Help with drive from Chicago to WDW

[scrappinmom]

Hi all - we are driving from the nw burbs (ok really only 15 miles from the Wisconsin border) to WDW - leaving June 25. I think I'd like to stop somewhere for the night about 12 hours into the trip. I'm hoping to leave home at 6am. It's me & my girls. So while I do have another driver - dd is 20- I just think stopping, getting dinner & a good nights sleep is s better plan for us. Any Chicago drivers have good places to stop for the night along the way?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

That's a long time on the road. Please don't push it splitting up driving time with a young driver, and don't let her drive too late into the night.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...killed-driving-disney-world-article-1.2017680

You might want to just do an estimate using something like mapquest to find a nice place to stop about 12 hours into your route.

 

[4under4]

Atlanta will be just over 12 hours for you (we are right across the lake in Michigan, but lived for 10+ years in lake Zurich). This is our choice because we can make it to Orlando by noon on the second day. If you want to do a more even split, Chattanooga is a good choice too. We are partial to Hampton inns, which can be found at most major exits along the way. I would suggest leaving earlier than 6 though since you will need to navigate through morning traffic in Chicago. Leaving at 5 (or even a bit earlier) should keep you clear of traffic problems.

Have a great trip! : goodvibes

 

[scrappinmom]

Thanks - Atlanta was kinda what I was thinking as well. Maybe an hour or so south of there.

We're in Crystal Lake so about an hour north of Chicago. It's weird (I drive to Champaign once a week for work) but if I leave the house at an off time - like 5:50 I can scoot past almost all the Chicago traffic & be at i80 quickly.

Do you suggest reserving a room ahead of time? Or can I wing it?

& exactly I have no intention of letting my 20 year old drive overnight or even a long time - that's why I wanna man to stop so there's not even the thought of it

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I never just "wing it" when it comes to hotels. You usually have until 6 pm of the day of the reservation to cancel a hotel without penalty. Or, if you don't want to make an advanced reservation, when you're ready to stop, use your phone to make a reservation online; you'll likely be able to reserve a room and save a bit on the walk up rate.

 

[4under4]

I would have a reservation just in case (south of Atlanta), but honestly I've driven up to a Hampton more than once, used my phone to get the online discount, and walked in to register. Except during the occasional teen sports tournament weekends, they are almost never booked solid. So if you feel like you want to cut the drive short a bit, it shouldn't be a problem to find an alternative.

 

[grimley1968]

I would add that, if it takes you about 12 hours to get from where you live to Atlanta, and you leave home at 6 AM, that would put you in Atlanta at about 6 PM.

If it were me, and that drive time is correct, I'd adjust my start time at least an hour or maybe two hours later, or have a long enough meal somewhere north of Atlanta to avoid hitting that traffic. That way you wouldn't hit Atlanta until at least after 7 PM, or preferably later. Atlanta can actually be a pleasure to drive through straight on I-75, but I wouldn't attempt it anywhere near rush hour. We usually drive through Atlanta about 8:30 at night and it's almost always a non-factor for us this late. I would still try to get south of Atlanta on that first day. It makes the second day that much easier, not having to work around a morning rush hour.

I agree with reserving a room somewhere. Pick a chain you like and see if there's a reasonable location and rate somewhere just south of Atlanta that you know you can make.

 

[scrappinmom]

I would add that, if it takes you about 12 hours to get from where you live to Atlanta, and you leave home at 6 AM, that would put you in Atlanta at about 6 PM.

If it were me, and that drive time is correct, I'd adjust my start time at least an hour or maybe two hours later, or have a long enough meal somewhere north of Atlanta to avoid hitting that traffic. That way you wouldn't hit Atlanta until at least after 7 PM, or preferably later. .

Actually that's an excellent point! I didn't even think of rush hour somewhere other than getting thru Chicago. It looks like my only real options are to leave here somewhere around 4am to miss both or leave around 9am to miss both.

 

[grimley1968]

Actually that's an excellent point! I didn't even think of rush hour somewhere other than getting thru Chicago. It looks like my only real options are to leave here somewhere around 4am to miss both or leave around 9am to miss both.

Or leave at the time you planned and just have an extra long meal somewhere. On behalf of the Kentucky Tourism Commission, I invite you to take that extra long meal in Kentucky.

 

[Minniedap]

We are just north of you in Wisconsin and drive down once a year. The last 3 trips we spent the night in Stockbridge, GA (just south of Atlanta) at Holiday Inn Express. It takes about 13 hours (with stops) to get there. If you leave at 6AM, Atlanta is 1 hour ahead so you will not get to Atlanta until 7 PM. This is about the time we drove through last June and I do not remember the traffic being bad at that time. The next day will be about a 6.5 hour drive to WDW.

 

[cemeb4dk]

I am just minutes south of you, and agree with the other posters. Avoid Atlanta at rush hour at all costs, if you get caught up in it plan on adding anywhere from 1.5-3 hours to your trip. We usually drive straight thru, but understand that is not for everyone. I would adjust your departure time by a few hours either way. Our favorite time to leave is about 930 at night, this way we avoid all rush hours and hit lookout mountain by about dawn and Atlanta around lunch time or so. If you can why not leave at about 2 or 3 AM, you'll probably be to excited to sleep anyways. This way you can get a few hours or so past Atlanta and sleep for the night. I am a fan of driving as far as I can day 1, to have less car time on day 2. Have a safe trip...

 

[nluvwithdisney]

I'm not one to encourage driving against your body clock but I understand why people do it. When we were younger my dad liked to leave around midnight. I hated when I had to drive in the middle of the night. I was in my late teens and early twenties then. But on the other hand I could sleep the whole car ride if they let me!