Where would YOU stay overnight from NJ to WDW (on I-95)??

[kimmar067]

I have been tossing around the idea of staying overnight [rather than driving straight thru] somewhere in South Carolina on the way down to WDW....any suggestions??

 

[madhouserobey]

i drive from maryland and stop in waltersboro sc about 50 miles north of ga. border exit53 in sc days inn.i

 

[kimmar067]

...THANKS! Any other replies???!?!?

 

[postalcop]

we have stayed at La Quinta Inn, in savannah, ga. i think it is exit 94. just as you get in to ga. we usually leave about 3 am. and we live in morris co. there are a lot of hotels and resturaunts at that exit. and the best thing is that disney is only 4 hours away from there. we did drive down straight thru about 2 years ago. but we were way tired to do anything when we got there.
good luck
~sue

 

[ducklite]

Hampton Inn, Richmond Hill, GA. Stayed there several times and always been very pleased.

Anne

 

[Williamsfamily7]

When are you leaving for WDW? We're leaving from Bergen County sometime Saturday morning (maybe 5:00 a.m.?). Planning on stopping around Savannah, GA, Saturday evening. Checking in at CBR Sunday. Can't wait!!!

 

[PortieOwner]

I doubt I would stop (drive 13+ hours from DC anyway, north NJ is about another 3.5 hours). But if I had to, I'd stop in GA, probably around Brunswick.

 

[kimmar067]

When are you leaving for WDW? We're leaving from Bergen County sometime Saturday morning (maybe 5:00 a.m.?). Planning on stopping around Savannah, GA, Saturday evening. Checking in at CBR Sunday. Can't wait!!!

.....we will [hopefully]be leaving between 9 and 10 AM on Friday...how far will we be if we drive for 12 hours (of course, with a few 'pit stops')??

 

[Williamsfamily7]

I mis-spoke in my earlier post. I think we'll be stopping around Brunswick, GA, not Savannah. I think Brunswick is a little further south. I did a Google search and there seem to be quite a few motels right off of I95 around here. I just want something cheap and clean.

If you drive 12 hours (which is about what we do), you'll definitely be in Georgia, I'm thinking around Brunswick. Of course it depends on all sorts of variables - how fast you drive, how often you stop, blah, blah, blah!!!

We're hoping to leave about 4 or 5 hours for Sunday morning so we can hit a park when we get there.

 

[tjmw2727]

We drive from DE (just south of the Jersey line) a couple times a year and like a pp we stop in Savanna GA at exit 94. There are a ton of nice hotels at this exit but we like the Holiday Inn Express. The rooms have a separate living area, a nice pool and the room has plenty of space for my dd's to unwind. There are several nice family restaurants nearby including some in walking distance and a free breakfast in the am.

For us this is ideal as we drive most of the first day but neither dh or I want to do an allnighter. This leaves a shorter drive the next am with enough of the day left to enjoy our WDW resort in the late afternoon/evening.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

.....we will [hopefully]be leaving between 9 and 10 AM on Friday...how far will we be if we drive for 12 hours (of course, with a few 'pit stops')??

If you have AAA you can do an internet map that I find very helpful. It shows the exits with hotels, (and rates them) gas and fast food as well as calculating mileage. I used it to find a good exit starting with 10 hours, then 11 then 12 etc with a max drive tiem of 15 hours the first day. THen you can calculate your remaining drive time based on which exit you make it to.

If you don't have AAA then you can do something similar with mapquest.

FWIW I would highly recommend leaving earlier in the am to avoid the DC traffic, once am rush hour hits it dosen't ease up all day. We usually leave about 4am from Northern DE and just make it through in time.

TJ

 

[malificentsman]

http://www.usastar.com/i95/food.htm

This has info on all I-95 exits

 

[kimmar067]

http://www.usastar.com/i95/food.htm

This has info on all I-95 exits

...wow, thanks for the link...I will definitely try it....

Yesterday, at the resfreshment stand [at football practice] one of the mothers, who recently relocated BACK to NJ [from the Clearwater area] told my DH that we should DEFINITELY leave by 10AM on Friday morning, to avoid the DC rush hour traffic....

