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

[Herding_Cats]

Short version: would you cram 22 hours of driving into 2 days instead of spreading it over 3 if you could check in a day earlier for a one-night stay at CBR?


We live in Northern Michigan. It's about a 22 hour drive for us to Disney (and flying is definitely not in the budget) and we *had* a plan all worked out, but at this point we just want to be on vacation already.

We are doing a split stay at AoA and BC in the last week of March. Our original plan was to drive for 2 9ish-hour days, and then a leisurely 3 hour day to check-in at AoA (which would mean we could sleep in, make a stop for groceries etc, and then check in.)

HOWEVER, we can stay at CBR for $20 more than our 2nd hotel night, and just drive extra long the 2nd day (the first hotel night I booked as non-refundable) and be DONE driving and ON vacation a day sooner. Is CBR "worth" that super-long day in the car and checking in at 6 or 7pm just to check out at 11 the next day?

None of this changes our park plans.

 

[KenHutch]

Well I would do it but I should explain. We live in Kansas City and its a 24 hour ride which we do in one day. We start at 05:00 hours and just drive alternating drivers every 8 hours or so.

 

[mickeynut1]

Short version: would you cram 22 hours of driving into 2 days instead of spreading it over 3 if you could check in a day earlier for a one-night stay at CBR?


We live in Northern Michigan. It's about a 22 hour drive for us to Disney (and flying is definitely not in the budget) and we *had* a plan all worked out, but at this point we just want to be on vacation already.

We are doing a split stay at AoA and BC in the last week of March. Our original plan was to drive for 2 9ish-hour days, and then a leisurely 3 hour day to check-in at AoA (which would mean we could sleep in, make a stop for groceries etc, and then check in.)

HOWEVER, we can stay at CBR for $20 more than our 2nd hotel night, and just drive extra long the 2nd day (the first hotel night I booked as non-refundable) and be DONE driving and ON vacation a day sooner. Is CBR "worth" that super-long day in the car and checking in at 6 or 7pm just to check out at 11 the next day?

None of this changes our park plans.

I think it's worth it, especially for just $20 more. You will be checking out of somewhere the next morning regardless, but only have to transfer resorts vs spending a few more hours on the road. Getting in at 6-7pm isn't all that late and will still allow you to get a good night's sleep as well as sleep in a little the next morning since check out isn't until 11:00 .

 

[Jessica pineda]

We are coming from Long island Ny its approx an 17 hr drive we will be leaving at 2 am and driving straight through alternating between me and my husband driving we should god willing arrive around 10-11pm.

 

[AngiTN]

That does not sound like fun to me, especially not a non-refundable room. Sounds like a way to begin vacation totally worn out and exhausted. And you aren't talking about a relaxing vacation here, Disney is exhausting. I sure wouldn't want to begin it worn out from 22 hours of marathon driving. Not for a night at CBR

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

I agree. Driving that long is exhausting in itself and trying to get it done faster, to get there sooner, only to have a few hours before sleeping seems like a waste to me. It may only be $20 more, but it's you having to rush to get there in order to maximize your time since you paid to be there. Then to only check out the next morning ..ugh. If you were staying at CBR for the entire trip and did not have to switch it might be different. I also think it's not the best way to start a Disney vacation which will already be exhausting.

 

[rdaky]

Nope, not worth it. I don't have a problem with CBR. In fact, we're staying there in April instead of a Deluxe to spend less money. But to start your vacation out completely exhausted sounds miserable. And you're going to be so tired that you will probably just sleep at CBR anyway. It's neat to check out other resorts, but there is nothing amazing about CBR. We travel a lot, and I'd say that other than the pool that my kids love (which is still mediocre compared to the one at Beach Club), CBR is a few steps down from somewhere like a Hampton and I wouldn't go out of my way to squeeze in a visit there for one night.

 

[DavidL]

Greetings from London Ontario - 2 hrs east of Detroit. (19.5 hrs / 1290 miles from Disney) I wouldn't try to cram 3 days of driving into 2 days no matter which hotel or resort it is for. It might sound do-able on paper, but during the last 6 years that we've made the trek to Disney, we've run into bad construction delays in Ohio and traffic delays in Atlanta depending on the time of day you arrive. That 22 hrs of driving that you are planning could turn out to be 25 to 26 hrs or even more.

Our goal when we drive to Disney World is to plan our timing around Atlanta. Our goal is always to be SOUTH of Atlanta on our way to Disney before we stop for the night - somewhere around McDonough. Atlanta traffic is horrid during rush-hour. We've timed it wrong in the past and have spent 2 to 3 hrs in stop and go traffic. We try to arrive in Atlanta in the evening time, and we stick to the HOV lanes to get through the city.

Our goal when heading home is to be NORTH of Atlanta again to avoid traffic.

Southbound
Day 1 - we usually like to get into Kentucky.
Day 2 - we make sure that we are South of Atlanta - McDonough or Macon
Day 3 - we arrive in Orlando mid to late afternoon.

Northbound
Day 1 - We stop in Woodstock GA - North of Atlanta We've chosen Woodstock because we've found some Atlanta suburb area hotels to be dodgy.
Day 2 - Stop in Wapakoneta Ohio
Day 3 - We're home.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Absolutely not worth it.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We do a drive from GA to NJ once or twice a year. Drive is about 16 hours & we do it in one day. I would suggest leaving very, very early or at night. Hopefully traffic & road construction won’t be as bad at that hour. The stragedy has worked for us. My husband is a no nonsense driver. Stops are just gas & food to go. It’s not easy and we are very tired when we get there.

