I-95 Hotel Recommendations - Young Kids

[MouseEarsJenny]

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I wasn't turning up anything too recent on searches.

We're driving from PA (Philly area) to DW in June with DD9 and DS6. We're taking it nice and slow. We're leaving around mid-day on a Friday (right after my son's kindy graduation - it's a surprise for him) and stopping over twice, Friday and Saturday night. We hope to arrive relatively early on Sunday to start our vacation, but need to be there for 6:00 Chef Mickey's at the latest. Does anyone have suggestions, for good, clean, kid-friendly hotels on the way?

The last time we drove, we had a MISERABLE time at one hotel that really put a damper on our whole trip. (And by damp I mean damp walls, damp sheets, room change at 2AM, BUGS! ewwwwww..... and we're talking a major chain here at $89 for the night).

We'd prefer places that have nice pools or play areas or something fun for the kids to use up energy, but as long as they are clean and well kept, we're willing to consider whatever.

I'd appreciate any help!!!

 

[Hef4545]

I can give you two that I have stayed in, both in Georgia.
Savannah, Exit 94 Country Inn and Suites, Indoor Pool
Embassy Suites Hotel, Brunswick Exit 38. Did not see many children as this was a hub for airline crews..pilots, stewardess..but the rooms were immaculate. Small Outdoor Pool. I also noticed a Holiday Inn and Suites that was just built as we were leaving this hotel closer to I95. The surrounding area here was very nice.
There is a very good web site that is just for I95 Exit Information. People there discuss hotel and restaurant information and provide feedback about their stays.
I usually try to pick places with indoor pools because you don't have to worry about the weather.
Take a look here. www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

 

[ducklite]

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I wasn't turning up anything too recent on searches.

We're driving from PA (Philly area) to DW in June with DD9 and DS6. We're taking it nice and slow. We're leaving around mid-day on a Friday (right after my son's kindy graduation - it's a surprise for him)

Very bad idea--that puts you smack in the middle of DC rush hour traffic, a place no one in their right mind wants to be.

and stopping over twice, Friday and Saturday night.

Why on earth would you torture your kids like that? Taking 48 hours to make a trip that can be easily made in one day if you do it right seems foolish. You're only extending the car time by taking it slow.

We hope to arrive relatively early on Sunday to start our vacation, but need to be there for 6:00 Chef Mickey's at the latest. Does anyone have suggestions, for good, clean, kid-friendly hotels on the way?

Yes, and I'll get to that in a minute.

From Philly, if you leave about 4:00am on Saturday, you'll be in WDW by around 10pm that night. With two drivers this is very manageable. Pack the car with everything but people, last minute toiletries, and any food that needs to be kept cold the night before. Get into bed early, get a good nights sleep, and get on the road. Put the kids in the car in their PJ's, have a change of clothes for them for when they wake up. You should be able to make it to MD without needing to stop. About 14 miles after you cross the state line there is a rest area. There is a second rest area about 20 minutes further. You will want to use one of them, there is not another good place to stop until you are on the other side of DC!

The kids will probably still be able to sleep some more, keep driving, and you should clear DC within 3 1/2 hours of leaving your home. From that point on it's smooth sailing, Use the Richmond bypass (295) to save more time. If you really want to stop for the night some place, I'd suggest the Hampton Inn in in Richmond Hill, GA. It's clean and comfortable, not sure if there's a pool. We've stayed there twice, never had a problem. From that point it's about a six hour drive to WDW. From Philly, unless you put yourself into the middle of rush hour (which will add two hours to your trip) it's about a 18 hour trip. (My husband makes it from Central NJ--an hour north of Philly) to our home west of Orlando in under 17 hours, but no kids so fewer stops. He doesn't drive like a maniac, but he does limit his stops.

I'd get a portable DVD player, leave at 4:00am, and drive straight through. The kids will sleep during the first part of the trip, and then again during the last part of the trip as teh sun goes down. You'll be in your beds at WDW early enough to get a good nights sleep and start your day on SUnday in a park, nice and fresh rather than road burned.

Anne

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I can give you two that I have stayed in, both in Georgia.
Savannah, Exit 94 Country Inn and Suites, Indoor Pool

I have to 2nd the County Inn and Suites.
There are plenty of places to have dinner before turning in for the night, and a free continental breakfast in the morning. We drove down last year on a very cold April day, and the kids were happy to have the indoor pool- it was way too cold for outdoor swimming.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

We stay in the Hampton Inn in Darien, Georgia, whenever we drive. If you are a Hilton Honors member, this is an "Opportunity" hotel, so you need very few points to stay the night. It is very popular with WDW travelers. They have an outdoor pool and there is free continental breakfast. Have never had a bad experience there. Darien is further south than Savannah and the trip to Orlando should take another 3-4 hours from there.

