Driving down from CT ... if we stopped along the way ...

Disnee4Me

Disnee4Me

Well-Known Member
where would you recommend? My parents always made it to Florence, SC, but they left at 5 or 6 a.m., whereas I am working a half day and couldn't get on the road before 12:30. I am hoping to make to at least North Carolina by 10:30 p.m. Any recommendations of a decent hotel to stop at?

we have always driven pretty much straight through, stopping at rest stops, but I think we are getting too old for that....LOL
 
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yensid67

yensid67

Well-Known Member
Hey Disnee4Me...congrats on your trip!!! WOO HOO! There's nothing like a Walt Disney World vacation. The worse part is the travelling! I live on PA/MD border, so I know what its like to drive. I am 48 and plan to drive in 747 days! If I'm not too old to drive that, then you're not!(looking at your profile pic-LOL) Let me suggest something that you may have not thought of yet...this is what I do when I drive to WDW...

If you don't HAVE to be in Orlando until hotel check in, I would leave at no later than midnight(or earlier) and then drive through the night. Just for the fact of getting passed Washington, DC before rush hour in the AM! Coming from CT, if you would plan to drive from CT to halfway to DC and then take a 30 minute break from driving, grab a snack or meal walk a little bit and gas up(no matter if you need it or not) that's usually rejuvenates me enough to continue without getting tired. Then once you are away from DC(Richmond, VA) I would start stopping every 4 hours for 30 minutes to gas up, grab a snack, bathroom break, etc. If you gas up on these scheduled breaks then you eliminate the need to stop just for gas and waste more time. if you would leave between 8pm-12am, that could put you in Orlando late morning/early afternoon time span. Most hotels won't check you in until 3-4pm so unless you are planning to go to the park before your hotel, this could be an option.

I have used this plan the last few times I have went to Orlando and has worked really good for me, but everyone is different. I just thought it would be an idea. If you want to know where the 4 hour marks would land you along I-95 I can send you a list of exits and what food options are at each exit! Just let me know! Always glad to offer help to other Disney friends!

P.S.
Make sure you read my signature...if you need help with you hotel(off property) contact me!
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Congratulations and good luck! My advice would actually be that if you don't have strict preferences about your hotel (such that you need to research and book ahead of time), just keep driving until you start to tire, and then get off at the next major exit. There are many smartphone apps (e.g., the hotels.com mobile app) that will give you the names, locations, nightly rates and review ratings for all nearby hotels -- just choose which one you prefer. (You can also tailor your search to only show nearby hotels that have a pool, or free breakfast, or a certain price, etc.) We also use the Yelp app to find nearby restaurants when our tummies start to grumble. It helps us stay flexible on longer road trips, while keeping the stress level down. :)
 
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Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
For the sake of you, your family, and everyone else on the road, please don't plan to drive straight through if you have worked half a day too. We're from RI and have driven down many times and seen enough accidents (one with 5 fatalities) caused by drowsy drivers. I would agree with the poster who said to plan to get past Washington rush hour traffic, but after that just base where you stop on how tired you are. At most of the rest areas you can find free newspaper things with coupons for hotels along the way. We've used them many times and had adequate accommodations. The drive through the Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida is pretty boring, so best to do that when you're not fighting sleep.
JMHO
 
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K

KaliSplash

Well-Known Member
I would suggest somewhere south of Richmond if you can make it that far. That still leaves a rather still drive through the Carolinas, Georgia and north Florida.
 
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slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
My df's family would drive from Vermont each year and they'd stay in the Richmond area the first night and leaving Richmond early in the morning, they'd make it to WDW by evening! Just a reccomendation! It's a tough drive through the Carolina's but can be done on a good night's sleep!
 
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GoTheDistance

GoTheDistance

Member
While I cannot agree more on the ease of the drive when driving through the night, the price you pay to get there that quickly sometimes negates the time you saved. I've driven down with my husband about 8 times and the times we drove straight through we felt sick and unrested until about day 3 of our trip. If you can handle it, sure, but I'm a huge advocate for comfort and health over speed. Taking breaks is a good thing.

For the hotel, I'm going to second the advice on using a smartphone app on your drive down. There are many apps designed for day of bookings at ridiculous discounts near you for that night and that night only. I find it too hard to judge where I'd like to stop ahead of time because you may need to stop sooner, or feel like you've still got hours in you once you reach the hotel you picked. Pack lots of snacks and be safe!
 
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njDizFan

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
Agreed on Richmond. We had a great time a few years ago at the sheraton Aloft in Richmond. Cool upscale dining and markets in this part of the town center. Kind of a trendy style hotel with some nice ammenities. But that will still leave a long drive the next day.
 
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Ariel4711

Ariel4711

Member
yensid67 said:
Hey Disnee4Me...congrats on your trip!!! WOO HOO! There's nothing like a Walt Disney World vacation. The worse part is the travelling! I live on PA/MD border, so I know what its like to drive. I am 48 and plan to drive in 747 days! If I'm not too old to drive that, then you're not!(looking at your profile pic-LOL) Let me suggest something that you may have not thought of yet...this is what I do when I drive to WDW...

If you don't HAVE to be in Orlando until hotel check in, I would leave at no later than midnight(or earlier) and then drive through the night. Just for the fact of getting passed Washington, DC before rush hour in the AM! Coming from CT, if you would plan to drive from CT to halfway to DC and then take a 30 minute break from driving, grab a snack or meal walk a little bit and gas up(no matter if you need it or not) that's usually rejuvenates me enough to continue without getting tired.
Click to expand...

I am also driving down from NoVA next month. My husband and I were thinking of making a two day trip out of the drive. Since Richmond is only 2.5-3 hours from us, any suggestions on a good stopping point for us? We were considering stopping off in Georgia for a bit, but we don't want to go too far out of the way, plus we have never been so we have no clue where we would stay. (Or where we would really be going lol)

Thank you in advance for your help! :)
 
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networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Ariel4711 said:
I am also driving down from NoVA next month. My husband and I were thinking of making a two day trip out of the drive. Since Richmond is only 2.5-3 hours from us, any suggestions on a good stopping point for us? We were considering stopping off in Georgia for a bit, but we don't want to go too far out of the way, plus we have never been so we have no clue where we would stay. (Or where we would really be going lol)

Thank you in advance for your help! :)
Click to expand...


Exit 94 State route 204 is just past I-16 / Savannah is a nice place to stay, quite a few hotels, chain and local places to eat (Shell house owned by friends of my folks) or exit 87 Richmond Hill.. (mostly chains) would be the best places to stop before Jacksonville. We're talking in terms of a few hundred meters from I-95, so you wont hear any banjo music :) . I can talk that way because my family's been in the area since 1732.
 
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Ariel4711

Ariel4711

Member
networkpro said:
Exit 94 State route 204 is just past I-16 / Savannah is a nice place to stay, quite a few hotels, chain and local places to eat (Shell house owned by friends of my folks) or exit 87 Richmond Hill.. (mostly chains) would be the best places to stop before Jacksonville. We're talking in terms of a few hundred meters from I-95, so you wont hear any banjo music :) . I can talk that way because my family's been in the area since 1732.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tips! We were actually considering stopping in Savannah because we have a Girl Scout, and she wants to check out Juliette Gordon Low's house, so that is great to now know which exit we would need to take to get there :)
 
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yedliW

yedliW

Well-Known Member
Growing up, we always loved stopping at South of the Border.. It was the coolest place to a 10yr old.. but I haven't been there in 25 or 30 years or so.. so it may not be what it was.. and my younger self may be remembering it for more than it actually was even back then..
 
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Ariel4711

Ariel4711

Member
yedliW said:
Growing up, we always loved stopping at South of the Border.. It was the coolest place to a 10yr old.. but I haven't been there in 25 or 30 years or so.. so it may not be what it was.. and my younger self may be remembering it for more than it actually was even back then..
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We stopped at South of the Border a few years ago on our way to Miami. My girls loved it and the alligator house was pretty cool, but honestly speaking, it is pretty run down now. Well, it was then and I can't imagine it has been updated since. But definitely still fun for kids and worth the stop.
Thanks! :)
 
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yensid67

yensid67

Well-Known Member
Ariel4711 said:
I am also driving down from NoVA next month. My husband and I were thinking of making a two day trip out of the drive. Since Richmond is only 2.5-3 hours from us, any suggestions on a good stopping point for us? We were considering stopping off in Georgia for a bit, but we don't want to go too far out of the way, plus we have never been so we have no clue where we would stay. (Or where we would really be going lol)

Thank you in advance for your help! :)
Click to expand...

Driving from MD/PA, I would drive to Richmond and gas up grab a bite and stretch for 30 minutes, my next stop would be Emporia VA gas food stretch. Next stop would be Rocky Mount, then on to South of the Border, Savannah, then my last stop would be between Jacksonville and Daytona before getting onto I-4 West to Orlando.
All of these stop are just for gas, snack and stretching for 30 minutes. Each stop is about 4 hours in between one another and it works for me to drive straight thru without having to stop for a motel. If you both drive that would help, even long enough for him to get a quick power nap! Driving back I would stop at the same locations since I already know what is at that exit! Hope this helps...where are you staying? off or on property?
 
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M

mobishop

New Member
Drove from Long Island last year and doing it again this year (12/25). There's a great app called I-95 that goes exit by exit in each state with details about hotels, gas stations, food etc. It also gives the miles between exits.
 
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Ariel4711

Ariel4711

Member
yensid67 said:
Driving from MD/PA, I would drive to Richmond and gas up grab a bite and stretch for 30 minutes, my next stop would be Emporia VA gas food stretch. Next stop would be Rocky Mount, then on to South of the Border, Savannah, then my last stop would be between Jacksonville and Daytona before getting onto I-4 West to Orlando.
All of these stop are just for gas, snack and stretching for 30 minutes. Each stop is about 4 hours in between one another and it works for me to drive straight thru without having to stop for a motel. If you both drive that would help, even long enough for him to get a quick power nap! Driving back I would stop at the same locations since I already know what is at that exit! Hope this helps...where are you staying? off or on property?
Click to expand...
Thanks!
We're staying on property.
 
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