Driving on I-95

[ValenciaCalling]

Well, it looks like my mock trip is actually going to happen! My fiance and I are planning to drive straight through from Philadelphia to Orlando in one night. Neither of us have taken this kind of a road trip before so we're trying to do as much research as we can before we leave!

I used to go to school in Virginia, so I know the D.C. and Beltway area are horrendous. Any thing else on I-95 we should be aware of?

[azcavalier]

Nope. It's just a busy, busy interstate.

[Dulcee]

Its busy, has a lot of interstate towns with fast food/hotels etc.

Driving straight through is miserable though, especially with only two drivers. You might consider stopping half way. When we did the drive from NJ we'd do 15-16 hours on day 1 and then arrive in WDW early the next day after a full nights sleep.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Drives on I-95... Love them! until I hot DC and Virginia, then it is a royal pain... The Beltway, depending on time of day, tends to have traffic (morning and evening rush hours are the worst)... I usually leave on a Saturday so I never had an issue with traffic... However, Virginia always seems to have traffic... I know they have done a lot of construction, so maybe that was it? I dunno.... But there is always one stretch where traffic is bad... Once it breaks up, SMOOTH SAILING!!!!!

What are some things you are looking for on your drive? I come down from Jersey, and I usually stop in Manning, South Carolina over night, at the Ramada Express... And I pack my lunch so I don't have to stop at a diner or restaurant to eat... Normally I bring a large sub with me, eat half for lunch and the other half when I stop at the hotel for the night... And I always bring a cooler full of ice and bottles of water, that way I keep myself refreshed as I drive... I find cold water keeps me focused and awake... Jolts the system I guess

This is how I break up my driving: First stop Maryland House in Maryland... Second stop: for gas in Virginia and to eat lunch... Third stop: North Carolina Welcome Center just over the state lines... Fourth Stop: South of the Border to fill up on gas and walk around to stretch my legs... Then I stop over night in Manning, SC... Next morning I eat the free breakfast at the hotel and hit the road... depending how the gas in the car is, I'll either fill it before I leave SC, or push it through Georgia and fill up in Florida... Then it is clear sailing into Orlando...

There is a great website called I-95 Exit Guide... I always check up on it cause it gives the current highway construction in each state, plus lists gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and which exit each is located off of.

[barnaby]

Well, it looks like my mock trip is actually going to happen! My fiance and I are planning to drive straight through from Philadelphia to Orlando in one night. Neither of us have taken this kind of a road trip before so we're trying to do as much research as we can before we leave!

I used to go to school in Virginia, so I know the D.C. and Beltway area are horrendous. Any thing else on I-95 we should be aware of?

We drive down from the Philly area as well. We've done it in 2 days with a stop in Savannah, GA. We've done it one day, left around 2AM on Saturday morning and arrived in Orlando around 8PM. We've also left at 4PM on a Friday afternoon and drove straight through, and arrived Saturday morning around 10AM.
The best way for us is leaving early in the AM and getting there that evening. We travel on weekends so rush hour work traffic isn't an issue.
We stop for breakfast and lunch on 95. Usually a fast food place for breakfast, then a Cracker Barrel for lunch. We bring snacks and water, but usually grab a frozen treat when we stop to stretch or stop for gas. We try to hold off for a late dinner in the WDW area. We check into wherever we are staying then go off for a nice meal to unwind after the long trip.
I am a fan of driving straight through. We do it with 2 drivers as well, and I do the bulk of the driving. But it is not for everyone. I am lucky because my wife and kids travel well with minimum stops.

[PETE FROM NYC]

DW and I are both handicapped. After a dozen of flying trips, we can no longer handle walking thru an airport, so we drove the last 3 trips. I am the only driver, so we pace ourselves and do the trip in 2 1/2 days.
Each trip, we did 95 all the way with no major delays.
We pack a decent sized cooler w/ drinks and sandwiches, and only stop for potty breaks, gas, and to stretch. We stay at Best Westerns all the way.
Actually, we usually arrive in WDW area after 2 days, and stay in Knights Inn on 192 for around $40/ night.
Then we finally enter the World.

[DizneyFreak2002]

We stay at Best Westerns all the way.

There is a very nice Best Western in Manning, SC across from Ramada Express... Stayed there once when Ramada was closed for renovations... Have you stayed in that one?

[BuddyL4]

On our last trip we left Niagara Falls at 4am, brought lunch with us, and made it as far as Savana GA by 8:30pm. Got up next morning and went about 5-6 hours I think, and made it into Orlando. We stayed the night at a hotel then next morning headed into Disney World. We are geting ready to do it again but we are leaving at 2am this time to see if I can get ahead of some of the morning comute through PA. I-95 wasn't to bad for us.

[#1donaldfan]

95 is fast n furious and we drive it every year. We hit 95 off of 26 in SC. From that point down there are no concerns at all, just be prepared to move !! We always drive through at one time.....I want all my days n nights at Disney !!

[Goofy Fan]

With the soaring prices of airline tickets, this November will be our first time driving in almost 10 years. We'll be coming through York, PA on I-83 and will pick up I-95 around Baltimore/Washington. We've done the drive several times before and this year, we'll have 3 drivers, so we're going to try and do it straight through. We'll be leaving Thanksgiving night to arrive late afternoon the next day. Hopefully the traffic around the beltway won't be too bad with the holiday. Then again, we'll probably be going through there around midnight, so it shouldn't be an issue. Overall, it's a really nice drive. I always love road trips!

