Cape Cod: Best time to arrive?

Old Jul 13th, 2011, 09:35 AM
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Cape Cod: Best time to arrive?

I am heading to Cape Cod with my family for a week. We have booked a Saturday-Saturday rental. I know traffic getting to and across the Cape can be quite difficult on Saturdays. Is there a time of the day that is better than others to avoid some of the crush? We'll be arriving from north of the Cape.

Thanks.
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Old Jul 13th, 2011, 09:36 AM
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I would get there as early as possible in the morning or late at night. Only issue with early is going to be check-in time so make sure that you have something to do that day...
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Old Jul 13th, 2011, 10:04 AM
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Often you have to meet the owner/agent during a certain time to pick up the keys, so late at night may not work. Agree with above, go as early as you can. I think on Saturday the heaviest traffic is mid-day when people from out-of-state get as far as the bridge.
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Old Jul 13th, 2011, 10:54 AM
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There is a new road approach to the Cape (called a flyover) instead of a rotary. It has reduced some of the traffic on the Rte 3 approach - but transferred some of it to the main roads on the Cape.

Not Friday night - weekends go then. Sat AM early - if weather is good, even earlier than early. Or wait until after 4 PM - but then there are still people traveling from longer distances arriving then.

Leaving you will also encounter traffic since everyone rents a house for the same Sat-Sat. Friday evening is better, or early, early, early.
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Old Jul 14th, 2011, 08:31 AM
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We are doing the same very soon & have been worried about all the traffic horror-stories. So we decided to book a hotel room in Raynham, MA, with guaranteed late arrival for Friday night. This way, we'll be able to cross the bridge early & not have to leave home at 3 in the morning to do so. Quality Inn has rooms for under $100 in a hotel that gets 4 stars with 110 reviews according to Google-Maps. Easily worth every penny so we can have a full day on our first day instead of spending the day in traffic. If I go before you, I'll let you know how it turns out. When are you going?
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Old Jul 14th, 2011, 09:22 AM
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Hawaii -- we have done that sort of thing and it worked well for us. You want to cross that bridge well before 9 am.

You probably can't check in/pick up the key from the rental agency until late morning -- so I suggest heading for a nice beach while you wait.
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Old Jul 14th, 2011, 09:30 AM
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We did the same thing that Hawaii did. We stayed in Plymouth the night before and were in Ptown before breakfast. We called friends and had a nice relaxing breakfast and walked around town a bit. It also happened to be the 4th of July so we snagged a great place on the curb to watch the parade. Depending on your destination on the cape, you can do a bit of sight-seeing, go to the beach, take a tour, etc. until it's time to check in.
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Old Jul 14th, 2011, 12:41 PM
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We're bringing our kayaks & are probably going to do a little paddling at Nausett Marsh to kill some time. That or we'll do a little upper Cape sightseeing, since we're staying in Truro & probably won't get back down to the upper Cape until the trip home. Seems so wrong to "down to the upper Cape." lol
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Old Jul 30th, 2011, 02:21 PM
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Well, I am sorry to say that I am HOME from my Cape Cod adventure Wish I was still there. Thought I'd update your post to let you know that we DID stay in Raynham the Friday before our CC reservation. We traveled after dark & got in about 11pm. It WOULD have been a perfect plan, except that the Quality Inn put us in a room in the back, then put a bunch of later-arrivals in the very next room. I think they arrived about 3am, because from 3 to 5 they were slamming doors, hanging out talking in front of their room (therefore, in front of OUR room). My husband was sleeping when they woke me up, so I didn't want to call the front desk & wake HIM up. I waited until 4:45 when he woke up again. Called the front desk to complain, but NO ONE WAS THERE!! They finally settled down & so did we, but it messed up our "very early" departure. We didn't leave until 8. I told the front desk about it in the morning & with many apologies, they gave us a 20% discount on the room. But, that being said, we didn't hit any traffic until about 1 mile from the bridge. If I were to do it again, I would stay close again (maybe give QI another shot, but request a room near the front desk - the location was ideal.) I would also leave Raynham by 7:00, as traffic was pretty heavy once we got to the Dennis area, and stayed pretty heavy all the way.

Coming home, we got up with the sun and left our North Truro condo at 6 am. We cruised all the way thru. NO traffic at all this early on a Saturday morning. Tho I would have loved another day on the Cape, sitting in traffic would have taken away all the good. Got home early, emptied the car & had some time to chill at home & ease back in to real life. Hope you have a great vacation. Will be writing a trip report soon, so if you haven't gone yet, look for it. LOTS of fun stuff to do on the Cape!
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Old Jul 31st, 2011, 05:04 AM
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It is always fine to arrive Friday night, although rentals on cottages, houses and many other facilities are Saturday to Saturday, with check out at 11 a.m. and check in at 3:00 p.m. If Friday night is not an option, then wake up very early and plan to get to the Bourne bridge by 9 a.m.(latest) and you should be fine! We often get to about the Brewster area by 10 a.n. and have little traffic to speak of. Leaving is another issue-some people leave right after check out-ugh-worst traffic if you leave around 11+, so I would plan to check out, then stay at the beaches until 3/4, then leave. If you do ever arrive on a Friday night, book somewhere on the CAPE, wake up on the Cape, not Raynham! Even Falmouth-you will love it-less commercial than the rest of the Cape and then you will experience more of the Cape. Feel free to post more questions. I am a very experienced Cape Cod traveler.
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Old Jul 31st, 2011, 07:41 PM
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mommakat has it exactly right. Cross over one of the bridges by 8:30-9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and you'll arrive anywhere you need to be on the Cape by 10:30 a.m.
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Old Aug 1st, 2011, 08:22 AM
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momma, I agree it would be best to cross the bridge the night before, but I was looking for an affordable room for one night - not easy to find ON the Cape. And believe me, I looked. Had we not been kept up all night, we would have been over the bridge before 7. Raynham was only about 45 mins from Sagamore bridge.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2011, 02:55 AM
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Well you're right that it would be virtually impossible to get a hotel for one night only, on a Friday night, in the middle of the high season anywhere on the Cape. If someone finds such a place, let everyone else know because that situation would be as rare as hens' teeth.

I don't think momma said it's 'best' to cross the bridges the night before; she said it's 'fine'. 'Best' would be to be over the bridges by 9:00 on Saturday morning no matter where one stayed on Friday night. I travel on and off the Cape all year and have never had a problem with Saturday traffic if I'm over the bridge by 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

I think I would have left my house 45 minutes earlier on Saturday morning rather than rent a noisy hotel room on Friday night to avoid the transitional Cape crunch, but that's me.

Glad you had a good time on the Cape!
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