For those folks driving!

[Disneywed]

with DH, and a 5 and 6 y/o. Thinking we can make it as far as maybe Savannah....suggestions for a hotel/motel....or honestly ANY suggestions welcomed, our first time driving down. Thanks!! (off to read the other 9000 pages of this thread )

 

[mwehttam]

with DH, and a 5 and 6 y/o. Thinking we can make it as far as maybe Savannah....suggestions for a hotel/motel....or honestly ANY suggestions welcomed, our first time driving down. Thanks!! (off to read the other 9000 pages of this thread )

We stayed here in the 2007 twice (going down and on the way back).

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/savab-fairfield-inn-and-suites-savannah-i-95-south/

It has a free b-fast and there are restaurants (Dennys and Perkins) within walking distance.

This is right off I95 and there are 3 or 4 hotels all right next to each other.

Hope this helps.

-Matt

 

[Disneywed]

Thanks for the info and link, Matt!!!

 

[Gowahoowa]

with DH, and a 5 and 6 y/o. Thinking we can make it as far as maybe Savannah....suggestions for a hotel/motel....or honestly ANY suggestions welcomed, our first time driving down. Thanks!! (off to read the other 9000 pages of this thread )

Check out the 2000+ mile driving thread! A lot of great info there. We are also trying to make Savannah on our upcoming trip. The past two trips we've stopped in Florence, SC, which worked great for us, but made for a longer drive on the second day which we're trying to avoid this time. Good luck to you!

 

[Looking4themouse]

Hello all I was reading this thread and was trying to figure out the best way to go from NH either via the 84 81 77 26 route or straight down 95 well my frugal brain started doing the math trying to calculate how much extra we'll pay in gas going that route instead of just going down 95. I then started looking to see if I could find a way to calculate an approximate on tolls, and I found this nifty little website showing me all the tolls on 95 and I believe their current prices
www.i95exitguide.com/tolls/index.php

For me it would cost about 31 dollars on the way down just in tolls. I think the extra 100 miles is well worth losing the aggrevation of 95 completely besides if my calculations are correct we'll only be spending about 10 dollars more in gas so really we'll be saving about 20 dollars on tolls.
For people who are interested in a toll calculator for other than 95 I also found this one
http://www.freewebs.com/tollcalculator/

 

[KimberlyE]

We're driving to WDW for our first ever Disney experience. We're staying at Pop and plan on driving back and forth to the parks. I know we could take Disney bus system but I am so type A and get so frustrated having to worry about time spent utilizing the bus system that I'd rather drive.

My question is how far are the parking lots (we'll be using the AAA parking pass) from the park entrances? I'm trying to decide how much to carry into the parks versus leaving some items in the car (ie those "may need" items versus "must haves"). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kristytru]

IMHO, you will NOT want to go back to the car to get anything while at the parks. You would have to take the boat or monorail to TTC and then the tram to your lot. there are lockers in the parks that you can rent to put those little extras in "just in case"

 

[mecllap]

KimberlyE -- what kristy describes is just for the MK; it's somewhat easier to get back to the car at the other parks, but you are unlikely to want to do it much at all. Even parked close to the "front" you may be a long ways away from where you are in the park. (That horrible trek back to the car after a long day at MK is my least favorite thing at WDW).

You can find lots of tips on these boards about how to travel light in the parks -- a lot of things you think you need, you may not actually need. And as she said, there are lockers. I strongly recommend cargo pants/shorts for everyone! (But even tho I did go into the parks with much less stuff than I used to on my last trip, I did still use a light string backpack (some days I took it in empty and folded in a pocket to avoid a security delay).

I do prefer having the car along and using it and not relying on the busses -- they can sometimes involve long waits standing up, sometimes in the sun.

Each park has a baby care/first aid center also. You can get a cup of free water at the concession stands. (They do actually allow you to take in drinks and snacks, even tho they don't encourage it -- I used to have to pack in lunch).

