How bad is the drive to Orlando?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting there felt long but manageable. Coming home was miserable. We drove thru the night with minimal stops but it still felt much longer and struggling to stay awake.

Yes coming home is the bigger issue. At least that’s what people tell me.

We have made the trip 6 times and always leave very early in the morning (4ish) and can make it in one shot to Orlando. I would be worried that traffic could be bad right before Christmas. Coming back we've always had to overnight. We just can't get out the door early enough on the return trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most people who do the drive don't do overnight? I can't see making the drive with no overnight stop.

Personally, I prefer to do FL (or ME) in a single day. Stopping wastes two days.

I don't know, I feel like you are still wasting time by not stopping. You have to pack the day before and adjust your sleeping schedule to get up super early in the morning. Then the day after the drive you are sleeping in and generally still spent.

I think it is just as good to stay overnight and then time the drive with the check-in time of wherever you are staying. Let's say that the total trip is 14 hours. You could maybe do 2pm-8pm on the road, stay overnight, and then time the next day (8am-4pm) so that it is right at a normal check-in time. That still gets you out of DC before the rush hour chaos and is a more relaxing trip.

By the time you stop at check into hotel, get food get settled, no one really sleeps well, then get up get breakfast and getting on road what did you really get out of it.

And don’t leave at 2pm that is risking it .

You get a whole extra day of traveling.

[Anonymous]

LOL - we did it over spring break when our flight was cancelled w/ no reasonable alternative. We left DC at 2:00 and arrived in Orlando at 3:00 am. All told, it was one of the easiest drives I've ever had down 95. Worst part is getting from DC to Richmond, but then it was super easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL - we did it over spring break when our flight was cancelled w/ no reasonable alternative. We left DC at 2:00 and arrived in Orlando at 3:00 am. All told, it was one of the easiest drives I've ever had down 95. Worst part is getting from DC to Richmond, but then it was super easy.

This is the only scenario in which I would consider driving to Orlando. Even then I’d do a one-way car rental and fly home.

[Anonymous]

We did it once and since then, we break it up when we have to drive.

We do VA to SC which about 6-7 hours and then SC to Orlando is another 5-6. We usually stop in Santee, SC for the evening.