Need Help: Drive Or Fly??

[princesscrazydaughte]

My husband and I can't seem to decide whether to drive or fly. It is about an 11 1/2 hour drive for us or a 2 hour plane ride, that with the traveling to and from will add up to about a 5 1/2 hour excursion.

We have a DS 2 and a DD 4. We are staying at the Poly. If we drive we will drive through the night while the kids sleep. We do have a VHS/DVD player in the van.

I thought having the van would be helpful for going to MGM, AK and Downtown Disney, and for getting all our stuff there. We are staying 7 nights. However, my husband is really starting to think the drive might ruin our vacation.

PLEASE HELP US DECIDE. Obviously it saves $$ to drive, but puting that aside, please give me the pluses and minuses and some opinions as to what some of you Disney vets would do. I have never done WDW with the kids before.

[Candice30]

i went to disney with my whole family last year and my sister decided that to save her money, she, her husband and their 3 kids (ages 5, 9, 11) would drive down. we live in philly and if i remember correctly, it took about 11-12 hours. they left us during the middle of the night so the kids would sleep most of the ride. they do not have a tv/vcr in their van so they were concerned about the kids getting on each other's nerves. her 9 and 11 year old slept most of the time and had on their headphones. for the 5 yearold, i printed a bunch of car games off of the internet for his age and that kept him busy. she and her husband split the drive up and planned on stopping and staying in a road side hotel. but what they found was that they were so excited to get to disney and didn't want to go to sleep and have to do more driving that they continued until they got there. they actually called us about 3 hours before we were to leave for the airport.

she said though the trip was long, she would definitely do it again. it allowed her to pack whatever they needed in the van and they packed a cooler with food and beverages for the car and the room which saved them money since they didn't have to get a refrigerator at the resort. as far as using the car at the resort. we only used their van once to go to dinner off of property but i am a big fan of leaving the car in the parking lot and using disney transportation. it is so easy and convenient and when you return from the parks late, it is nice to be able to take a nap before you reach your resort. all in all, she said that it is a definite do again.

[CamColt]

Weve driven, 24 hours, 3 times now. Its really not as bad as I thought it would be(obviously if Ive done it again and again). Besides the pluses youve mentioned, I find it makes packing easier too because you dont have to worry about whats in what bag(carryon, checked), and weight limits, etc... The tv/vcr we use is a life saver and the kids favorite snacks help too. We are actually flying on our next 2 trips, and Im almost thinking I might miss the ride. ;)

[motaei]

We have driven down to DL lots of time...both when I was a kid & now with my own kids. The drive is 8-9 hours (not quite as long as yours). We have flown once & decided it's not for us for that length. One is price. But the other, is when we are in the car, we can stop when the kids are restless, eat where & when we want, have our own car. Now granted, at DL, we have never stayed "on site", but the hotel situation is different there, as you can actually walk to the park from many nearby hotels & they all have shuttles.

The time we flew, we just found it chaotic with the kids...drive to the airport...wait in a boring, uncomfortable place...get on the airplane...sit where there is no view & no movie....get to the airport and wait for luggage....go to the car rental place to get the car....drive to the hotel. And then have to do it all over again on the way back. We just found driving that distance easier.

Also, note, that I could not imagine driving through the night. I would be afraid of exhaustion & falling asleep at the wheel. But I have know other families that leave at 3am so that they can drive down & go straight into the park.

[MosMom]

We will be driving. We enjoy it and it allows us to pack anything and everything we may need. No worrying about weight/size limits for the luggage, needing to ship things down or back, missing the plane/delayed flights/overbooking, etc. Flying to us is such a pain in the rear and we really enjoy road trips so why not? Of course, we do have the TV/VCR combo and I always buy plenty of "surprises" to pull out along the way when the kids get fidgety. We love to drive so I say try it. If you hate it, you can avoid it next time.

The minus is not getting there as fast but to us, that is about it.

[rngclick]

Take it from me - If your husband is dreading the drive THEN FLY!!! We live 12 hours away and DH hates long car trips. He wouldn't go if he had to drive.

And you have to wonder how much money your actually saving when you have to tack on the extra time at the beginning and end of the vacation. (We're both self-employed so would not save any money at all). Remember its his vacation too and if he hates the drive there he'll spend the rest of the vacation dreading the drive home.

We have an 1 1/2 hour flight from New Orleans to Orlando so once we're there we're good to go and not worn out from a long trip.

