? on number of people in a room on the way there.

[momofoneplustwins]

We're a family of 6 and we'll have to stay in a hotel on the way there (14 hr.drive). We have two Adults and three children. I see the limit in most places is four. Do we put a blanket over one of our twins and sneak him it. That's bad, huh I do not see us being able to afford two rooms! Since we don't know where we're stopping and don't have a credit card I'm also concerned the hotel will charge us the very most they can (no coupons, codes...) cause they'll know we're desparate for a room! I'm also trying to talk dh into going out of our way to the Clearwater area and then home (which could add two more hotel nights). I hope this sounds more than rambling (It's late, I'm tired, and I'm soooo confused perusing the GA, Fl, I-75 hotels. Any comments are appreciated except the ones implying maybe we should stay home if we cannot afford two rooms...

 

[Bottlejet]

Don't worry. Most people in Florida can't count any better than you.

 

[Debbie]

You'll do fine with just one room for a night. I forget how old your kids are, but if you need to throw an airmattress on the floor, it is not a problem. My sis does that even though there are just 4 of them (boys too big to sleep together)

When you get into the state, stop at the information centre and pick up the motel guides for discounts. We've saved a bundle with them. If you check Roomsavers , you can see the sorts of discounts you will get. You can even clip your own coupons before you go, if you want.

You are going to have a wonderful trip! Enjoy!

 

[safetymom]

If you are a member of AAA get a free tour book for the states you will be traveling through. They rate the hotels and give special pricing.

 

[Gillian]

It's funny that people seem to think it's horrible to do this at a Disney resort, but ok at a motel on the way there? Personally, I don't care how many people you put in any hotel, Disney or otherwise. As long as I don't have to share a bathroom with all of you.

I do think it would be helpful to plan your route for the way down & pick one or two places where you might stop. It's good to know which exits off the highway have a lot of hotels. If you can't actually pick a place & reserve it before you go, at least try to have a short list of where you think you might stay.

I wish I could think of some of the websites that list hotels off of major highways! You need the online equivalent of those booklets you get at rest stops. I'll look around & see if I can find something!

 

[Gillian]

Try www.roomsaver.com for coupons Most of them are subject to availability at check in, which is perfect for you! You'll still need a map to see what towns you'll be passing through. Print out a bunch of coupons & bring them with you.

 

[undertheradar]

Try looking at "suite" hotels. Many of these come with continental breakfast which is a nice savings. Most hotels take reservations without credit cards, these normally expire at 6:00pm date of arrival. Don't blame hotels for room caps, fire codes control room capacity. You can search for these hotels on the internet and find room types that will accomodate your family.

 

[CarolA]

OK, I give 2 adults and 3 kids equals 5, but you say you are a family of 6.

Personally this is a personal decision and I leave it up to you. Five is probably not a big issue for most hotel though.

 

[BethR]

Originally posted by CarolA
OK, I give 2 adults and 3 kids equals 5, but you say you are a family of 6.

I was wondering the same thing myself, Carol.

 

[momofoneplustwins]

We are a family of five! I reread my post and soooo sorry for the confusion. I haven't gotten much sleep due to all the research I'm putting in for this trip after the kids (3) get too bed. I have checked roomsavers. There are coupons up too 4. We have one too many. The children are of the age that they would all sleep in one bed anyway.

As for the poster who said I couldn't count:

 

[Gillian]

I seriously doubt anyone would care, especially for just the one night. As for sneaking in one of the twins, you may not even have to. If one of you goes in to check rates & get a room, while the rest are in the car, you may be told to go in a different way to reach your room. If it's motel style, with outside doors, the people at the desk won't see you enter the room.

If it makes you feel better, you could call one of the hotels along your route and mention that you have 5 people. See what they say. Maybe they have some rooms that sleep more. Or maybe they'll say it doesn't matter. Or it's $10 extra. It can't hurt to ask ahead of time.

 

[crazymomof4]

and run into this problem too. I know some people have strong opinions on this but I can't see paying for 2 hotel rooms when we are crashing there from midnight to about 7 am. Another concern is how to split up the family between the 2 rooms. Anyway, we only get one room when we're on the road and we never have had any problems from the hotel. Usually there is an outside entrance so no one has the oppotunity to do a "head count". With a port-a-crib and a sleeping bag, we all fit in the room for the 7 hours. Would not want to do an entire vacation like that though!
As to avoiding paying the walk-in rates bc. they know you are desperate: I always try to estimate where we will stop and make a reservation before we leave home. My friend has a different approach. She takes a stack of hotel directories (one from each of the chains) and her in the car w/ her. When they are close (maybe an hour away) to where they think they are going to stop, she uses her cell phone from the car to call the central reservations # of the chains that have a property at their intended stop. She says she gets the same rates as if she had called and made ressies months ahead of time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Comfort Suites have queen suites - two queen beds and one sleeper sofa. You might try them on their web site. Be careful you don't get a king bed room with a single sleeper sofa that only sleeps three instead of six. (Choice Hotels is the website)

 

[Belle5]

Family of 7 here. I work hard to plan where we'll stay on the road so that I can get two rooms on pricline or hotwire for the cost of one room booking it any other way. Then, if they offer a free breakfast (which many of the on the road hotels do) you can freely partake instead of skipping it because you know there are too many of you. I hope you can find a deal.

 

[MrsPete]

My family would drive straight through (with a nice long stop for meals and leg-stretching), thus we'd eliminate the need for a hotel. When we've made drives of this length we've often left around 11:00 at night, which makes it easy. Keep the kids up playing until late that night so they'll sleep in the car. One adult sleeps while the other drives.

 

[prncess674]

I am concerned about you just driving and not having a stopping place in mind especially without a credit card. Please remember not to have your entire vacation fund with you in cash. Spend the extra money and get travellers checks. Join AAA and get free TC's and to boot you can get the tour books and triptick for the road. It will give you peace of mind. AAA can be a lifesaver especially if you break down on vacation.

Also since you don't have a Credit Card could you atleast get a Debit Card from your bank on your checking account? It works just like a CC but it isn't credit. You could then use the Debit Card to reserve your room and then just pay in cash at checkout.

 

[Bottlejet]

"AAA can be a lifesaver especially if you break down on vacation."

Don't call AAA if your car breaks down! Check with local or state law enforcement officers and ask them who to call. Most wrecker companies hate responding to AAA service calls and you will go to the BOTTOM of the list for any wrecker service. My brother is a Florida State Trooper (12 years) and he always advises against joining AAA.

 

[prncess674]

I have had AAA since I was 16 yrs old. It is one of the best investments I have made. They have always responded to any call I have made in 30 minutes or less. Being towed just once will pay for a year's membership. bottlejet I am sorry you have had bad experience with AAA but they would be out of business if it was as bad as you say. I have made calls across the country for AAA. My car has broken down in many states. I had a real clunker in college for a while.

 

[safetymom]

I agree that AAA is the way to go. The travel discounts are great. I have never had a problem when I needed towing. Just like everything else you will find someone with a bad experience. Just because a trooper tells me something makes me wonder what kind of deal they have with a local towing service. Not saying that is the case here but AAA has a very good reputation.

 

[Gillian]

Originally posted by Bottlejet
Check with local or state law enforcement officers and ask them who to call.

Ok, so your car is broken down on the side of the road? Can you call 911 for that? If not, who do you call & how do you get the number?

We've always had good luck with AAA. If a towing company doesn't want to get AAA calls, they won't have a contract with them. DHs cousin does a lot of police towing and no longer works with AAA. It wasn't a good deal for him, because he didn't do the repair work, and that's where the money is.