 

[bangzoom6877]

with DH, and a 5 and 6 y/o. Thinking we can make it as far as maybe Savannah....suggestions for a hotel/motel....or honestly ANY suggestions welcomed, our first time driving down. Thanks!! (off to read the other 9000 pages of this thread )

Last summer we drove down from Brooklyn, NY with our kids (they were 1 and 3 at the time). We did 2 nights of stopovers because we went to Boca Raton first, 3 hours south of Disney. The first night we stayed in Lumberton, NC at the Fairfield Inn which I would recommend. It had breakfast included and was right off I-95.

The second night, we stayed in Savannah, GA at the Springhill Suites right off of I-95, on Gateway Blvd. East. It was an excellent hotel with breakfast included as well. Shoney's is right near there, where we had lunch and we liked it (a novelty since they are not here in NY). There are other family-friendly restaurants right there also that you could also walk to. I booked this hotel again for next summer, in case we decide to stop in Savannah again which is likely.

 

[freesone]

Last summer we drove down from Brooklyn, NY with our kids (they were 1 and 3 at the time). We did 2 nights of stopovers because we went to Boca Raton first, 3 hours south of Disney. The first night we stayed in Lumberton, NC at the Fairfield Inn which I would recommend. It had breakfast included and was right off I-95.

The second night, we stayed in Savannah, GA at the Springhill Suites right off of I-95, on Gateway Blvd. East. It was an excellent hotel with breakfast included as well. Shoney's is right near there, where we had lunch and we liked it (a novelty since they are not here in NY). There are other family-friendly restaurants right there also that you could also walk to. I booked this hotel again for next summer, in case we decide to stop in Savannah again which is likely.

We stayed in the Springhill Suites also on the way to and from WDW. It's a great hotel with a nice complementary breakfast. We would definitely recommend it.

 

[Disneywed]

I am absolutely looking into the suggested hotels for the way down, the further south the better making the last leg of the trip short ( like 4 or 5 hours after breakfast) On the way home I am not sure, I would love to get home asap, but don't want to make it crazy..any sugestions for midway between FL and NY?

 

[TINKERIFIC]

We are driving to Disney for our 3rd time. Although crazy and insane are words to describe DH because the other 2 trips he drove straight through...only stopping to use facilities. I am insisting this time we stop for the night somewhere.

We live in Sealy, TX (50 miles west of downtown Houston). It is about a 16 to 17 hour drive. I would like have a majority of the driving done when we stop. I would like to wake up, eat breakfast and have only about 4 to 5 hours of drving left.

Does anyone have any suggestions on sites that I can utlize to project places to stay or where we might be after about 12 hours of driving?

EDIT: did a quick and dirty map quest and it appears we might stay somewhere between Pensacola & Tallahassee. Does anyone know of a decent, cheap hotel to stay at just off I-10 around Tallahassee. One that includes a continental breakfast would be great...

 

[Looking4themouse]

To all you North Easters out there my dh and I have decided to try the coveted 84/81/77/26 route. Does anyone have any suggested places along the way for a little bit of fun? We're looking for restaurants, tourist attractions, you know like the great big ball of yarn type stuff. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[*love*2*shop]

hmmm...when we mapquested NH to FL it took us 84 etc......wonder why if its 100 miles around....im off to check to see why....we leave aug 14 for the DRIVE DOWN from NH

Hello all I was reading this thread and was trying to figure out the best way to go from NH either via the 84 81 77 26 route or straight down 95 well my frugal brain started doing the math trying to calculate how much extra we'll pay in gas going that route instead of just going down 95. I then started looking to see if I could find a way to calculate an approximate on tolls, and I found this nifty little website showing me all the tolls on 95 and I believe their current prices
www.i95exitguide.com/tolls/index.php