Just my Humble Opinion (take it from someone whose married to your husband ;)

[princesscrazydaughte]

Thanks everyone. I was feeling pretty good about driving until the last post. Anymore thoughts, anyone???? Thanks so much to all of you that have taken the time to help me out. I really agree that packing for two little ones would be so-o-o much easier without worrying about flying!!!!

[motaei]

Originally posted by rngclick
And you have to wonder how much money your actually saving when you have to tack on the extra time at the beginning and end of the vacation. (We're both self-employed so would not save any money at all).

:rolleyes: We are also self employed. But my DH uses the extra car time to make tons of business calls on his cell with his laptop in front of him! (That's how he survives the long drive.) & yes, I am the one driving. :p

[TerriBelle]

We will be flying again in Jan. with two 5 year olds and a 10 year old. For all of our past trips with the kids we have flown. We have never rented a car and have always stayed on-site. Part of the vacation experience for us is to leave the car at the airport and use other modes of transportation. There have been very few times that we have wanted a car.

We did drive to Hilton Head this summer with the kids and it wasn't that bad. But for Disney we don't want to waste the time driving when we could be there! If we drive at night, then one or both of us will be exhausted when we get there. That is not a vacation to us!

[TarraLee]

We drove when my family went with us... two cars, four drivers, six people (all adults, DBro was 14), fourteen hours, straight through.....

no fun. Well, that's not true-- I thought it was fun but my DH hated it! He won't go again unless we fly, or stop overnight on the way. I liked having the care because:
you can pack what you want,
have lots of room to bring home goodies,
DH, DDad and DBro can get dropped of at IOA while mom, sis and I head to the outlet malls!
I really like to eat at Cracker Barrell, and that is the only place my parents will stop on a road trip,
I really like playing battleship between two cars via the 2-way radios,
I really liked listening to Michael J. Fox's autobiography,
I loved the sign at a Georgia gas station that read: "SUpport local education, buy local brands." (with pics of local cigarettes)
My DH loves our Disney song sing-along, and countless converstaions that start with, "The first thing I am going to do when I get to Disney World is..." and "Only X hours, X minutes, and X seconds until I see the castle again..."
I love Atlanta at rush hour....
I love brushing my teeth at 3 am in a gas station washroom (kidding)....
But the number one reason to drive: ON THE LAST DAY OF YOUR TRIP, YOU CAN JUST DECIDE TO STAY ANOTHER DAY!!

Seriously, driving is only fun with people who like to road-trip, if DH is dreading it, just fly! Hope you have a great trip!

[3for Me]

We have done both and I used to use the "it's cheaper to drive" excuse and the "my husband likes to drive" excuse - which he really does.

At the end of the day, as much as I HATE to fly - I do it, because for us, with three small kids, it is much less stressful.

Our drive is approximately 10 hours and yes we had the DVD thing too, but I say FLY!!!!!

If it is a matter of bringing what you want, ship a box to your hotel before you leave and you will have all your extras waiting for you when you get there.

[Jen S]

My husband and I did the drive from Tennessee to the World this past October. It really wasn't bad. We left Johnson City at 5:00am, made a few stops along the way, stopped for 2-3 hours in Daytona Beach, and was at Disney World at 6:00pm. I've always flown previously, but now I think we're hooked on driving. Personally, I hate the long lines at Orlando airport coming home, and I hate trying to shove all my clothes and everything I buy into one or two suitcases.

I think you'll be fine on the drive, especially with the DVD player for the kids. Either way, hope you have a great trip!

[sherry8253]

HI - My DH and I just drove from PA. We left around 1:30 am and were here at the Swan by about 6:00 pm. We took the time to stop for sit down breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and dinner at Sonny's BBQ. The trip was not bad at all. My DH plays golf 4 times and it costs about $50 per club rental or we would have to tote his clubs on the plane (yuck) and then rent a car large enough to hold his huge golf travel bag. Driving saves us several hundred dollars each trip. Have fun whichever you decide.

[princesscrazydaughte]

It is so interesting to hear everyone's opinions on this. I am also looking at the added advantage of being able to leave Fri night and arrive early Saturday. If we fly, the earliest we will be able to make it to the resort after the drive to the airport, the wait, the flight, getting the kids into a towncar van (we need 2 carseats) and getting to the resort would be about 1:30pm.

I just can't decide. I also have the added concern of the kids safety on the road at night, but my husband is a good driver (not that that always matters). Thanks everyone.

