OKW from MA

[Basser]

I tried this on the transportation board with no replies. We will be driving down to OKW in May and need help deciding where to stop. Can anyone suggest a good place to spend the night in S.C.?

 

[rbuzzotta]

We usually stop at the end of Virginia and spend the night along Rt. 95 in a Comfort Inn or some sort. If you have AAA, you can get books and they will list all hotels/motels.

We usually stop around 9 PM and wake up at 4AM, carefully place the 3 princesses in the car (still asleep) and get about 5 hrs. under our belt before sleeping beauties arise!!!

 

[Jacksmom99]

We have stayed in Santee, SC at the Best Western. There are 3 or 4 hotels right there off the exit. This year we are staying in Florence at a Days Inn. Whatever you do, avoid Petersburg, VA. We've stayed there two different times, in different hotels, and both were positively raunchy. Also, last year we stayed in Lumberton, NC at the Holiday Inn. Very clean and there's a Denny's in the lobby open 24hrs. Lumberton isn't too far from the SC border.

 

[Basser]

Thank You. We are thinking of the Florence area for our stop over. Now all we have to do is flip a coin I like Santee and the DW and DD want Florence(LOL).

 

[Poorman]

Howdy neighbor,
We are heading down in May also. Do yourself a favor,if you can afford it, fly. The trip down and back wastes 4 days. If you add up all the expenses of driving, and food and accomadations, wear and tear on your car, I really don't think it is worth it. I have a hard enough time driving to my condo in Myrtle Beach, never mind Orlando. You have to figure 24 hours of driving time, and it takes it's toll on you and the family. What ever you decide, good luck. You will love it down there in May ,with the flower and garden festival going on. And the crowds are still low.


Regards, Rich

 

[Basser]

Hi Poorman, we have gone to OKW every May since 1999 and we love the weather and shorter lines we have found at that time. We do fly almost every year, we drove down in 2002 and enjoyed the trip so much we decided to do it again. Going down we will have three drivers and coming back there will be four so we can switch drivers every gas stop. I'm a big guy and believe me this is far easier on my back and knees than flying(lol) not to mention the restrooms are bigger.

 

[Poorman]

Hi Basser,
I hear ya on the knees and back, I always try to get an exit aisle so I get the extra leg room . For myself I would rather endure 3 hours of discomfort rather that that trip. But if you have that many drivers and the car is comfortable enough , I see where you are coming from. It is great that time of the year. This year we left Logan it was 37 degree's ,when we touched down in Orlando it was 82 degree's and later in the afternoon it was 92. We loved it. Of course after the winter and spring we just went through anything would be better than that.
Have a nice time at OKW, we also own there, never stayed there, maybe a year from September we'll try it. Take care, Rich

 

[Pa@okw95]

Hampton Inns are nice-try www.hiltonhonors.com click on Hampton Inns-there are plenty along rt 95. Funny thing-I drive for the same reason "Poorman" flies. The airlines wear me out. i find driving more relaxing. If you are leaving from MA just make sure you get to the George 'Washinton Bridge by about 6 AM-through the NY traffic.

 

[mmmcq]

As a kid my dad ran a business from MA which had several FL stores open in the winter. We'd drive down every year on the "old" 95 with stop and go traffic. Many of my fondest memories of my childhood were from those trips. We used to stay at "South of the Border" near Florence I believe. Does it still exist? We did lots of exploring off the main highway - Daytona, St. Augustine, SC and NC.

In my senior yr of high school, however, my dad relocated the family to Boca Raton to run yet another group of stores. That's when I got sick of driving to FL from MA. My mother only learned to drive when I was in the 4th grade. So by the time I was a junior in HS, I was doing most of the FL/MA trip at the wheel. I can remember driving through countless traffic lights and passing hundreds of cars only to have my mother take the wheel for 1/2 hour and have 560 cars pass us back. I couldn't stand it and would drive again.

