Travel time vs WDW time

[penguincruiser]

At this moment I'm really jealous of any of you who get to nip down to WDW at the spur of the moment, we've had snow, hail and 40F today, in April!!!

Anyway, I was wondering how long people will travel for a Disney fix ;). Being over in Europe we have about 16 hours travel (door to door) and 6 hrs time difference, so although I would love to go over for a week we usually go for 2 weeks to balance the travel time and the actual holiday time.

I would think that as DVC members have accommodation all sorted out and also still have 42 years to enjoy :) they won't have to take marathon trips...

So, looking at how long you have to travel what's your minimum WDW stay?

JJ Penguin
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[This message was edited by penguincruiser on 04-19-01 at 07:18 AM.]

[dianeschlicht]

OUr minimum stay has been 6 nights/7 days. We used to always go down for a week at a time, but lately 10-11 days is the norm. We like the longer trips to relax a little too. We don't feel like we have to rush around the parks all the time that way.

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[DaveDeniseEmily@BWV]

Yes we too have a way to go from the UK but it's not too bad, 8-10hrs. If you start off well then you're flight can be a good start to the holiday anyway. We have similar weather to you guys, VARIABLE! we had snow a few weeks ago, the weather is manic. Oh how I dream of moving to Florida, buying a villa (because they're very cheap there compared to here), getting a job as Goofy or other in the theme parks and enjoying that sun! Oh well, back to reality...

Counting the months down to our 16night holiday in October...14 nights is the minimum for us given the travel time. :rolleyes:

DVC Member since 1999 at BWV
1993 Off-site
1996 Port Orleans
1997 Dixie Landings
1999 Dixie Landings
2001 BWV, VB, DCL, WLV, AKL

[Disnydad]

It's a 3 hour flight for us one way. With travel time to ALB and travel time from MCO to our resort, it's about 6 hours to check-in time from the time we leave our house. :D Time spent at WDW is usually 8 days.

Don, DVC/VWL 2000

No frogs were riveted during the construction of this post.

[This message was edited by Disnydad on 04-19-01 at 09:36 PM.]

[TnRobin]

The shortest stay we have had is 3 nights. It is about a 10 hour drive for us. Now this is not the optimal time for us, but when you just need a break from the real world, a 4 day weekend in Florida sure does help.

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[jkfreeman33]

We stay 6 nights (Sat - Fri) or 7 nights (Sat - Sat). We always fly from Chicago, as ATA has great non-stop flights. It's 2 hours 15 min. from Chicago.

[Phil hetherington]

We're also from UK. Just returned from 17 night
trip. Six nights at BWV and six nights at VB and
five nights off property (must get some more points). Weather fantastic - great to get away from the pouring rain and cold UK weather.
Flight was 8.5 hours going and 7.5 return. Fortunately we only live 25 minutes from Gatwick airport.
We normally fly BA or Virgin and the flights for next Easter are already very booked up.
Has anyone travelled from Orlando to Hilton Head by car and how long would it take ?

Trish Hetherington

We love Florida and WDW.

[mikesmom]

It's about a 1 hour drive to the airport. You're supposed to check in 1 hour early before the plane leaves.The flight can be anywhere from 2.5 to 5 hours as they never seem to have a non stop available and the layovers can vary. So, we have anywhere from 4.5 to 7 hours travel to start vacation. Our usual trip is 7 or 8 days, although we have popped down for just 2 or 3 days.

It's a long trip for the 3 day break, but the air is usually free on air miles. I also try to think of airport and flight time as part of the vacation. After all, I'm out of the office!

[Richyams]

I thought my vacationing would change when I moved from New York to Florida. It really hasn't. We do a 12 night vacation every year.

It used to be the flight from New York and the five hours that took between arriving at the airport and pulling into OKW. Now it is a little under four hour drive.

We have been in Florida for almost four years. During that time, we took one weekend WDW trip and my doughter and I did a one noght trip. I really was expecting that we would do a lot more short trips.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx,This has failed every time it has been tried, why do we still have liberals?

[jag90]

You gotta like living in Fla. We have gone anywhere from 6 nights to down and back in the same day. Only about 2 hrs from where I am.

[jennybobenny]

We live about 15 minutes from Logan Airport in Boston, and from there it's a 3 hour flight to MCO. Our shortest trip was over Columbus Day Weekend in October 1999. It was our very first DVC trip, we left the kids with my mom, and it just happened to fall on my birthday. Doesn't get much better than that. ;)

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[PixieDusting]

And of course there are no cheap direct flights to Orlando so.....our travel time from the time we leave the house until we get to the resort is about 12 hours with a 3 hour time change :-(. So far our minimum stay has been 10 days. It's just not worth the time or effort to go for less days, especially because we lose a day flying there (don't get in until about 11:30 pm) and lose a day flying home.

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[KNWVIKING]

We leave home about 6:00 pm,drive straight thru the night,arrive OKW about 9:30 am. We now go for 2 weeks in may and 10 days in Dec.

[twinglefam]

Islip airport is only about 10 mn. from my house...so door to door at WDW is about 5 hours with a direct flight...approx.! DH and I did a two-nighter last month to join and it went VERY quick. But doesn't it always.
In Nov. we went for 11 nights with the kids. That seemed perfect. But doesn't it always ...

Here we go...........