 

[StarSeven7]

I would do it in 2 days but mainly because I would just want to get the drive over with and not waste more days in the car! We do 15-16 hour drives every year or two with our young kids and we typically do it over 2 days on the way down and all in one shot on the way back. I grew up taking long road trips and we would only stop when we needed gas and you eat and use the bathroom at the same time and don't stop again until you need gas. We tend to travel the same way now with our kids and they do great with it! I can't speak for CBR since I've never been there but the thought of getting to Disney a day early and just relaxing by the pool instead of driving in the car sounds great to me!

 

[AngiTN]

Our goal when we drive to Disney World is to plan our timing around Atlanta. Our goal is always to be SOUTH of Atlanta on our way to Disney before we stop for the night - somewhere around McDonough. Atlanta traffic is horrid during rush-hour. We've timed it wrong in the past and have spent 2 to 3 hrs in stop and go traffic. We try to arrive in Atlanta in the evening time, and we stick to the HOV lanes to get through the city.

You can stop with Atlanta traffic is horrid. It doesn't even have to be rush hour.
They've added some fancy new toll based HOV lane that just now opened. We've not used it ourselves, only seen it. The one time we've driven down since it opened was late enough we just used the regular HOV lane.
But yeah, it can be a bear in the best of cases and can really throw a kink in the best of travel plans. Not to mention Nashville, depending on how and when someone plans to go through there too (if you are hitting there). They are giving Atlanta a run for their money on traffic.

 

[Nancyg56]

Short version: would you cram 22 hours of driving into 2 days instead of spreading it over 3 if you could check in a day earlier for a one-night stay at CBR?


We live in Northern Michigan. It's about a 22 hour drive for us to Disney (and flying is definitely not in the budget) and we *had* a plan all worked out, but at this point we just want to be on vacation already.

We are doing a split stay at AoA and BC in the last week of March. Our original plan was to drive for 2 9ish-hour days, and then a leisurely 3 hour day to check-in at AoA (which would mean we could sleep in, make a stop for groceries etc, and then check in.)

HOWEVER, we can stay at CBR for $20 more than our 2nd hotel night, and just drive extra long the 2nd day (the first hotel night I booked as non-refundable) and be DONE driving and ON vacation a day sooner. Is CBR "worth" that super-long day in the car and checking in at 6 or 7pm just to check out at 11 the next day?

None of this changes our park plans.

It would not be worth it to me. You hope to check in at 7 or 8, however if you run into traffic, detours, construction, storms, etc, you are now looking at a much later check in time. My family would not recover checking in after having become exhausted.

 

[DavidL]

Not to mention Nashville, depending on how and when someone plans to go through there too (if you are hitting there). They are giving Atlanta a run for their money on traffic.

We are lucky that we don't need to travel through Nashville I guess The I75 goes through Knoxville which is an easy route.

Google Maps says that it should take us 19.5 hrs to drive to Disney from our house, but we always seem to run into a traffic snag somewhere along the trip, whether it be the I75 closed due to a rock slide in Tennessee, an accident, or construction.

So, if the OP is judging a 22 hr travel time based on Google Maps, I would add at least 1.5 to 2 hrs to the travel time for slow-downs along the route.

We always take 3 days to drive our 1290 mile (2076 km) trip to Disney. It is fun to stop at restaurants along the way to stretch our legs, and experience foods that we aren't able to at home (Waffle House! as well as Steak & Shake!).

 

[AngiTN]

We are lucky that we don't need to travel through Nashville I guess The I75 goes through Knoxville which is an easy route.

Google Maps says that it should take us 19.5 hrs to drive to Disney from our house, but we always seem to run into a traffic snag somewhere along the trip, whether it be the I75 closed due to a rock slide in Tennessee, an accident, or construction.

So, if the OP is judging a 22 hr travel time based on Google Maps, I would add at least 1.5 to 2 hrs to the travel time for slow-downs along the route.

We always take 3 days to drive our 1290 mile (2076 km) trip to Disney. It is fun to stop at restaurants along the way to stretch our legs, and experience foods that we aren't able to at home (Waffle House! as well as Steak & Shake!).

Ah yes, that is better. Unless it's a Saturday in the Fall, then all bets are off! LOL

They are getting ready to rework the 24/75 split here in Chattanooga too, several year project. THAT is going to be FUN (not!)

 

[hereforthechurros]

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

 

[Herding_Cats]

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.

 

[snappy]

Working with school schedules makes things tricky, I sure remember those days, some years we dealt with 3 different school schedules. We also mostly drove the 700 miles from home to WDW back in those days. We did it in one long day sharing the driving and we did quite well. Lots of on board movies and snacks for the kids. Good family time actually. We were all younger then! When I traveled later occasionally without my husband I broke it into a 2 day trip. There’s a great Staybridge hotel in Tallahassee right off I10 that’s a perfect stoping off point. My right leg gets tired using the accelerator.

We are fortunate now to be able to fly out of New Orleans direct on southwest. Still takes an investment in time though driving to and from the NOLA airport. You never know how bad traffic will be on the spillway.

Spring is a great time to visit! Have a safe trip and a wonderful vacation making memories.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Well I would do it but I should explain. We live in Kansas City and its a 24 hour ride which we do in one day. We start at 05:00 hours and just drive alternating drivers every 8 hours or so.

We also live in KC (KCK) my maps say its 18.5.
hours last spring we drove about 13 hours the first day putting us in Georgia, we decided on a cheap hotel and shower and left early. Honestly I think it's easier to travel when the kids are sleeping. They cant ask me to stop and pee

I say leave as early as you can to fit in more hours driving.

 

[KenHutch]

We also live in KC (KCK) my maps say its 18.5.
hours last spring we drove about 13 hours the first day putting us in Georgia, we decided on a cheap hotel and shower and left early. Honestly I think it's easier to travel when the kids are sleeping. They cant ask me to stop and pee

I say leave as early as you can to fit in more hours driving.

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.