So the point is......we don't drive...we fly out of Providence on SouthWest Airlines. In recent years they have had fares below $200pp and the flights are direct. The drive to Providence is only 45 mins, the check-in is much easier than Logan and the parking is A LOT cheaper. A 7 day stay for our car last month was only $60 in a lot 2 mins away. We fly out of Providence a week from Sunday. I miss "South of the Border", but not enough to be in a car with my kids for 4 days. Ouch.

Have a great trip!

 

[Poorman]

Yes mmmcq, South of the border is still there ,Pedro say's it is. And if you haven't seen it in a few years you wouldn't believe how it has grown, I think they are trying to make it a destination.
I remember driving down in 1957 in a '55 Plymouth ,7 of us stuffed in it,on our way to Miami we stopped. It was just a roadside stand at the time. If you looked in the dictionary under "tourist trap" there is a picture of "South of The Border"
That is my first memory of driving to Florida. Maybe thats why I fly.


Regards, Rich

And yes ,Greene is a wonderful plase to fly out of,we do it as often as we can.

 

[Connears]

We drive from Natick MA all the time. Just returned and stayed in Florence at a Comfort Inn with coupons we picked up at rest area and it was 49.95 for the night. We usually make reservations before we leave and we were making good time so we cancel old one by 6pm and made the cheaper one. We also have used Hampton Inns regularly for the quality of room and breakfast(Comfort Inn had similar offering for breakfast).
Connears

 

[rbuzzotta]

Basser, I, too, enjoy the drive (and I can fly free!!!!) I am a little bummed that DH decided at the last minute to fly this year because he may have to cut his portion of our trip short due to business.

Have a safe drive and most of all....enjoy the time spent with family.....

 

[Basser]

Thank you all for your help. I knew the DVC members would be able to help us. Now what do I do for next 312 days waiting to Leave for OKW? DW says it's to early to pack(lol). I only took out luggage for cleaning.

 

[nanajoyx2]

We are thinking of driving (also from Brockton) down in March. How far from MA is HH? How many nights do you spend in motels/hotels? How far is HH from WDW? We have always flown out of Logan, but I checked the cost for direct flights on Song and the cost was rediculous.

 

[gmboy95]

How about these people from brockton!!!!......We just moved from brockton last month to norton....I grew up in brockton, and always wondered if there where other DVC'rs from the city of champions.

 

[gmboy95]

HH from brockton is about 20 hours....HH to Orlando is about 6-7 hours....if you leave at night around 7pm, and drive straight thru, you will arrive at 3pm the next day...that day would be a wash so you could stay 2 days.....when you drive to disney it is much easier from there.......also you have an hour drive from 95 over to hilton head.

 

[SafariTigger]

I'm in Arlington, MA and my DH and I are driving to HH next month. First we are stopping in NJ to pick up the folks and then continuing down south. We booked a Motel 6 in Fayetteville, NC. It's not fancy, but it's cheap. $46 with my dad's AARP discount, and they have a 24 hour Denny's. Not bad. We figure it will be about 9 hours from Jersey, so that means approx. 14.5 hours from Arlington, MA. Hope you have a great ride and a great trip.

 

[buzz5985]

I drove to DW in Feb 2002, in my 1993 Nissan Pathfinder. Worried about wear and tear??? 127,000 miles at the time. We stopped in Rocky Mount NC. It is a little off of 95, but every hotel is represented, along with a mall, and plenty of places to eat. We stayed at the Red Roof Inn, only because we had our Dog with us too. We also travelled with our 5 yo. We had a great drive. Really enjoyed it. But I work Nights, my DH works Days, so we are rarely together. We listened to the Harry Potter books on tape. LOL We were shushing the DS.

I drove down my Driveway at 4 am, it was a Saturday morning. Didn't hit any traffic, stopped about every 2 hours to walk the dog, rest for 15 minutes. Arrived in Rocky Mount around 5 pm. Left around 5 am, and arrived at Disney, around 3 pm, after extensive traffic around Orlando. A slow roll.

Janis