FYI ~ Just for Fun! Check out my Flying vs. Driving Budget!

[SandraC]

Hi all, we flew to WDW last April for $1100.00 (CDN) 2 adults, one child, one free baby. This coming April 2002, we are flying again, this time we must buy the baby a ticket since he'll be over 2 years old. So, I thought, well, maybe we should drive to save $$$. I calculated 11 airlines (WOW, big job) and came up with 4 tickets from Toronto to Orlando, the range was $1729.00 to $2700.00 (CDN). I'll round it up to $1800.00, adding in Airport Limos to and from the airport and add $300.00 for a car rental. So car & air total $2100.00 (CDN).

Driving, I thought would HAVE to be cheaper. We would definately have to do two nights stop overs there and back. We are not long distance drivers. Three days driving at 8 hours each day, add stops, 10 hour days in a car.
COST (all in Canadian Funds)
4 nights of extra hotels $400.00
Gas $500.00
Loss of pay (only counting 4 days of the 6, since we would take off two air travel days anyway) $1200.00
I won't calculate extra food since we'd be eating those days anyway.
TOTAL $2100.00

WOW! I was shocked to see that if works out the same! Definately FLYING is the way to go for us!

This summer we are taking a 2 week driving trip, traveling 5 hours per day. If that goes well, MAYBE I'll consider a FLORIDA driving trip in the future. S

[MICOL]

Plus it is so much safer to fly than it is to drive. From Mass. its a 21-24 hour drive. We have a direct flight from Delta in April and we are there in 3 hours.

[4nana]

We felt it might be cheaper to drive too - but after some caculation came to the same conclusion. We recently traveled to Europe and with all the airport security it seems to be much safer. Why spend your vacation driving when you could be in sunny Florida in a few hours relaxing.
:sunny:

[sueg]

We live "closer" to WDW than you do. We drove NJ to WDW in a day and a half, staying over one night on the road and staying the second nt. at WDW. I think that you have some inflated numbers in your driving budget. First, we we never spent $100. per nt. for rooms. We stayed at nice places, for e.g. Spring Hill Inn, which was a suite and included breakfast. I found almost all places included breakfast and all the breakfasts were good buffets. I've never tried Holiday Inn Express, but their prices are resonable and inc. breakfast. I also think that your gas prices are a little high. I don't know what you drive, but the steady drive of I-95 gives good mileage and the gas prices are currently less than $1 per gal. If you want to fly, of course you should. But if you are relying on your numbers to decide, I think your numbers are high.

[lawgs]

the dollars she is quoting are CANADIAN DOLLARS....which means for each USD she has to figure 1.60 CDN......

that might make the numbers seem out of wack...it would be like 1300$ USD

[kellymonaghan]

Remember, sueg, that SandraC's figures are in CANADIAN dollars. The US dollar equivalent would be less. $100 Canadian dollars equals $63.67 at today's exchange rate. That seems about right for a decent hotel for a family of four, although you could probably do a little better.

I found this an interesting thread because I was considering doing a similar calculation for my next trip. Believe it or not I actually like driving down sometimes, just for the time away from ringing phones.

But I think SandraC's got it right. Especially when you take into account the value of the time you lose, it's probably cheaper to fly.

[Orky15]

As kids, my sister and I loved driving down to Florida from Ohio... we usually did make a stop over on the way down but not the way back. But it was fun time to spend in the car... (of course, we got along well ;o)

Recently, I flew down and found that to be great... it's such a short trip, it was amazing to just suddenly be in Florida... and all the extra time we got to spend at the pool splashing around rather than in the car was nice in a different more relaxing way!

[BoyLovesBuzz]

Oh I totaly disagree with your numbers as well. Here is how I calculate it:


$400.00 - Hotels
$500 - Gas
$1200.00 - Pay Loss
$1,000,000 Minimum amount it would take to get me to drive from Canada to Florida with two small kids :bounce: :bounce:


TOTAL $1,002,100.00

I think it would be much cheaper to fly;-)

Have a great trip!!!!!!!

[Orky15]

<giggle>

I can see how costly that could be...

