Which route to take from Quebec to Walt Disney World in Florida (2024)

To save money on a trip to Walt Disney World, it can be worthwhile going by car. You’ll need to take into account travel time (several days will be “sacrificed”), the cost of gas and a hotel, wear and tear on the car and the addition of at least 5,000 kilometers to the odometer.

At the same time, it’s a great road trip to take! My family and I have done it several times, most recently in an electric car.

Here are the best routes from Quebec to Florida with your own car.

• I-95 can be brutal with its multiple accidents and traffic jams. Use Waze or Google Maps to bypass the problem area.
• Check with your Internet provider for data in the USA. It can offer Canada-US packages. There is also the option of taking an eSim. For my part, I opt for theAiralo eSim, which is easy to install and reasonably priced.
• Bear in mind that traffic can be heavy during American vacations and the festive season.
• Book the hotel in advance during busy periods.
• Take breaks to avoid fatigue.
• Be flexible in case there are detours, construction or traffic along the way.
• Increase your automobile insurance liability coverage to $2 million.
• Download movies and TV series in advance to avoid using up data along the way.
• Gas pumps in the USA require a zipcode to activate them. Take the digits of your Canadian postal code and add two zeros at the end (example: A1B 2C3 becomes 12300).
• Plan on a round-trip fuel budget of about :
  • $350 CAD for a sedan
  • $500 to $600 CAD for an SUV orminivan
  • $1,250 CAD and ++ for apick-up truck pulling a trailer. For an accurate calculation, use GasBuddy and its calculator.
• Toll freeways take cash or E-ZPass. To speed up passage and pay with a credit card instead, enter your information in advance on the E-ZPass New York website and automatically receive the invoice by e-mail. The cost of the passages will then be charged to your credit card. I’ve tried it and it’s really handy. Another option is to order an E-ZPass transponder. Alternatively, you’ll receive an invoice by post (Tolls by Mail) several weeks later. It’s simpler, but there will be an administration fee.
• To pay for your trip with a credit card, there is a 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee. Avoid them and save by taking out a credit card that doesn’t, like the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card.

Total driving time: approx. 24 hours
Total distance: approx. 2,400 kilometers

• Take the 15 South towards New York State and pass through the Lacolle border crossing.
• Continue south on I-87 to Albany, NY.
• I-87 becomes I-287
• Take I-95 South (with toll) and simply continue on to Florida
• From Daytona Beach, take I-4 to Orlando.

Alternative: To avoid tolls: I-87, I-88, I-81, I-77, I-26, I-95 and I-4
Alternatively, you can take the Mille-Îles Bridge (see Route from Gatineau, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario).

Total driving time: Approx. 25+ hours
Total distance: Approx. 2,550 kilometers and more

• Reach Highway 20 West
• Take Autoroute 30 West to Sainte-Julie
• Take the 15 South towards New York State and pass through the Lacolle border crossing.
• Continue south on I-87 to Albany, New York
• Then I-87 becomes I-287, bypassing New York City.
• Take I-95 South to Florida
• From Daytona Beach, take I-4 to Orlando.

Alternatives to avoid tolls: Highways 20-30-15, I-87, I-88, I-81,I-77, I-26, I-95 and I-4

Total driving time: Approx. 22 hours
Total distance: Approximately 2,275 kilometers

• Reach Highway 416 South
• Continue on Highway 401 South to Landsdowne
• Take 137 to Lansdowne Customs (Thousand Islands Bridge). The Thousand Islands Bridge is not free and costs $4.75 CAD. Payment can be made by cash, credit card or E-ZPass transponder.
• Once off the bridge, you’re on Highway 81 South.
• Continue to Autoroute 77, then 26, to reach Autoroute I-95 South.
• Continue to Florida on I-95
• From Daytona Beach, take I-4 to Orlando.

Alternative: I-81, I-70, I-270, I-95 and I-4

Our usual plan is to leave early in the morning (around 4 a.m. from the Greater Montreal area) and arrive in Orlando the following evening.

For the evening of Day 1, book accommodation in Rocky Mount, Wilson or Smithfield, North Carolina. It’s easy to find a hotel close to the freeway.

For our part, we stayed a few times at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Smithfield Selma/I-95. Breakfast is free for everyone. This saves time. There are also plenty of hotels offering free breakfast for all.

Use Marriott Bonvoy points or an annual certificate to get this free night.

• Evening of Day 1: Hotel near Fredericksburg, Virginia, after a 10-hour drive
• Evening of Day 2: Hotel on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, after an 8-hour drive. The next day, you’ll have just 4 hours to drive before arriving in Orlando.

We made the trip in 2 days, just like when we travelled in a Internal Combustion Engine car.

The A Better Route Planner website was a great help in finding the best bollards on our route. Then PlugShare helped us look at other chargers for Plan B. In the end, we always had room with our initial plan and never encountered any problems.

Most were Electrify America charging stations, which were the most reliable and the ones we preferred. We also tried out a few EVGo kiosks, which was a good network.

To save around 25% on the cost of recharging, we took Electrify America’s Pass+ Membership monthly plan at $4 USD. Just start it before you leave on your trip and stop it when you get home.

A credit card with no conversion charges was used, to avoid the 2.5% foreign currency charge on charges. I took the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card, also used at all Walmarts and restaurants along the way.

Our car has a range of around 420 kilometers, with a 91 Kwh battery. The total round trip cost for winter recharging was $184 USD (about $244 CAD).

The stops were in Walmart stores. This was perfect for us, as we could go to the toilet, eat, buy meals and snacks or buy forgotten things at home!

Here are the stops for electric charging stations from Montreal to Orlando, for a 2-day trip:

It’s a long road, but a beautiful and rewarding one for people who love to drive!

And that’s just the first part of a great trip to Walt Disney World.