PDA

View Full Version : We are going to drive



MommyTo3Boys1Girl
02-14-2005, 08:13 AM
When I lived in Glendale, AZ, we use to drive all the time to DL. In fact after I graduated from high school 2 of my friends and I drove. Since we are spending this winter in AZ, DH suggested we drive. While we can fly for free, it is spring break here and the flights could be full, we go standby for free, and with 5 of us, since my stepson will be joining us, it might be hard for us all to get on. PLUS the traveling with the 2 kids, 2 carseats, my double stroller which DH affectionately calls The People Mover, and all the clothes we will need, including my extra bag for DL goodies, driving sounds pretty appealing. DH and I are usually not speaking by the time we arrive when we fly anyway. hehe So I am buying some new DVDs for the drive, and we are going to drive. Mapquest showed it was 5 1/2 hours from our house in Glendale, AZ to HoJo, that was traveling at 75mph. Just trying to figure out what time we should leave. I think we should leave in the morning and try to get there around 4. We can do Downtown Disney for dinner, I can run Brooks, my oldest, in to the park so he can get his first AP picture, and get to bed early so we can start the day rested. But, will we be arriving right in the middle of rush hour? Is there really a rush hour or is there just always traffic? TIA!

hbquikcomjamesl
02-14-2005, 08:21 AM
Oh, yes, there really is a rush hour. Actually several. I wouldn't advise trying to get anywhere in a hurry in Southern California between 6 and 9 AM, or between 4 and 7 PM.

bassett1976
02-14-2005, 08:31 AM
I think we should leave in the morning and try to get there around 4.

May I suggest trying to get to the HoJo by 2 pm at the latest. Orange County traffic can be a nightmare.

3894
02-14-2005, 09:00 AM
If you aim for 4 p.m. arrival, you will be bald from tearing out your hair in frustration at the rush hour traffic. Slooooooow doesn't even begin to describe it. And it goes for forever and ever, as far as the eye can see.

D-lander 1956
02-14-2005, 09:23 AM
There is absolutely no way you will make that drive in 5 1/2 hours. Heck it takes me that long just to get to Vegas with no traffic. The freeways will be a nightmare . . . sorry to sound so negative but just the truth and you asked! :(



May I suggest trying to get to the HoJo by 2 pm at the latest. Orange County traffic can be a nightmare.

Take this advice! ;)

disney jones
02-14-2005, 11:33 AM
i do this drive a lot. you can easily make it in 5.5 hours from where you live and driving close to the speed limit, with just a short pit stop or two. the worst spot is tranisitioning from the 60/215 onto the 91 in Riverside. Once you get onto the 91 in Riverside, there are car pool lanes pretty much the whole way to Anaheim.

Another key is once the FastPass Toll road starts in Corona, get on it, since you'll have 3+ people in your car, you can ride it for free. Take the 91 through to the 57, then head south and get off on Ball Road to head west. If you miss the 91 Toll Road in Corona, this can be a nightmare, but with it, the trip is a breeze. There's only one small sign that says if you have 3+, you can use this road, but its there and its legal.

5.5 hours is an average trip for me and we come from the east side of Phoenix. I've made it in 5 hours without going much past 80 mph. The key is how many stops you make. With little ones, there can be several, but if managed well and kept short, you can make the quickest possible time.

Two weeks agao, we left Phoenix at 11 am, and made it to the hotel by 4pm (we gain an hour due to the time change, so that's really nice), but this included two lengthy stops.

The traffic in the direction you are going is not too bad, just in Riverside freway interchange.

Coming back, try to avoid the 91 in mid-afternoon.

as a regular on the Phoenix-to-Anaheim route, i speak of direct experince, and would beg to differ with some of the OC traffic experts. You'll spend only about 20 minutes on OC freeways and half of that is a carpool lane. Once you cross over the 55 and enter OC/Placentia in a car pool lane, you'll need to start moving over soon to catch the 57 South - it comes up rather quickly, less than 2 miles.

DisneyDustin22
02-14-2005, 12:29 PM
There is absolutely no way you will make that drive in 5 1/2 hours. Heck it takes me that long just to get to Vegas with no traffic. The freeways will be a nightmare . . . sorry to sound so negative but just the truth and you asked! :(


Key to making the Vegas road trip in under 3.5 hours. Leave around 11pm or Midnight. I have done it about 4 times in a row now. The fastest was 3hrs and 19min. Thats coming from Burbank. Doing between 75-85mph all the way. Its great, pull into Vegas by 4am, stop at Denny's and have an early breakfast, then start your gambling, check in to your hotel at a decent hour, sleep all day and then start again in the evening. Much fun to be had there.

marktips
02-14-2005, 12:35 PM
Why is traffic around Disney theme parks, all around the world, a nightmare?

mad4mky
02-14-2005, 12:39 PM
Why is traffic around Disney theme parks, all around the world, a nightmare?

It's not bad at DLParis. :D ;)

The park is outside Paris...in the countryside. Lots of farmland...slowly being built up around the park.

DisneyDustin22
02-14-2005, 12:41 PM
I think the main reason would be the same as if you were attending a sporting event or concert or some other place or event where thousands upon thousands of people were descending. Its just the fact that so many people are all going towards the same area at the same time.

But given southern california's traffic, you're guess is as good as mine.

marktips
02-14-2005, 12:46 PM
But WDW, for example, is off of I-4 which might be the most horrible road I've ever been on. 2 lanes each direction with almost no shoulder and TONS of construction for the last 4 years! An accident anywhere on I-4 shuts the entire road down for miles.

