Best route - Chicago to Orlando

[MrMarv]

Regardless of which route you choose, be sure to visit http://www.roomsaver.com and http://www.hotelcoupons.com to print some discount coupons; you may or may not be able to use them if you arrive in either Chattanooga, Atlanta, or anywhere else in both directions late at night, but just showing them to the desk clerk could save you a few bucks.

Good luck, and have a great trip.

HTH.

[2dogmom]

Originally Posted by MrMarv

My primary reason for suggesting that you spend the night south of Atlanta would be because their rush-hour traffic can be almost as gruesome as it is out here in LA.

If you spent the night in Chattanooga, you'd have to be out of your hotel & on the road extremely early in order to beat Atlanta's traffic.

If you spent the night in one of those suburbs, you could rise at 6AM, be on the road by 7AM, & arrive at WDW in the early afternoon, depending on how long and where you had breakfast, and a potty break/snack shop stop between suburban Atlanta & WDW.

The 355/I80/I57 route has gotten more votes than the I65 route on this board from what I recall, but it's been pretty close.

HTH.

Thanks. I have heard the same about Atlanta. My Chattanooga stay will be on the return trip. Going there, I just want to get there and I want the shortest ride on arrival day.

Originally Posted by MrMarv

Regardless of which route you choose, be sure to visit http://www.roomsaver.com and http://www.hotelcoupons.com to print some discount coupons; you may or may not be able to use them if you arrive in either Chattanooga, Atlanta, or anywhere else in both directions late at night, but just showing them to the desk clerk could save you a few bucks.

Good luck, and have a great trip.

HTH.

Thanks, I will check out those sites!

[Bouncin-Tigger]

We drive 2-3 times a year and have taken many routes but 355 to 80 is way to go, not an exciting route but smoother with less truck traffic. I have gotten a ticket in the above mentioned georgia speed trap saw 4 cars, me being one of them pulled over in less than 1/4 mile. We drive straight thru which really isnt very difficult and I am the lone driver. Have 3 kids under 5 and few potty breaks along the way. Key for us is getting thru Atlanta, we leave at 4pm and roll thru around 2am and arrive in wdw around 11-12 ish and have been lucky to find our room ready most times. Just grab a few 5 hour energy drinks, some headphones and a playlist or 2 while everyone sleeps and have a back up map or iphone because on 2 trips had gps issues and 1 time road closed for fatal car accident so had to figure out a quick detour. Go for it and enjoy !

[peppermintpea]

Originally Posted by Bouncin-Tigger

We drive 2-3 times a year and have taken many routes but 355 to 80 is way to go, not an exciting route but smoother with less truck traffic. I have gotten a ticket in the above mentioned georgia speed trap saw 4 cars, me being one of them pulled over in less than 1/4 mile. We drive straight thru which really isnt very difficult and I am the lone driver. Have 3 kids under 5 and few potty breaks along the way. Key for us is getting thru Atlanta, we leave at 4pm and roll thru around 2am and arrive in wdw around 11-12 ish and have been lucky to find our room ready most times. Just grab a few 5 hour energy drinks, some headphones and a playlist or 2 while everyone sleeps and have a back up map or iphone because on 2 trips had gps issues and 1 time road closed for fatal car accident so had to figure out a quick detour. Go for it and enjoy !

Great insight! I think we are leaving around 12 pm ... we have 5 adults in the car along with luggage so I dont think we will make great time with all that weight! My mom also needs to take breaks....we are looking to be there by 10-11 am

[Gumbo4x4]

Originally Posted by MrMarv

If you spent the night in Chattanooga, you'd have to be out of your hotel & on the road extremely early in order to beat Atlanta's traffic.

That, or you sleep in a little, or mill about in Chattanooga, and get to Atlanta say 10 a.m. after the rush has cleared out??

[Suzanne033]

Not sure if this is going to work but here is a spreadsheet I did regarding the time and distance btw different points along the way to Disney.

I took it to the next level by entering different departure times to see how it effected arrivals both outbound and inbound.

In case you are wondering, yes I was bored at work that day.

[2dogmom]

What a spreadsheet! Love it. It is something I would do

[irish dancer]

We are making the drive down in the beginning of June from Elmhurst. It will be the first time as a family. We have driven 2x to Hilton Head so I'm sure we'll survive. Who I'm most worried about is DH, he's not much of a road warrior.

We are going to take the 65 route, we live right off 294 and it has been good for us so far. My sisters have done the 57 route and say there is very little difference between the two. They warned me about the speed traps in GA, they loathe having to drive through that state because it's so long and with the traps it's just makes it worse.

Question on Atlanta traffic: is there an issue on Saturdays? We will probably be hitting there on Saturday both on the way down and back. Am hoping it's a No.

Thanks for the website links, will check them out. DSis did tell me there is a nice Fairfield Inn at exit 263 in GA past Atlanta.


Suzanne033 thanks for the spreadsheet! That is so like something I'd do.

[LadyBeBop]

Originally Posted by irish dancer

Question on Atlanta traffic: is there an issue on Saturdays? We will probably be hitting there on Saturday both on the way down and back. Am hoping it's a No.

Shouldn't be, unless it's right before or right after an Atlanta Braves game.

[Suzanne033]

Originally Posted by LadyBeBop

Shouldn't be, unless it's right before or right after an Atlanta Braves game.

We went through Atlanta at about 4am on a Saturday morning on the way down and it was just fine. It was a completely different story coming back. We got to Atlanta at approx. 4pm (again on a Saturday) and it was a nightmare. It took us approx. 2 hours to get from abt 10 miles south of Atlanta to downtown. Believe it or not, once we got to the downtown area it cleared up considerably.

[irish dancer]

Originally Posted by LadyBeBop

Shouldn't be, unless it's right before or right after an Atlanta Braves game.

Thanks, just checked their schedule and they have an away game on our Saturday down but a home game at 4:05p on our Saturday home. Should we try to be out of the area long before the game or wait until later?

Originally Posted by Suzanne033

We went through Atlanta at about 4am on a Saturday morning on the way down and it was just fine. It was a completely different story coming back. We got to Atlanta at approx. 4pm (again on a Saturday) and it was a nightmare. It took us approx. 2 hours to get from abt 10 miles south of Atlanta to downtown. Believe it or not, once we got to the downtown area it cleared up considerably.

Ugh, that would so totally stink. The drive home is bad enough the last thing I want to do is sit in traffic for hours. Was this during baseball season? Could it have been from a baseball game?

[Suzanne033]

Originally Posted by irish dancer

Ugh, that would so totally stink. The drive home is bad enough the last thing I want to do is sit in traffic for hours. Was this during baseball season? Could it have been from a baseball game?

By the time we go to Turner Field the traffic was moving smoothly. The major issue was construction on I75. (Summer time is always bad for construction.)

[HHSTigerFan]

Best way we have ever did it from the Joliet area is leaving at 2:00AM, by 7:00 we are into Kentucky and shortly there after stop for breakfast about 30miles south of Paducah, north of Atlanta for lunch and into the Gainesville or Ocala areas for dinner and hotel...

[MrMarv]

That's pretty awesome as well; missing Atlanta traffic is the key in both directions.

[Danibelle]

Originally Posted by cruisingkat

And the thing about GA speed traps is that there isn't a set fine like in IL - it could run in the hundreds. Also if you are 15 mph or more over there is an extra $200 tacked on by the state. Turner County uses Laser guns so a radar detector doesn't help.

That extra $200 is the Super Speeder law. If you are going over 75 on 2 lane roads, or over 85 on all other roads, you can incur the $200 plus the regular fine. They are enforcing this on 75 and also on 95.