Disney Trip in July

bigmurph · 02-14-2017, 11:41 AM

We are traveling to Disney in July this year. This will be our forth trip towing the camper down there from North Carolina. In the past we have traveled about half way and spent the night and then travel the west of the way and stay another night then check in to Fort Wilderness the next morning. This has been because my kids were really young and didn't travel great or because my parents followed us in their motorhome and they don't like to travel more than a few hours at a time. This year it will be just us going with the trailer. I am thinking of traveling at night for few reasons. I think it will be cooler so that should be easier on the truck and also the trailer tires. The kids and dog can sleep. Their should be less traffic on the roads. My route would be I-77, I-26, I-95 and I'm still undecided about that last part because I'm looking for ideas on the travel. My main question is how many of you travel at night and are my thoughts correct? The second thing is that I don't want to start my trip at Disney sleepy from the road. We usually stay at Lake Lousia state park the night before. I thought about staying there this time but the check in time is 3:00pm. I would be arriving sometime that morning early. What do you think I could do about getting some sleep or checking into a campground very early.

JustB_Rad · 02-14-2017, 11:53 AM

My main question would be this.....are you a night owl or not?

I only ask because even as somebody who stays up late all the time, I find it very difficult to drive at night for more than a couple hours. I find it much more beneficial to leave at 3 or 4 AM once I've had a good nights sleep. I have a very difficult time sleeping when it's not night time (My normal sleeping time) especially when I've got something big going on, so resting up before making a long overnight drive is even more difficult...compound that with not having the ability to crank up the tunes to stay awake could make for a LONG night of driving.

fields · 02-14-2017, 11:57 AM

We have started out for Disney in the evening and stopped in Walterboro, SC for the night. We left our camper hooked up to the truck then got up at 5 am the next morning and drove the reset of the way. In the past we have driven the car straight through but Disney is tiring enough without adding a lack of sleep to it.

bigmurph · 02-14-2017, 12:38 PM

I drive at night a lot when we travel without the trailer. I like to get up and leave early too. I'm not against leaving at 2 or 3. I just need to look at the area I would be in at busy times like rush hour and plan around it.

conceptumator · 02-14-2017, 01:21 PM

We live in Orlando and I avoid I-95 as much as possible. That road is inherently dangerous at any time and much more so at night. Just a suggestion, but if you're driving it after dark, you might want to consider getting off I-95 and onto I-4 when you hit Daytona Beach. As far as the travel time, we've made the drive several times from Pigeon Forge to Orlando with an overnight stop outside Savannah (KOA). The drive in from Savannah is just a few hours and you would arrive at Fort Wilderness in plenty of time to check in and set up during daylight hours.

Wlasota · 02-14-2017, 01:24 PM

We travel from eastern PA to Florida and the first leg of our trip is always at night. It makes getting through Baltimore and Washington a breeze. We can also easily go through Richmond (95) instead of around it. We're pulling a Cedar Creek 36 CKTS. Fueling (diesel) seems much easier at night, no waits. And as you pointed out the lower air temperatures help. Our 2nd & 3rd legs are during the mid-day (9am-3pm). Traffic not at its peak during those legs.

timfromma · 02-14-2017, 01:46 PM

We can make it from Massachusetts to Orlando in 2 full days. We do, however typically take off the afternoon before and get a few hours driving under our belt before finding a Walmart for the night usually somewhere in Pennsylvania.

RLHAMILTON · 02-14-2017, 01:52 PM

We don't travel at night, too hard. Good luck.

ProfChuck · 02-14-2017, 02:34 PM

We live too far from Disney (Michigan) to pull the trailer just to stay at Disney. But, since we also have relatives down there, we drive the car or fly and then just drive over to Disney. By the way, we have stayed in their hotels, lodging, etc. and have found them to be a real treat and worth the extra money over a trailer. It makes the Disney trip a lot of fun and very comfortable although I always laugh at the "chirping" of the bugs at night even though you can't find a bug out there during the day! They pipe in bug noise on speakers planted in the bushes! We found the cost over the trailer from here didn't make sense. If we were coming from a closer distance or staying in the trailer longer (several weeks) it would. Hope you enjoy your trip. Disney is one of my favorite places to go and also one of our family's. We have been going since the park opened.

pdqparalegal1 · 02-14-2017, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conceptumator

We live in Orlando and I avoid I-95 as much as possible. That road is inherently dangerous at any time and much more so at night. Just a suggestion, but if you're driving it after dark, you might want to consider getting off I-95 and onto I-4 when you hit Daytona Beach. As far as the travel time, we've made the drive several times from Pigeon Forge to Orlando with an overnight stop outside Savannah (KOA). The drive in from Savannah is just a few hours and you would arrive at Fort Wilderness in plenty of time to check in and set up during daylight hours.

I have made the Daytona/Sebring trip many times. 95 to I-4,travel at night if possible. Avoid Orlando 6:00 am to 9:00pm if possible. When Disney opens or closes, it's a parking lot. Lot of road construction also. Safe trip and have fun. I usualy do Raleigh, NC to Sebring in one day with a 1-2 hour rest along the way.

bigmurph · 02-14-2017, 03:07 PM

Thanks for all the info. We have camped here 3 times already. We were going to just go and stay at a resort but we got a dog since the last time we went and he goes everywhere we go. Plus this time my sister and niece will be meeting us for a few days down there and it will be a little cheaper for the both of us to share the space. We don't do much more than sleep there anyway.

Rockwoodjoe · 02-14-2017, 03:38 PM

Have you seen all the deer and other animals people hit while driving at night. It seems that all the wrong way drivers are on i95, i75 and i4. The heat in Orlando in July is too much for me and I have lived in Florida since 1973. But come and enjoy we love the tourists, its why we have no state income tax.

jnamadison · 02-14-2017, 06:14 PM

Since you're already south of Richmond, I'd say do your 2 day drive. Get up early the second day to check in earlier, get setup and then have energy after that to do stuff.

Our last trip down I drove through the night. It was fine until I crashed around 7pm and missed our first night when the rest of the group went to see Wishes and enjoy the park.

ProfChuck · 02-14-2017, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmurph

Thanks for all the info. We have camped here 3 times already. We were going to just go and stay at a resort but we got a dog since the last time we went and he goes everywhere we go. Plus this time my sister and niece will be meeting us for a few days down there and it will be a little cheaper for the both of us to share the space. We don't do much more than sleep there anyway.

Yes, you sound like the trailer is the perfect way to go. I would take everyone's advice about the night driving. Take your time and enjoy the "getting there" as well as the being there. Maybe we will see you down there next year.

ProfChuck · 02-14-2017, 11:49 PM

Oh, yes, forgot to mention. Sometimes just when you are going to check out, Disney offers a special deal on a couple of extra days. You may want to check if they are still doing it, but, if they are and you have a little extra time, it may be worth it.

**ependydad** · 02-15-2017, 12:04 AM

While check-in is at 3pm, they will often let you check in earlier. If your site is open and ready, they'll let you go to it early.

popuptrvlr · 02-15-2017, 05:53 PM

I live in Mooresville, NC and we do that route, never had a problem. We drive either to St. Augustine, Compass Campground (I-95) or To Blue Spring State Park (great park), off I-4. It's an easy drive the next day and we get there in the middle of the day, relatively little traffic. We almost always get into our Ft. Wilderness set early. Driving at night is not for everyone. We prefer not to deal with nighttime construction and wildlife in the road. One night stop is more than sufficient, even with kids. It's an 8 hour trip, so breaking it into two 5-6 hour days, with stops, makes it simple.

You may also like: