Another Driving vs. flying question

[Hillbeans]

We just got back last week from our trip from NJ - WDW and we flew. I was adding up all of our transportation costs and figured for the 3 of us, it cost near $1200 once you counted in the flight, rental car, parking fees, etc.

I am really contemplating driving next time, and a big factor is that we'd like to stay at a Deluxe again.

Does anyone feel that driving just takes away from the whole trip experience? I always liked flying and feel that it's just the way to go.

[AspiringCindy]

Actually we feel the opposite! Last time we drove to WDW. This year it looks like we will be flying because after adding flight price and car rental, it is only $200 difference over driving. With us, we added gas(and it is steadily rising), tolls, hotels(1 down,1 return), 5-6 extra meals and the cost of kenneling the dogs 2-3 extra days. Plus factor in a child that will be turning 3! There are 5 of us...so flying is better for us...this time! We love the drive though; and I am gonna miss that special bonding in the car!

[BrianMonk]

We always drove to our vacation destination when I was a kid. Lived in Illinois and went everywhere from Maine to California during the summer months when my parents were off work.

So I'm partial to driving...

A family of 5 - kids 6,4,2 - driving to Disney about a 1050 mile trip :scared1: . Cost for gas there and back will be about $175.00. Hotel for 1 night down and 1 night back won't be over $40/night via priceline.

We'll have our car at FW Cabins and if we choose we can drive to Epcot, MGM, AK.

We're also making a 1 day/night stop in Clearwater Beach on the way back.

We'll see how it works

I figure at best I could get RT ticket for the 5 of us + airport parking for $1,000 and that's getting a lucky deal that may not fit our timeline?

[westjones]

We are flying this year only because we have a 7 night cruise which begins on a Saturday and DH can't take off two days for driving. He is taking off a 1/2 day to fly out on Friday afternoon.

After this year, we are back to driving. I figured that the 4 day cruise fits our vacation schedule better. With 1 week to fill, we can leave on Friday night and be there sometime on Saturday. Cruise on Sunday. Get off on Thursday and go to WDW until Saturday when we leave to come home and be back by Sunday.

It is nice having a car and it is less expensive with the 4 of us. We have a long drive (17 hours), but we are getting more and more use to it!

DJ

[tinaluis]

We're a family of 5 so the cost of flying vs. driving is substantially more for us which is why we drive. Also, we stay for about two weeks and the cost of a rental car for that length of time (even through Priceline) is about $350-$400 with fees and taxes. Fortunately we both have flexible vacation time and can usually take as much time as we need. All things considered, it's not a bad drive from Chicago and we get to spend a lot of time talking and goofing off in the car. Our road trips to WDW have definitely been a bonding experience for all of us.

[goodferry]

We have our own business, so for us time is money so we are flying. We are staying onsite so we are not renting a car, we are using a towncar service. For the six of us to fly, including roundtrip towncar is $1125. When you figure two days of travel there, two days back, and the amount of money we make for the business when we are working, it saves us over $1000 to fly!

[disneysteve]

Given the choice (and the time) we prefer to drive. Dealing with the airport and all the hassles that go with it isn't worth it, especially when you consider that it costs us about $200-$250 to drive and about $1000 to fly and rent a car for the week. Plus, when we fly, we can't bring nearly as much with us. When we drive, we can bring variety of clothes, and snacks and food for the week which cuts costs even more. Flying is not as quick as everyone thinks. Although the flight is about 2 hours, the whole process is about 7 hours assuming flight is on time. Driving takes about 17 hours and we get to talk, see the countryside, stop in interesting places and teach our daughter some history, geography, etc. By plane, we wouldn't get pecan logs in Georgia or free orange juice in Florida or see the cotton fields in the Carolinas or stop at the Disney outlet in Virginia or a dozen other things we look forward to.

If I could pull up at the airport, park the car and board the plane, I would probably pick flying, but the whole process is a pain in the butt, especially since 9/11.

Steve

[bengalfreak]

Driving is the way to go for us and here's why. I love the freedom of having a car at WDW. I hate waiting in lines for just about anything. You have to wait in enough lines at the parks without having to wait in line to get on a bus. Not to mention it really drives me nuts when people bring their children's strollers onto the buses when its busy season. The buses are already standing room only. Its just so much faster and easier with a car. If we flew, I'd definately want to rent a car which makes flying a prohibitive expense.

[skiwee1]

We prefer to drive over flying. I live in Maryland and we drive to WDW twice a year. Because we take our time going down there staying over twice each way if ends up costing us more to drive then fly. Even when we flew we never rented a car because never leave WDW property. When we drive we park the van until it is time to drive home. My now 5 y/o DD likes driving better too. We flew this past October and gave her the choice of flying or driving for our next trip in April. She chose driving so that works for me!

