and a nice break from the fast food your forced to eat otherwise. they have a website, just search your favorite search engine for "clarksinnandrestaurant"

also, this area has some great hotels. we always choose the country inn and suits chain because in our many driving trips to wdw they've been our best experience. they are kept up very well, and their "continental breakfast" is actually a real breakfast... not something you huddle in the corner of a small room eating cereal out of a bowl. if you dont want to drive as far as santee, i'd recommend something in north carolina. virgina stinks as far as stopping for ANYTHING because everything is so incredibly far off the exit and you waist so much time driving away from 95 to get to your destination. good luck

[nu2mousehouse]

Thanks guys for the commentary.

T-Belle, You're right. Its Jacksonville, not Tallahassee.

I'm sure I would check the map before I left.

Princessengineer - Thanks for your history. I would normally jump on the idea to cannonball the run, but when I presented your suggestion to DW, her response "R U Nutz!?!? I'm not going to do that with a 1 year old!!!"

Oh well...better to take it a bit slower and keep the family happy!.

thanks again to all

Scott

[snifflesmcg]

I'm a nut too.....I'd rather drive to WDW. Due to the price of gas, it's cheaper to fly...and quicker but that's another topic. ANYWAY....I live on the PA/NJ border and have driven there a few times. Here is my suggestion. I would wing it. If you belong to AAA, pick up Tour books for the states you are driving thru. Also, there is a book that I swear by. It's called "The next exit" and it lists hotels, restaurants, gas stations, shopping ect, for all major highways in the US. You can find some really great rates (normally listed on bilboards) and it's more of an experience. Have a great time!

[kathymk616]

2 tips: Do an online search for gas price averages in the eastern seaboard states. Usually, the best prices are in NJ, Delaware, and SC, so try to get a full tank just before leaving any of them.

Also, the welcome centers are quite nice as you get farther south and are a nice place to stretch or have a snack for a few minutes. In very warm weather, however, they can be buggy.

Have fun...I think it's an enjoyable ride!

[Donald Duck]

Hi folks.
We're driving from New York in December. Are there any of you east coasters that can make suggestions on hotels along the route? I'm thinking of stopping in the Blacksburg Virginia area for night 1 and southern GA to Tallahassee, before hitting WDW.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Good local restaurants along the route would be good to hear as well.

thanks!

Have you considered the Auto Train ? It leaves from Lorton, VA at 4:00 PM and arrives in Sanford, Fl at 9:30 AM the next morning.

Lorton is a little past Washington DC. You would save about 900 miles of driving and gas, still have your car with you and arrive in DIsney a day earlier.

[mickeefan]

We drive it every year from just outside Washington, DC. We go down 95 all the way to 4.
Wouldn't Blacksburg be a little out of your way?

[r4kids]

I am not sure how many people your traveling with but for our family of 6 we are flying for $300 total round trip. SW had great $29 fares from Dulles to Orlando. I would never personally drive that far but I think it's cheaper to fly if you can get great airfare.

[nu2mousehouse]

Wow!!

Great feedback guys! I wanna check into the train solution that was suggested.

Regarding our logistics. We are in upstate New York, so no direct flights. Its either a connection through Philly, or Atlanta. Done it before, neither are really fun. We can drive 5 hours to Philly or Pitt, and catch a direct flight, but still a bit of a pain. Especially Philly, which is the worst airport in my experience for being on time, and for cancelling flights

We have our family of 4 and connecting with the outlaws out of Williamsport PA. We will have 2 cars.

For the question about why, Blacksburg, that's what looked about right when I Googled the trip. I wouldn't go on purpose as I'm a Pittsburgh alumnus, and getting too close to Hokie territory makes me break out into a rash

Thanks again!!!

Scott

[mickeefan]

This has nothing to do with driving. I just had to throw in that I love Williamsport. I went to college there many years ago. LOL. I am originally from NE Pennsylvania, just below the NY state line.( near Owego).

[Goofy Pluto]

Have you considered the Auto Train ? It leaves from Lorton, VA at 4:00 PM and arrives in Sanford, Fl at 9:30 AM the next morning.

Lorton is a little past Washington DC. You would save about 900 miles of driving and gas, still have your car with you and arrive in DIsney a day earlier.

We actually looked into this and determined, even though it would save us time, it would cost a lot more than it would be for us to drive. We'll do the best we can to enjoy the car ride and money is the issue for us, not the time it takes to get there.

[DizNee143]

i might be driving down to disney again for my 2nd time in nov...and last time we just drove straight through....and we live in central jersey...made it there in 17hours!!! ok ok..19hrs technically..my fiance needed a nap!!
you should try going a bit longer and just make it take one day instead of two to get to disney...like stop in south carolina instead..but whatever...have a great trip!!!

[nu2mousehouse]

I took a look at the car train, and when I saw the cost , I felt its just a financially prudent option with 4 adults, 2 kids, and 2 cars, though I appreciate the suggestion. I'll be playing with options, but I think a key factor is when we actually get started. Right now, I'm looking at working half a day, then heading out around noon. If we take the full day, then who knows.

Thanks again for all the comments!

Scott

[dolphinmickey9170]

We just drove down in May and it was, even with gas prices, cheaper for us to drive than to get four airline tickets. I looked into the auto train for our upcoming December trip and it is $400 for 5 adults and 1 infant using AAA discount, and then another $296 for the car. That is just a bit too pricey for us.

We fuel up in Baltimore, again in SC, and then just before we got off 95 to take 4 into Orlando. This tank takes us through our vacation as we use onsite transporation.