"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (IV)

[auger]

I posted in this thread awhile back. Our plans have changed now and I wanted to get your guys' opinion on when to leave to make the drive down.

We'll be driving from Michigan. It's an 18 hour drive...

So we will be checking in on a Monday. We will both have the previous weekend off. When do you suggest we leave? My initial thought is to leave around 5pm on Sunday, drive through the night and arrive on Monday around 11am. I'm afraid of starting our trip off being exhausted on Monday. But I was thinking we could nap once we arrive and are able to check in, go to dinner at Raglan Road maybe, and then head back for an early bedtime.

What would you do?

We are in NW Ohio, and the drive is about 17-17 1/2 hours for us.
We leave between four and five am and drive straight through, which works great for us.
We start the trip with only a couple of nighttime hours. We are always excited that we're leaving, so it's easy to stay awake.
Then, the end of the trip is the same way. This is when it's most important, because you're getting tired and are more prone to fall asleep at the wheel.
But by the time it gets dark, we only have a couple of hours left to drive, so it's never an issue.

We hate having to stop and waste money on a hotel, just to have to get up and still drive some more.
We prefer to get there in one day, spend the night at a hotel, and be totally rested from the trip when we get up in the morning.
Then we hit the parks first thing and get a full day of fun, rather than still having to finish the drive and check in and get settled before being able to go to the parks.

we have tried driving through the night (in our younger days!), stopping part-way down, and driving as described above.
The last is by far the best way to go. We never feel beat down like we always did with the other two scenarios, and we don't feel like we wasted two days of our trip for travel one way.

 

[1Grumpy9]

I leave Saturday with my friend Abbey for our 14 hr drive down from Central PA to WDW. We are planning on headed down I-81 and my goal is to get to either Jacksonville or Daytona for the night and finish up the trip on Sunday morning.

 

[nono]

Which DDD place did you guys stop at

Have to look it up - will get back to you -- can't remember the name of the one in FL we did. Also have done it in Chicago on the way to St. Paul! That was one long trip!

 

[LadyBeBop]

Thanks for the advice! Now on to the next question then ... how do you go about finding hotels/motels on the route down?

What part of Michigan? If you're taking I-75 down, I can help you. I'm just south of Cincinnati.

 

[nono]

For anyone coming through SE PA into DE on their drive:

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is advising motorists that as the I-95/U.S. Route 202 Interchange Project nears completion, there will be a series of both nighttime and weekend closures over the next few weeks during final stages of milling and repaving.

DelDOT strongly recommends that all non-local (through) traffic utilize I-495 in lieu of I-95 during these closures.

These closures are weather dependent and will be postponed to the following day/weekend if inclement conditions occur.
(source: http://511enews.com/i-95/delaware-9...es-multiple-ramp-lane-closures-u-s-route-202/)

For anyone coming through NJ and over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, this does NOT affect you. You'll be south of this interchange.

 

[nono]

Which DDD place did you guys stop at

Sorry for the delay, couldn't find it in the books, which is where I thought I had gotten it! Had to zoom in on bing.com/maps to find it...

Singleton's Seafood Shack
4728 Ocean St, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-2426

Got there at 10:45 a.m. after an overnight drive. Cold beer (I was off the clock for driving, as I drive most of the night) and fried fish.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Sorry for the delay, couldn't find it in the books, which is where I thought I had gotten it! Had to zoom in on bing.com/maps to find it...

Singleton's Seafood Shack
4728 Ocean St, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-2426

Got there at 10:45 a.m. after an overnight drive. Cold beer (I was off the clock for driving, as I drive most of the night) and fried fish.

Thank you so very much! We had looked for the seafood place he went to in Avalon or Brigantine NJ over the summer but I could not remember what it was called. I'm gonna try and have us stop at this place on the drive down we are staying over in Columbia Sc this time and it's about 4 1/2 hours from there to this place you mentioned, so maybe we'll eat there for lunch!

 

[nono]

Thank you so very much! We had looked for the seafood place he went to in Avalon or Brigantine NJ over the summer but I could not remember what it was called. I'm gonna try and have us stop at this place on the drive down we are staying over in Columbia Sc this time and it's about 4 1/2 hours from there to this place you mentioned, so maybe we'll eat there for lunch!

It's a total dive! Enjoy! OH OH OH, and I think I remember figuring out afterwards to go in on the north side of the river and take the ferry over. I don't know if things have changed, so do some research on that.

I don't know about an Avalon place, but he's been to Quahog's in Stone Harbor, as well as Maui's in North Wildwood. Been to Quahogs -- hit it shoulder season. Maui's -- never been. Drive by it all. the. time. Just never at lunch time!

 

[Cando86]

What part of Michigan? If you're taking I-75 down, I can help you. I'm just south of Cincinnati.

We will be taking 75! We're coming from Southeast MI (metro Detroit area). You've done the drive before, I take it?

