driving from Ontario, need advice

[briarberry]

We are planning to drive to WDW this summer. I haven't driven down in many years. We live near London, Ontario and plan to cross at Sarnia and go straight down I-75. I am the only driver and don't mind 10-12 hours per day. I think we can do it in 2 days but I'm not positive. What I need to know is where would we be after a 12 hour drive the first day? I would like to book a hotel before we leave. Also, any help with how much we'll need to budget for gas would be appreciated.
I know lots of people will have just done this over the March Break so any advice would be great!

 

[hockey mom]

Hi. We just got back today. We drove from Peterborough, crossing over at Fort Erie. Our total for the whole week there and back was around $400 CDN for a Montana mini van. We did not stop over but I would say you want to find something near the end of Tenessee or the start of Georgia.

 

[Lezah]

When we last drove, we left from work in Mississauga and made it to London Kentucky the first night and were in ASMu by 8pm the next night. We only had 1 driver too. We crossed over at Fort Erie as well (but crossed back at Windsor and knocked 2 hours off the drive that way). My DH does not mind driving tons and we only stop for rest stops and to stretch our legs, normally at every state line at the welcome centre for sure and then when nature calls in between. We pack snacks and stop for fast food in between (this trip we're going to stop for better food though cause we hate fast food!!). We get the coupon books at each state that we think we'll stop in to get a good rate at a hotel. The one in KY we got a rate of only $35 and that included breakfast!!! It was great. Hope this helps. I won't give you a price on gas because it was 2 years ago and it is much more now!

 

[PanamaMike]

2 day solo drive - Toronto - motel in Careyville,TN, south of the Kentucky border
Return trip spent the night in Kentucky, north of TN border, so as you can see the KY/TN border is a good target for a two day drive.

Don't know how much you should budget for gas since I don't know what you're driving but I found these current avg. gas prices at cbsnews.com

Michigan - 1.785
Ohio - 1.756
Kentucky - 1.694
Tennessee - 1.684
Georgia - 1.648
Florida - 1.793

 

[Disney Ontario]

Just got back last Monday. Hi from Southern Ontario. We did the I-75 route. Go grab the Dave Hunters I-75 book.GREAT> We also had one driver, took our time,the only thing is don't leave in a snow storm.We left March 2, 4:00 am in that SNOW STORM. over all we had fun and DD16 got burnt, and came home to a boyfriend peeling. She learned her lesson.

 

[cottontail]

Hi: We usually leave around 4 or 5 a.m. so we can do the longest day the first day. It is around 22 - 24 hours for us from hamilton going down I75. We have done i 75 many years ago, and I think we stayed in tennessee towards the georgia border. It is helpful if you pick a motel with a continental breakfast for a quick get up and go the next day.

Why don't you go on mapquest.com click on driving directions.
put in your home address and find a hotel somewhere in tennessee, (actually we stayed in sweetwater once and chatanooga another time) and see how long it will take you. You can look up hotels on expedia.com in one of those cities and use the address on mapquest. Just a suggestion.

Deb.

 

[digskat]

. We did the I-75 route. Go grab the Dave Hunters I-75 book.GREAT> I highly reccommend this book. Well worth the money. I was the navigator Digs was the driver, it was especially handy going through Atlanta, ie which lane to be in at which exit etc. It's kinda nice to because it tells you what hotels and restaurants are at which exit. Very easy to read also. It'll be your bible just as it is ours. I also keyed in our address and the hotel's address in FLA on www.mapquest.com and had perfect directions for getting onto I-75 and finding the hotel on the other end. We did not book a hotel for either way, but researched which ones appealed to us. I know sweetwater tennesse has a nice Best western with indoor pool. You can check it out on www.expedia.ca, we did not stay here because we drove to Macon GA the first day. As for gas we topped up the tank when ever we had a bathroom break or a bite to eat regardless if it needed it, I'd say in doing so we spent $275 CDN on gas the entire trip ( in a van) Best of Luck

 

[briarberry]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! It looks like we can do it in 2 days if we leave super early the first day. I will grab a copy of the I-75 book and I think I will also go see about Mapquest, thanks for the tips.
I got my daughter to clean her room today and we set aside some stuff for her to sell in our upcoming garage sale. She wants $ for Disney!
I drive a Subaru Forester (small SUV) which is good on gas so that shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks, I would never have had the "guts" to go the first time without the help from these boards and now I am planning trip number 2. Some of my friends think I'm nuts to go alone like I do but my DD and I are pretty independent!