I would be interested in any other views that anyone would like to share. If I weren't travelling with the kids, I would drive hands down because it gives two working parents some much needed alone time to talk. (that is if the kids sleep).

[CarolA]

I posted on your other thread, but.... I can't keep out when I know I should

I think it is irresponsible to work all day and then drive all night. Maybe it is just me, but it is my understanding that the average human NEEDS sleep to function effectively. I cannot imagine that your are fully awake and functional at 2 in the morning after a full days work. They have limits on truck drivers for a reason!!!

I know I will get "flamed" with stories of people who think they were fine. I just don't believe it..... unless you are a night shift worker your body is not used to this and you are not fully alert.

All it takes is for you to doze off, slip off the sholder, wake up and overreact and the results could be tragic.

[judi]

We drive 90% of the time and fly the other 10%. If we leave after work we drive until about midnight and then stop at a hotel, get some sleep and then were back on the road early the following morning. We have also started at 5am and driven the 16 hrs. straight through. When the kids were small we took the tv and nintendo and now that they are much older (21, 16, 14) they bring along what they want to do. I like driving so I can take what ever I want and not worry about the weight etc.. plus we happen to like to drive. We use our car to go to all the parks except MK (I'm just not a bus person). For four/five of us depending on who goes it is also cheaper to drive.

[magsmom]

We went last August and drove. When we go in the winter we fly.

[crazelion]

I live in Chattanooga it's a 10 hour drive. I say drive it's cheaper. I leave at 7:00 am and be there by 9:00pm. it depends on traffic. I don't have kids. But iIhave been on many trips with my cousins and little kids need time to run around.

I also that driving through the night is not worth it to risk your life to get WDW. It's just not safe. Your body is not use to staying up all night.

Also did I mention the real reason I like to drive is the outlet malls on the WDW.

[sue1013]

When my kids were young we drove all the time due to cost. The ride down wasn't bad everyone's excited. Leaving is another story the drive seems 10 times longer than on the way down. I would definately fly.

[shelleyz]

I say fly also. It's so much faster. We flew in October with DS2 and DS4. They slept the whole way there and on the way back they slept for the first half and were awake the 2nd half. It can be a pain with the luggage and strollers but it beats driving for that length of time.

[Ga. Nala]

THIS IS MY FIRST POST. I WOULD FLY. WE HAVE DRIVEN
DOWN TO DISNEY EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS. WE
LIVE IN NORTH GEORGIA...IT NORMALLY TAKES US 9 HOURS
TO DRIVE DOWN. THE DRIVE DOWN IS NOT SO BAD BUT
THE DRIVE BACK SEEMS TO TAKE FOREVER. I-75 HAS ALOT
OF CONSTRUTION AT NIGHT. OUR NEXT TRIP IS THE END OF
MAY 2004 ON THE DISNEY WONDER. HOPE YOU HAVE A SAFE
TRIP.:earsboy: :earsgirl: ::MickeyMo

[princesscrazydaughte]

Ga Nala welcome to the Dis!! Thanks so much for the posts everyone. It appears that maybe we should fly. Thank you to everyone in Tennessee for their input and Carol A thank you for your concerns they are well noted. Go Vols and Go Titans!!!:Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

We are a family of 5, so one of the main reasons we drive is the cost. It's a lot cheaper to drive even if you include the cost of the hotel. We usually drive straight through, which takes around 14 hours.

It's also more flexible. If we decide to stay longer (and we've done that) it's not a problem.

I can bring extra stuff ( snacks, coolers, etc).

I don't have to worry about getting everything I've bought home. It will fit in my van.

It's nice to have a car when your traveling to other resorts for dinner reservations. Taking the bus can be time consuming, because you have to transfer.

It's also nice to have the car when we go to DTD for all those purchases.:)

[CanesFan30]

I'm going in early Feb. and I've debated quite a bit re: flying v. driving. I've chosen to drive for the following reasons:

1. No baggage concerns - no worries over carting around luggage through airports, into shuttle vans and what not, no fretting over whether stowed luggage is lost - can just pack it in the trunk and bid adieu until check-in.

2. No layovers/no scheduling concerns - I don't have to worry about keeping my son occupied if there's any delay in boarding, nor do I have to sweat traffic to airport, parking the car and all the other stresses of air travel. I can just get in the car and drive when we're ready, stop when we need to and enjoy all the scenery of a NC-FL drive.

3. Ability to drive to parks, nearby grocers, other Orlando attractions - if you drive, you won't need to pay extra money for a rental car or wait around for shuttle buses and other modes of hotel transport. Again, you can just get in the car and drive to where you need to go.

Like other posters have mentioned, I don't recommend making the long drive while sleep deprived. I'm planning on starting out in early evening the night before check-in, stopping to stay at a roadside hotel anywhere between 12 pm and 1 am and sleeping then resuming the drive around 8 or 9 am.

Yes, at first blush, it would flying is the more convenient way to go, but when you take all into consideration I think anyone could make a strong case for driving. It certainly is a less expensive option.

[SuBeat]

We've made the drive from Texas twice so far and will be doing it again in a couple of weeks.

I have to echo the reasons others have given for prefering the drive.

We can bring pretty much whatever we want. Toys, snacks, pillows, blankets, etc. Plus lots of movies for the TV/VCR. We can also bring HOME whatever we want with no worries of weight/size, or messing with shipping.

We have plenty of personal space, very important to DS10. We can also stop and take breaks whenever we feel like it.

It gives DH and I time to talk, something we don't get enough of at home with busy schedules and commitments.

I like the slow build up to the beginning of the vacation and the slow wind down at the end before we get home. The kids get a kick out of crossing state lines and seeing how the scenery changes as we drive east, and checking out the map to see where we are.

DH was very reluctant to drive the first time, but it really wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. He makes up for all the drive time by leaving the van in the parking lot from the moment we arrive until the moment we depart.

I also wanted to add that while we've considered driving straight through or during the night, the idea just makes me too nervous. I can't sleep when someone else is driving and I'm afraid DH might dose off if I did.

[Maude4Disney]

Ok, I have to add my .02 here. For our family, I would LOVE to fly. It is a long 2 days drive for us so it would be so nice to just hop on a plane and be there, however, we usually drive and plan on doing the drive again in April. We have 2 DS, age 10 and almost 3. Last year they did wonderful on the drive down and back, so I'm hoping for a repeat performance. If we had one more child though, we'd be flying. I don't think my nerves could handle anymore than what they dish out ;) My husband loves the drive and DS's get to see more of our beautiful country than they would by flying, plus we have friends near Lexington, which is a good stopping place after the first day on the road and no hotel needed!
However, if we were planning to go more in the winter months....we'd be flying. I'd be too nervous of running into bad weather and getting stuck somewhere and missing Disney altogether.
It is a nice feeling to have our own vehicle at Disney with us, in case of an emergency or something. But we never use it. Plus like one other poster mentioned. You can always decide to stay that extra day too...which we did last time!:cool:
Have a great trip!

[momtotwinglesx4]

We've done both with 4 kids (we now have 5!). It's about a 21 hour drive, and we do it in 2 days. I agree with the other posters in that driving is cheaper, you can take breaks when you want/need to, you have your car at WDW; flying can be a hassle w/ check-in, hauling luggage, strollers, car seats, etc.

For me the deciding factor is the amount of available vacation time. If we only have a week, then there's no way I'm going to spend 4 days of it on the road (2 down, 2 back). Much faster to fly, so I'll deal with airport headaches for that advantage. On the other hand, if we have lots of vacation time, then driving wins the contest for us.

Good luck with your decision!

Sue

[Zippa D Doodah]

I think there is some very valuable advice that has been passed along here. We are making our 4th WDW trip soon; it will be our first time driving. It will be about a 10 hour drive, and we have never seriously considered driving before. The deciding factors for us were, of course, $$$$$. And also, the kids (6&4) did great in a recent 6 hour (each way) Thanksgiving trip. The TV/VCR combo with headphones is the greatest invention for road trips since round tires ;) . I think the joureny down to WDW is going to be great. DW and I have some of our best conversations while kids are dozing or distracted in back seat during long trips.

Knowing that driving through the night is not the best idea, we will leave about 5am and hopefully arrive around 4pm (allowing time for a couple of stops). I am sort of dreading the trip back because I know that we won't be as excited and it will certainly seem longer. Good thing I like to drive.

One thing I am looking forward to is the added flexibility of driving. On our last day we will have the option of doing a half-day or more in the parks before we leave. That's looking like a pretty good idea right now.

Flying is great. The kids love it, but as others have mentioned it is so taxing for us to have to get the kids through the whole airport scenario -driving long trip to airport, parking, security checks, waiting at gate, etc. I wonder whether DW and I will actually be less tired after driving than we have been after flying.

