Best route to drive from SW Ontario to WDW?

HappilyEverAfter80

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
We are going down mid-August and at this point we are undecided if we want to fly or not.

We have done the drive before with short stops, but always in under 24 hrs. The exact driving distance from our house to WDW is about 18 hrs. The route we have taken before is all the way down i75, crossing in Sarnia, ON into Michigan which is only about 1hr from our house.

This time we will have only 2 drivers DH and I, and we hope to stop somewhere for the night.
We hope to do something like this: Leave really early in the morning the first day, drive 12-14 hrs with a stop for dinner about 5 pm. Stop for the night around 9 pm and leave early morning the second day, arriving in WDW around lunch time.

Has anyone done a drive like this? More importantly has anyone done the drive using routes other than i75. We know i75, but it's so boring.... ;)
I read somewhere that a much more scenic drive is to go through Virginia, The Carolinas, then Georgia.
When I Google the directions, i75 comes up first, but i77 to i95 is also an option, only adding about 100 miles from our house and still crossing in Sarnia.

If the route you used is i75 I still would like to hear about it, best place to stop for the night etc?
Like I said we have always driven non-stop, but this year we plan to take longer.

Thanks in advance fellow Canadians :)
 
That's almost the same way we drive down. I-75 is the most direct way from Southwestern Ontario to WDW.
We leave on Thursday night after work around 7pm, drive until 11pm-ish and get to Lima, OH. Get up and eat breakfast and hit the road by 8am at the latest. Drive straight through to Knoxville(it's about 5 1/2 hours) get lunch and refill the car. Once on the road again we drive until dinner time around 7pm for us and are usually in Macon, GA---once we hit Atlanta its around 5pm so its busy with Friday traffic so we take the I-285 around the outskirts of Atlanta, its a bit longer of a drive but less traffic so it actually works out saving time. For dinner we stop in Macon, from Macon we continue onto Gainesville, FL and arrive there around 11:30pm find a hotel for the night. Saturday morning its check-in day at WDW so we get up at a reasonable time and hit the road by 9am at the latest, from Gainesville it a little less than two hours to Lake Buena Vista. We generally arrive around 11am dependent on traffic. Hit the Disney store at the outlets and generally get something at Disney Springs(it'll always be the Disney Marketplace to us). Check-in is 4pm so we don't usually get to the resort of choice until 3pm because I don't have to be checked in to enjoy Disney.

Heading home it's a different story. We run the coast back home. It takes longer but it much more scenic and pleasurably cause let's face it leaving Disney is harder than going to Disney. We go I-95 to Jacksonville then Savannah, continuing onto Fayetteville, NC still on I-95 to Richmond, VA then the last city on I-96 that we see is Washington, DC. From Washington we head west on I-68 to Morgantown, WV then north on I-79 to Pittsburgh then I-79 to Eric, PA. After Erie we head east on I-90 all the way to Buffalo, NY and cross back into Ontario. This way takes about 24 hours of driving and is more than 300 miles longer.

These are the two routes we like taking. Generally as they are to and from. We went reverse one time and I would not recommend it more than once.
 
We're near London and typically do one stop. We don't really have a standard location that we stop because we just kind of wing it. If everyone is feeling good we'll just keep driving to make the second day's drive shorter. DW and DD prefer the I-95 but I typically just want to go the fastest route, even if it's boring (I do all the driving). Sometimes I'm happy to not bother with Atlanta so give in and often times we'll take I-95 home as we're not in as much of a rush. We normally cross in Windsor but I think we might go through Niagara Falls for our next trip (either going or returning).
 
We're near London and typically do one stop. We don't really have a standard location that we stop because we just kind of wing it. If everyone is feeling good we'll just keep driving to make the second day's drive shorter. DW and DD prefer the I-95 but I typically just want to go the fastest route, even if it's boring (I do all the driving). Sometimes I'm happy to not bother with Atlanta so give in and often times we'll take I-95 home as we're not in as much of a rush. We normally cross in Windsor but I think we might go through Niagara Falls for our next trip (either going or returning).

That is our plan too, drive as long as we can the first day to hopefully leave less than 8 hrs for the next day. If you don't plan the stop though, do you ever have problems finding a decent place to sleep?
We are in London too... so when you took i95, how much longer did it take overall? And did you cross in Michigan?
Does crossing in Buffalo make more sense if you plan to go i95? Sorry for all the questions :)
DH will do most of the drive too, he just prefers it that way. We don't want to take too long getting down there, but at the same time we have done the i75 route a bunch of times now..
We normally fly when it's just the 3 of us, but DS really wants us to drive, he loves long car trips. It's also nice to have a car down there.
 


One time we did have troubles finding a hotel to stop at. It was a trip where we planned to stop twice (headed out the evening before we had planned to get 4-5 hours out of the way). Planned on stopping after Atlanta but everything was booked. Instead I just booked something near WDW and kept driving. So yes, that can happen. In May we drove down using the I75 and returned on the I95. Both ways we crossed in Windsor but got caught in the 401 construction on the trip home. While I believe there is about an hour difference the I95 felt like a more relaxed drive and we didn't notice much of a difference. We never fly down (3 of us as well) because we're not typically on any sort of tight timeline and like that we're not tied to a specific schedule (other than being at WDW for check in day). In May we found we had things in order so left 2 days early, got a cheap hotel near DS, upgraded to AP, and enjoyed extra time prior to our planned stay. DW and DD also enjoy the car trip and it allows us to pack much more than if we were flying.
 
One time we did have troubles finding a hotel to stop at. It was a trip where we planned to stop twice (headed out the evening before we had planned to get 4-5 hours out of the way). Planned on stopping after Atlanta but everything was booked. Instead I just booked something near WDW and kept driving. So yes, that can happen. In May we drove down using the I75 and returned on the I95. Both ways we crossed in Windsor but got caught in the 401 construction on the trip home. While I believe there is about an hour difference the I95 felt like a more relaxed drive and we didn't notice much of a difference. We never fly down (3 of us as well) because we're not typically on any sort of tight timeline and like that we're not tied to a specific schedule (other than being at WDW for check in day). In May we found we had things in order so left 2 days early, got a cheap hotel near DS, upgraded to AP, and enjoyed extra time prior to our planned stay. DW and DD also enjoy the car trip and it allows us to pack much more than if we were flying.

Yes, that's the reason we plan to drive, you can pack way more and more importantly it's not as important HOW you pack. Liquids in your carry-on? No problem! Lose bags with Disney parks purchases? No problem.
We drove to Disney in 2015 and one other time, but always took i75, to be honest didn't even know we could take another way.. I remember driving with my parents as a child always taking i75...
If it only takes about an hour longer taking i95, we are totally ok with that!
May I ask why you want to cross in Buffalo this year as opposed to crossing in Michigan?
Will that add any time to the drive?
Thanks again for the advice, it's exactly what I was looking for. Someone that has done both.
I know i75 is more direct, but we have 2 days to drive this time and will only be driving during the day.
 
Are you talking about going something like this:

upload_2017-6-29_11-56-3.png

Then picking up the 77 in Wytheville? Or are you talking about going down to Buffalo, then Pittsburgh on the 79 up to the 77?

North Carolina is beautiful. The mountains of the Virginias are beautiful, too. Why not do it for a change, if you're bored with your current route?
 


Are you talking about going something like this:

View attachment 247654

Then picking up the 77 in Wytheville? Or are you talking about going down to Buffalo, then Pittsburgh on the 79 up to the 77?

North Carolina is beautiful. The mountains of the Virginias are beautiful, too. Why not do it for a change, if you're bored with your current route?

The directions that I got from Google maps take me this way:

- cross into Michigan in Sarnia, then take i94, i75, i77 and i95.
So that looks like what you have above on the map?
I don't know what the difference if we cross in Buffalo... whenever I try to get the Google directions they give me the Michigan crossing. Is it better to cross in Buffalo if we are thinking to go through the Carolina's?
That's what I heard too, it's just a beautiful drive. Same with Virginia.
We recently drove through NY/PA to NYC and it was so gorgeous as well, we didn't mind the 9 hrs on the road at all!
Whereas I don't particularly enjoy i75. Will go that way if it's way easier though. I kind of know what to expect along i75 and have a handy Along i75 book... so it's tempting to just go the same way.

Would prefer to try a different way though, especially if it's more scenic!
 
Yes, that's the reason we plan to drive, you can pack way more and more importantly it's not as important HOW you pack. Liquids in your carry-on? No problem! Lose bags with Disney parks purchases? No problem.
We drove to Disney in 2015 and one other time, but always took i75, to be honest didn't even know we could take another way.. I remember driving with my parents as a child always taking i75...
If it only takes about an hour longer taking i95, we are totally ok with that!
May I ask why you want to cross in Buffalo this year as opposed to crossing in Michigan?
Will that add any time to the drive?
Thanks again for the advice, it's exactly what I was looking for. Someone that has done both.
I know i75 is more direct, but we have 2 days to drive this time and will only be driving during the day.

Just looking to change it up. I think it's under a half hour difference. It will be a December trip so we may make up our mind dependant on the weather though as we get closer to the date.
 
I would think it's out of your way to go all the way to Buffalo and then backtrack to Fort Erie and down to Pittsburgh. But maybe the highways are easier? I don't find Pennsylvania all that scenic, but there are areas that are very nice. If you decide to go that way, I think the CAA still says to watch for speed traps on the 19. And yes, it's a couple hours' savings to take the 19 instead of going around through Charleston.
 
I would think it's out of your way to go all the way to Buffalo and then backtrack to Fort Erie and down to Pittsburgh. But maybe the highways are easier? I don't find Pennsylvania all that scenic, but there are areas that are very nice. If you decide to go that way, I think the CAA still says to watch for speed traps on the 19. And yes, it's a couple hours' savings to take the 19 instead of going around through Charleston.
I think that we will probably cross in Sarnia Michigan, as DH will think it's backtracking to drive 2.5 hrs to Buffalo...
What I need to do is program my GPS in the car now and compare the route it gives me to Google map. Not being familiar with this route I would not want to end up adding several hours to our trip :)
 
You are right to talk to other drivers for advice. Remember, driving on the interstates is going to be easier than having to cut a few miles on a local road. My DH was going somewhere in Penn. and thought he'd shave an hour off by using back roads. He ended up added a few instead.

So know the roads. If you have a CAA membership, ask for a Triptik and they'll lay it out for you. You can probably even ask for two of them, one each way (just say your going one way and coming back the other) They will also tell you where there's construction and speed traps, etc. I like the maps, as well, in case of any detours or crazy traffic jams (happened to us once in S. Carolina).
 
You are right to talk to other drivers for advice. Remember, driving on the interstates is going to be easier than having to cut a few miles on a local road. My DH was going somewhere in Penn. and thought he'd shave an hour off by using back roads. He ended up added a few instead.

So know the roads. If you have a CAA membership, ask for a Triptik and they'll lay it out for you. You can probably even ask for two of them, one each way (just say your going one way and coming back the other) They will also tell you where there's construction and speed traps, etc. I like the maps, as well, in case of any detours or crazy traffic jams (happened to us once in S. Carolina).
I don't have CAA... but I am tempted to buy a road atlas with all the maps... I just don't trust the gps.
The phone one is usually ok, but my car gps... hit & miss.
I just want to make sure we have all our ducks in a row if we'll be taking a different route...
Once I know for sure which way we'll go, I want to find a place to stay the night... I think I will feel better knowing we have a plan to get to a certain point and know they will have a vacancy...
 
I would think it's out of your way to go all the way to Buffalo and then backtrack to Fort Erie and down to Pittsburgh. But maybe the highways are easier? I don't find Pennsylvania all that scenic, but there are areas that are very nice. If you decide to go that way, I think the CAA still says to watch for speed traps on the 19. And yes, it's a couple hours' savings to take the 19 instead of going around through Charleston.

According to Google there's only an 11 minute difference between crossing at Detroit vs crossing at Buffalo when taking the I-95 from our place near London. You just meet up at a different spot on the I-95. It's about an hour to hour and a half faster to take the I-75.
 
According to Google there's only an 11 minute difference between crossing at Detroit vs crossing at Buffalo when taking the I-95 from our place near London. You just meet up at a different spot on the I-95. It's about an hour to hour and a half faster to take the I-75.

I can't even get google to show me the Buffalo route :(
11 min is nothing! I don't like crossing in Windsor, usually do Sarnia or Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls.
I think getting out a plain old road map would help right about now ;)
I vaguely remember what they look like from my childhood trips in the 90's, lol. My dad only relied on the maps!
 
Last edited:
I can't even get google to show me the Buffalo route :(
11 min is nothing! I don't like crossing in Windsor, usually do Sarnia or Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls.
I think getting out a plain old road map would help right about now ;)
I remember vaguely what they look like from my childhood trips in the 90's, lol. My dad only relied on the maps!
Screenshot_20170629-200827.png Screenshot_20170629-200819.png Screenshot_20170629-200836.png
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20170629-200827.png
    Screenshot_20170629-200827.png
    264.1 KB · Views: 4
  • Screenshot_20170629-200819.png
    Screenshot_20170629-200819.png
    174.9 KB · Views: 3
Those are the 3 options that show up when I search for directions. If the weather is looking bad I will likely just stick to the I-75. I typically cross in Windsor to see my old university residence as I go on the bridge.
 
Those are the 3 options that show up when I search for directions. If the weather is looking bad I will likely just stick to the I-75. I typically cross in Windsor to see my old university residence as I go on the bridge.
Thank you!
It looks like a different browser I will look into all this tomorrow.
I know that i75 can be better in the winter time but in August we have zero chance of snow in Virginia (I hope) ;)
Thanks again
 
Are you talking about going something like this:

View attachment 247654

Then picking up the 77 in Wytheville? Or are you talking about going down to Buffalo, then Pittsburgh on the 79 up to the 77?

North Carolina is beautiful. The mountains of the Virginias are beautiful, too. Why not do it for a change, if you're bored with your current route?

OK, finally decided to drive either the route you highlighted, picking up i77 in Wytheville, or crossing in Buffalo, then Pittsburgh to i77.
Google Maps only shows about 20 min difference. Any idea which would be better?
Either way we don't miss North Carolina or Virginias?
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top