 

[GUNER]

We drove last May from Toronto and we left at 2am Friday morning and stopped in Dalton, Georgia by dinner. The next morning we left at 8am and we were in Orlando by 5pm. It was great. On the way back we had planned to stop in TN but the hotel we had booked was in a lousy part of town and we kept going until we got to Kentucky at about 9pm.

 

[talicskai]

WE have driven 3 times in the last 4 years and always gone I75. From Paris, Ontario the halfway point (12 hours) is definitely Sweetwater Tennessee. They have several hotels at that exit, but the BW is a good one. We always stay in HI Express because we love the breakfast and their pools are usually really warm or they have a good hottub! (A must for DH!!)
Enjoy your trip ~ it is always worth the long drive!

Teresa

 

[cottontail]

Hi Briarberry:

Seeing that you and daughter are travelling, when you need a washroom break hit the welcome centres at the beginning of each new state, as they have staff in them, or another thing we do is watch for the signs for fastfood places, and pull off in a wendys etc, and use the washroom and we usually buy one of the 99cent menu items for a snack.

Another thing I do is book two motels about what you figure will be 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours apart, with 6 p.m. cancellation regulations, and as you get close you need to call the one that you will be hitting to guarantee your reservation. I usually write down the 800 numbers and you can do this from a fastfood restaurant as well. It is up to you, my daughter gets severe migraines so we have to be prepared to stop. Take a cell phone as well.

Deb.

 

[jaysue]

If you are going I-75 from London, I think it would be faster to go through Detroit on the Ambassador Bridge where you can pick up I-75 South almost right after crossing the border. Seems like going to Sarnia on 402 and then taking 94 to 75 will take longer

Cheers
jaysue

 

[barb45]

Another vote for the Dave Hunter book - it's great. You also don't need mapquest with this book. We don't book our hotel ahead because we use the coupon books to get the best rate. Dave Hunter gives some great recommendations also. I also think it would be faster to cross in Windsor.

We just came back and gas prices were up - some places $2.19/gallon.

 

[CharlesTD]

We never book the room before we leave as you can get a better deal with the coupons from www.roomsavers.com but they don't allow you to pre book. We drive at night the first night and cross at Windsor we get to about Georgia the next morning. the person that is going to start driving that evening stays home to sleep during the day and the other takes the kids out for the day. We average about 250 return for gas and room. We usually stop near the bottom of Georgia and use the coupon for holiday in or fairfield etc at about 40-45 dollars a night. We also take an electric cooler it has been invaluable just like the along the I75 book.

 

[cottontail]

Hi: I have often thought about driving all night, but what if your car breaks down on the highway at night. We tried using our cell phone thru the mountains and it would not work, so that threw me off driving all night.

Deb.

 

[CharlesTD]

What cell company were you using? We use Bell and have no problems at all using the phone in the mountains in Tenn or anyplace along the drive. It is actually quite peacefull driving at night the kids sleep so it makes it easier on the driver and there is very little traffic which makes the drive nicer.

 

[cottontail]

Hi: We had Rogers. Maybe it was our cell phone was not powerful enough. Now this was also the other route I79/i77 thru virginia/west virginia.

But I like the idea of less traffic. Peaceful. Another question, if you have to make a rest stop in the middle of the night, where do you stop. As I would be a bit leary going into the usual reststops if there is no security around them. Are there any things like Wendys open in the middle of the night? Also the gas stations are they open all night.

Deb.

 

[CharlesTD]

We use the rest areas or the service centres and using I 75 you can get one last timmies before leaving Ohio. We have had no problems with the rest areas and they have had a patrol while we were stopped during the night for potty breaks.

 

[briarberry]

Thanks for all the ideas but driving during the night just isn't an option for us. If I was going with someone else I would do it but it's just me and my daughter and I don't think it's safe to drive at night alone like that. I had to drive through the hurricane evacuation last August at night and it was really scary. Bumper to bumper traffic for hundreds of kms. At least there was a lot of company but nowhere to pull off. The rest areas were jammed and you couldn't even pull in - it was scary. That made me vow never to drive at night again!
I plan to leave around 4 a.m. and try to get to the Georgia/Tennessee border the first day. I think that is possible judging from all the posts.
Thanks guys!

 

[CharlesTD]

We wouldn't dream of driving the first day any time but at night even if it was just myself and the kids or my wife and the kids it is really nice because the kids sleep all the way to the Georgia welcome centre.