Best route from Lancaster, PA to Orlando, FLA?

The wifie and I are pacing the kids into the minivan and going to see THE Mouse.

We are planning to go down Rt.81 to Rt.77 to Rt.26 to Rt.95 to Rt. 4.

I'm not a big fan of Balt.- D.C. - and Richmond traffic.

What's your route south?

I276 to I476 to I95N. Exit where it says Terminal A,B,C. Park in the Economy Parking. Board shuttle and get off at US Air Domestic A/B.Take any US Air flight to Orlando departing everyday between 6AM and 11AM for approx. $155/person. You can pre-buy a whole mouse-visiting package for under a grand including air fare from AAA. Take Shuttle from airport to hotel and hotel shuttle to mouse land.

walterj wrote: I276 to I476 to I95N. Exit where it says Terminal A,B,C. Park in the Economy Parking. Board shuttle and get off at US Air Domestic A/B.Take any US Air flight to Orlando departing everyday between 6AM and 11AM for approx. $155/person. You can pre-buy a whole mouse-visiting package for under a grand including air fare from AAA. Take Shuttle from airport to hotel and hotel shuttle to mouse land.

You berkeleying smart-a$$!

Airfare for five and a rental car is over twice what it would cost to just drive down including stopping one both ways using the old family truckster (1999 Dodge Grand Caravan - with 166K miles, thank you).

It will cost you 2 days of driving... in a Caravan with 166k. To me... paying to ride the magic 2hr time machine is better than giving up 2 days of vacation... but I was being a smart-ass

As I have been told, when you arrive, the mouse takes your entire wallet and that shakes you upside down just to be sure he got all the change.

I drive round trip from southern Virginia to your area of PA probably once a month. I think your route is significantly longer than going through the Baltimore-Washington corridor. I-95 through the capitol area really isn't that bad unless you hit it at the wrong time - avoid rush hour (and anytime Friday afternoons) and you will probably be fine. Plus, you will have a car-full, so you can use the HOV lanes. Richmond is a non-issue - just take the I-295 bypass.

The scenic route would be to take Rte 1 and Rte 13 down the eastern shore to the CBBT - then 58 west to where it connects with I-95 just north of the Carolina state line. Don't speed on 58.

Not that 81 isn't scenic...

In reply to seeker589:

That's the way we normally do it coming from upstate NY. We've done I-83 to I-95 too but that Baltimore/DC area is just too unpredictable. If you hit it late at night or very early morning it is quicker, but if not......

Warning though, we were just on 81 and 77 down to Charlotte two weeks ago and there is a ton of construction on 81 in Virginia. Lost about a full hour in some stop and go stuff north of Roanoke.

Take thee over to York, and then to Route 15. Take that all the way until it joins Route 29. Take Route 29 to I-64, and take that east to Richmond. Then, jump on I-95. Enjoy. Make sure that you aren't going through Frederick MD (or even an hour south of that) during rush hour, and everything should be good. Even going through Richmond, I rarely have problems heading straight through. If I feel like lighter traffic though, I take the 288 Bypass to the west.

Thanks everyone for your input!

I would Love to fly down but the cost is just to prohibitive for the crowd we are taking.

The reason i'm driving is not just for cost savings and vacation is a no-issue - I'm going through a two-week shutdown at work. The good thing is i get a week to get my house ready for sale and take a week long trip - the bad thing is I don't get paid and have to file for unemployment and all that entails.

The road trip is such the American activity. Europeans complain when they have to drive 3 hours to a car show! In another country!

One reason that I like the 81 route is it is very beautiful, not just missing the unpredictablility of the DC/Balt/Richmond shuffle. It only adds about 90 miles to the trip (I google mapped it).

The 166K miles was a typo - it only has 116K miles on it. Barely broken in!

Check your air pressure

It is possible to 'do the Mouse' on the cheap, but you still have to enagage in 'willing suspension of disbelief', at how much some things cost. Pretend that you are in a foreign country, and that those numbers are not dollars. Get a copy of Birnbaums white book, lot's of good tips there. Nowdays, you can find quite a lot on the web. We used to bring in box juices and P&B sandwiches, bags of snacks, etc. and then have lunch under the train station on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, where the lockers are. It's shaded, secluded from the sea of humanity, there are rest rooms and water fountains. Also, check out Downtown Disney, and that area, no admission required. Another tip, if you splurge and have a nice dinner at one of the resorts attached to the Monorail line, ask them to comp your parking ticket. My favorite though is Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, a buffet style, which is moderately priced by Disney standards. Where will you stay? Beware of the location of some 'cheap' motels. I had friends who booked into a place on South Orangle Blossom Trail. Some bargains out on International Drive though. If you have AAA, or your employer has discount programs, check them out for deals. Also, Credit Unions, school organizations, etc. Check the weather, then get and bring cheap plastic raingear with you. Inside the park, they make a killing selling the rain poncho's.

I've been visiting the Mouse since it opened, worked on a project at Disney for almost 3 years, and there's still stuff I haven't seen. You cannot see it all, do it all in a day, or even a week. So have fun, try to relax and just go with the flow. I have seen far too many unhappy folks who just lost it under the strain of 'having fun'.

Carter

Used to be able to stay at the Rock N Roll Hotel for about $75 a night. A bus picks you up out front and takes you to whichever park you want. Almost worth the $75 right there.

I must admit - I am very fortunate that I have two wonderful parents that are Disney- o-philes and overly generous - to boot. They are members of the Disney's vacation club. We will be using some of their points to stay at the Old Key West Resort about half way between EPCOT and Downtown Disney.

My life has been a good one with the mouse. I've been going since 1972 and can measure points in my life by what was openned or rennovated at the parks. I've been there like 15 times in the last 36 years.

My biggest dissapointment was the change in the Tiki room and the Jungle Cruise. The Pirates of the Caribbean is now really corny.

But I really like the one with Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nhye the science Guy - too funny.

Woo-hoo, Disney Parents FTW!

seeker589 wrote: Rt.81 to Rt.77 to Rt.26 to Rt.95 to Rt. 4.

Thats the route I use. I95 is a nightmare around DC, I've always found it just as fast and much prettier/less stressful to loop out through Charlotte.

With multiple drivers on rotation we would leave NEPA around 4am and get to Orlando between 8 and 9pm.

I was looking at Mouse-House packages this week.

Trying for Spring Break, at The Wilderness Lodge.

I haven't been there since my Son was born. Plus, it's probably going to be one of the last with the Daughter, as she's getting too old to "hang" with the 'rents.

I've always had a good time there, the worst part was travelling, because we usually went over Thanksgiving.

Have fun, utilize the train that goes around the perimeter of the Magic Kingdom....and get Fast passes.....or whatever they are calling them.