[Lesley]

KNWVIKING, our drive is about the same, mileage wise. Actually it took us from 1PM to 10:30 AM from home to the Wyndham Palace (pre-dvc), but we have 2 kids and the baby had some difficulty before falling asleep for the night. If we didn't have to stop for the kids it would be much quicker. The shortest trip we ever planned was 3 nights, but it turned into 6 before all was said and done! Our trips seem to have a way of snowballing no matter how long we plan them. The previous trip started as 8 nights and turned into 11. Our next trip started as 9 nights, its up to 10 now and we're considering making it 12! :D

With the drive even a 3 night trip results in my dh having to take the entire week off from work, so we end up staying longer. If the right airfare ever comes up at the right time (ie. when we have points to use and AP's) we'll try a long weekend...but even then we're looking at 4-5 hours travel time each way.


Lesley

ºoº
1979 Contemporary
1992 Off-site
1994 Carribean Beach
1999 Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs
2000 Polynesian and Old Key West
2002 Boardwalk Villas

[KNWVIKING]

The Atlantic City airport is only 30 min from us. They sometimes have internet specials- $99.00 RT-
that we hope to start taking advantage of for 3-4 day weekend trips but would probably stay off-site as I doubt MS can supply spur of the moment ressie's,also don't want to burn pts on weekends only. I get Enterprise rentals VIP rate so an eco car is dirt cheap for me. Probably after 2nd son starts college in the fall will we start doing this- if we have any money left after tuition :-(

[Peggy Sue]

We are north of Boston, about 30 minutes from Logan if it's not rush hour traffic time. Flight to Orlando is just under 3 hours. So, in less than 4-5 hours we can leave our home in MA and be at our "home" in WDW! To date, our shortest trip has been 6 nights, but we have a 5 night trip planned in late October. I would hop down for a long weekend more often if weekend point requirements weren't so high and air fare prices etc. However, I think it would be very tough to leave WDW and climb back on a plane to go home if we had only been there for a couple of days. Our normal trips are between 8-12 nights.

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[john23tc]

We drive from N.J. too. We leave early in the am(2-3) and beat the traffic and get to Fla. by evening. Last trip we stayed 13 nights. It is much nicer to stay that long when you have such a long drive. Other trips have been 5,7,10,14,14 and 7 nights.

[Mary Ellen]

It's about 9+ hrs. door to door for us. NO non-stop or direct flights for us and NO cheap air fares either. We go for about 10 nights minimum to 2 weeks maximum. We also plan to make 2 trips within a 12 mo. period. This way we can buy an annual pass that is good for 2 vacations of 21 to 24 days total. :D

[KNWVIKING]

We get three trips out of our annual passes. We work it like this: First trip is 2nd week of Dec,next is early May,3rd trip is end of Nov till pass expires.Start the whole process over again in May.We get 5 to 6 weeks a yr on our passes.

[Lesley]

Somehow I forgot about flying out of AC! It takes us 2 hours to get there but my sil lives just a few minutes away, and we did fly Spirit from there once....gotta keep that in mind.


Lesley

ºoº
1979 Contemporary
1992 Off-site
1994 Carribean Beach
1999 Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs
2000 Polynesian and Old Key West
2002 Boardwalk Villas

[mrsdon]

We used to live about 3 hours away.
Now we live over 12. When the whole family goes we drive. We like having the car and it saves us money.
When its just me and a friend we fly.

[rbuzzotta]

We either fly or drive! If we fly, it takes about 5 hours from our door in Wakefield, MA to get to Disney. When we drive it is a 24 hour drive to WDW and 26 to VB. We have driven non-stop but the last 2 trips stop in VA/NC border for a quick snooze! People can't believe we drive with 3 girls (9,5,2) but it gives us quality time with them and we don't have to fight for the television! My 9 year old has learned alot about history on the drive down!

We usually stay 8-10 days when we drive and 4-6 days when we fly. I used to work for the airlines but took and early retirement with full flight benefits and fly stand-by. So, whenever we can get on a flight...we are there!! It is just a little tough getting DVC property on a last minute basis!! That's why we stay off-site so alot!

Rosemary
Off-site every year since 1985
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BWV '01

[waltskids]

It takes us about 15 hours to drive, with stops, and we usually stay from 5-10 nights. We are planning to fly in November, which will only take about 2 hours, but are only staying 4 nights.® ;)

[bres@westernMA]

Like many others from New England, I live about an hour to an hour and a half from the nearest airports. Direct flights run between 2 and a half to three hours. With a rental or a limo, we can be at OKW about 6 hours from my house in Western Massachusetts. Our shortest trip has been 5 nights. Like the Netherlands, spring is also late this year. I still have (although it is small) a pile of snow in my back yard. None of our golf courses have opened for the season. I would love to be heading out for WDW but have to wait until next October

[buckylarue]

It's between a 3-hour flight (if we get a non-stop) to 6 or 7 hours (if we find a cheaper fare on a connecting flight) for us, with an hour lost on the time change there. The shortest trip recently (since there have been the 4 parks) is the spur-of-the-moment trip in 2 weeks when we'll be there for 4 nights. Longest so far was 12 nights. Normally try for a week or so each year, usually in December. Did a week last December, now 4 nights in May and 6 more this December (plus hoping to get a 3-day to Anaheim next March!)...

'We're all here because we're not all there!'
Bucky LaRue

Disneyland 1956,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,70,75,77,78,84, 86,89,99
WDW 79,81,83,91,92,94,95,96(3x),97,98,99,00
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