I'm still in awe that my parents were able to make it down in the car with my sister and I... though really, we were very self-occupying and liked to pretend the back seat was our own kingdom!!!

One advantage to driving... every mile you go, your anticipation grows. By the time you get to Disney and see the signs you are in ectasy!

But I personally recommend flying, for time/entertainment value

[DisOrBust]

How I figiured it was 0.25 mile. 1300 miles from WI .
325 cost each way. That is figurring in Wear and Tear.

2 noc at hotel 100.00

The rest is pretty much even. No vacation days lost because we are leaving after work and arriving late the next day.

We have flown the past three year and I am tired of it. I e hate the 1200 in airfare, 400 in car rental and last year the straw that broke the camels back was the 125 in parking at the airport when we got back.

We flew direct Midwest Express great flight but you still burn 2 days fllying. It is still a "hassle" getting to and from the airport.

We will see if I am singing a different tune after January, LOL!

[Ballybunion3]

We are 14 hours drive from WDW. One night at hotel, plus dinner, each way = $400. Two tanks of gas (!) each way for a total of $80. Throw in lunch each way & it's a total of 530 bucks. I definitely don't count loss of pay - we drive 3/4 of the way and use the hotel pool, have a nice dinner together - part of the vacation & anticipation for arrival to WDW!

To make flying worth it, we'd have to get an airfare of < $90 per person. And that doesn't take into account rental car, parking, potential loss of luggage, etc.

For Canadian visitors, I can definitely see flying as the best option. But for a large family within 15 hours drive, driving is worth considering.

[hercamore]

Another point to consider flying vs driving is what time of year is your vacation?

I do not want to be driving from Minnesota to Florida on treacherous roads in the dead of winter.

[SandraC]

I thank everyone who posted a reply. It's wonderfully interesting to read your great posts! THANKS!

Another nice thing about flying is the whole airport thing ~ WHAT ~ YOU SAY! Well, last April, dd was 7 and ds was only 15 months and not really walking much. We had such a nice time in the airport. We got there early and rested. We feed the baby his breakfast, enjoyed a cup of coffee, watched the airplanes take off and land, meet great folks who were also going to WDW. The flight attendants were great too. The sound of the engines getting ready to go was cool! The minute I wake up in the morning to go to the airport, I feel like I am on vacation. I guess driving would be like that too.

The greatest thing is being in the MK by 4pm the same day! I am tearing up just thinking about it!

[mike80124]

we have alway driven to disney world from colorado. it takes us 2 1/2 days getting there and 2 days back. here what it costs to mile is 1857 each way. we take our minivan. gets 24 mpg. depends on gas price but avg is 250 in gas 3 nites of hotels at 60 a nite is 180 food for five we figure fast food on the way so 55 a day for food total is about 230.. lost of pay 0 i have the time paid off 4 weeks a year plus sick days . so the total for driving from colorado to wdw is about 700. give or take a few dollars. here is fly 5 full round trip tickets cheapest i could find from dia was 305 . that is 1500 not including transportation to and from the airport.. we like driving have and we have fun with it... plus saves us about 800 dollars which make more trips to disney. i rather drive and go 2 times a year than fly and go once

[hockey mom]

We drive from Ont. also and never spend that much. In gas total for round trip is $300 CDN tops. We don't like to stop so no motel money and only stop for one breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the first time ever we flew from Buffalo which was nice, but still over $1200 more than driving down.

[SandraC]

I wish we could drive straight thru, but I can't see it right now. ds is 2 yo and not a great car kids ~ 24 hours in a car would NOT be fun. dd is 8 yo, better than ds, but still "ARE WE THERE YET" would drive my nuts. We drove down as kids with dad at the wheel. My dad was used to LONG car drives with the line of work he's in, but my dh is not. I don't think he'd be much good behind the wheel on a long drive. We considered driving thru the night, but I can't drive good at night, I can't see depth, weird eh? I think dh would get too tired. He's tired at the best of times. Still, I think I would like to drive sometime. dh makes a good wage and would lose it with added days to drive. I make good money too, even thou I am PT. I don't count the cost of food because we would be paying for food anyway. Thanks to everyone who wrote, keep them coming! S

[marli]

I have always taken the plane to get to florida, but i have to say that since my kids came along the airport thing is not so relaxing anymore. I'm starting to feel anxiety at the thought of all the baggage we would need to take (not to mention carseats for three kids since renting carseats can add up fast). I am hoping(!) that we will go back to Disney in Nov or Dec of next year and I'm already considering the option of driving vs flying. Living in Canada is great but why do we have to live so far from Disney:D . I have read something about an 'auto train' fron Lorton, Va which is- according to Mapquest -around 11 hours away from Montreal, it seems as if it may be an alternative to driving the full way down to florida- you only need to drive halfway and the train takes you and your car the rest of the way! Sorry that I don't know anything about pricing but I only read about it here recently on the boards. Anyway, no matter how you get there you are sooo lucky to be going ! Enjoy:)

[Bunchkin]

We were all set to drive to WDW for our upcoming trip in early Feb. BUT...when airlines drasticly lowered their prices we decided to fly. We were able to get an awesome price of $408 round trip for the 3 of us (from Chicago).
Facturing in driving cost (fuel), one night's hotel stay each way, plus food and the loss of my husband's pay (he does not receive paid vacation time); the difference was a saving of almost $600. Which includes the cost of a rental and parking at the airport.

So we will be flying this trip! Which is probably a good thing, because I'm not sure how long our 4 yr old DD would remain the normally pleasant child she is! AND I'm pregnant and I don't know how long I would remain pleasant being stuck in a car for hours on end! :crazy: ;)

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

I know for us I WANT to fly. As a kid we drove the 20 something hour drive every single year and by the time I turned 18 I dreaded that looong trip. Unfortunately the long trip was to visit relatives we did not have the money to fly or visit Disney except for once. When I got my 1st job & saved enough money I flew to FL while my parents drove down & they met me at the airport. That one trip was all it took to get me hooked on flying to FL. I have not driven down their in years and years.
Now with two small kids and a new baby coming soon I really have zero desire to drive all the way to FL. Driving vs. Flying is a decision that is different for everyone. I am impressed at all the different reasons and calculations everyone is coming up with! It is great to read all the different posts!

[momejay]

I used to drive down all the time when I was in college. My brother owned a house about an hour away from Disney World. After all that driving, we used to drive the hour each way four or five times that week to save on hotel bills. I can't believe how stupid I was then. We probably spent a fortune on gas, wear & tear on the car, & not to mention driving an hour home at midnight from Pleasure Island.
I have thought about driving with my three. We have a minivan with a VCR. How bad could it be? We drove about 3 hours for Thanksgiving dinner & spent the night. (as a test run) I will NEVER drive to FLORIDA AGAIN!
I have always been able to get a flight that doesn't break me. We are going in Jan. & I paid $130 per person round trip. Three hours trapped on an airplane is much better than three hours in a car. I have to drive & referee. On the airplane, they MUST do homework or they can't go to the parks. You can't believe how silent they are when threatened with not seeing fireworks at the castle until their homework is done.

[kntheboys]

I just wanted to add my $.02 worth!

We drove out to DC and Williamsburg and Niagara Falls on a long (3 week) trip in June/July of 2000 with our 4 boys (then ages 3,5,7,9). We also drove to Pennsylvania when we just had the oldest 2 (they were then ages 2 and 3 1/2). On both trips, we drove 13 hours the first day, then 8-10 hours the second day. I could not believe they were MY kids! I think the excitement of the trip kept them busy, because I had a truckload of things for them to do (even bought little gifts at garage sales and wrapped them up for them to open occasionally). But you know what? I didn't use those wrapped gifts on that first trip until day 13 of a 14 day trip!

My kids are MUCH better on a LONG trip than on a short 1-3 hour trip! I can't figure it out! Maybe it's because I spend a lot of time that first day expecting them to act up, so I try to keep them busy?? I don't know! The entire first day (13 hours) of our trip last year, my then 3 year old played with his magnadoodle and a little tarzan figure! We were even stuck construction traffic in Chicago for THREE hours literally standing still, and NOT ONE made a peep! DH and I were more crabby than the boys!

We are flying down to Florida on Jan. 31st, but DH actually wants to drive instead! (And now we have ANOTHER boy who will be 2 months at the time!)