[catherines_mama]

This will be my first trip to Disney with my DD (2 1/2), but we drive from NC to Sarasota & Tampa (11 hrs) 2 times a year to see family and friends. When I am going for a short weekend I fly if there is a bargain. But otherwise I always drive. I have a Honda and no tv/dvd but DD does great. I did the overnight drive once (its just me, and I could not recoup). The past 2 trips I have left at 5am and its worked great! Lunch time is a good halfway point and we get into town around 3:00 -4:00.

I think driving is not bad at all for the savings it gives you. And.. its been said already, but you can pack whatever you want. I am looking forward to this trip, I am going to pack my DD's bathroom stool. This way she can go potty and brush her teeth etc without my help. I could not pack her stool in the plane.

Good luck on your choice, whatever you decide, your trip will still be magical.

Deedee B.

[10drum]

Wow! 11.5 hours, don't forget about time for parking, baggage, shuttle, rental car, waiting for flight, or whatever.

We drive 18 hours with 1 night in a Georgia Motel, and I always figure $300 transportation (round trip) fee for four people. Let me see, that would be about $75 per person, and we don't have to rent a car or take a shuttle.

But, then again, I hate to fly!

I was in New Orleans on 9/11 and drove a rent car home to Illinois on 9/12. That was the last time I flew.

[momx2]

We are in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Just about 50 minutes from Nashville. It takes us about 12 hrs. We have always driven. I have 2 DDs 5 and 2. We have driven 4 times and going again in February. I like the drive. It kinda makes the vacation seem longer. We take a car vcr player and the girls do great.

We would never drive through the night. We leave on Friday after school, around 3:30 and drive to the South side of Atlanta and spend the night and finish up the next morning. We get there around 2:30 pm on Saturday. We also use 2 days to come back, with the majority being driven on Friday and the rest on Saturday and I have Sunday for laundry. We have also left on Sat. and got home on Sunday if you stay 7 nights.

We had a horrible time flying over this past thanksgiving. So bad in fact, we got $400 coupons from Southwest and my DD 5 doesn't want to fly in February, so we will drive.

Good luck with your decision, I vote to drive.

[mep319]

I've been thinking of driving this next time myself...we live in Philly and I believe it is about an 14 hr drive...I don't sleep the night before we leave anyway...too stressed.... but I also figure...you have to be at the airport 2 hrs before flight. I live northwest of the city and Philly traffic is horrific! (and the airport is southeast of the city)...and of course we want an early flight so we don't waste the day...so add another 2 hours to get to the airport at rush hour...it is a 2 1/2 hour flight...another hour for luggage and yet another for the shuttle so lets see...8-9 hours...so driving would really only take may 5-6 hours more....it's getting kind of appealing....

[10drum]

I use to fly alot in my work and I've found that if you can drive some were in 8 to 10 hours, you didn't save very much time by flying. Even with a 2 hour flight, it seems like the whole day is wasted. I do live 2 hour from a major airport, which figures into the equation.
If I were driving a 70' ford pickup, I'd probably fly, but cars are so comfortable now, I don't get that tired. I'll set the cruise about 2 mph less than the speed limit and it's amazing how much smoother the trip goes, than that white knuckle, "I got to get there" type driving.

[princesscrazydaughte]

Thanks for all the wonderful insights. I have continued to waffle reading all the replies,been waffling, but now I think we are leaning back towards driving. Like mep319 says, it really doesn't save that much time to fly if you live as close as we do. I am thinking that maybe we will drive to about midnight and then stop and sleep and drive the remainder in the morning. I, also, don't sleep before big trips. It's too much like the night before Christmas when I was a kid.

[tinaluis]

Another vote for driving. We live in Chicago and can usually get decent airfare on SWA but we stay for at least two weeks so car rental REALLY adds up. Last trip we could have gotten tickets on SWA for the five of us for about $700 but the car rental for two weeks was about $500 (even through Priceline). We drove for about $350 including gas and hotels for stopovers on the way down and back. If we lived in TN that would take about a day off of our trip and we'd probably visit more often. The drive is really painless and, once you've done it, you may be more inclined to drive in the future. Good luck and have a great trip.

