First time driving from Ohio. Suggestions?

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Hi guys! We are new to driving to Disney. We are absolutely crazy b/c we are driving with 5 kids!!!! Argh (I'm feeling extra piratey today)! Anyway, we are travelling from the Cleveland area using I-77 South. We would like to divide the trip into two days and would love a great stopping point. We would prefer an inexpensive but nice place to stay, so suggestions would be great. We are up in the air about whether we should get an extra night at a Disney resort or just stay off property until the morning. We are saving approximately $1800 by driving, so we are excited. Any suggestions along these lines would be great! Thank you!

 

[planfordisney]

My family has taken long road trips to Disney, too. The savings was a huge incentive! Though I can't recommend a specific stopping point for your trip from OH, I just wanted to send a friendly encouragement ... it will be a long trip but a good one! We have found success in road-tripping when we pack loads of entertainment for the kids and food for everyone.
As for your extra night, I would recommend an extra night at the Disney resort. That way you arrive directly at your destination after such a long drive. One less time to pack/unpack is always a bonus in my book!
Best Wishes for your upcoming trip!
Emily @ PlanForDisney.wordpress.com

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

My family has taken long road trips to Disney, too. The savings was a huge incentive! Though I can't recommend a specific stopping point for your trip from OH, I just wanted to send a friendly encouragement ... it will be a long trip but a good one! We have found success in road-tripping when we pack loads of entertainment for the kids and food for everyone.
As for your extra night, I would recommend an extra night at the Disney resort. That way you arrive directly at your destination after such a long drive. One less time to pack/unpack is always a bonus in my book!
Best Wishes for your upcoming trip!
Emily @ PlanForDisney.wordpress.com

I appreciate your encouragement!!!! It will be our first real trip driving anywhere! We've flown twice to Disney in under a year's time, and to do it again just doesn't make sense financially! I can't find my dvd players for the car, so I will probably buy some new ones. I am assuming they got stolen and I didn't notice! (Sounds wierd, but I thought they were being stored in the stow-n-go!) Anyway, it will be a great opportunity for the kids to catch up on all the movies we don't watch anymore! I will probably come up with some games and such too, but there's time for that! You are right about the extra night at the resort. I was leaning that way. It will probably be a great night to just chill and swim. There's never enough chill time in my opinion, but then again, I am the one running in front of everyone to get to the next ride or show!!! Thanx for the ideas!

 

[smidgy]

we drive from Illinois.

as you enter each state, stop at the first rest stop.. collect "room Saver" and other motel coupon books. then we choose a few that look reasonable, and might be around when we want to stop.. once you have a better idea of where you will be stopping, call your choice to tell them you have their copon, and ask they hold a room for you (we oprefer ground fllor. so we can park right outside the room, and don't need to unload the whole car for one night.)

 

[smidgy]

you can also go to Room Saver online and print out coupons, but they are kinda hard to read. but will give you an idea..

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

BTW...............once you get past Atlanta it is a very easy drive. About 7 to7.5 hours of open road.

 

[smidgy]

who goes THROUGH Atlanta? who uses the bypass?

we have done both. a lot of trucks on the bypass. first ime we went straight through. after that, the bypass for many trips. then, straight through.. last time, bypass.


(I do not like ATlanta...)

wish there was a way to get to WDW and avoid atlanta. we went through Alabama once, boy, that trek on the state route took forever!

 

[minnierocks]

We have driven from the Akron-Canton area many times...don't let the thought overwhelm you...it's a pretty easy drive. You didn't say how you wanted to break up the trip time-wise, so I will tell you what we have done.
We sometimes leave in the evening and drive about 5-6 hours stopping in Beckley, WV (Microtel was a clean, cheap place to stay), Princeton, WV or Hillsville, VA. All of these stops were safe, cheap places to stay. Then the next day, we drove the rest of the way arriving about check-in time....
Other times, we leave early and make it a long day, stopping at Pooler, GA (plenty of places to sleep), Brunswick, GA (Sleep Inn was clean and cheap) and we have driven as far as Palm Coast, FL (that was too long!). We always leave knowing where we are stopping. You can usually get the cheapest rate by booking ahead and it gives you a goal (destination) for the day. We arrive at WDW by lunch time and have most of the day to enjoy.
Some tips with kids...have each child pack an activity bag. Buy ahead of time something new for their bags and give it to them after you leave. Pack lots of snacks (take things they don't get all the time) but limit liquids to minimize the "potty stops". When you do stop, let the kids use the bathroom first, giving them time to expend some energy outside while the parents take turns using the bathroom. It takes a little longer but the kids will be happier. Let them each take a small blanket and pillow...let them stay up late the night before leaving. They will sleep in the car which allows longer stretches of driving. Allow the kids to switch seats in the car after stops...believe it or not, it works to break up the trip.
Driving can be fun...yes, it takes longer but if you think of it as part of the vacation instead of the drudgery to get to vacation then it makes it easier to handle. I hope this helps!