I know with a family our size, we would save money driving!

[SandraC]

WOW! Where did you get airfare for $130! I just figured our April airfare and it's $2052! for 4 uof us! YIKES!

[cottontail]

Hi, we are also from Ontario and drive down with one motel stop each way.
Also I pack a lunch for the first day and lots of snacks and drink boxes etc. Our motel stay will always be a motel that serves cont. breakfast so we can just get up grab a quick bite in our room and drive again. Also it cuts down on meal costs. Our lunch stops are usually subway or wendys. Supper will be near the motel in a moderate priced restaurant like pizza.

We leave early 3 or 4 a.m. and do usually 12 to 14 hours the first day, then the next day is shorter, we are on our way by 7 or 8 a.m. the next day. Sometimes to make the trip a little shorter we will stop our second night around ormond beach/daytona, walk the ocean in the a.m. and then on to disney the next afternoon. I think it cuts off 1 and a half hours.

Good luck on your decision. You know it would be nice to get there in less than 3 hours by flying though, I have never flown and probably never will, but that is just me, my hubby would fly in a minute. Have fun.

Deb.

[SandraC]

FINALLY! My dates are published with the airlines: I can't beleive the huge price increase over last year and it's the same week!

AIR CANADA $2062
AIR TRANSAT $2092

4 people! YIKES! 2 adults, 2 children

[singitalto]

Ok, Within the last year we went to WDW 4X(Thank You Jesus!!!!) WE drove 2X, flew once and took a train once about the same price as a cheap plane fair..
Driving- it depends on the stess level of the people driving, to wether it is worth it or not. We live about 20 hours to WDW. When my kids and I drove last Feb with my Sister and Mom and kids- it was GREAT! When we drove in May with DH driving it was pretty bad. My DH was so stressed out driving he pretty much ruined our vacation.

We are a family of four. To fly right now it would be about $700-800 and remember you have to rent a car (about $300).
It would be about $200 in gas and tolls to drive. I use priceline hotels and have the gotten the bargain of my life of a Holiday Inn for $12 total per night ($24 ) the last two times we drove. So for me driving is way more afforable

Flying(train cost the same) and car rental- about $1000
Driving - about $300($200 gas and tolls+$25 hotels+$75 food)
I bring a cooler in the car.
I don't take into consideration pay loss because if we drive I count that as we are on vacation already. Right now- as we stand Driving is a bit cheaper.

[Doctor P]

We drive from Illinois. My conservative budget for the driving part of our current trip is $390. Much cheaper to drive for us, though it is ore tiring and takes a little longer to get there.

[BVC4us]

We drive down from Massachusetts. It is approximately the same distance from Toronto,Ontario give or take about 20 miles. I grew up in Toronto and we drove to Florida every year. I guess that's why we do it now with our kids. For us, we stay over in an hotel one night on the way down and 2 nights on the way back. Our total driving trip, including the motel nights, food, gas and tolls was $625. So for us it is cheaper to drive. Plus, we really don't mind driving and either do the kids.

[SandraC]

At first glance it seemed cheaper for us to drive, but when I consider loss of income, driving becomes a HUGE expense. BUT! Saying that. We are now considering driving in a year. We will still fly in April, but we thought about taking a one year break from Disney (dare I say it) so we are looking at other destinations. When I add up the driving time on the other destinations, it comes to about the same driving time as it would driving to WDW! So now I am re-thinking the whole thing! So now I need all your driving advice! THX S

[Sorcerer]

I just did this comparison today too, so it was fun to read this entire thread for everyone else's take on the matter. I found cheap airfare ($130 each roundtrip, non-stop from Norfolk, VA to Orlando) this afternoon and had to decide whether to continue with my plan to drive or take the flight instead. I could make the drive to Orlando with one hand tied behind my back, we've done it so many times! My parents started a notebook with the best exits off I-95 for gas, food, etc. They always drive as mom doesn't like to fly. I normally drive as I like the convenience of having my car, but I really don't enjoy driving back. We normally drive overnight (leave about 6pm and arrive at 6am so not much traffic!) to go down, but drive home during the day. Ugh.

