Questions about driving down from NYC

[bangzoom6877]

Hi! Next July we are going back to WDW. We drove last summer and we stopped in Boca Raton first to see some relatives (3 hours south of Disney by car). Next summer we are going to do the same thing, drive to Boca Raton first and stay a few days, then drive to WDW from there. Last summer, we stopped on the first night in Lumberton, NC at the Fairfield Inn. It was fine for the night, and we felt very safe. Safety and cleanliness are my major concerns when stopping over along the way. This hotel was recommended to me by my sister, so I knew I could trust it since her priorities are the same as mine. After that, we stayed over a second night in Savannah, GA right off of I-95 at the SPringhill Suites, which we loved. Then we drove to Boca Raton from there.

DH originally wanted to do the trip with only one stopover night, but that was before we had planned to go back to Boca Raton. Driving from NYC to Boca is close to 20 hours, so stopping over halfway would mean 10 hours of driving 2 days in a row, and we have 2 small children. They will be 3 and 5 when we go next year. They handled last year's trip just fine, taking naps here and there in the car, watching some of their favorite shows on DVD in the car. It was a very pleasant trip, but we drove close to 10 hours the first day, and less than 4 hours the second day so it broke up the trip nicely.

I have been looking at the various exits on I-95 online to see how we could break up the trip more evenly over the course of 3 days of driving (2 nights stopping over), as DH requested, so we don't drive 10 hours one day and very little the next. I came up with Petersburg, Virginia and Savannah, GA. Now, I know the hotel in Savannah so I booked it already. I am not familiar though with the Petersburg, VA area and my biggest fear in this is arriving to an area I do not previously know anything about and finding out it is an unsafe area. So far I booked a Hampton Inn in Fayetteville, NC as the first stopover (a friend recommended it to me), but that is only a little north of Lumberton so it would still mean driving about 9 hours the first day and about 4 and a half the second day to get to Savannah. DH wants to break it up more evenly, as I said above.

Are there any other stopovers you would recommend in the very southern part of Virginia or the very northern part of North Carolina that are right off of I-95 for quick access? Like I said, the only thing we are looking for is a clean and safe place to stay. We prefer something by Hilton or Marriott, like the Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, etc. All of those include a small breakfast which makes things easier also because we can get out quickly in the morning. I am pretty sure we will stick with the hotel in Savannah that I have booked, but is there something else more south in Georgia that you would recommend? Savannah is about 6 and a half hours north of Boca, so being slightly closer would be nice to make the drive on the third day shorter. I have seen that there are a lot of hotels in Brunswick and Kingsland, in the very southern part of Georgia. Again, I don't know anything about these areas or how safe they are to stay overnight.

Any info on where to stay on the way back up from Disney World would be great too, especially if we could only make it one overnight stop and save one night's hotel fee.

Sorry this post is so long, but I would really appreciate any help I could get! Thanks in advance!

 

[GayeofPA]

I rely a lot on websites like tripadvisor, which allows you to find motels for a certain town, and then has reviews that people have written. At least it gives you a place to start!

 

[LindaBabe]

Driving from the Albany area, We've stopped at Lumberton and Savannah, staying in those same hotels. We tend to go down MD and over the bay bridge, so we've also stopped at Virginia Beach / Florence South Carolina. VB is a long haul for us, but if you're south of us it wouldn't be so difficult. That extra 3 hours to Boca is what kills you. Our first stop is Jax, so we don't have to go quite 500 in a day. Our first day would usually be Albany to Salisbury MD, then Florence, and on into Jax on the 3rd day.

I've never stayed in a Marriot in an unacceptable location. We also rely in the I-95 Exit guide. Tells you what hotels, dining and services are available at each exit.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Thanks to both of you for the advice!

I do look on Trip Advisor as well. It seems to me that as long as you are right off of I-95, you are pretty safe, for the most part. My uncle used to drive down to Florida with his family and he had told me that the hotels right off of I-95 are usually a safer bet than the ones on Route 1. He said that although it goes through some nice areas, Route 1 goes through some bad areas and if you are not familiar with a certain area it is more of a risk than staying right off of I-95 because you wouldn't really know how safe it is until you arrive.

How safe is Jacksonville? I have heard it is not a good place to stay overnight. If it is safe, we would be willing to stay there (or maybe just south of there?) instead of Savannah and then continue on to Boca, giving us less driving time and more energy and time to spend with relatives on the day we arrive in Boca.

I have also thought of taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel as an alternate route, to see some things along the way, but I am not so sure now. That was before we planned to stay in Boca again for a few nights. So I am not sure we will be able to afford to do both. We go to Disney every other year now though, and we plan to drive each time. So there are also future trips to consider different routes.

Any other advice, keep it coming! Thanks.

 

[bangzoom6877]

OK, we are now thinking of doing the trip this way....

1.Leaving NYC and driving down to Florence, SC, staying over one night. (10 hours 30 minutes drive).
2. Driving down to the Tampa area to visit DH's cousins for 2 days (7 hours 40 minutes drive from Florence, SC).
3. Driving down to Boca Raton, FL to visit my relatives and stay for 3 days (3 hours 30 minutes drove from Tampa).
4. Driving up to Disney World and staying 10 nights (3 hours drive from Boca Raton, FL).

OK, so what are some good places to stay in Florence? Do you think this is a good way to break up this trip, or is there a better stopover a little further north than Florence? The only one I have experience with is Lumberton, NC, but is there anything between that and Florence that is good and safe to stay?

Could anyone recommend a good hotel in the Tampa area? Again, just looking for a clean, safe place to stay that has fairly easy access to the highway.

 

[patclairesmom]

We are planning on staying at the Microtel in Florence on our way down in May.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We are planning on staying at the Microtel in Florence on our way down in May.

Have you stayed there before? I will look it up on Trip Advisor. Thanks!

 

[patclairesmom]

I haven't, but all the Microtels are relatively brand new, which helps.