Driving down- Overnight rest on I-95- To book ahead or not ? - The DIS Discussion Forums

rainbows · 08-05-2009, 06:08 AM

Hi everyone ! =)

Im a bargain hunter (Arent we all

) and I also like to research where im staying, etc.
I was debating whether to book a hotel ahead or not.
We're leaving NJ at about 5-6pm, and plan to stop halfway or more than halfway.
I'd like to book ahead, so that I can read reviews of the hotel, and get a good price. Then part of me thinks we should play it by ear, and when we're tired, we call a place on the navigation thing and stop in...

ThoughtS ?

thanks !

GoHerbie · 08-05-2009, 06:29 AM

We'll be hitting I-95 south in VA and had similar questions. Last year and for this year we booked our hotel in advance. Last year it took 12 hours to get south of Jax so we booked one there again this year. That only gives a 2 hour drive to WDW the next day and after check-in we were in the MK by 11am ish.

You might find a last-minute bargain if hotels have rooms available, but I've been burned by that before. One time while heading north on 95 in FL the first room was available in Savannah due to crowds from bowl games at Jax. After finally finding a room at 1am we said that we'd always reserve ahead of time in the future. If you don't reserve ahead of time, you might find all the rooms are taken up for some kind of festival.

BridgetBordeaux · 08-05-2009, 04:14 PM

Bad weather can also cause normally motivated drivers to pull off the road and spend the night. This can cause rooms to abruptly fill up fast. I would encourage you to make a reservation somewhere.

tjbaggott · 08-05-2009, 07:15 PM

When are you travelling and approximately where do you think you'd be stopping (city). I get the room saver catalogue on by email and have some coupons with great rates. We'll be stopping around Fayetteville, but aren't travelling till the end of October. We'll also be staying off site in Orlando for two nights prior to our Disney Package start, and for that one, I found that booking ahead gave me a better rate than using the coupon in room saver.
I can tell you some of the current specials for the area you'd be stoppin in. I have coupons that go from now to the end of October, depending on the hotel.

Gowahoowa · 08-05-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainbows

Hi everyone ! =)

Im a bargain hunter (Arent we all

) and I also like to research where im staying, etc.
I was debating whether to book a hotel ahead or not.
We're leaving NJ at about 5-6pm, and plan to stop halfway or more than halfway.
I'd like to book ahead, so that I can read reviews of the hotel, and get a good price. Then part of me thinks we should play it by ear, and when we're tired, we call a place on the navigation thing and stop in...

ThoughtS ?

thanks !

We've stopped in Florence, SC which is about halfway to WDW. We would leave at around 6am from South Jersey and be in Florence, SC between 4 and 5pm. We would stop for a picnic lunch, gas, and bathroom breaks. Florence has nice hotels right off the highway near the convention center. Easy on, Easy off. This year, we're aiming for Savannah, GA on the first day so that we have a shorter day 2 drive. We think it'll take us 12-13 hours to get us there!

NALA 24 · 08-05-2009, 08:30 PM

I would definitely make reservations and make sure you can cancel them by 6 pm. If you change your plans, you can call from the road.

08-05-2009, 06:08 AM	#1
rainbows Earning My Ears Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 14	Driving down- Overnight rest on I-95- To book ahead or not ? Hi everyone ! =) Im a bargain hunter (Arent we all ) and I also like to research where im staying, etc. I was debating whether to book a hotel ahead or not. We're leaving NJ at about 5-6pm, and plan to stop halfway or more than halfway. I'd like to book ahead, so that I can read reviews of the hotel, and get a good price. Then part of me thinks we should play it by ear, and when we're tired, we call a place on the navigation thing and stop in... ThoughtS ? thanks !

08-05-2009, 06:29 AM	#2
GoHerbie Mouseketeer Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 355	We'll be hitting I-95 south in VA and had similar questions. Last year and for this year we booked our hotel in advance. Last year it took 12 hours to get south of Jax so we booked one there again this year. That only gives a 2 hour drive to WDW the next day and after check-in we were in the MK by 11am ish. You might find a last-minute bargain if hotels have rooms available, but I've been burned by that before. One time while heading north on 95 in FL the first room was available in Savannah due to crowds from bowl games at Jax. After finally finding a room at 1am we said that we'd always reserve ahead of time in the future. If you don't reserve ahead of time, you might find all the rooms are taken up for some kind of festival. __________________ Aug 2012 POR, Dec '11 CBR, July '11 MK day trip, Nov 08 & 09 - POR, 1992-DL

08-05-2009, 04:14 PM	#3
BridgetBordeaux DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,708	Bad weather can also cause normally motivated drivers to pull off the road and spend the night. This can cause rooms to abruptly fill up fast. I would encourage you to make a reservation somewhere. __________________ Fort Wilderness 1972, 1978 Honeymoon 1993 offsite Shades of Green Sept 2000, April 2006, June 2008, Sept 2008, June 2009 POP Dec 2009, June/Sept 2010, June/Sept 2011, May/Sept 2012, May/Sept 2013

08-05-2009, 07:15 PM	#4
tjbaggott DIS Veteran Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa Ontario Canada Posts: 3,534	When are you travelling and approximately where do you think you'd be stopping (city). I get the room saver catalogue on by email and have some coupons with great rates. We'll be stopping around Fayetteville, but aren't travelling till the end of October. We'll also be staying off site in Orlando for two nights prior to our Disney Package start, and for that one, I found that booking ahead gave me a better rate than using the coupon in room saver. I can tell you some of the current specials for the area you'd be stoppin in. I have coupons that go from now to the end of October, depending on the hotel. __________________ 2009 TRIP REPORT HERE! http://www.disboards.com/showthread....4#post33846824[/CENTER]

08-05-2009, 08:30 PM	#6
NALA 24 Mouseketeer Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Northeast PA Posts: 220	I would definitely make reservations and make sure you can cancel them by 6 pm. If you change your plans, you can call from the road. __________________ VACATIONS ARE NECESSARY AND FUN! '88 Treehouse Villas;'93 Carribean Beach Resort;'95 Carribean Beach Resort;'96 Buena Vista Suites;'97 Coronado Springs Resort;'99 Contemporary Resort; '01 WDW Swan;'03 WDW Swan/ AKL; '04 HH/AKL;'05 HH; '06 Universal/WDW Swan; '07 Cruise to Mexico; '08 Cruise to Bermuda; '09 POFQ; '10 Myrtle Beach; '11 Cruise to the Bahamas

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