Driving from New Jersey..

[tink03]

Ok so as I have previosly posted next Sept I donnot want to fly!!! So I have decided to drive. I would like all the info I can get from my fellow friends on driving. Such as cost of fuel (averages).
Stay a night in cheap hotel on the way? Or drive straight through(taking turns with DH) of course? It will be me , DH,DS(7),and DS(9). Has anyone else done the drive from South Jersey? About how long is it?:drive::rocks:

oh yeah and GO PHILLIES!!!

1 Trip as a kid (off-site)
CBR 2004
POR 2006
CBR 2007
POR 2008(Free Dining!!:number1:)

[faline]

I've driven it from Massachusetts. Even with two drivers, it can be very tiring. I'd plan to stop overnight, possibly in South Carolina or Georgia.

[Markh4956]

We have driven from PA to Daytona Beach and Destin (panhandle ) several times. We never stay over anywhwere... always drive straight through. Our daughter is 6 and she is a trooper. Two drivers and stops for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner usually takes us around 19-21 hrs. depending on what days and times you will be leaving. Try to avoid D.C. during rush hours. Just take plenty ov DVD's and/or gameboys etc...

[Figgyluv03]

We use to do it all the time when we were younger. Of course I wasn't old enough to drive back then, so we only had my parents driving. I would definetely leave really early and drive until you hit George. We ususally find a cheap hotel for the night, and then get up real early and finish the drive so we'd have pretty much the whole day there. Where in South Jersey are you?

[tink'72]

We drive every year from Massachusetts. I am the only driver because my husband is visually impaired. My family and I LOVE it! I have a DD 10, DS 4, Dstepson 14.

We make it an adventure by packing "surprises" for each of the kids. About a month before we leave I get each of them a new Disney backpack and fill it with things that will keep them busy for the trip. They each get a new movie, new book and new portable board games to play on the way down.

Gas costs us about $300.00 round trip. That was the most it ever cost. I stop a lot because I am the only drive so I don't tired. We stretch our legs get souveniers and then back in the car again. We do stay over night, usually at a Holiday Inn Express that has an indoor pool . I have found them inexpensive and really nice.

I do stop early enough on our first day so the kids can swim and get rid of some of that energy that built up while sitting in the car.

It takes us about 20 hours driving time and we do it in 2 days.

It can be an enjoyable trip if you don't stress about it and take your time!

[WidowsSon]

We drive every year to WDW/Central Fl sometimes twice a year. We are just a little north of Trenton NJ which is 1000 miles to WDW. We normally approach the trip in 2 ways.
How we do it:
1st Drive as far as we can the 1st day and then "enjoy" the rest of the trip by finding things to do as you make your way to WDW. So we might drive to Brunswick Ga or Jacksonville Fl (roughly 15-18 hrs) get a hotel and then go to say Silver Springs or St Augustine which breaks the 5 plus hrs up to WDW and makes the trip fun start a little earlier.
2nd We drive to Richmond VA roughly (300 miles, 5-6 hrs) in the evening, then get a hotel, get up the next day a drive to WDW about 700 plus miles from Richmond VA.
Things about the trip:
It’s a long trip back up. Going down is always fun since we are leaving on an adventure. Coming home is always the same as well. From the minute we pass under the gates that say “see you real soon” we want to be home. We have done the auto train and for the money and where we live it’s not worth it. The big thing from NJ is to get past Philly, Baltimore and DC. Once we go over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge your pretty much home free traffic wise.
A GPS is more than a nice to have, its helps in planning stops, when the next rest room is and all the things that help make the drive less stressful. DVDs, Ipods, games all help but at the end of the day. It’s a long drive.
Costs:
We usually figure $500 round trip. That’s gas, hotel and a good sit down lunch or dinner.
Hope this helps and have a great trip

[vamaggie]

Once we go over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge your pretty much home free traffic wise.


Living in the DC/No VA area this is not true! Depending on what time of day and what day and what season you are driving through, the trip from the Wilson Bridge to Richmond (2 hours give or take w/o any traffic etc) can take 5 or more hours. We have a really horrible evening rush hour down 95 that starts some days as early as noon and last til at least 7pm or later some days. Sat morning is also horrible, even more so on summer or holiday weekends. If you can get through the Balt/Wash/No Va area in the middle of the night (being mindful of the truckers who do the same) that would be your best bet. Good Luck!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We drove a few times from Long Island, NY since I hated to fly.
We always drove straight through with no stops more then bathroom and meals.
It took us about 17-19 hours leaving around 9pm. We always made sure we were going to hit the DC area in the middle of the night.
Once we had my DD, my DH convinced me to give flying another chance. As much as I hated it, getting there in 2.5 hours vs 17 changed me for good.
We have flown the past three years now and I won't have it any other way.
The ride down was always great. It was the ride home that made me crazy.
As long as you have lots of things to keep the kids occupied, you should do great. DVD players are life savers on those long road trips. I always go and buy some new movies before we leave so that they hold their interest. My boys also bring their DS's, books, small travel games, etc. We pack lots of snacks, juice boxes,water, etc.
I share in the driving once we are through the NYC area. That makes all the difference in driving straight through.
Good luck.