 

[minnierocks]

Oh...I forgot to mention that Charlotte is about the mid-way point. We try to stop north of Charlotte and then not again until south of Columbia, SC...the couple of times that we have stopped in between have not been good stops. The area was not great...at least where we have stopped anyway.

 

[minnierocks]

BTW...............once you get past Atlanta it is a very easy drive. About 7 to7.5 hours of open road.

We take I-77S to I-26E to I-95S from Ohio...so we don't go through Atlanta at all.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

we drive from Illinois.

as you enter each state, stop at the first rest stop.. collect "room Saver" and other motel coupon books. then we choose a few that look reasonable, and might be around when we want to stop.. once you have a better idea of where you will be stopping, call your choice to tell them you have their copon, and ask they hold a room for you (we oprefer ground fllor. so we can park right outside the room, and don't need to unload the whole car for one night.)

you can also go to Room Saver online and print out coupons, but they are kinda hard to read. but will give you an idea..

Good ideas! I am a planner, so I usually like to have it all planned ahead of time. Doing the Room Saver online will probably help me with that! I think this time since we will be driving and I can bring whatever I want, I will pack suitcases that are strictly for travelling. With 7 people, it will just be easier I think. That way I only have to unload one or two bags. I still would probably request a ground floor, so good point! Thank you for the input!

BTW...............once you get past Atlanta it is a very easy drive. About 7 to7.5 hours of open road.

who goes THROUGH Atlanta? who uses the bypass?

we have done both. a lot of trucks on the bypass. first ime we went straight through. after that, the bypass for many trips. then, straight through.. last time, bypass.


(I do not like ATlanta...)

wish there was a way to get to WDW and avoid atlanta. we went through Alabama once, boy, that trek on the state route took forever!

Good to know...both about Atlanta, and about going through Alabama! I will probably just brave Atlanta!

We have driven from the Akron-Canton area many times...don't let the thought overwhelm you...it's a pretty easy drive. You didn't say how you wanted to break up the trip time-wise, so I will tell you what we have done.
We sometimes leave in the evening and drive about 5-6 hours stopping in Beckley, WV (Microtel was a clean, cheap place to stay), Princeton, WV or Hillsville, VA. All of these stops were safe, cheap places to stay. Then the next day, we drove the rest of the way arriving about check-in time....
Other times, we leave early and make it a long day, stopping at Pooler, GA (plenty of places to sleep), Brunswick, GA (Sleep Inn was clean and cheap) and we have driven as far as Palm Coast, FL (that was too long!). We always leave knowing where we are stopping. You can usually get the cheapest rate by booking ahead and it gives you a goal (destination) for the day. We arrive at WDW by lunch time and have most of the day to enjoy.
Some tips with kids...have each child pack an activity bag. Buy ahead of time something new for their bags and give it to them after you leave. Pack lots of snacks (take things they don't get all the time) but limit liquids to minimize the "potty stops". When you do stop, let the kids use the bathroom first, giving them time to expend some energy outside while the parents take turns using the bathroom. It takes a little longer but the kids will be happier. Let them each take a small blanket and pillow...let them stay up late the night before leaving. They will sleep in the car which allows longer stretches of driving. Allow the kids to switch seats in the car after stops...believe it or not, it works to break up the trip.
Driving can be fun...yes, it takes longer but if you think of it as part of the vacation instead of the drudgery to get to vacation then it makes it easier to handle. I hope this helps!

Very good ideas! Thank you! My son is super disappointed that we aren't flying b/c he loves it! However, I told him that since I was paying, and we have flown twice in under a year's time already, to suck it up. I'm not sure how I want to do the driving, which is why I appreciate the ideas. I sometimes think I would like to leave late and drive through the night. The problem there is that I have narcolepsy, and night driving is hard for me, so my husband would have to do most of it. That is probably not the best option. What I am thinking is that we will leave Sunday the 14th sometime around lunch or before, drive for about 8-10 hours (is that even doable?? First timer here!), stop somewhere to eat, maybe swim, and sleep, then start out in the AM to arrive at WDW on the 15th. We are kinda leaning towards not even getting tickets to the parks for the 15th, with the thinking that we will chill and swim, and be rested for the next day. The next day is when the rest of our family will fly in.
I like the activity bag ideas. We were thinking of doing individual bags anyway for the park so the load isn't so hard for us to handle. We use a stroller for our youngest b/c it's just faster and she gets sleepy, but it's hard to have to dig through the stroller for stuff, and it's hard to get everything out for buses and such. Thanx for the ideas! They are helping me decide!