I'm going to definitely check out that website, though! It looks like it'll be really helpful!

[PETE FROM NYC]

There is a very nice Best Western in Manning, SC across from Ramada Express... Stayed there once when Ramada was closed for renovations... Have you stayed in that one?

We have stayed at a bunch of BWs. Don't recall if we did that one or not. Usually, when I start getting tired, we just look for BW signs along the route.

[Renfairwedding]

We leave Bushkill PA about 7pm and do the drive strait though. the overnight run seems to mis all the traffic hotspots. We stay a least one night depending on our timing outside the parks.

(also the Knights inn)

[baldburke]

Its busy, has a lot of interstate towns with fast food/hotels etc.

Driving straight through is miserable though, especially with only two drivers. You might consider stopping half way. When we did the drive from NJ we'd do 15-16 hours on day 1 and then arrive in WDW early the next day after a full nights sleep.

Agreed! Coming from nearby Delaware we usually start the night before and drive about as far as the VA/NC line. Then the worst is behind you. You can wake up at 8:00 and be to WDW by 5:00 without any hassle. Good luck!

[goofyfan4466]

We live just north of you in levittown,pa. We usually leave around midnight and rarely hit any traffic except for the occasional accident or road construction. You should check out the i95 exit guide .com before going , it will tell you about any traffic issues. We layover in savannah @ a marriott. There is a cracker barrel in the same parking lot as the hotel. And then 5 hours the next morning to the world. I hope this helps.

[JerseyDad]

....I'm kinda' thinking that a WDW road trip that starts from south-east PA should take about 1.5 to 2 hours less than my drive from central NJ.

...we leave NJ by 6 am (very latest) on a Friday ...and are in Brunswick, Ga. by 7 pm (absolute latest) ...for our stop-over in a Hampton Inn there. However this year we may push on through to WDW, and make the 16 - 16.5 hour drive in one fell swoop. (otherwise it's just a 3 hour drive from Brunswick the next morning)

....I find that the key to the trip is to get through the Wash DC area before, or, after rush hour (morning) ...and NEVER go near there (southbound) between 2pm and 6pm. The 495 Beltway that takes you eastward (past Andrews AFB) is the better side of the loop ......based on my my 10 trips worth of experience.

[barnaby]

...we leave NJ by 6 am (very latest) on a Friday ...and are in Brunswick, Ga. by 7 pm (absolute latest) ...for our stop-over in a Hampton Inn there. However this year we may push on through to WDW, and make the 16 - 16.5 hour drive in one fell swoop. (otherwise it's just a 3 hour drive from Brunswick the next morning)

Try pushin' on through.
I am about 40 miles less of a trip then you here in SJ. I did the stop over in Savannah. The next trip we did the straight through, and that is how we like to do it the trip now.
You add the cost of a nights stay either way, but at least if you push through, you can start your WDW portion first thing in the morning, as opposed to being 3 hours out.
I'd leave a little earlier then 6AM. We leave around 3-4AM and get into the WDW area around 7-8PM. We stay off-site. Saves us about 60/nite on the hotel. Get up the next morning early, check-in, get our KTTW and are in the parks by opening or just after.

BTW, I'll race you down there. We are headed down on August 24th, checking in the next day.

[JerseyDad]

Try pushin' on through.
I am about 40 miles less of a trip then you here in SJ. I did the stop over in Savannah. The next trip we did the straight through, and that is how we like to do it the trip now.
You add the cost of a nights stay either way, but at least if you push through, you can start your WDW portion first thing in the morning, as opposed to being 3 hours out.
I'd leave a little earlier then 6AM. We leave around 3-4AM and get into the WDW area around 7-8PM. We stay off-site. Saves us about 60/nite on the hotel. Get up the next morning early, check-in, get our KTTW and are in the parks by opening or just after.

BTW, I'll race you down there. We are headed down on August 24th, checking in the next day.

....vroom ...vrooom ....racing to WDW!!!





....I'm on the road this Aug 23rd ....before it's bright ...but definitely early ...heading to POP

[MO-5]

I just did the I-95 drive with my kids (13 & 8). We drive straight through from Ellicott City MD, just north of DC. DC traffic is the worst part of the trip. Once you're south of Fredericksburg, VA you should be good to go. We got there in 14 hrs with 3 stops for gas (and food & bathroom). Only other thing I don't like about the drive is when the highway goes down to 2 lanes in Southern VA and through the Carolina's. Makes it frustrating when 2 cars are going the same speed in each lane.

Have fun!

[JerseyDad]

I just did the I-95 drive with my kids (13 & 8). We drive straight through from Ellicott City MD, just north of DC. DC traffic is the worst part of the trip. Once you're south of Fredericksburg, VA you should be good to go. We got there in 14 hrs with 3 stops for gas (and food & bathroom). Only other thing I don't like about the drive is when the highway goes down to 2 lanes in Southern VA and through the Carolina's. Makes it frustrating when 2 cars are going the same speed in each lane.

Have fun!

....definitely very frustrating ....but that's what the horn was made for!!

....and ...can't we just push No. Carolina out to sea ...and slide the other states up one?

[BrerGnat]

There is some pretty major construction work going on on 95 South from about Woodbridge to Fredericksburg, VA. That part of the highway is ALWAYS a logjam. Try to not travel on that stretch before 8pm on a weekday, or really anytime on a weekend.