[tinksmom02]

We drove in October 2004, we're near Toms River (we're exit 80! LOL) We left about 8:30pm to avoid traffic in DC and we stopped once, I think, for about an hour to catch a quick nap. Other than that, bathroom breaks and meals only (DD, 2 at the time, picked THIS perfect time to start potty-training LOL). We were in Jacksonville by 3pm the next day. We stayed in a dump (I can't remember the name but it was only $50 w/our AAA discount), but there was a Cracker Barrel within walking distance, so that was OK LOL

I think it took us 3 hours to get to Orlando from there.

Took us a LOT longer to get home, though. Turns out that DD gets carsick. We only made it to South Carolina before we had to stop for the night.

I would do it again (you definitely have a little more leeway regarding luggage LOL) but DD gets green when we drive more than an hour, so it probably won't happen again anytime soon.

[Samtastic]

Well I'm from Toms River!! :grouphug:

Anyway we only drove when I was a little girl, so I can't give insight into cost, but I do have a suggestion--Don't let your daughter hang out with anyone who could possibly sick the day or 2 before you leave. We hung out with my cousins before we drove and I was :acK: the whole way down. It was not fun for anyone!! What a horrible drive!

[snowflakegirl]

I've gone both ways with the flying and the driving. All four family trips when I was younger we drove from New Hampshire. As I said in a different post, once we left at night and drove straight through so we got to our hotel in Kissimmee at around 6pm the next day. The other three times we left in the morning. We got into Kissimmee the next morning, but we were tired and the first day was sort of a wash. If I had the option I would leave in the early evening, drive through the night and arrive in the early evening... That way you go for a swim and then get a good night's sleep and start your trip rested. And I have to admit I like the road trip mentality, looking out windows, playing travel games, etc.

AAA has a fuel cost estimator that helped me when I drove to Tennessee in May. You put in a city near where you're starting from, a city near where you're going to, make, model and year of your vehicle and they'll give you an estimate of one way and round trip fuel costs. It calculates it based on the current "averages" of the areas that you'll be driving through. I added in a little bit of a "slush fund" for overages and came back with a little bit of money that had been budgeted for gas left over. If you'd like I can PM you the link or if you do a google search for aaa fuel cost estimate you should be able to find the link.

[CPT Trips]

We drove many times. Our experience has been once about 40-50 miles south of DC things gradually ease up (or coming home, get worse). I use 295 around Richmond, except on summer weekends when the people doing down the shore there flock to the roads. Generally we try to drive south on a Sunday and come home on a day other than Fri or Sat.

We aim for Brunswick GA for overnight heading to WDW. Sometimes we tire before then and stay in SC. Coming home we usually get a later start and so I'm happy with getting into NC and might even stop as early as Florence, SC.

In any case, we use the motel coupon books and just get a cheap, hopefully clean room. We have found that calling places about a half hour before we expect to be there works. They won't take a reservation, but will tell you if they have discount rooms left. It does save a lot of time "striking out."

Oh that :bball: team just breaks my heart :ill: :( :bang: :shake:

[Figgyluv03]

Oh that :bball: team just breaks my heart :ill: :( :bang: :shake:

Can we not talk about that! I think I'm gonna be a true Philly fan and jump off the wagon. (I hope it's the Phillies you are talking about).

[CPT Trips]

Can we not talk about that! I think I'm gonna be a true Philly fan and jump off the wagon. (I hope it's the Phillies you are talking about).

You see which part of NJ I'm from? I sure didn't mean the Mets!

Not much good comes from north of Burlington County these days . . . a couple of musicians - one from Freehold and the other from Sayerville and maybe that comedian from Lawrence.

[NJRRK]

You see which part of NJ I'm from? I sure didn't mean the Mets!

Not much good comes from north of Burlington County these days . . . a couple of musicians - one from Freehold and the other from Sayerville and maybe that comedian from Lawrence.

Ahem!! I resemble that remark (Morris County here). I'm HIGHLY insulted;)

[CPT Trips]

we'll let you keep John Travolta!

[Figgyluv03]

Sorry, CPT Trips, I didn't see the Philly part. Yeah, I'm near you. In fact if I look around my desk and look out my window, I see that wonderful city that builds us up and brings us down! ha ha.

[CPT Trips]

No offense taken Fig . . . I updated my profile so people would know that I'm from "West Jersey" (according to the historians) not the other "Joisey."

[Figgyluv03]

we'll let you keep John Travolta!

& Katie Holmes!

[Mom2princesses]

No offense taken Fig . . . I updated my profile so people would know that I'm from "West Jersey" (according to the historians) not the other "Joisey."

I'm from New Jersey - or should I say New Joisey?


You see which part of NJ I'm from? I sure didn't mean the Mets!

Not much good comes from north of Burlington County these days . . . a couple of musicians - one from Freehold and the other from Sayerville and maybe that comedian from Lawrence.

Yep and I take offense to both of these posts! :ack: :rolleyes: Besides lets face it if the Met's didn't totally collapse (Ugh! da bums!) you never would have gotten the chance to collapse in the playoffs. So by the way what exactly comes from the ever happening exciting area of Burlington County and south? :funny:

I live near the REAL City not the one that suffers from a superiority complex.

If you can make it there you'll make it any where its up to you NEW YORK, NEW YORK! :cool:

Ok just be glad you can't hear me singing. :sing: