NY to WDW by car ... how's Fayetteville, NC?

[WEDway2002]

Hi all,

We will be driving down to WDW from NY for the first time (we usually fly). Anyway, we will be stopping somewhere around the half way point and were wondering if anyone has had experience with Fayetteville NC ... specifically the Holiday Inn there. I've heard mixed reviews. Any other advice/suggestions on places to stop/stay (even if it were a place in South Carolina or Georgia. We'll be traveling down I95.

Thanks!:earsboy:

Dave

P.S. My kids are 3 and 8.

[Harryo]

We drive from Boston every year. We leave around 9pm and drive until around 4pm the next day. this puts us in Brunswick Ga where we usually stay at the Farfield Inn off I95, ( very nice). Then the next day we leave around 8 or 8:30am and we are in Orlando by noon or better. Hope this helps you out. Have a great trip! I know me and my tribe can't wait until July!!

[singitalto]

I have stayed there 6 times.(3 trips) I have found that the rooms on the second floor have been renovated and are clean and nicely decorated, but not the rooms on the first floor- they are down right dirty and old(we even had bugs once). I would stay there again, but only on the second floor.

[Bob NC]

If you go about 30-45 minutes farther south you will be in Lumberton, NC. They have many national chain motels, many of them new. I've driven by the Holiday Inn in Fayetville and it looks a little iffy to me. There is also a Cracker Barrel at this exit with excellent breakfasts!!

[Windjammer]

I stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton at the same exit as the Holiday inn in Fayetteville. The hotel was just fine, with an indoor pool that was warm.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

Steve

[clarkgriswold]

.....is great advice if you are up to it.

From New England: 20.5 hours driving time. We discovered this approach on the spur of the moment of few trips back when we decided at the last minute to leave after dinner rather than early the next morning. We jumped in the car thinking we'd try to get somewhere between Philly and Baltimore. We ended up going straight through and arriving at about 2 p.m.

Here's how we do it now...

We sleep in as best we can on departure day (or take an early evening nap if it's a work day) and leave between 7 and 8 p.m. We drive through to the afternoon, stop for a nice meal, and decide whether to continue through and arrive between 8-9 at WDW, or spend the night (very often we are in the Lumberton area, which I also recommend) and get a fresh start for the last 4-6 hours of driving in the a.m.

With this approach, you actually save one of your vacation days, and the drive on the northern half of the I-95 corridor is a snap in the wee mporning hours. We wouldn't do it any other way

[Harryo]

I totally agree. We find leaving around 7pm to 9pm great for avoiding heavy traffic on the northern portion of I95.

[kellymonaghan]

When I was driving down and leaving from NYC, I'd leave VERY early and reach Summerton, SC in time for dinner at the Summerton Diner. There're a few cheap, not very fancy places to stay in Summerton.

For a review of the Summerton Diner:

http://www.intrepidtraveler.com/travels/summerton.html