So, this is how I figured that flying 2 adults at $130 each would be better:
Gas, wear and tear on the car: figure at 26 cents per mile = about $468

[SandraC]

dh is more comfortable doing all the driving, but that's way too much driving for him ~ 24 hours one way! If I did some of the driving he wouldn't sleep or even relax. I'm a good driver, he's just weird. He wanted to drive thru the night, but I don't trust him, isn't that bad! I think since he's not used to it, he would make mistakes. He said he'd drive 12 hours thru the night, sleep during the day and do it again the next night. He said the kids and I should sleep in the car, but I know I wouldn't. So I was thinking about just leaving very very early, about 4am and driving until about 4pm, just in time for check in at a hotel. Then do the same the next day. On the way back I think we would stop twice and enjoy the sights because I think I would weep all the way home from WDW!

[cottontail]

Hi Sandra,
We are from Hamilton and that is exactly what we do. We leave between 3 and 4.a.m. The children go back to sleep in the car. We take blankets and pillows, lots of snacks and drinks. When you pick a motel to stop at your first night, try getting one with an indoor pool, (if your children like that sort of thing to get some exercise after sitting) or pick one near one of those fab factory outlet malls. then after sitting in the car all day you can stroll for a couple of hours in a mall after your supper then early to bed, and back up to drive again around 7 or 8. Try and book a motel that has a continental breakfast included in your price. Use the restaurants for washrooms instead of unstaffed rest stops, you can pick up a snack too.

Like I said sometimes we stay at daytona on our second night rather than wdw just to save the hour and a half drive, plus to have a stroll on the ocean in the a.m. then head to wdw the next day, by noon. It also saves paying big money for a wdw resort and not arrive till dinner time.

Make sure you have your birthcertificates, a bag with medicines gravol, tynelol etc right up front in the car, also extra wipes and bags. We drive thru niagra, new york, pennsylvania, etc if it is not winter. In winter you might want to do i 75. We are driving in april this year, although dh says he would still rather fly. (if they flew straight to florida out of john munroe airport in hamilton i might think about it). Have fun.

Deb

[sammi]

Hi Deb! Another Hamiltonian here! LOL;)

Boy I'd love it if flights left from Mount Hope! Our next trip is scheduled for March of next year and I hope that maybe West Jet (since it's really taking off here**pun**! LOL) will start up flights to Florida! It would be so much more of a convienience for us! Let's keep our fingers crossed.;) :wave:

[SandraC]

WOW! We should all write letters to WEST JET to fly to FLORIDA! I would love that too! We are in Mississauga, it's about 40 minutes drive to Mount Hope, but way more convenient than Pearson. My SIL lives in Ancaster, so we could leave our car there! Driving might be an option soon, however, I am getting discouraged with Disney costs, and not in a Disney mood these days.

[cottontail]

Hi Sammi:

Nice to hear from you, yes that would be so convenient to fly out of mount hope airport, but straight to florida rather than to pittsburgh like the one that flew out a few years ago. I have never flown, but I have told hubby over and over that I might think about it if it flew from mount hope.
I don't know why, maybe cause there would be less time for me to worry about flying driving to mount hope instead of on the QEW to pearson. As it is we will be driving down in april hopefully, first time since six years ago. Just short and sweet though, cause of that gruelling exchange rate, really puts a downer on any trip to the u.s.

Sandra: Yes it would be alot more convient for you too, as there is hardly anybody at the mount hope airport.

Bye

Deb.

[sammi]

LOL Sandra.....:) I actually can see West Jet trying a few Florida flights as they are doing a booming job even after Sept.11. I'll keep tabs on things and if I hear anything I'll be sure and post it!;)

Deb we had the opportuniy to fly via Mount Hope/Pittsburgh/Orlando but I said no way:p I'm not a great flyer either and it was only an 18 seater to Pittsburgh...yuck! I would like to try driving down one time (in the 7 times we've been we've flown) but DH hates to waste any of his vacation days driving and I don't drive so maybe when he retires and time isn't so important.;)

I'd love to hear all about your drive down Deb, please be sure to post when you get back and I hope you have a ball!:wave:

[bigs1923t]