[HaleyB]

We drive. We live in central Texas and drive to CA every year. We flew one time and it was not worth it. It may take 2 1/2 days to drive it, but that is much easier and we really needed a car anyway. With two kids flying is a major pain. Plus you can not rent the smallest and cheapest cars (because they are two door and car seats are a nightmare in a two door). I think we save about $900 driving too (counting a car rental for 10 days in CA).
We are going to FL in June and will drive , only 2 days to FL. Even w/o a car rental flying will cost us upwards of $500 more than driving. Remember you still have food expenses if you fly, more if you drive, but nowhere near the cost of even one plane ticket. The hotel (1 night on the road) will equal about 1/2 of a plane ticket. So with gas, food and hotel it will cost less than 1/2 of flying AND we will have a car while we are there to eat off site and make a grocery run.
My kids are great car travellers. We do not have the TV/VCR thing because we think it would be a source of contention between our kids. each has their own thing they like to do in the car. Books on tape make time fly. We just got Harry Potter 5 on tape from ebay for $20. It will be a surprise for the kids.

[Jestocost]

I would rather drill one of my own teeth than drive for 11.5 hours.

But that just goes to show you how many different opinions there are without a single "right" answer. It's all about what you're used to and what you like.

Frankly, I'm just comfortable flying and so is my family. I've traveled frequently for business (70+ flights this year), and my youngest (DS 6) was on a plane at 2 mos.

When driving, on the other hand, I get sleepy (dangerous) and cranky (annoying).

YMMV.

[mep319]

Hey I use to feel that way too...if it was over a 6 hr drive...I flew. The last "major" drive I did was from Phila to Hilton Head...I said never again...but it is such PIA to fly anymore....Like I said it would only be about 5-6 hours more for me to drive than to fly with the airlines these days....it is becoming more appealing....This spoken from someone who like Jestocost would have rather had teeth drilled than drive that far in the past. Now I have to convince DH

[Jon99]

It takes us about 17 hours to make the drive and its 17 hours I completely enjoy.. We drive it straight thru, leaving on Friday when my wife gets off work at 3:00 and will be at WDW by 9:00 the next morning... To me, there is nothing more relaxing than driving down the highway at 3:00 AM with nobody around but a few people, I guess I am just wierd.. :)

[momtotwinglesx4]

Originally posted by Jon99
To me, there is nothing more relaxing than driving down the highway at 3:00 AM with nobody around but a few people, I guess I am just wierd.. :)


Yeah, I'd be relaxed alright.....zzzzzzzzzzzzz lol! I do know what you mean though--it's nice driving w/o all the traffic and with the kids asleep. I'm sure some people can drive just fine thru the night w/o getting sleepy, I'm just not one of them! But then, I find myself getting sleepy during the daytime if I drive a long time. When I drove down in May 2002, my dh didn't go, just me (6 mos. pregnant), my 4 kids, and my then-77 y/o mother (who doesn't drive on trips--it's a good thing ;) ). On the way home, I found myself getting sleepy in Georgia, so I pulled into a McDonald's Play Place and took a nice nap in the back of my van for an hour while mom took the kids in for lunch and some running and climbing! Definitely a good thing! Always better to get there late than not at all!

[MinnieGi]

We've driven twice now and plan to again in February. We've also flow down. I'll tell you this by the time I arrive in WDW after our drive I'm much less stressed than when we fly! Even with flying it is a whole day taken up in transportation and I arrive on property stressed, tired, and famished usually. In the car we have a DVD player, our pillows, snacks on hand, music, books, etc. to pass the time and we stop when we want and need to. We do the drive in one and a half days and I love driving into WDW by mid-day. When we fly we never arrive on property until late afternoon. Driving also saves us money even though there are just three of us. On the way home we do the drive straight-through with leaving Disney around 8:00 am and arriving home around 1:00 am and that includes meal stops and many rest stops.

I also like having our car down there. I like to run to the grocery store and we sometimes do off-site restaurants at night to save on money. The car is also nice for before park opening entry ps's. I also like that when we leave WDW we don't have to stuff all of our purchases in the suitcases and also have more leeway in the amount of luggage we can bring! :)

[skoba-nelson]

Another vote for driving.

Our last 2 trips we drove from NE Ohio in winter (once non-stop) after flying in on our Nov 2000 trip.

One thing I remember about that Nov 2000 trip was that we were at Clev. airport at early breakfast time (7 am) to catch our flight. We had PS for the Poly Luau (sp?) for that evening's show and had to rush to make it there in time once we finally got to ASSp. The 2 hour flight everyone talks about is really an all day thing.