uugh help, nowhere to stay on the way

[Finally08]

We are leaving for WDW on 5/1. We are planning to drive about halfway and stay overnight...which is the Tallahassee area. However I can't find ANY hotels with openings (I am checking decent hotels btw).
This happened to us last year when we went to dis...I figured we'd just stop and get a room along the way and quickly learned that can't be done. We drove till 3am, checking in at every hotel we passed between Tallahassee and Lake City (which are a few hours apart) and could fine nowhere to sleep. We nearly slept in our car. I am so not doing that again!!!

Why are all the freaking hotels booked up?!?!? This is a bad sign.

 

[WDW_Vacationer]

If you can make it another hour and a half you can get to Lake City right at the I-10/I-75 interchange, there are hotels there.....Tallahassee could be booked with conventions or something going on around Florida St.

 

[Finally08]

If you can make it another hour and a half you can get to Lake City right at the I-10/I-75 interchange, there are hotels there.....Tallahassee could be booked with conventions or something going on around Florida St.

I'm just afraid of making it that far. Tallahassee is about 6 1/2 hours if we drive straight through...Lake City looks to be about 8 1/4...we can't leave till about 4pm when the kids get home and we have to make a stop along the way that will eat about an hour. So we could be in Tallahassee for 11:30-12....Lake City would be more like 1 or 2am. I am just worried about driving tired and then being exhausted the next day. I stay up that late every night here at home working, but driving just makes me cross eyed...and dh is useless after 10pm.

 

[ancestry]

What are you calling a "decent" hotel? I checked hotels for the evening of May 1st on Travelocity and I found alot that had availability in the Tallahassee Area -- Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Fairfield Inn, etc.

 

[Mikailova]

FSU's Spring graduation is that weekend. With it being such a big school, that's why you can't find a room. Sorry that just sucks.

I'd recommend trying one of the little towns between Pensacola and Tallahassee. I'm assuming this is how you're coming since you're siggy says you're from Louisiana. Maybe Marianna or Sneads. They're little towns along I-10 about 1/2 way between Pensacola and Tallahassee. I only know about them, cause my grandparents used to live just outside Pensacola. There's also Crestview, where my grandparents lived, though it's just outside Pensacola, but this should help you find a hotel room within an hour of Tallahassee, without sticking you in the middle of all the graduation mess.

You might only be able to find a little Holiday Inn Express or a Days Inn, cause they're pretty small towns off the highway, but I imagine for one night just to have crash space on the way to Disney, it would be fine.

 

[Finally08]

What are you calling a "decent" hotel? I checked hotels for the evening of May 1st on Travelocity and I found alot that had availability in the Tallahassee Area -- Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Fairfield Inn, etc.

I know I just checked Fairfield and it said no availability. I am going to check through Travelocitiy...

when I mean decent all of the above sound good. I am avoiding the Motel 6's and such...we went through some nasty hotels in Fl on our way home in Sept and I quickly became a bit of a snob after seeing and breathing some of those rooms. Not to mention the general area outside the hotel...I want to feel like I'm safe, and my car's safe. But back in Feb 08, there wasn't even a roach motel to be found along the way to WDW!

 

[budmonster]

Can you make it a little bit further to Gainesville, FL. It's about 45 - hour from Lake City and right off 75. Then your only about 2 1/2 hours from DISNEY . There are some nice hotels over there. PM if you need a list.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

That's probably right around graduation for FSU/FAMU. My daughter attended FSU & we always stayed at a Comfort Suite right off of I-10 near the Tallahassee Mall. There's also I think an Embassy Suite up there right off of I-10, but we never stayed there. The other hotels we stayed at were actually on Appalachee Parkway and are really nice.

Good luck in your search.

 

[paxsarah]

It looks like it's UFL's commencement too, so Gainesville might not be much better.

 

[Finally08]

Can you make it a little bit further to Gainesville, FL. It's about 45 - hour from Lake City and right off 75. Then your only about 2 1/2 hours from DISNEY . There are some nice hotels over there. PM if you need a list.

No, that would be even more driving...I have no problem finding hotels in Lake City so we may have to do that...we'll just be getting there REALLY late. I think Gainesville is where we ended up last Feb after driving all night....we joked that we should have just gone to AKL and slept in the parking lot until it was time for check in.

 

[akc1898]

I live in Crestview and we have several "nice" hotels, we are still 2 hours west of Tallahassee-6 hours from Orlando. Try Marrianna that is only 45 minutes west of Tallahassee. If that doesn't work just look at a map and follow cities east and west. Most of the "cities" right off the interstate only have one or 2 hotels.

That is probably graduation weekend for FSU. Hotels are hard to come by graduation and big football weekends.

Goodluck,
Amanda

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hi from a fellow Louisiana resident. Where are you in Louisiana? We are in Louisiana. We usually drive until we get to Crestview or somewhere near Crestview. If I am remembering correctly, there is a Jameson Inn there that's nice.

 

[Finally08]

Amanda, thanks for recommending Crestview (although you probably won't see this now, lol)!

I booked a room with a really great rate there...the Jameson Inn. It seemed to have good reviews on Travelocity.
I was hoping to get a little closer to the mouse, but at least this way I won't be driving bug eyed and risking anyone's life. And with us having to drive less that night I told dh we now have time to detour to Foley and eat at Lambert's for dinner...throwed rolls here I come!

Oh hey above me! Glad to hear you liked that hotel!! We are just a little northeast of Baton Rouge, in Denham Springs.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Amanda, thanks for recommending Crestview (although you probably won't see this now, lol)!

I booked a room with a really great rate there...the Jameson Inn. It seemed to have good reviews on Travelocity.
I was hoping to get a little closer to the mouse, but at least this way I won't be driving bug eyed and risking anyone's life. And with us having to drive less that night I told dh we now have time to detour to Foley and eat at Lambert's for dinner...throwed rolls here I come!

Oh hey above me! Glad to hear you liked that hotel!! We are just a little northeast of Baton Rouge, in Denham Springs.

I just spoke with my husband (who happened to call me) and I asked if it was the Jameson and he said yes. They have a great continental breakfast there. We were able to pick up a couple of pieces of fruit, some yogurt and milk and we were back on the road!

We usually leave West Monroe around 6:00 p.m. and stop around Crestview. The next morning, we are up and at 'em. We take the drive from Crestview to Kissimmee easier than the first part. I just hate the drive from West Monroe to Pensacola. It's soooo boring.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I'm glad u found a room Finally08 !

My dd just got accepted to FSU and I was about to post about the graduation that weekend. I need to attend a campus orientation in June with her and I'm also finding alot of hotels booking up fast. We just did a drive from Tallahassee to WDW in March. It is a 4 to 4.5 hour drive.

Maria

 

[MattM]

May 1 is graduation weekend for FSU.

 

[dryvithome]

Glad to hear you got a room. Our family usually looks at bed and breakfasts when we go, and are coming from Texas. Panhandle region of FL is about halfway for us as well. You'd be surprised at how inexpensive some of the B&B's are. Much quieter than a hotel/motel as well. Our favorite is in Bonifay- linky below.

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/florida-bonifay-the-fig-tree-page.html

Joann is very nice and great to talk to. She doesn't mind children being there unlike some other places.

Have fun at WDW! May even notice you during that week as a fellow DISer. We'll be running around during that time as well and if I can remember, we'll have the lime green mickey head on.