22ish hour drive. is CBR "worth it"? split stay, etc.

[FindingTheMouse]

We drive from Hamilton Ontario, through Sarnia/Port Huron all the time. We used to do overnight powering through until and arrive early afternoon. We wanted the Disney magic to begin as soon as possible. We would always leave the day after arriving as a down day to recuperate after the drive. We used to leave as soon as I was done work at 4 or 5pm and then get to WDW between 1 and 3.
Nowadays we take 2 days. We leave in 2 weeks. This time we are leaving just after noon, and we are stopping in Knoxville for an overnight which is approximately 11 hours from us and then we will power through the next day for 9 hours.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I've stayed at CBR twice and really enjoyed both my stays. No CBR is not "worth" doing that drive if it's not something you want to do or think you can easily manage. I think it's worth it if you add a night to AoA so you don't have to get up and check out by 11 am.

I would not want to drive for 3 days. That sounds like complete torture to me. I would push through to check in at Disney as soon as I could. Not for a specific hotel but because I would want to be there, our of a car, checked in, unpacked and have my vacation start.

I would do 12-15 hours of driving day 1 and then 12 hours of driving day 2. Check into CBR (again I would just add a night to AoA) and RELAX. The next day would be a sleep in day with FP+ starting in the afternoon.

But we are the type that have driven from NJ to WDW in one day several times. Leave around 3-4 am and arrive to Orlando by 9 pm. We can make the drive in 14-16 hours with stops. Two days of that would be my limit. I would probably have a melt down if I had to do it on day 3 even if it were just 3 hours of driving.

 

[JETSDAD]

I'd do it in 2 days. We drive down from Ontario and that's how we normally do it. We don't typically bother to book the room until we know for sure that we will make it in time but once things look good we'll get a Mod or Value for that night and then move over to our regular DVC stay the next. Last week we did the drive down in 2 and then drove straight through coming home.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Well it turns into 24 hours for us because of bathroom breaks and eating. The girls insist on at least 2 meals where we stop and there goes 2 hours. And we have done this 5 times so now we have places that they "have to stop and shop at" and I am bad Marine, 2 little girls run my Universe.

I so understand that's why traveling at night rocks....
Thanks for your service
Goodbye snow hello sun

 

[buzznina]

We take I-75 down, and have done this trip (I-75 to somewhere in Florida) for 20 years now if I count the years I was in high school and wasn't allowed to drive. So yeah. I know about the potential hangups and traffic snags, and how nutso Atlanta can be (if DH needs a break from driving, I refuse to drive the ATL stretch from Kennesaw to Perry). But even with meal stops, and bathroom breaks and some traffic slow-downs it's usually 21-24 hours. Thus, 22ish hours. We used to always make this trip in 2 days, but the last few years have stretched it over 3 because checking in on a Friday and out on the following Saturday isn't how house rentals usually work during spring break weeks, and it's just kind of become a habit. When we drive home we usually do like a 16 hour drive on the first day, and I know from experience that 13 hours is usually where I'm really ready to be done, and 9 hours feels really short.

As for flying, I checked all the major airports in MI (Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Flint) and because we are going during peak spring break for the state, the only days I can get those $60 fares is if we flew out on Tuesday or Wednesday (kids would miss a lot more school and then we would have to find an additional 3 or so days of lodging) and then flew back on the Monday or Tuesday in April (and we coach baseball, the kids would miss even more school, and it would be an additional 3 days of lodging). I couldn't make the numbers work.

Plus; that price is only if you fly totally bagless. Carry-ons start at $35 and checked bags start at $30 per person.
If you switch off drivers then I say go for it. We like to get the bulk of the driving done on the 1st day, so then we have a better way of gauging our time, then take 3 days when going back

 

[SharonZ]

Definitely not worth it to me. Rushing your driving by a day and staying at my least favorite moderate (CBR).

 

[Micca]

I know you mentioned flying isn’t in the budget but from Cleveland you can fly Frontier for $60 each way on a typical flight. Could be closer to $90 but between gas, hotels, tolls, etc. it has to be cheaper than driving. We spend a lot of time in Michigan and the drive to Cleveland is a snap. And it’s only a 1:57 flight from here. Just throwing it out there

I'm no Frontier fan but your point is well taken. And don't forget the cost of food on the road trip. But there's the non-refundable hotel room already paid for.

 

[maxiesmom]

I know you mentioned flying isn’t in the budget but from Cleveland you can fly Frontier for $60 each way on a typical flight. Could be closer to $90 but between gas, hotels, tolls, etc. it has to be cheaper than driving. We spend a lot of time in Michigan and the drive to Cleveland is a snap. And it’s only a 1:57 flight from here. Just throwing it out there

Frontier actually flies out of Grand Rapids now too.