Oh...I forgot to mention that Charlotte is about the mid-way point. We try to stop north of Charlotte and then not again until south of Columbia, SC...the couple of times that we have stopped in between have not been good stops. The area was not great...at least where we have stopped anyway.

Good to know! I am so clueless! I know my husband will be better than me about all this, but I am the planner, so it's up to me!

We take I-77S to I-26E to I-95S from Ohio...so we don't go through Atlanta at all.

Oh! A great tip! Thank you! I really appreciate everyone's input! Keep the ideas coming!!!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Just looked at my directions, and they avoid Atlanta, so I guess that's not an issue!

 

[SoccerDad]

We've done the drive from the Cleveland area to WDW 4 times, using the route minnierocks described.

Usually on the drive to WDW we've left on a Friday soon after school gets out (say by 4pm) and then headed for the Charlotte, NC area. We like to stay at Marriott hotels and have stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Courtyard hotels in the Charlotte area. We are usually rolling in no earlier than 11pm so I contact the hotel in advance to ensure they have staff working the desk that late!

We pushed the stopping point a bit further one year (Ridgeway, SC), but decided it was better to pick a stopping point closer to home. If we made it to the pit stop early then we just tried to get back on the road earlier the next day. The tricky thing is finding a good stopping point because it seems there are some long stretches where hotel (and food) choices are sparse.

We stopped about every 2 hours on average to get gas, snacks, etc. We usually arrived at WDW on Saturday at about 5pm.

Going home is another story. We checked out early and headed to Hilton Head one year to see the ocean, spend the night and then do the bulk of the drive the next day. I began to prefer getting on the road early and just plowing through till we got home...the drive to the vacation is always more exciting than the drive home!

 

[kydisneyfans]

We used to live in Canton and drove to Disney yearly.
Most of the time, we drove straight though.
We stopped several times though, and it always seemed to be around Columbia, SC.
We went both the roomsaver route and priceline and was happy with our hotel choices everytime.

Have fun!!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Oops.............my response at 6am the other day may not have been so helpful. We used to live in the suburbs of Detroit and used to travel down south through western Ohio. I see that mapquest keeps you on the east side of the state. Glad you guys caught that!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

We've done the drive from the Cleveland area to WDW 4 times, using the route minnierocks described.

Usually on the drive to WDW we've left on a Friday soon after school gets out (say by 4pm) and then headed for the Charlotte, NC area. We like to stay at Marriott hotels and have stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Courtyard hotels in the Charlotte area. We are usually rolling in no earlier than 11pm so I contact the hotel in advance to ensure they have staff working the desk that late!

We pushed the stopping point a bit further one year (Ridgeway, SC), but decided it was better to pick a stopping point closer to home. If we made it to the pit stop early then we just tried to get back on the road earlier the next day. The tricky thing is finding a good stopping point because it seems there are some long stretches where hotel (and food) choices are sparse.

We stopped about every 2 hours on average to get gas, snacks, etc. We usually arrived at WDW on Saturday at about 5pm.

Going home is another story. We checked out early and headed to Hilton Head one year to see the ocean, spend the night and then do the bulk of the drive the next day. I began to prefer getting on the road early and just plowing through till we got home...the drive to the vacation is always more exciting than the drive home!

That's two people who have said Charlotte for a midpoint, so I guess I will plan for that! I'm glad you mentioned the sparse areas. If anyone knows of those places, I'd be really appreciative if you'd clue me in. I don't want to stop anywhere that would put me in a movie such as "Wrong Turn". That would ruin my vacation for sure. So I guess what I'm looking for now is bad areas for stopping and long stretches without stopping points.

Our drive home should be fun too b/c we will take the kids to the ocean probably, and they've never seen it, so it will be great. We will also probably stop off in Tennessee and visit my grandparents. Then we'll head for home! Thanx for the help!

We used to live in Canton and drove to Disney yearly.
Most of the time, we drove straight though.
We stopped several times though, and it always seemed to be around Columbia, SC.
We went both the roomsaver route and priceline and was happy with our hotel choices everytime.

Have fun!!

Awesome! Thank you!

Oops.............my response at 6am the other day may not have been so helpful. We used to live in the suburbs of Detroit and used to travel down south through western Ohio. I see that mapquest keeps you on the east side of the state. Glad you guys caught that!

No problem!

So...if anyone has the few requests I made above, I'd appreciate the input. The first item on the agenda is *Where are long stretches with no good stopping places.
The second one is *What places are to be avoided? I don't want to end up in a horror flick.

Thank you!

