Anyone drive straight from Michigan?

[JJIRmom]

Yeah I think that was just wishful thinking that we could drive straight down. Well we could do it but would be pretty darn exhausted on arrival day & my whole plan is to actually do stuff on arrival day. The more I think about it the more I like the idea of making it just south of Atlanta and grabbing a hotel. Granted it won't be the nighttime driving that I prefer but I'll manage.

 

[Poohs Pal]

we drive from Fenton Michigan. We leave about 3am and drive past Atlanta. Normally stop for the night in Perry(5 hours from Disney) or Tifton(4 hours from Disney) or Valdosta(3 hours from Disney). Tried one time driving straight through and we did not make it. Normally it is my adult daughter or sister so no little ones. I cant imagine trying this with kids. I agree with a previous poster that someone can say they are fine while driving and the next minute not be so ok. Driving sleep deprived is equivalent of driving drunk. If you want to find an inexpensive hotel stay in Perry and grab a flyer from one of the nearby rest stops that offer them with the discounted hotel pricing listed. Spend the night in a hotel in one of the areas listed above and arrive feeling refreshed and ready for a good beginning to your vacation. We have also found that it can get pretty terrifying driving through the mountains during the times of the year that produces heavy fog during the night. My sister and I had a very traumatizing experience where we were just driving along and hit fog so dense we could not see anything and being pitch black did not help. We were afraid to pull off the road and wait it out because you couldn't even see the side of the road. We fortunately shortly after it started came upon a semi and just followed his tale lights hoping he stayed on the road. The experience liberally left us feeling sick.. So safe travels and enjoy your ride.

 

[JJIRmom]

we drive from Fenton Michigan. We leave about 3am and drive past Atlanta. Normally stop for the night in Perry(5 hours from Disney

Perry sounds great. I just typed it in my gps & it says 13 hours, so probably with breaks we could get there in 14 & then rest up! Is that about how long it takes you to get down there? Fenton is about 20 minutes south of us

If you want to find an inexpensive hotel stay in Perry and grab a flyer from one of the nearby rest stops that offer them with the discounted hotel pricing listed.

Great idea! We have never stayed at a hotel just on a whim so I was wondering how we could do it & stay on a budget.

 

[arielmomma]

We are from mid-Michigan and when our kids were little we did this several times. It is entirely doable. In fact, I did most of the driving. 20 hrs is realistic. Have a great time!

 

[verleniahall]

DH drove straight form KS to FL in 2014 - only stopped for gas/food and we had drinks/snacks in the car - the only few extra stops were when I REALLY needed to use the bathroom and couldn't hold it anymore - we made it in 25 hours

 

[Dakota731]

Car seats are so uncomfortable for sleeping. I can't imagine a little one being in one for eighteen hours!

 

[Poohs Pal]

Perry sounds great. I just typed it in my gps & it says 13 hours, so probably with breaks we could get there in 14 & then rest up! Is that about how long it takes you to get down there? Fenton is about 20 minutes south of us

Great idea! We have never stayed at a hotel just on a whim so I was wondering how we could do it & stay on a budget.

It has been awhile since we stopped in Perry. I do recall on one occasion we made it to Tifton in time to go to Applebee's for dinner..lol On another occasion we did not get out the door until about 8am and stoped at a reasonable time in Dalton Georgia. I prefer to make it past Atlanta but it was a late start and we were tired. As far as GPS whatever it says we always add about 90 minutes to 2 hours to that. Figure in gas stops and bathroom stops. We also stop and get out of the car for at least one of our meals. It seems to perk us up a lot. Then you need to consider any traffic back ups that may happen. When my nieces girls were younger and came with us we would have a late lunch and any fast food with a play area. This expelled any pent up energy from being stuck in the car for hours on end. They are good travelers though but this helped. If you decide Perry is where you want to stop also check out the billboards along the freeway for some great room rates. As long as you are not going during a holiday time there really is no need to prebook a room. Cincinnati traffic can get really bad and seems to have unending construction. If starting in Michigan on US23 don't forget the area somewhere between Joy Rd and I-14 is under construction so avoid rush hour. In Georgia we drive through Atlanta in the HOV lane and never bother with the bypass. In Macon take the bypass its shorter than driving through Macon.

 

[kneemeister]

I have done it solo several times, and a couple times I was hopping I could stay awake long enough to pull in at a rest area. <<<<<BAD WAY>>>

The last time, I left work at lunch. I crossed the Ohio river right around rush hour. Stopped for 10-15 min, every two hours and then stopped somewhere south of Macon for a 4 AM Waffle, Coffee and Hashbrowns Scattered, Smothered and Covered. And arrived at Ft. Wilderness before 8 AM. <<<<<IFFY Way>>>

When I lived in Indianapolis a buddy and I would usually leave around 6 PM and take turns sleeping and driving, And would get to disney well before lunch. Of course we broke a few speed limits. <<<<<Dumb Youth Way>>>

I have also left a 3 AM and stopped for a relaxing evening in Valdosta at 5pm, then the 4 hrs to WDW in the Morning. <<<<GOOD WAY>>>

 

[Jennsk12]

We live in Cincinnati and are driving down in November. We will leave at 4am on the Thursday and plan on staying in tiffon or vadosta. We stay at a sleep inn a few years ago for about 89 for the night. We were in a king suite. So pull out bed for kids. Then drive the rest of the way in the morning to get to hotel by noon. Nap and go to the Christmas party that night.
One thing I will be doing is stopping at somewhere that has a kids play area. My husband and I eat and the kids can play. I get there food to go when we are leaving