First Time NY to Orlando

[Reggaesue]

Anyone ever drive from NYC to Orlando? Thinking of Driving down on Friday, March 26, 2009 in the evening. Have 11 days off to make the trip. Thinking of a Sun. 28, 2009 arrival.
We are in no rush, but I want to book hotel & park tickets. Any suggestions as to where to stop on the way down? I will drive and my husband. We will be with my 8 year old and 5 year old.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Where you'd stop the Friday night would depend on when in the evening you'll be leaving NYC and what time you'd like to be off the road. But I certainly wouldn't plan on trying to leave the city before 7:00, otherwise you'd probably just spend the 'extra' time sitting in traffic. And with a 5 year old, you really should probably be off the road no later than 9 in the evening. So, that would mean you should plan to spend the first night in Delaware or northeastern Maryland. While that may not seem like much of a head start, it does make your next two days quite manageable at only 450-500 miles each with a halfway point in southern North Carolina, around Lumberton. There is enough give in these estimates for you to move each stop by maybe an hour (50-60 miles) in either direction, but that should give you some idea of where to be looking for a motel or other accommodation that suits you.

AZBuck

[Reggaesue]

Thanks for the info....... leaving around 7 PM was hoping to have my husband drive 5 hours......then me do the same. Not a good idea?

[AZBuck]

I used to work the aptly named graveyard shift in the ER at a community hospital along I-95. I saw the results of people trying to push driving into the night beyond their limits on many occasions. But just as importantly, because I was used to being up in the middle of the night and sleeping during the day, I would often start my own RoadTrips late in the evening and drive through the first night. I could always tell when the bars closed (1:00 or 2:00 AM depending on the state) and when drivers were hitting their wall (usually somewhere in the 3:00 to 4:00 AM range) by the amount of weaving that the cars around me were doing. But there was a distinct difference. Drunks would tend to weave back and forth trying to follow a road which was wavering in their vision. Tired drivers would simply start wandering off the road in one direction until they ran over the rumble strips and woke up, or hit a guard rail or something less forgiving. And yes I have witnessed two fatal accidents involving drivers with no apparent alcohol or drug influence who simply ran off the road in the wee hours. If you are not used to being awake at those hours, trusting your life, and that of your child, to decisions made and reflexes tested when you are sleep deprived ranks very, very near the bottom of my recommendations.

AZBuck