Driving From NJ to DW

[waymickey]

We are driving to Disney World Late July from NJ. does anyone have any advise on where to stop overnight and any helpful websites fro drivers on I 95? :mickey:

[tinklover]

I am in Salisbury , md and we don't typically stop on teh way down as we leave at like 2:30 in the morning and get to disney around 8 pm. on our way home though we stop in north corolina off of 95 and stay at a jameson inn. I don't know the exit number though sorry.

[ILoveLegos]

We usually stop both ways in Fayetteville, SC. It's about the half-way point between my two homes.

[princessimagineer]

im from central jersey. since we are older now (meaning i am the youngest, and currently at age 17 (18 in 4 days)) we usually leave 4 am on the dot. by the time we get to delaware the sun is just coming up so we stop in the delaware welcome center for a quick stop. then once we get to virginia its now like 9ish so its time to stop for an actual breakfast. usually eather ihop or someplace fast because we dont mind mcdonalds breakfast. (were not big cracker barrelers anymore because its too long of a wait and precious driving time!). every welcome center is usually a stop. north carolina is usually lunch time, and for lunch its usually cold cuts and rolls that we bought down in a cooler.

we never plan where we stop, its usualy just whenever we start getting tyred. weve gotten anywhere from the bottom of south carolina, to savannah. but last year was our proudest year - we got all the way to jacksonville! oh yes it was a proud moment. my dad was energetic enough to keep driving so we did! we were able to get up at our usualy excited 6 am, eat a continental breakfast, and then get on the road by 7. i remember talking to my grandmother on the phone around 11ish and she didnt believe me that we were already there.

usually dinner is eaten in the town weve stopped in to sleep. a late dinner but were usually snacking during the drive between lunch and dinner anyway.

this is sorta gunning it so if you are more into taking it slow then its definoutly possible

[crazykids]

Where to spend the night really depends how you want to break up the driving. If you want to make it pretty equal, I'd say somewhere around Fayetteville, SC on the way down & try to cross the NC state line on the way back. My family always drove down when I was a kid & I had no issues w/ it because I guess I just got used to it. We just made the drive last summer w/ my 3 little ones & I'll be flying from now on, it just seemed to take too long!

Most important is to avoid the D.C. area around rush time, take the bypass around Richmond (I think it's 295), & pick up the toll road around Sanford, Fl to bypass the Orlando area ( not sure, maybe 495?, but either way it'll take you straight to WDW). I think it cost around $5 worth of tolls, but it was well worth it to bypass all that traffic on I-4.

Have a good time!

[chefmickey3]

We drove last year from the suburbs of Philly. We stopped at Points South, SC on the way down and Rocky Mount,NC on the way back. Driving for us is so much better than flying with three children under 7.

This year we are leaving at 5am and driving to Savannah. Staying the night and then driving to Disney from there. We should be in the MK by lunchtime.

I would love to know more about bypassing Orlando because that was by far the worst part of the trip.

If you are AAA members, they gave us wonderful maps with what to watch for each leg of the trip. As the navigator, it helped the time go faster to flip the pages. We bring the DVD players for Disney movies, play Disney music and ask Disney trivia.

[MickeyMousse]

We drive to WDW from Long Island NY and usually leave out of here around 11PM. We like to stop in Florence S.C.-there's a very good Holiday Inn Express just off the ramp and we can get in there by 1pm-ish. But, when we have the energy we will drive to Hilton Head, SC and stay at a Holiday Inn Express in Beauford S.C, just outside of Hilton Head checking in around 4pm. :thumbsup: It's a nice area to stop at and when we leave-around 8am-we get into WDW by 3pm at the latest!
Enjoy your trip!!

[Main Street Jim]

If you're coming down I-95 through Virginia, Emporia isn't a bad place (US 58 at I-95). If you want to go a little further, Dillon, SC (South of the Border exit) is pretty good, or even Fayetteville (which I believe is in NC, not SC) like Legos said.

[Disney Lynn]

Click here: Interstate Forecast Welcome
Click here: VDOT Operations Information System: Statewide View

I hope the above two links work; I know I have an I-95 link somewhere (and will post when I find it). DH & I have driven to WDW many times (although in August, we're flying- found flights cheaper than the gas we'd buy!).

As far as as where to stop for the night- that depends on how early you leave, traffic, etc. We usually do one long day (making it to SC or GA) and then a shorter day to WDW (frequently arriving noonish). We pick up the free hotel flyers at the Welcome Centers and call ahead when we estimate that we'll be tired. Although we have driven home in one day (depending on how many drivers we have), we never go to WDW in one day (why wear yourself out at the start of a vacation?)

For the Orlando area: do not stay on I-4 through Orlando!!! This is a horrible road (my apologies to the citizens of Orlando). Instead, take I=4 only to the Sanford area and take the Central FL Greeneway (which is I- 417) to WDW. This is a toll road: I think the total cost was less than $6: just make sure you have some change-the last toll was exact change- fifty cents). We usually exit onto Osceola Parkway (I'll try to find my old AAA Trip Tiks to see the exact details).

[barnaby]

I like to get the bulk of the driving out of the way the first day.
We drove down this past March from southern Jersey. We left at 4AM and stopped in Port Wentworth, GA, just outside Savannah. It was a Days Inn - good price ($75) and very clean. We booked it prior throurgh AAA.

From there it is less than 5 hours to WDW.

[Scar]

Google "i 95 exit guide" for a good website.

[waymickey]

Great info thanks a lot. I can't wait to go!!!
Disney Wilderness lodge here we come!!!!

[ILoveLegos]

If you want to go a little further, Dillon, SC (South of the Border exit) is pretty good, or even Fayetteville (which I believe is in NC, not SC) like Legos said.

Oops, my mistake it's North Carolina - I'm usually very road weary when I get there... sorry for posting the wrong state. :blush:

[BMan62]

When I used to make the "white knuckle cruise" to visit an old college buddy in Bradenton, FL, I would stop in Santee, SC for the night. After grabbing a few hours sleep, it was about an 8 hour drive to Bradenton. I would think to WDW would be about two hours shorter.

[Olivia's Daddy]

I live in Pottstown. PA (50 mi from Phila.). I like to drive during the day so we leave about 6:30 am and drive until we get to I-95 Georgia Exit 3- Kingsland. This takes about 14 hours. Make a left off the ramp and there's a Hampton Inn about 1/5 mile down on your left. Nice Place. There is also a Cracker Barrel near there for breakfast. Now your only about 3 hrs from WDW. You hit there fresh and ready for action. Going back we generally drive straight through.

[BelleCiavo]

We live 1019 miles from WDW in South Jersey and it takes about 15 hours to get there (last time 14:55) so we drive straight through going down, leave 3 am, arrive 6 PM. On the way home we stop in NC. Last time we got off at exit 95 for the night and while we were sleeping at the Best Western someone smashed a window and we were robbed. Be careful, where ever you stop. Try not to leave anything in view.

[diz_girl]

Where and when you stop depends on whether or not you have young children and how much sleep you want to get.

When I used to drive down with my parents, we would leave Philly (NE burbs) at 6:30 a.m. and be in St. Augustine, FL by midnight. It was then only a couple of hours to WDW.

Now I like to leave sometime between 8 and 9 a.m. and stop somewhere in S.C. around 10 p.m. Someone else mentioned Florence, SC, which was where we stopped last time. We stayed at the Wingate Inn and it was nice.

I'd love to be able to stop at the DVC property in Hilton Head on the way down next time, but that probably won't happen.