We have done both , I prefer driving. The ride is great, the extra nights in the motels along 95 really do add to the anticipation of getting there. Also on the ride home we take a couple extra days to make the vacation last a little longer. We like that much better than leaving Disney & being home in 3 hrs , BAM the funs over. We find many places to stay along 95 usually around $60 with a free breakfast but you can find places as low as $29 if you just want a bed. One thing I didnt see in most of the peoples budgets was a rental car once you get there. We always spend some time outside WDW for dinners ect. International drive has alot of stuff to choose from. We also usually go at Christmas and get a wilderness cabin in Fort Wilderness. Along with that goes xmas gifts (which for years we have hidden in storage areas of our conversion van, kids think santa was there), xmas decorations including a small tree, outside lights for cabin & decorations & bows for the golf cart. When we get there we usually unpack & spend the afternoon decorating the cabin & golf cart then grab a snack before we head off to the Magic Kingdom for the night. Another neat thing we have done, if we get there before check in we round up some sodas & snacks and rent a pontoon boat for a little cruise around the lake. You can cruise by all of the monorail resorts, the wilderness lodge & fort wilderness marina area. It is very relaxing !

[cottontail]

Hi bigs,

That sounds great all the decorating of your cabin, it kind of personalizes it. I guess in the winter driving down to wdw you have to look for an "open window" of good weather.

Sammi I will try to remember to post about our drive down. Still not sure what day we are leaving though. Everytime I see that bad exchange rate I keep thinking that I should downsize my resort, and shorten the vacation, but on the other hand we have not been on a big trip in 6 years, and it is for our 25th anniversary so I don't want to scrimp this time. Also who knows if we will ever travel with our children ever again'

Deb.

[DeeP]

Wow, I give all you guys credit that drive from Canada to WDW!! I live in NJ and go to WDW 3-4 times a year and in all of my trips to WDW I have only driven once and that was only one way!!!! This was about 26 years ago and I flew down and met my (then boyfriend but later hubbie) and after our vacation I drove back with him. I HATED it and have never even attempted it again! I do not like driving long distances in a car and therefore would never attempt to drive straight thru, to me it is a waste of my paid vacation days to sit in a car on a boring highway when I can use those vacation days to enjoy WDW, I LOVE having breakfast in NJ and lunch in WDW all in the same day, we are relaxed and fresh when we arrive in WDW after only a 2 hr flight, we hardly ever rent a car since we always stay onsite so that is not an added expense, and the savings for us would only be about $300.00. When you divide it up over the 18 hours of driving/stopping time each way plus the 8 hours of sleeping at a hotel down and back we would be losing 52 hours of WDW time. $300.00 divided by 52 comes out to an added expense of $5.76 per hour for more time at WDW, and a lot more convenience and comfort. It is worth every penny of the extra $300.00 to me. Of course, we are a family of 3, so the airfare is not that bad for us. Also by saving the 4 vacation days per trip by not driving, I easily have enough vacation days left for 3-4 trips per year. The only thing I do not like about flying vs driving is that you are limited on what you can bring and coming home the 2 hours of flying time does bring me back from the Magic to reality awful quickly! Going down it is great but coming home is a shock to your psyche!

[MinnieGi]

With two little ones, I definetly think flying is the way to go!

[cottontail]

Yes flying is definitely the way to go, but for me who is terrified of getting on a plane, it would just trigger my migraines and make me sick for the trip. Once my migraines start they are here for a good three or four days. I need to know that we can stop the car and I can get out when I need to, in a plane well you know the answer to that. Our drive is around 22 to 23 hours.

My other problem with flying is so many of my friends and relatives that fly tell me that within three to four days they have caught some strep throat or bad cold. I saw a show on tv and said that this does happen cause of the recycled air and if a passenger has a cold or sickness it can be spread.

Also it is cheaper to drive for four adults and we would need to rent a car cause we usually take a trip to the coast to see the ocean. So $500 vrs probably around $1500 plus rental car
$300, it is cheaper to drive. Also I guess I need to figure in the wear and tear on the family car.
I love in the spring to see the different states, and finally around north carolina or south carolina we see trees with leaves, flowers, things that are not out yet in ontario.