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Thanks for the advice everyone! The Country Inn and Suites Savannah looks especially nice.

We have been possibly considering consolidating the trip into two days so we can arrive for the end of Star Wars weekends. I can say with a high degree of confidence that we won't be driving down in one shot, though. Just not something any of us would enjoy. We did it in three days our last trip, and it went well. Too many hours in a car straight and our normally bright and agreeable children become crazed, whining, argumentative lunatics. I'd rather break up the trip than break up backseat fights!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

we did this in 2003
we left at 1am and by 8pm that night we were there
we stayed at anice place and then checked in the a.m.
my ds was 4 we had no issues he slpet til after 8am
we played games on the way, had food in a cooler it was fine
also a tv will help even sit in the back with them

 

[lynz421]

I was jsut looking at that hotel, I have enough hhonor pts to stay there. My only issue is that ? What if I feel I can get closer or even to WDW in the 1 day.
I would lose my pts. Is it terrible difficult to find lodging in the S.Georgia or Jacksonville area as you drive?

 

[RichieGraciemom]

we drive and leave three am and stop at 195 savannah exit 92 or 94 and stayed at laquinta. nice outlets to walk around and outdoor pool three hours from jaxsonville and then into disney by two pm. very maneageable with children and yes you must time dc rush hour this puts you in before 6am. if you leave around noon you should also be ok to miss it. i have friends that do this every year but drive straight throught with six children and in disney by 6 am to see the sun rise. not for me but good for them. try and do it in at least one hotel stop, all that packing and stopping can be stressfull. it can be done with one stop over. good luck

 

[Selket]

I agree with Anne about your timing on leaving Philly on a Friday afternoon. I live in the DC suburbs and the rush hour starts early on Fridays - it could slow you down quite a bit having to go through Baltimore and DC on a Friday afternoon. Fridays in the summer are not as bad as the rest of the year but you could hit major traffic and be so tired you're ready to stop on the other side of DC!

We usually leave early in the morning (6-8 am) and stop over in Savannah or Brunswick. I've not hit a bad hotel in either one - Brunswick seems to be cheaper and you can get good deals on Priceline or Hotwire (or at least I did - like $50 a night for the Holiday Inn in Brunswick near I-95. The South Carolina hotels I've stopped at are usually not as nice. Country Inns and Suites is a good chain - and Embassy Suites of course (both can be around $100 a night however).

From Brunswick it is probably about 4-5 hours to WDW. My younger DS is diabetic and we tend to stop more than usual perhaps....car travel is just rough on him...he tends to run rather high. I am thinking of driving the next trip all in one shot and having a complete day of rest on arrival (check-in Sat night around 10pm and spend Sunday hanging out at the hotel and maybe shopping at DtD). I know the fatigue you get driving down but having to stop and unload the car and eat and swim and blah blah blah is exhausting too! Gosh do I hate having to pack it all up again the next morning!

You might want to get up early Sat and drive to Savannah/Brunswick and you'd have a short drive Sunday.... And you *do* have a DVD player for the car right?

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Yes, I do have a DVD player now. Didn't on the first trip, which is one of the reasons for the three day plan.

The idea was to leave right after DS's graduation from Kindergarten. We may drive the long way around DC. It's what we did last time. Not sure I remember the routes we took, but we drove past some gorgeous mountain views in Virginia and skirted around DC entirely, meeting up with I-95 south of the mess. We met a family at our first hotel who had gone through and it took them twice as long to get as far as we did, even though our mileage was worse. So thanks for the reminder on DC traffic, we'll probably take steps to avoid it!

 

[DeeCeeSW]

I was jsut looking at that hotel, I have enough hhonor pts to stay there. My only issue is that ? What if I feel I can get closer or even to WDW in the 1 day.
I would lose my pts. Is it terrible difficult to find lodging in the S.Georgia or Jacksonville area as you drive?

If you guarantee the reservation with a credit card, they will let you cancel the room up until 6pm. that day. As long as you cancel, you will not lose your points. I really have no idea how difficult it may be to find lodging further south as we have always stopped in either Savannah or Darien, sorry.

 

[lynz421]

Thanks Dee Cee. That is what I was hoping!!!