 

[ducklite]

...wow, thanks for the link...I will definitely try it....

Yesterday, at the resfreshment stand [at football practice] one of the mothers, who recently relocated BACK to NJ [from the Clearwater area] told my DH that we should DEFINITELY leave by 10AM on Friday morning, to avoid the DC rush hour traffic....

You might miss "some" of the worst of the DC rush, but you'll hit MAJOR shore traffic from NJTpke exit 8 down until you get to MD as everyoen tried to get a head start on the weekend.

Leave at 3:00 am and you'll be through DC before the worst morning rush traffic starts.

Anne

 

[cindala]

Leave at 3:00 am and you'll be through DC before the worst morning rush traffic starts.

Anne

Hi Kim!
Almost time for Disney! Have a great trip!!!!
I agree with Anne. When we did drive to Disney, we always left in the wee hours of the morning to get through DC before morning rush which starts very early, say 6am or so.

Another option that my ex-BIL just took last month, is to drive to Cape May, take the Cape May Lewes Ferry, get off in Delaware, pick up Rt. 13, and take the Chesapeak Bay Bridge/Tunnel, if your stomach can handle all that water! You'll wind up in Norfolk, Virginia bypassing DC altogether.

Good Luck, and have a great, safe, happy trip!!!!
Give Mickey a hug and kiss for me!

 

[ducklite]

Another option that my ex-BIL just took last month, is to drive to Cape May, take the Cape May Lewes Ferry, get off in Delaware, pick up Rt. 13, and take the Chesapeak Bay Bridge/Tunnel, if your stomach can handle all that water! You'll wind up in Norfolk, Virginia bypassing DC altogether.

Good Luck, and have a great, safe, happy trip!!!!
Give Mickey a hug and kiss for me!

I wouldn't suggest this. The ferry is not quick and Norfolk is WAY out of the way.

Anne

 

[mickey mommy]

we have stayed at La Quinta Inn, in savannah, ga. i think it is exit 94. just as you get in to ga. we usually leave about 3 am. and we live in morris co. there are a lot of hotels and resturaunts at that exit. and the best thing is that disney is only 4 hours away from there. we did drive down straight thru about 2 years ago. but we were way tired to do anything when we got there.
good luck
~sue

We also stopped in Savannah, were planning to stay overnight at the same LaQuinta Inn! We walked around Savannah awhile and then got back in the car and finished the drive. Got to Disney a day earlier than expected and just stayed at one of the motels on International Drive. You are right, it was only about another 4 hours or so. We were tired, but since we woke up in Orlando, we were glad we did that.

 

[kimmar067]

NOTE to all you NJ drivers headed to WDW:

DO NOT STAY AT THE ECONOLODGE in Kenly, NC..... YIKES!!

 

[BigTigger]

I posted on the other NJ to WDW thread the details of my trip, but I started near you (Hoboken) at 11:30 am on a summer Thursday (8/3) and was clear of DC by 3 pm and hit no major slowdowns (use EZ Pass or you'll have some at the Delaware tolls). I drove to exit 6 at Hardeeville, SC and stayed at Motel 6 there that was clean and air conditioned with high speed internet for $43. I had intended to drive straight through, but felt tired about 11:30 pm when I stopped for gas in Hardeeville and the motel was right next to the gas stop. There are tons of motels right off I-95 all the way through the Carolinas that advertise themselves as "new" or "newly refurbished" and rates from $29.95 a night. I had a goal of getting to Georgia as the remaining trip is then only 4.5 hours. I slept late and was on the road for day at 9:30 am and reached WDW at 2:30 pm after some slowdowns in Jacksonville (take I-295 around Jax and avoid the I-95/I-10 mess) and a half hour lunch stop at Ormond Beach. Have a safe trip!!

 

[HACAM]

We stopped at the Country Inn and Suites in Florence SC, it was great. It is located just off the I-95, and there are lots of restaurants very close by.