But if I could fly you are right it is quicker and easier. The drive down is not too bad but it is that drive back home that seems to take forever.

Bye,

Deb.

[Hawk]

Is flying the way to go? Lets see, we usually fly in March/April as a family of 5 for about $1,200.00 and stay in 2 mods for 14 days for about $140.00 each per day with PAP discount. Thats about $5,120.00 for rooms and transportation. We have a $22,000.00 travel trailer that sits in the yard from October to May. Now we are a family of 6 and will drive 3 days back and forth for about $500.00 in gas and stay at a preferred site at FW at $70.00 a day for 17 days which is $1,190.00; room and transportation total of $1,690.00. Hmmm, I wonder if a savings of $3,430.00 is worth driving???????? Not counting the food savings, although wife says "think about it!" Must be fuzzy math!

[Hawk]

By the way - did I mention that the above FW trip was without discounts!

[cottontail]

Hi Hawk:

You get two rooms at a moderate. Hmmmmm now I'm thinking that I would like to get two rooms as well, but for me I would have to multiply the $140.00 times 2 times the canadian exchange rate of $1.62 equals around $453.00 a night, it gets a bit high with that darn exchange.
That would be nice to have two washrooms and the extra space, especially after a two day drive with us all together in the car.

Deb.

[cottontail]

Hi Hawk:

You get two rooms at a moderate. Hmmmmm now I'm thinking that I would like to get two rooms as well, but for me I would have to multiply the $140.00 times 2 times the canadian exchange rate of $1.62 equals around $453.00 a night, it gets a bit high with that darn exchange.
That would be nice to have two washrooms and the extra space, especially after a two day drive with us all together in the car.

Deb.

[Hawk]

Cottontail:

Have you ever tried sleeping two adults, a 17, 13 and 5 year old in two beds and a trundle and sharing one bathroom? I made that mistake once and that was enough. Two connecting rooms is the way to go. Now we have a 4 month old. Travel trailer sleeps 8 and the older kids will probably stake up the tent for more "privacy" and their own television set.

Tim.

[cottontail]

Hi Hawk:

Congrats on your little one.

No we have done the two adults and a son and daughter in two beds, I with my daughter and hubby with son. But I have to tell you, I am a bit worried about one washroom for the four of us.

If we didn't have to pay that darn exchange rate to go to the states I would probably grab two rooms as well. We will have two doubles and a roll away this time, but still all in one room.
This is our 25th anniv. vacation, so we should be having separate rooms, it would be nice to have some privacy for hubby and I.

Deb.

[mickey7861]

We usually always drive, I HATE to fly. We've been doing this trip atleast once each year since 1987. It takes us about 22-23 hours. Last summer, our most recent trip, we spent....$70 each way for hotel.....$80 each way for gas (last summer gas was high) for a total of $300. For the way down I pack snacks, drinks, and grinders for lunch. Supper is fast food. Breakfast is included in the room price. Then it's just a fast food lunch and we're at WDW for supper. I don't count days out of work since my DH has 6 weeks paid vacation each year and I'm off all summer too. We don't lose any $$ by taking that extra 2 days, we stay 2-3 weeks and we actually enjoy the drive.

My kids have always been great on the trip, they usually slept most of it ( my DD, 16, still does). My DS, 19, gets a kick out of being able to drive part of the way now so we have 3 drivers.

Flying, rental car (no sub compacts here we're 4 adults) costs us about 1500.00 for 2 weeks, for us driving is definitely cheaper.

[SandraC]

I love reading everyones preferences and stories. It definately adds to my planning and opens up new ideas! THANKS! I read a post about someone not wanted the trip to be over in 3 hrs by flying home. By flying and being home in 2.5 hrs (my case), leaves me more time in WDW and not 24 in a car (over two days, so that's really 48 Disney hours GONE!) YIKES! dh gets 6 weeks vacation and I have a great PT job where I can take time off any time and as much time as I need. We are looking into lots of other vacations this year other than WDW so we like to use our time wisely ~ that means WDW is a flying trip this year and we will so 3 other trips driving ~ each about 10 -12 hours. We'll call them our half way practice to a WDW driving trip one day.