Disney's roads themselves are fine. They can get busy, but they never grind to a hault except on the worst days. Daily, I-4 becomes a nightmare.

The absolute worst - when all 4 Disney parks in WDW let out at the same time. A hour long drive shouldn't take 3 or 4 hours!

adriennek
02-14-2005, 12:52 PM
Another key is once the FastPass Toll road starts in Corona, get on it, since you'll have 3+ people in your car, you can ride it for free. Take the 91 through to the 57, then head south and get off on Ball Road to head west. If you miss the 91 Toll Road in Corona, this can be a nightmare, but with it, the trip is a breeze. There's only one small sign that says if you have 3+, you can use this road, but its there and its legal.

Actually, it's not legal unless you have a FastTrack transponder.

Even if you have 3+ people in your car. And it's not free all the time, anymore. They change it off and on depending on supply and demand of traffic. There are times of the day that 3+ is 'half-price' instead of free. That particular stretch of Fast Track is not flat rate like others and there is no toll booth like others.

If you take it without a transponder, even if you have more than three people in your car, you're risking getting "the letter" and a fine. They have lots of cameras on the route to capture license plates. I know several people who have gotten the letters- sometimes we get the letter, even with the transponder (if they happen to not "beep" when we go through.) If you don't have an account, you'll have to pay the fine or open an account (in other words, put the cost of the fine towards an account.)

Adrienne

VickiC
02-14-2005, 12:59 PM
I second what Adrienne says. Do not do it without the transponder. You'll not hit much traffic coming westbound in the afternoon anyways. Do not let the tales of the nightmare traffic scare you. It should not be that bad. I do the trip from here to AZ and back a couple of tiems a year and if you leave AZ early and hit Riverside midday you will be fine.

Family5LovesDisney
02-14-2005, 03:13 PM
While we can fly for free, it is spring break here and the flights could be full, we go standby for free, and with 5 of us, since my stepson will be joining us, it might be hard for us all to get on. PLUS the traveling with the 2 kids, 2 carseats, my double stroller which DH affectionately calls The People Mover, and all the clothes we will need, including my extra bag for DL goodies, driving sounds pretty appealing. DH and I are usually not speaking by the time we arrive when we fly anyway. hehe So I am buying some new DVDs for the drive, and we are going to drive. Mapquest showed it was 5 1/2 hours from our house in Glendale, AZ to HoJo, that was traveling at 75mph. Just trying to figure out what time we should leave.
My heart goes out to you! Although I am going to be stuck in an airplane for 6 hours with my three boys! I am loading up on the DVD's too! Check out my old website Tips for Traveling with Children (copy and paste this link) I have a whole section on car trips. It's been a few years since I put this together but I still have people write to me about how helpful it has been. http://biblicalquality.com/Travelwithchild.html

disney jones
02-14-2005, 03:17 PM
i stand corrected on the 91 FasTrak lanes. The web site (http://www.91expresslanes.com/generalinfo/commonquestions.asp#3) says you do in fact need a transponder, even for 3+, but i think the signage isn't clear, as i took the implication is was OK for 3+ without the transponder.

we've taken it at least 30 times each way when we have 3+ and never have gotten any trouble at all. (Maybe because with a large van, the license plate isn't where it should be??)

That said, i wouldn't advocate breaking a law so nix my 91 Express Lane suggestion. You still should easily make it 5.5 hours as most of the drive is in open desert, it's only the last 20 minues in OC. It takes about 2 hours to get to the AZ-CA border, another 2 hrs to get to Plam Springs, then 1.5 hours from there.

D-lander 1956
02-14-2005, 05:56 PM
we've taken it at least 30 times each way when we have 3+ and never have gotten any trouble at all. (Maybe because with a large van, the license plate isn't where it should be??)

Wow - I'd say you've been very lucky. Maybe it has something to do with your out of state plates?? :confused:

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
02-15-2005, 01:09 PM
Thanks for the tips. We drove from Idaho to AZ in early December, made it in 24 hours, stopped for abour 5 hours, the kids were surprisingly great. I think we will plan to leave here around 9am. I don't want to wake the kids to throw them in the car, plus that will be the last night they actually get good sleep, my little one doesn't sleep well in the hotel. We will stop in Blythe, and get some food and gas. Hoping to make it the rest of the way, other than pee stops. I am just so glad we got the DVD player. I plan to just rent some movies before we go, and I picked up Shark Tales today at the store. We can rent them from Blockbuster and return them when we get back, it is on our way out of town.
I printed up the trip on Mapquest.
I think flying is faster, but the trip from LAX to Hojo will take at least an hour, and with the gear necessary, and DH and always ending up not talking, lol, this might be safer. When we hit traffic I will just have my stepson sit in front with DH and navigate, that part seems like it could be a fight starter! :D

justlittleoldme
02-15-2005, 01:47 PM
i do this drive a lot. you can easily make it in 5.5 hours from where you live and driving close to the speed limit, with just a short pit stop or two. the worst spot is tranisitioning from the 60/215 onto the 91 in Riverside. Once you get onto the 91 in Riverside, there are car pool lanes pretty much the whole way to Anaheim.


IF you can buy a map and avoid this area entirely. We have gotten rear ended too many times to count in this area. Get off the freeway and drive around this intersection on Main/Magnolia. They have it all blocked off due to construction and its just about two lanes most of the way. I'd avoid it at all costs. It's not worth it.

If you are coming west on the 215/60 (from palm springs) exit university ae off the 60 and go right under the freeway. Take university around (it looks like a bad area) and it will connect u to the 91 fwy going west. This bipasses the whole interchange. It can save u a lot of time during traffic.