For me it would cost about 31 dollars on the way down just in tolls. I think the extra 100 miles is well worth losing the aggrevation of 95 completely besides if my calculations are correct we'll only be spending about 10 dollars more in gas so really we'll be saving about 20 dollars on tolls.
For people who are interested in a toll calculator for other than 95 I also found this one
http://www.freewebs.com/tollcalculator/

 

[*love*2*shop]

1st time Drivers here.....we always fly-flying nonstop for 4 is usually 1500.00+, then we have to rent a car most of the times we go which is another 300/400.00...........SOO we decided to drive. We live on the seacoast of NH and will be leaving at 10am Friday Aug 14......Not sure where we will be friday night- but i have a laptop and will have it on and am hoping to surf for a hotel along the way- was going to book it in adavance based on rough estimates of where we want to be- but who knows! so hoping to be stopping at 8/9pm friday night...sleep over then start the rest of the drive sat morning.

 

[DJFan88]

The second night, we stayed in Savannah, GA at the Springhill Suites right off of I-95, on Gateway Blvd. East. It was an excellent hotel with breakfast included as well. Shoney's is right near there, where we had lunch and we liked it (a novelty since they are not here in NY). There are other family-friendly restaurants right there also that you could also walk to. I booked this hotel again for next summer, in case we decide to stop in Savannah again which is likely.

I KNOW!!!! We come from MA. where there is no Shoney's either! On our trip back up we stopped in Fredericksburg, VA and stayed at the Best Western (the first exit stop). This place was just fine, free drinks (as in coffee, tea, juices and fruits ) in the lobby all day, complimentary breakfast, great rate. (They have AAA rate too) Oh, and we had no reservation and no problem around 3 pm. But, it was right next door to Shoney's. I mean we literally walked 2 seconds from our hotel to it. After eating all of the high priced Disney food all week and we went in and saw the buffet, we were like, "we can eat all that for only that price?". I swear the people all looked at us like we were nuts. But, we loved it!

 

[nswift]

We will be driving from the Suburbs of St. Louis to Orlando (POR) and would like suggestions on places to sleep about 6 hours out from St. Louis. We want to get a head start the afternoon we get off work. We like indoor doorways...you know, like Hampton Inn's instead of motel 8 like.

Any suggestions?

 

[mrstomrice]

To all you North Easters out there my dh and I have decided to try the coveted 84/81/77/26 route. Does anyone have any suggested places along the way for a little bit of fun? We're looking for restaurants, tourist attractions, you know like the great big ball of yarn type stuff. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

There is the Biltmore Estate in NC...not sure how far off the route it would take you, but it is something to be seen, There is also a state forest nearby that with waterfalls and a natural slide...can't think of the name off the top of my head though.

 

[twinklebug]

I KNOW!!!! We come from MA. where there is no Shoney's either! On our trip back up we stopped in Fredericksburg, VA and stayed at the Best Western (the first exit stop). This place was just fine, free drinks (as in coffee, tea, juices and fruits ) in the lobby all day, complimentary breakfast, great rate. (They have AAA rate too) Oh, and we had no reservation and no problem around 3 pm. But, it was right next door to Shoney's. I mean we literally walked 2 seconds from our hotel to it. After eating all of the high priced Disney food all week and we went in and saw the buffet, we were like, "we can eat all that for only that price?". I swear the people all looked at us like we were nuts. But, we loved it!

You have me curious - I'm determined to drive next year (maybe sooner if I can swing more time off this summer ) and would love to know which best western you stayed at. I googled Bestwestern for fredericksville, VA and came up with 2 very close to each other: 3000 Plank Road and 2205 Plank Road - do you know which one is it?

 

[jjmatte]

We are planning on driving down next summer from NH. We are planning on driving straight through to get down there. We're going the 84/81/77/26/95 route. Planning on leaving around 3:00 in the afternoon and hoping to get there around 3:00 the next day.
My question is for the day of the ride home. Do people go to the park that day or just get up and hit the road. I don't think we'll be able to drive straight through coming home. What is the best time to leave and start the trip home?