Hello from New Jersey!! Driving

[HelloMickey]

Hey,

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!!! We are located about 20 minutes outside of Philly. We drive to Disney every year. Does anyone else do this? Any tips?

[nicks10]

to DWT! Sorry, I can't help you when it comes to driving tips though.

[Jujube]

My family used to drive all the time but now we usually just fly. We live right on the MD/DE line, real close to PA. We would always drive straight through and just stop for food and bathroom breaks. We stopped at South of the Border every time. We played a lot of alphabet games and license plate games as kids on the trips to pass the time. The trips were fun but we were always glad to get there (but who isn't!)! Many good memories!

[lilo88]

We always drive, but were not going to anymore since we like flying. But if you come down 95 through Richmond, VA, try going around Richmond on 295... it is faster and has less traffic... it will put you out just south of Petersburg, VA.

[joanna71985]

My family drives to WDW all the time, due to our size (I have 10 members in my immediate family). I will be driving down again in Aug, for my CP.

[Mrs Potts]

I-95 Exit Information Guide (online) will tell you gas, food, & lodging at each exit. We usually drive straight through, stopping when needed to stretch our legs. This is somewhat exhausting, so this year we're going to stay the night around the GA - FL border (mostly because we have younger travelers this year; mommy wants to stay sane), but we'll arrive at WDW around check-in time.

[Keasmom]

I am only a six hour drive from WDW, so no advice for ya on that.

Welcome to the boards.

[disneyfanatic101]

WDW Radio is home to 30,000+ members!

We hope you enjoy it here, HelloMickey! We have never driven to WDW but we might one day.

[HelloMickey]

thanks everyone, keep the tips coming!! I'll check out the other forums too...I know there is more tips there too!!!

[Jujube]

I just thought of a money saving tip. I live right next to the highly inflated I-95 Delaware toll at the DE/MD line and obviously know how to get around it! Let me know if you want directions.

[HelloMickey]

Thank JuJube, I'll take any advice, directions or tips you can give me. Thanks again!

[ToddBreakey]

My best advice is to gas up just short of Brunswick, GA. The gas is traditionally much cheaper there than it is in FLA. Also, if you have a car that is reasonably good on gas, and aren't planning on driving alot while in Orlando, you might be able to make it back to the cheap gas in GA without topping off.

[tizzo]

Hey,

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!!! We are located about 20 minutes outside of Philly. We drive to Disney every year. Does anyone else do this? Any tips?

Slightly different perspective, but -- I live about an hour from WDW and drive to NJ at least once a year at the holidays (both our families are there).

As far as tips, someone else mentioned the I-295 beltway around Richmond, VA. There is also a beltway, also called I-295, around Jacksonville, which I take occasionally. Although this last Christmas it seemed like the construction on I-95 through Jacksonville that has been going on for the last 10 years is about wrapping up, so that particular beltway may not be so useful anymore.

Something else to be aware of (though as a veteran traveler you probably already know this) is that if you're traveling on a week day, rush hour in Washington DC is usually well under way by 3PM.

I noticed something on our last trip that never happened before, or that I at least never noticed before. There are always traffic jams, pockets of stop and go traffic lasting from minutes to over an hour, and often they go unexplained. But on this last trip there were more of them than usual, and every time it was because an overladen vehicle of some kind (usually a camper being towed by a car) was driving in the right lane, but much slower than the speed limit. The jam was caused by people stuck behind the camper in the right lane pulling out at low speed into the left lane, cutting off the flow of traffic and causing a chain reaction of brake lights in some cases going back miles. In January the phenomenon seemed to increase in frequency as we got farther south (but oddly seemed to end once we got into Florida). It probably cost us at least three hours an a half a tank of gas this time. Unfortunately I have no tips on how to deal with it other than **** it up (though I'd welcome any tips from others). The cops don't seem interested in doing anything about it, even though most of the length of I-95 between here and there have posted minimum as well as maximum speeds.

Oh well, good luck with your drive.

Tony

[tizzo]

I just thought of a money saving tip. I live right next to the highly inflated I-95 Delaware toll at the DE/MD line and obviously know how to get around it! Let me know if you want directions.

I'd be very interested in those directions myself. That toll really irks me sometimes. I've seen them let it back up traffic for miles and cause a delay of over an hour.

[lilo88]

Also our last journey in November 08 to WDW just about all the way through GA was construction and traffic was bad and a pain in the butt with all the switching lanes and stuff. Hope that's better now...