Tips for driving to Martha's Vineyard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about going through Long Island? Not the OP but also driving to the Vineyard for first time this year (have always flown) and thinking of stopping in LI to see family. Should we ferry from LI or circle back to 95? Our ferry is on Monday morning.

are you talking about the orient point ferry?? Where in Long island are you going?

I have done this before when visiting Sag Harbor.... took the ferry to shelter island and then north fork and then orient point. It was easy enough and much better than driving back south and then north. The little ferries connecting shelter island are relatively quick and little wait time. The Orient Point ferry you will have to wait a bit.

Going to Brentwood, so relatively far in. Our ferry ticket is from Woods Hole. I was under the impression that we could take a ferry from LI to somewhere and then continue driving to Woods Hole...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about going through Long Island? Not the OP but also driving to the Vineyard for first time this year (have always flown) and thinking of stopping in LI to see family. Should we ferry from LI or circle back to 95? Our ferry is on Monday morning.

are you talking about the orient point ferry?? Where in Long island are you going?

I have done this before when visiting Sag Harbor.... took the ferry to shelter island and then north fork and then orient point. It was easy enough and much better than driving back south and then north. The little ferries connecting shelter island are relatively quick and little wait time. The Orient Point ferry you will have to wait a bit.

Going to Brentwood, so relatively far in. Our ferry ticket is from Woods Hole. I was under the impression that we could take a ferry from LI to somewhere and then continue driving to Woods Hole...

oh ok. yes you can take the port jefferson ferry to bridgeport CT or you can take the Orient Point ferry to New London, CT. Both are right on 95 in CT. I'm not sure which one would be faster! You'd have to check the ferry times plus driving times. I've only done the Orient Point ferry, but I know lots of people do the port jefferson one as well

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks all--I think we're going to rearrange our schedules a bit and try to leave on Friday.

To the posters who recommended CT--if we stay overnight in CT instead of NYC, how much time might this save (or add) to our total trip? We probably couldn't leave earlier than 3pm or so on Friday.

[Anonymous]

We just did this drive about two weeks ago. We had a 5pm ferry booked but, after amazingly getting on the road at 6:20am (set wake-up alarm for 5am), we got to Woods Hole terminal @2:45pm (we stopped for gas and bathroom break but had made lunchtime sandwiches in advance, which we ate in the car). We were able to get on the 3:45pm ferry thanks to only about 6-7 other cars being ahead of us in the stand-by line. I'd absolutely do the drive in one day. Don't burn up two days of vacation getting there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about going through Long Island? Not the OP but also driving to the Vineyard for first time this year (have always flown) and thinking of stopping in LI to see family. Should we ferry from LI or circle back to 95? Our ferry is on Monday morning.

are you talking about the orient point ferry?? Where in Long island are you going?

I have done this before when visiting Sag Harbor.... took the ferry to shelter island and then north fork and then orient point. It was easy enough and much better than driving back south and then north. The little ferries connecting shelter island are relatively quick and little wait time. The Orient Point ferry you will have to wait a bit.

We did this once traveling south from woods hole, loved it.

[Anonymous]

I drove there and back last summer and I said never again. We stopped and stayed w friends in nyc on the way there and with other friends in New Jersey on the way back. Driving from jersey to maryland on a Sunday was a nightmare. Felt like we’d never get home and the Ezpass was overwhelmed and I got all kinds of extra fees on the way home. I promised never again. Just bought airline to providence and will rent car there and take ferry. When I was younger I’d drive the entire way there and back in a single day. No more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about going through Long Island? Not the OP but also driving to the Vineyard for first time this year (have always flown) and thinking of stopping in LI to see family. Should we ferry from LI or circle back to 95? Our ferry is on Monday morning.

Getting on LI is a fu%king nightmare in the summer. I have family there too. Hell no would I so that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drove there and back last summer and I said never again. We stopped and stayed w friends in nyc on the way there and with other friends in New Jersey on the way back. Driving from jersey to maryland on a Sunday was a nightmare. Felt like we’d never get home and the Ezpass was overwhelmed and I got all kinds of extra fees on the way home. I promised never again. Just bought airline to providence and will rent car there and take ferry. When I was younger I’d drive the entire way there and back in a single day. No more.

I did the drive with a friend, got stuck in horrible traffic on the way back, and also vowed never again. The last time I went I found a cheap airfare to Boston and then drove to woods hole ferry from the Boston airport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all--I think we're going to rearrange our schedules a bit and try to leave on Friday.

To the posters who recommended CT--if we stay overnight in CT instead of NYC, how much time might this save (or add) to our total trip? We probably couldn't leave earlier than 3pm or so on Friday.

Why dont yiu just map out your drive and just find a roadside hotel to pay your head? We go up north every summer (an here in New England now) we leave DC around 730 PM on a Friday and drive until we cant take it. Drove this trip until 1am, found a Sheraton 5 min off the road and stopped for the night. Enables us to get to northern Vermont by 2pm on Saturday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I drove there and back last summer and I said never again. We stopped and stayed w friends in nyc on the way there and with other friends in New Jersey on the way back. Driving from jersey to maryland on a Sunday was a nightmare. Felt like we’d never get home and the Ezpass was overwhelmed and I got all kinds of extra fees on the way home. I promised never again. Just bought airline to providence and will rent car there and take ferry. When I was younger I’d drive the entire way there and back in a single day. No more.

I did the drive with a friend, got stuck in horrible traffic on the way back, and also vowed never again. The last time I went I found a cheap airfare to Boston and then drove to woods hole ferry from the Boston airport.

It why I always do Saturday to Saturday trips. That awful strip is a bit better on Saturdays vs sundays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I drove there and back last summer and I said never again. We stopped and stayed w friends in nyc on the way there and with other friends in New Jersey on the way back. Driving from jersey to maryland on a Sunday was a nightmare. Felt like we’d never get home and the Ezpass was overwhelmed and I got all kinds of extra fees on the way home. I promised never again. Just bought airline to providence and will rent car there and take ferry. When I was younger I’d drive the entire way there and back in a single day. No more.

I did the drive with a friend, got stuck in horrible traffic on the way back, and also vowed never again. The last time I went I found a cheap airfare to Boston and then drove to woods hole ferry from the Boston airport.

It why I always do Saturday to Saturday trips. That awful strip is a bit better on Saturdays vs sundays.

When the house rental is saturday to saturday and you stop midway overnight, that puts the return home on Sunday. We won’t be able to take our bikes but fortunately where we rent provides everything else. We will rent bikes.