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

[ddluvsdisney]

To make it to Disney by late morning you will need to drive as far as you can get to Florida on your first day. Leaving from NYC we have stopped in both Santee, SC and Savannah, GA depending on the year. From Savannah it is about 4.5 hours. By late morning I assume you mean around 11AM. If so then you'd need to be on the road from there around by 6:30 AM. That gives you around a 16 hour drive on day 1 without traffic. (That's about the same as our entire drive from NYC...we always do the return trip without stopping, so it's doable esp. if you can split up the driving and the other driver(s) sleep during their breaks).

You don't say where you are staying, but if you are staying on site do not expect your room to be ready early. This was even a "problem" back in 2019 before COVID due to housekeeping shortages. Prior to 2019 our rooms were always ready early. In 2019 the room wasn't ready until after 4pm (which is the official check in time). If you're going to the pool when you arrive pack your pool stuff in a separate bag so that you can change by the pool. If you're going out to dinner that night then you'll also want to have your change of clothes for dinner packed in case your room isn't ready by the time you need to get ready for dinner.

We always stay in Hampton Inns - they are clean, reasonably priced and well maintained.

Coming from NYC is very different from Boston. It would be difficult to make to Santee SC never mind Savannah.

 

[Mdoyle07]

Hi all, first time driving from Boston area .Hoping to leave early Saturday morning ( around 5). Looking for advice on a good midway stopping point and recommendations for a clean, safe place to stay. planning on getting to WDW on Sunday late morning. Thanks in advance

Hi! I've driven several times from the MA/RI border to Disney. We typically leave around 3am. This gets us through CT/NY and into NJ before the beach traffic starts and stop for the night in Santee, SC, at the Holiday Inn between 5:30-7:30 pm depending on traffic. It's about another 5 hours of driving the next day. Everyone's tolerance for being in the car is different, but Santee works for us. I prefer to drive a longer distance day 1 and a shorter distance day 2. We pack a cooler with drinks and snacks for the car and stop every 2 1/2 hours for a stretch/bathroom break.

I hope this helps! Good luck with your drive!

 

[Amore Disney]

After reading about all these flight cancellations lately, we are going to be driving for the first-time on our next trip (if it's not rescheduled) from mid-Missouri Google map says the drive is 16.5 hours, so probably 18-19 with stops. As a student, I have an exam until 3-4pm on the Friday before we leave. Of these two options, which would you choose?

Option 1. Leave on Friday after exam, make it to Nashville. Saturday - drive all day to Orlando.
Pros: Full park day on Sunday
Cons: 1 additional hotel expense, busy Friday schedule for myself.

Option 2. Leave on Saturday 4am, stop past Atlanta. Sunday - drive to Orlando and evening at parks
Pros: More rest before the Saturday driving day, don't need an extra hotel night
Cons: Less vacation time.

 

[AaronInWI]

After reading about all these flight cancellations lately, we are going to be driving for the first-time on our next trip (if it's not rescheduled) from mid-Missouri Google map says the drive is 16.5 hours, so probably 18-19 with stops. As a student, I have an exam until 3-4pm on the Friday before we leave. Of these two options, which would you choose?

Option 1. Leave on Friday after exam, make it to Nashville. Saturday - drive all day to Orlando.
Pros: Full park day on Sunday
Cons: 1 additional hotel expense, busy Friday schedule for myself.

Option 2. Leave on Saturday 4am, stop past Atlanta. Sunday - drive to Orlando and evening at parks
Pros: More rest before the Saturday driving day, don't need an extra hotel night
Cons: Less vacation time.

I'd opt for Option 2. I picked a starting spot of Jefferson City, MO since it's the middle of the state. If you go with Option 1, from Jefferson City it's 6.5 hours to Nashville. Even if you hit the road right at 4:00pm, you're not rolling into Nashville until 10:30-11:00 that night. And odds are you won't leave home until closer to 5:00, so you could be looking at close to midnight getting to Nashville. Then you'd turn around and have to drive 10 hours the next day on potentially short rest.

With Option 2, you could get a good night's sleep on Friday, drive about 10.5 hours on Saturday to the Atlanta area (so you could potentially leave later than 4:00 am), and get another solid night of sleep before the 6 hour drive to WDW on Sunday. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I'd opt for that because it seems like the safer option to me. But if you're still a young person, you might be able to handle the long drive on little sleep better than I could. Plus, I'm a little biased since it's the same schedule we keep when we drive there from Wisconsin. We leave around 4:00 am, and from home its about 13 hours to Atlanta. We actually like stopping for the night north of Atlanta because the traffic through Atlanta proper seems significantly lighter in the morning than at night. And I'd rather deal with any traffic at the start of the drive when I'm fresh than at the end of one when I'm road-weary. We like Marietta, GA because they have our preferred hotel Drury Inn. But then we get to Orlando early afternoon and have the rest the afternoon and evening to do whatever we want. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MickMick]

After reading about all these flight cancellations lately, we are going to be driving for the first-time on our next trip (if it's not rescheduled) from mid-Missouri Google map says the drive is 16.5 hours, so probably 18-19 with stops. As a student, I have an exam until 3-4pm on the Friday before we leave. Of these two options, which would you choose?

Option 1. Leave on Friday after exam, make it to Nashville. Saturday - drive all day to Orlando.
Pros: Full park day on Sunday
Cons: 1 additional hotel expense, busy Friday schedule for myself.

Option 2. Leave on Saturday 4am, stop past Atlanta. Sunday - drive to Orlando and evening at parks
Pros: More rest before the Saturday driving day, don't need an extra hotel night
Cons: Less vacation time.

I've driven from STL to Atlanta and Orlando many times. Can you take your exam early? I want you to have an additional day.

We always make it to Atlanta. It takes us about 7.5 hours. We're dog tired. Remember that you will experience a mild shift in elevation from outside of Nashville to Chattanooga. It makes for a hard drive. Also, there is always construction or a car accident from Nashville to Atlanta. It's crazy.

In Atlanta, we have dinner with family and get on the road early (7:00 am). We get to Orlando around 3:00 pm. The drive from Atlanta to the Florida state line is BORING. You're going through pecan farm land. And the roads are...rough (loud and those ridges and such).

Atlanta to Orlando is always about 7 hours for us. Please remember that I'm chauffeuring my elderly mother. So, we stop and stretch our legs. We have lunch someplace or get a nice spot for a packed lunch.

 

[BC1836]

Looks like dvczerfs, the all-time champ on this site (see page 1, post 1), is weeks away from being a full-time central FL homeowner! His family's drive to WDW will certainly be shorter.

All the best!

 

[justreading]

Looks like dvczerfs, the all-time champ on this site (see page 1, post 1), is weeks away from being a full-time central FL homeowner! His family's drive to WDW will certainly be shorter.

All the best!

This place sure has quieted down since you both moved! My next drive October.

 

[BC1836]

This place sure has quieted down since you both moved! My next drive October.

Indeed!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

This place sure has quieted down since you both moved! My next drive October.

Agree LOL!! We won’t be driving til next year.

 

[dvczerfs]

Hello everyone!! We are over all the humps and bumps of home buying in 2021, I am getting to old for all this. Lol But we are now in the stages of waiting to close. The sellers just needed time, they are in there 80’s and have some health issues and it’s not easy packing up etc.
Saturday we were back in the house, our daughter hadn’t seen it and they gave us a crash course on the pool etc. They are very nice people, they went above and beyond for us.
It is a gated community with a 24 hour guard so we can’t even drive past the house. Lol
Closing is September 24th and we can’t wait. The house comes completely furnished and it is exactly our style, it is scary.
Made a little video, our house is the last house on the video. I’ll try to post it.
We have been waiting over 30 years for this day, I guess we can wait another few weeks. I’ll keep you posted!!!!

 

[dvczerfs]

Sorry, can’t do video.

 

[pwdebbie]

Hello everyone!! We are over all the humps and bumps of home buying in 2021, I am getting to old for all this. Lol But we are now in the stages of waiting to close. The sellers just needed time, they are in there 80’s and have some health issues and it’s not easy packing up etc.
Saturday we were back in the house, our daughter hadn’t seen it and they gave us a crash course on the pool etc. They are very nice people, they went above and beyond for us.
It is a gated community with a 24 hour guard so we can’t even drive past the house. Lol
Closing is September 24th and we can’t wait. The house comes completely furnished and it is exactly our style, it is scary.
Made a little video, our house is the last house on the video. I’ll try to post it.
We have been waiting over 30 years for this day, I guess we can wait another few weeks. I’ll keep you posted!!!!

Well, you had given enough hints plus pictures that I was able to find the realtor.com listing and already saw all the furnishings and the rooms and the pool, so there's that, lol.

 

[dvczerfs]

Well, you had given enough hints plus pictures that I was able to find the realtor.com listing and already saw all the furnishings and the rooms and the pool, so there's that, lol.

Lol. I did everything but post the address. Lol
Those are terrible interior pictures. When you walk in the front door, the ceilings are 14’ high, I thought they were 12’. The dining area has a huge tray ceiling and the family room has a cathedral ceiling. Bedrooms are all 9 foot. For the most part everything stays. Very quiet. Sit on the covered patio by the pool and watch the sunset over the palm trees.
We have been looking at homes for years on line and for some reason, every so often they take pictures of the furniture and not the room or the area.
Once we are in and settled, of course we have to Disneyfy it a little, I’ll post some pictures. We are 18 miles from the happiest place on earth. Close enough but not to far. Some of the furniture we are going to sell, we brought some of our own. The tax’s are a fraction of what we paid in Pa for twice the house.

 

[pwdebbie]

The tax’s are a fraction of what we paid in Pa for twice the house.

Now that surprises me. I thought taxes would be higher in FL.

 

[dvczerfs]

Now that surprises me. I thought taxes would be higher in FL.

We had a 800 sq ft cape cod in Pa. less than a 1/4 acre lot. My tax’s were over 5k a year. This house is 2100 sq ft, 1/4 acre lot on a golf course, in ground pool etc. and my tax’s are 2800 a year. If our house in Florida sat in the town in Pa where we lived it would be well over 10k a year.
There is no state earned income tax either in Florida.
Now, car insurance is higher. But pennies compared to the tax’s.
Homeowners insurance, which I learned pretty quick isn’t as bad as I thought. I went from 1200 a year to 1800 a year but I have twice the house and hurricane insurance. Just filled up at the gas station by the Boardwalk on Disney property yesterday and it was $2.85 a gallon. Food is about the same.
Cable, internet is the same as what we paid in Pa. Our electric is going to be higher but our house is all electric. We had gas and electric in Pa. so that’s going to be close to a wash.
Other than the weather and Mickey Mouse, there’s a reason people from the north east are flocking here.
Im watching Spectrum news 9 and they just said on an average, there are 900 people a day moving to the state of Florida.

 

[Cynner]

We had a 800 sq ft cape cod in Pa. less than a 1/4 acre lot. My tax’s were over 5k a year. This house is 2100 sq ft, 1/4 acre lot on a golf course, in ground pool etc. and my tax’s are 2800 a year. If our house in Florida sat in the town in Pa where we lived it would be well over 10k a year.
There is no state earned income tax either in Florida.
Now, car insurance is higher. But pennies compared to the tax’s.
Homeowners insurance, which I learned pretty quick isn’t as bad as I thought. I went from 1200 a year to 1800 a year but I have twice the house and hurricane insurance. Just filled up at the gas station by the Boardwalk on Disney property yesterday and it was $2.85 a gallon. Food is about the same.
Cable, internet is the same as what we paid in Pa. Our electric is going to be higher but our house is all electric. We had gas and electric in Pa. so that’s going to be close to a wash.
Other than the weather and Mickey Mouse, there’s a reason people from the north east are flocking here.
Im watching Spectrum news 9 and they just said on an average, there are 900 people a day moving to the state of Florida.

We'll be one of those in 2025! I think we'll be moving to Clermont - close enough for a quick drive to WDW, far enough to be away from the madness. Plus, some of the highest ground in all of Florida!
The lack of state Income tax on my pension, SSN and TSP will be a huge deal once I take that retirement pay cut! Plus, moving from Maryland - one of the most expensive states in the country - everything will feel cheaper!!

But we'll be doing the drive still a bunch over the next 2 years. Just reloaded my VA Flex-Ez Pass and my Sunpass for the trip.
For our drive down on Sept 30, we'll be leaving at 3am. Picked my breakfast stop in Richmond at 6am (https://www.yelp.com/biz/rise-and-shine-diner-ashland) and lunch stop in SC (https://www.yelp.com/biz/summerton-diner-summerton) planned out. Google says it's a 13h 17m drive with no traffic - and when we do it through the night it is. But we'll be driving in daylight for most for, so need to pad that out, assume 15hrs, plus the stops. Trying to figure out if I should risk an ADR for arrival night. We'll hit part of Richmond's Morning rush hour, and will hit Jacksonville's evening and the tail or Orlando's rush hours.

 

[pwdebbie]

We had a 800 sq ft cape cod in Pa. less than a 1/4 acre lot. My tax’s were over 5k a year. This house is 2100 sq ft, 1/4 acre lot on a golf course, in ground pool etc. and my tax’s are 2800 a year. If our house in Florida sat in the town in Pa where we lived it would be well over 10k a year.
There is no state earned income tax either in Florida.
Now, car insurance is higher. But pennies compared to the tax’s.
Homeowners insurance, which I learned pretty quick isn’t as bad as I thought. I went from 1200 a year to 1800 a year but I have twice the house and hurricane insurance. Just filled up at the gas station by the Boardwalk on Disney property yesterday and it was $2.85 a gallon. Food is about the same.
Cable, internet is the same as what we paid in Pa. Our electric is going to be higher but our house is all electric. We had gas and electric in Pa. so that’s going to be close to a wash.
Other than the weather and Mickey Mouse, there’s a reason people from the north east are flocking here.
Im watching Spectrum news 9 and they just said on an average, there are 900 people a day moving to the state of Florida.

Wow, it is expensive to live in the Poconos! We have a 1300 sf house (plus full basement) on an acre, our taxes are about $1450 and we get $300 back for the Homestead act each year. I still have it in the back of my mind to check out FL when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[dvczerfs]

Wow, it is expensive to live in the Poconos! We have a 1300 sf house (plus full basement) on an acre, our taxes are about $1450 and we get $300 back for the Homestead act each year. I still have it in the back of my mind to check out FL when the opportunity presents itself.

Maybe you will be the next 2000 plus driver to move to central Florida?
I was in Nazareth, you start heading up into the Poconos in some of them townships and it gets even worse.
We have been here five months and haven’t regretted one second of it.

 

[RH22]

Been following this thread for years...very happy for dvczerfs, sounds like a great move.

Drive number (I think?) eight was just finished on Monday. I am hard headed, so we left and 7AM Monday morning and I drove straight through back to LI. 1138 miles in 16:55 with a few gas/bathroom/fast food stops. Only hit traffic on the Belt Parkway, two lanes closed at Sheepshead Bay. Drove 16 hours only to have the last 15 miles take almost an hour.

Jeez, now I'm even more jealous of dvczerfs....

 

[dingleberry]

I have done the NH to WDW drive 7 different times. I always used to alter my sleep patterns for a week leading up to the trip so I could leave around 9:00 pm. By sunrise I was already well into Virginia, having avoided Hartford, NYC, Baltimore, and DC during normal hours. My wife and kids would sleep thru the drive. We stopped in Santee SC early afternoon, and the next day was a nice easy drive to WDW.

Now that we are getting older, my wife has put a stop to the night drives. Too uncomfortable for her, and too dangerous since I supposedly get tired easier. She's right.

Last trip, a hurricane was getting ready to hit eastern Carolinas on our departure day, so we tried 26-77-81 home. Loved this route! It adds about 1 hour to our drive according to the maps, but with 95 traffic? It's even, at least. And it's such a nicer drive.

So my long winded question. I will now be leaving around 4:00 am and plan to drive 13 - 14 hours day 1 going the 81-77-26 way. This would put me somewhere near the 81/77 intersection of VA. Is anyone familiar with a nice area to stop? All I want is a safe area to sleep with no police breaking up fights in the parking lot (Yes, my first time I made the mistake of stopping in Lumberton, NC!).

I don't mind somewhere on 81 close to 77, but would also like to get a little bit onto 77 before stopping.

Thank you!