 

[Riviera510]

We've done the MI(metro Detroit area) to Disney drive twice now, taking I75 down.. Both time we left about 4am on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day and drove to Macon, GA. This took us about 14 hours give or take. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Eisenhower Drive off of I475. Nice and clean with free breakfast. There is also a Cracker Barrel right next door that we would have dinner at when we arrived to our hotel.

We left around 8am on Thursday and arrived at Port Orleans Riverside around 1-130pm.


Coming home we have driven straight through.

 

[LadyBeBop]

We will be taking 75! We're coming from Southeast MI (metro Detroit area). You've done the drive before, I take it?

A few times from Cincinnati to Florida. Oddly enough, I can't remember the last time I was on I-75 north of Dayton.

PP mentioned Macon as a good stopping off point. I agree; there are a number of good hotels and restaurants along the Macon bypass. You'll get a good first day driving in, and a relatively short second day. I've stayed in Macon myself once or twice.

 

[cruisingkat]

We stay just south of Macon on 475 in Byron,GA at the Holiday Inn Express. It is right off the expressway and has a breakfast buffet with great pancakes. We end up with a 5 hour drive to Disney the next day.

 

[BC1836]

Alas, tis time to part.

We should be starting our drive home around 9 a.m., about 90 minutes from now. We expect to make it to either Emporia or Petersburg, VA for the stayover.

We were informed that Disney Hess near the Boardwalk reopened yesterday. Good timing.

All the best!

 

[nono]

Alas, tis time to part.

We should be starting our drive home around 9 a.m., about 90 minutes from now. We expect to make it to either Emporia or Petersburg, VA for the stayover.

We were informed that Disney Hess near the Boardwalk reopened yesterday. Good timing.

All the best!

Safe travels, and you will be welcomed back to the great Garden State with continued lower gas prices.

 

[BC1836]

We arrived home this afternoon, completing our 34th 2,000+ mile round trip drive since 2002.

Our Boardwalk reservation began on Sunday, Oct. 19, but we left home on Thursday (10/16) at 5:35 p.m. and made it to VA by 9:25 p.m. However, the northern VA construction related traffic was compounded by an accident which delayed us an hour; in fact, we drove one mile in one hour. We made it to Emporia, VA where we had a reservation (we arrived there at 1:20 a.m.).

The next day we had an uneventful drive to Lake Buena Vista where we arrived at the Holiday Inn on Hotel Plaza Blvd. at DTD for two nights (the first night is a drink-wine-at-the-bar-and-ZZZ-out; the next is a cab ride to the Beach Club where we begin our trek to Epcot. Later, another cab takes us to DTD where we later walk back to the Holiday Inn).

Don't even think of driving around-to DTD after noon time.

On Sunday morning, Oct. 19, a short ride to the Boadwalk began our official stay!

We left for home on Saturday, arriving at Emporia once again. This morning we left at 9:08 a.m. and made it home at 3:46 p.m. The traffic wasn't that bad in VA, MD and DE. However, a new highway sign warned of yet another construction project that will begin on I-95 in MD tomorrow. Beware!

Gas prices dropped all week. We paid $2.67 in VA this afternoon.

Headin' back in December.

All the best.

 

[BC1836]

"Earth calling 2,000+ mile round-trip drivers...."

 

[Yzerbear19]

We will be making the drive from MI to WDW in March. Little bit nervous about it since we're taking my nieces (4 & 2) with us. They don't mind riding in the car from where we live to the metro Detroit area which is about 2 hours away. When my sister and I drove in 2005, I think we drove for like 14 hours the first day and then 4-5 the next. Any advice for driving long distances with young kids?

I already found one site that listed the rest stops along I-75 and will be sure to take those with us.

Also any recommendations for the Atlanta area? I think last time we took 475(?) around it.

I'm really just hoping for some good driving weather and that no one gets car sick.

 

[AnnaS]

Just got home yesterday!!!!

Cheapest we saw was yesterday coming home in VA $2.58. Prices fluctuated.

 

[auger]

We will be making the drive from MI to WDW in March. Little bit nervous about it since we're taking my nieces (4 & 2) with us. They don't mind riding in the car from where we live to the metro Detroit area which is about 2 hours away. When my sister and I drove in 2005, I think we drove for like 14 hours the first day and then 4-5 the next. Any advice for driving long distances with young kids?

I already found one site that listed the rest stops along I-75 and will be sure to take those with us.

Also any recommendations for the Atlanta area? I think last time we took 475(?) around it.

I'm really just hoping for some good driving weather and that no one gets car sick.

As far as Atlanta, we never take the 285 bypass. It's a lot longer, and if you're hitting Atlanta during a busy time, it's just as crowded as 75.
We just buckle down, take a deep breath, and drive very carefully.
Just watch your signs carefully.

We try to time our trips so that we go through Cinci and Atlanta at off hours, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.

Oh, and just a FYI, we DO take the 475 Macon bypass when we reach that point.

 

[loveysbydesign]

we'll be hitting the road on Nov 6th!