Anyone NOT able to get a hotel while driving to WDW?

[Kim&Chris]

Here's my worst fear: We're driving to WDW early December and plan to stop either in Fredericksburg or Santee (SC). I'm afraid of getting into a lobby of a hotel and hearing, "sorry, no vacancies".

Has this ever happened to any of you?

 

[RobinLyn]

I didn't do this, but my neighbor next door did last November with 3 kids in a van. The problem they had was finding a place to stay that was even close to nice/clean. She said she would never drive to WDW again without a one night reservation at a decent hotel in Georgia or SC. They drove straight through without stopping over night and said they won't do that again either.

There is a web site with hotels listed off I-95 here: http://www.usastar.com/i95/lodging.htm

RobinLyn

 

[DaveH]

It depends on what is going on when you plan to drive. If there is a big event near where you want to stop that will happen. The safe thing to do is figure a good days drive will take you to and make a ressie ahead of time. Have a safe and magical trip.

 

[The Duchess]

Go to www.interstate4u.com which will help you plan your trip. You can find information on mileage, rest areas, construction etc.... You'll also find a list of every exit from Point A to Point B listing every eating place, hotel/motel, fuel stop etc...
It's a great site and we use it every trip (we drive from Southern Mass.) We always make our reservations by estimating mileage and driving time. Definately stick to the known chains like Marriott, Hampton Inn, Sheraton etc...Also, book hotels with "Interior" corridors, not "Exterior"...SAFER! Book the best hotel closest to your major route (ie...right off I95) Once we drove around in the dark looking for our hotel...SCARY!!! O-:
Definately worth the $ to plan ahead.
We are driving to Fredericksburg, VA (Hampton Inn...has exterior corridors, but Fredericksburg seems fairly safe) then to Savannah, GA (Hampton Inn, Historic District) then Disney.
Return Trip Florence, SC (Wingate Inn) and Wilmington, DE (Doubletree.)
Hope this helps!

 

[JudithM]

When we drove down the Friday after Easter a couple of years ago, we had a hard time finding a room. We tried the Hampton Inn in Richmond Hills because we had stayed there on previous trip & like it - no rooms. There were either no vacancies or I wasn't going to pay over $100 a night for a room. We ended up at a Best Inn that turned out to be THE WORST INN - no hot water, no heat, no a/c, no 1st floor rooms at all occupied. The next morning as were were leaving I heard other people say they had no hot water. I went to the front desk & they ended up "comping" our room. It sure was nice to get a shower at WDW!

On another trip we left the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We called ahead & made reservations at a Hampton Inn in SC. Well, it rained a lot & driving did not go as quickly as we thought. I called a Hampton Inn in NC - got a reservation & they cancelled my SC reservation.

We do not usually know how far we will get on any given day, but I would suggest that if it is a holiday weekend, to make reservations ahead of time.

 

[VickiVM]

You know those travel guides they have in every gas station convenience store that has motel discounts coupons? Well you can order them online, or better yet, print coupons off their website www.roomsaver.com

The savings are substantial, but the downside is that you cannot make advance ressies. They're meant to fill up vacancies at the last minute. Many of the discounts are for major chains that you can look up on that motel's website to get a better feel of what the property looks like and the amenities.

You can print several for the areas you might be in when you're ready to call it a day, then call on a cell to check for vacancies.

 

[The Duchess]

I took my own advice and rescheduled to the Wingate Inn at Fredericksbury, VA....interior corridors.

 

[mouseclick1]

The Duchess-
Thanks for posting that link! It is the best one I have seen to help find the right food, gas, and lodging on the road.

 

[skeezixspud]

Use the interstate lodging guide site to find out the names of the cities you are going through (sometimes it's not obvious on the map which ones have lodging). Then go out to Priceline, bid on the highest star-rating available, and get something reserved at a decent price. I do this ALL the time; we haven't spent over $30 on a road-trip overnight in the past 3 years.

If you or anyone you know is a AAA member, get a Triptik made for your route; it will give warnings on construction zones along the way, so you will know where the possible delays are.

If you are determined to "wing it" and want to feel assured of getting something, you should plan to stop no later than 6 pm in summer, 4 pm in winter. If you have a cell phone, call from the parking lot and ask for their best available rate; the price is likely to be MUCH better than they would offer at the desk.

I gave up on "winging it" nearly 20 years ago; it's a major money-waster.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Just an idea that we have used is to stock up on a few directories from a few hotels chains.We like Hampton Inn best. We wait until we are within a few hours of needing and a room and call on our cell phone to reserve one. It puts us ahead of last minute walk-ins yet we are not locked into a a location too early.


Jordan's mom