 

[minnierocks]

Most of your drive through Ohio will have plenty of places to stop-for us, it only takes 2 hours to reach Marietta. West Virginia will take about 3 1/2 hours to drive through. We always make a stop in Marietta before entering W. VA, then we don't need to stop again until we get south of Charleston. Traffic and lane changes can be tricky in Charleston so watch for it. After leaving Charleston, I-77 becomes the W. VA. turnpike (toll is at $2/car so have $8 in ones ready). There are travel plazas located on this road that are really nice. We like the one in Bluefield (last one in state), plenty of parking, places for the kids to expend energy, gas fill-up and food. After crossing into VA there are some places, but it only takes an hour to drive through, so we rarely stop in VA. At this point, you are pretty high up in the mountains so the scenery is beautiful.
N. Carolina will have plenty of places to stop. We have always stayed north of Charlotte and haven't found anywhere to feel unsafe. Hotel prices will be higher in the Lake Norman area, so we stay a little further north. Traffic can be heavy in Charlotte, depending on what time you drive through it. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to go through NC.
As I stated before, we have not had good luck at finding decent stops in SC. One particular stop had my husband getting us back in the van after noticing the bullet holes in the back of some of the parked vehicles. After that, we no longer stop between Charlotte and Columbia. Once you pass Columbia, we have not had a problem. The closer you get to reaching I-95, the more options you have for stopping. It takes about 3 1/2 hours to get through SC.
Georgia is next and only takes about an hour to drive through. You will have plenty of places to stop in GA. Once you hit the FL line, you have about 3 hours to go. You will have lots of options for stops, Jacksonville and Orlando can have heavy traffic. Depending on what time of the day, there is a road you can take to bypass Orlando. It is a toll road so sometimes we take it and other times we don't.
I hope this helps...we have driven this route so many times, I could probably make the trip in my sleep.

 

[minnierocks]

To answer your second question, we always find it easier to stop before or after any major cities along the route. There are plenty of options and traffic is light. When stopping in a major city, you never know what is the bad section of town...so we just don't stop in cities. We always look for the signs that indicate what is available on the stop. We have found that if the major hotels/fast food chains and gas stations are advertised, then it's a good option for stopping. We never get off the exit, if we can't see the restaurants/hotels or gas stations from the interstate. We got off the interstate once only to discover that the town was about 10 miles down the road, and as we were driving it was a divided highway so there was nowhere to turn around!
I know that I have said it before...but even though it is a long ride, it can be a fun part of the vacation!

 

[Robert P]

......
N. Carolina will have plenty of places to stop. We have always stayed north of Charlotte and haven't found anywhere to feel unsafe. Hotel prices will be higher in the Lake Norman area, so we stay a little further north. Traffic can be heavy in Charlotte, depending on what time you drive through it. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to go through NC.
As I stated before, we have not had good luck at finding decent stops in SC. One particular stop had my husband getting us back in the van after noticing the bullet holes in the back of some of the parked vehicles. After that, we no longer stop between Charlotte and Columbia. Once you pass Columbia, we have not had a problem. The closer you get to reaching I-95, the more options you have for stopping. It takes about 3 1/2 hours to get through SC.
Georgia is next and only takes about an hour to drive through. You will have plenty of places to stop in GA. Once you hit the FL line, you have about 3 hours to go......

I hope this helps...we have driven this route so many times, I could probably make the trip in my sleep.

Things to add:

NC/VA line to NC/SC line is @ 104 miles. Not sure why it's taking so long to get through there, unless the stop is adding time. All the other driving times, I totally agree with. I too, have driven this route so many times, I could do it in my sleep.

Right above the Lake Norman area is Statesville. From there (MM 51) to WDW is @ 587 miles, going 77-26-95-4. Plenty of hotel options there, though only one or two are clearly visible from 77.
I usually suggest that when people are driving looking for a stop in Charlotte, to push just past Charlotte into Rock Hill, SC area. The first exit is the Carowinds (amusement park) exit, and there are alot of options from there. Gas is cheaper in SC, and getting past Charlotte, even on a w/e, can help with traffic problems when leaving the next a.m.

And absolutely, there are some scary places to stay as you get further down 77 into SC. Living in NC, we haven't had to explore those options, but there are some exits we wouldn't get off on either.

Travel Safe!

 

[minnierocks]

Things to add:

NC/VA line to NC/SC line is @ 104 miles. Not sure why it's taking so long to get through there, unless the stop is adding time. All the other driving times, I totally agree with. I too, have driven this route so many times, I could do it in my sleep.

We always stop in NC and we generally end up in traffic in Charlotte, so yes...my time includes that. Thanks for the mileage...you are correct that it would take less time to drive it if not stopping.