[wdwstar]

you also have to add in for your time driving down there, we were going to drive for our easter because the price of airfare was so high almost $500 per person. about a month ago dh decided to search the airlines because gas is almost $2.00 a gal.
and by us driving 2 hours to indy and flying out it cost us $670.00 with tax and fees for 4 people, then i got a suv for a week for $129, for $800 we can spend more time at wdw instead of driving gas would have been alone $600, we drive straight thru, maybe a hotel on the way back, but just our time driving 17 hours down 17 hours back, if we had more time, were we could keep the kids out of school, we would drive but with a high school student you have to go when the are off or they get piled high with homework and to catch up is even harder, besides our school only give so many days to be absent during the quarter.
so until dd is out of high school we have to fly and go the time she has off. then back to normal for 5 years until the next one goes to highschool. yeppi back to 2 week vacations !

[momtoce&j]

The last time we were in Disney it was '97. The were only three of us back then, we flew. I always said we would never drive. That I didn't know how people drove all the way down to Florida. Our friends drive down every summer, they own a timeshare, and with three girls I was always amazed that they could get down and back intact. Now we are a family of five, and I still thought I would never drive for if I did, I surely would kill all three kids before I left the state of NJ. But, since I started seriously looking into how much it would cost all 5 of us to fly, (add cost of car service to airport and back, cost of minivan rental for week), I came to the conclusion that we would try driving instead. Much, much cheaper. And DisneySteve is right, it's not like you can just pull up to the airport, park your car, get right onto the plane and be in Florida 2 hours later.

So, we are attempting to drive next year. If all goes well, my family (all five of us) :D will make it there and back.

[HunnyPots]

We drove last year from Texas, about 1100 miles total. The drive down was not bad because we were so excited but the drive home was not fun at all. The trip was over, nothing left to look forward to. It seemed twice as long as the drive down.

If it were the only way I could go, I'd drive again but I'd prefer to fly and get there fresh and ready to go.

This year we are flying, due to lower air fares and higher gas prices. It will cost us around $300 more but we figure it will be worth it to get there in 3 hours rather than 20 and not be so tired the first day there or when we get back home. We chose not to rent a car but just use Disney transportation. We will use a Town Car service to and from the airport.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip!:wave2:

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by HunnyPots
I'd prefer to fly and get there fresh and ready to go.


Funny, we find just the opposite to be true. Waking early, standing in line at the airport, hauling our carry-ons, sitting around bored out of our minds waiting for our flight, being crammed into our seats unable to stretch for 2 hours breathing dry recycled air, the baggage claim crowd, another line for a rental car, etc. I'm totally drained by the time I get to the hotel.

In contrast, when we drive, we stop whenever we feel like it. We usually do a picnic lunch in Virginia and get some fresh air. We eat well, listen to a book on tape while driving, and do lots of other fun stuff. We get to Florida relaxed and rested and ready to enjoy ourselves.

wdwstar is absolutely right, though. The one drawback to driving is you lose a day each way. That does cut into the time at Disney, but we enjoy the drive so that is part of our vacation too.

Steve

[redbirdgrad]

It's like most discusssions on here and the other boards - depends on the individuals situation. I have plenty of time off from work and the drive down from Chicago relaxes me. The kids enjoy the drive with music, videos, discussion of historic spots, interesting views. I like listening to the radio/cd's, talking to the family. We arrive in a great mood ready to enjoy. We can be alot more flexible with anything around Disney, for example if we want to visit the beach on the way home - or take a different route to hit something. If the circumstances where different I may prefer to fly but for now - it's part of the fun.

[wdwstar]

i agree with redbirdgrad

when dd wasnt in high school , we loved to drive, we would go between the end of feb. and beginning of march, the kids had a few days off, and it was slow season for dh, when we were down there for a week or 10 days dh will see if his work was piling up and usually not, then we would call the front desk and add on another 5 to 7 days. and the kids would only actually have missed 4 days off school not to bad.
but when you fly your scheduale is about set in stone unless you want to pay all those change fees and new fare one way.
its not like you just pay the $50 per ticket anymore, its like canceling and flying back one way.:eek:

i agree it all depends on your situation, and how old the kids are and can they miss school.

and what disneysteve said about more stress from flying i totally agree, that is one of my drawbacks of flying and you forgot the pushing and shoving getting on the plane and getting off.

[wdwstar]

oh i forgot one more annoying thing about flying, my dh only worries about his golf clubs, our luggage can still be sitting at home as long as his clubs made it to wdw. at least driving i know our luggage made it too!:teeth:

[Maude4Disney]

We have always drove from central Michigan. This past week was our last time doing that. DH swears we will fly from now on. The trip just seems to take too much out of everyone. If we have longer than one week, we might consider driving, but it still is hard on the kids, which makes it hard on us. There are 4 of us, and we usually stay over 2 nights on the way down and 1 night on the way home. So 3 extra nights on the road, gas and food...it will cost a little more to fly, but the sanity factor plays a big roll in the decision.

[dkddis]

We drove from Bellingham, MA last Easter and I was concerned about fatigue from the 21 hour drive. We stayed at WL and one look at that lobby for the first time and I forgot all about the drive and was pumped!! Plus, we save a lot of money with the two day drive with fast food two meals a day and a inexpensive family restraunt for dinner. Plus the hotels in NC, SC or Georgia are 30-50 per night if you book in advance and or use a discount. Many of my co-workers think I am crazy for driving, but it not bad as you will see from other posts from New England residents. P.S. If you have kids splurge on a portable VCR/DVD with headphones and pack goody bags with crafts etc depending on there age.

[AreWeThereYet]

We live in Atlanta, so driving is a great option for us. By the time we get to the airport early, go through security, wait for the flight, take the flight, wait for the luggage, etc., it ends up not saving us too much time.

The girls watch movies on the way down to get in the mood, and it has become part of our annual pilgrimage to load up the car and make the drive to our home away from home at Disney.

[blowinbubbles]

We, too, live pretty close to Orlando. .about 7 hours drive. We flew on our last trip to Orlando, mainly because of the backseat fight-factor (two boys)

But when all was said and done, we saved maybe two hours of time, considering the drive to and from the airport, security check in, wait time for flight, flight time, getting luggage, waiting for ride to WDW!

However, there is the exhaustion factor with driving. .

either way, I"m driving next time, that way I can load up my car with coolers, a fridge, food and drinks! :D

Ann

[DisneyMomx7]

We're from NJ also and this year is the 1st time we're going to try driving down. We're doing this for several reason, 1) We're splitting our stay bettween US and WDW and want the flexibility and 2) (and more importantly) we always use American Express points for airline tickets and this was an unexpected trip so we didn't want to pay $1000 out of our pockets for the 5 of us to fly. My husband is excited about it and I'm apprehensive but I'll let you know how it goes. We are planning to stop one night so at least the kids can get out and play.

[bobcat]

Flying takes so much more out of me than the 1000 mile drive. The airport is an hour away, then we have to check in 2 hours early, find something to keep the kids occupied, pay for parking, rental car in Orlando and then do it all again on the way back. The only time I fly is when we only have a short time to vacation otherwise I travel when I am off work, as a teacher I have 2 1/2 months to travel in the summer, and I like having the relaxed pace.

[plummer925]

Wow...you all enlightened me!

I'm from Maine, so it's a 24 hour drive to Orlando...BUT....I think I may do that my next trip (not my upcoming trip, because I only have 5 days...lol).

When I fly I drive to Boston (3 1/2 hours) because the rates are cheaper, but I spend the night the day before (still cheaper than flying from Maine!)...so I "waste" about 18 hours with the drive and the spending the night...

PLUS...I want to camp at Disney for at least 2 weeks - I couldn't imagine trying to get my gear on board a plane!! LOL!! I pack a LOT when I camp - but if I drive i can just pack my SUV (FULL!) and go!!! Whoohooo! Sounds so fun!!! :-)

[HaleyB]

We prefer to drive. And with three kids we find it easier to have control over when we stop. We have lots of time so it is not a factor. We have a collection of road side attraction photos. True Americana. We drove from Southern California to Nova Scotia with an 8 year old and an 18 month old! We also drove from Nova Scotia to Austin TX with a 3 year old and a 6 month old (and an 12 year old, but he was easy). We drive to California from Austin almost every year, and this year we will drive from Austin to Orlando (which is not as far). So after many many road trips with kids I still would much rather drive than fly.

But if money were no object I would rent a Limo and driver.

[ReneeQ]

Don't forgot about this "trick" I learned on here. Stop at a fast food place with a playground. Let the kids play while the adults eat. When it's time to go, buy the kids food "to go" and let them eat in the car, so you can get back on the road. Tried this with my nephew in January and it was great! Everyone was happy.

[1canadian]

Nice to hear so many like to drive. My situation is slightly different. I plan on taking the Greyhound this summer (my 15 year old and myself). It's the only way we can afford to go. The cheapest flight I could find is $750/each (from western Canada), Greyhound has a special $200/each. Of course, it will be a VERY long ride - 2 days, 16 hours, but we have time. I work at a school and get the summer off, the money.... I don't have. It will be worth it. I'm also considering trying the local bus service while were there. I'm assuming as long as I get the schedules in advance, buses must run from hotels to major parks??? Wish me luck!

[dcfromva]

Hillbeans,
It depends. We are only 13hours 15mins from WDW where we live.
If we take our time and make stops at points if interest along the way, driving can be a lot of fun.
However, driving during peak times (like Christmas/New Years, for example) or trying to make good time, it can be very nerve wracking.
We drove on our New Year's trip this past year. It was not any fun. (This year, it seemed like the traffic was a lot heavier than last year at the same time. )
We flew on our Spring Break trip (4-8 APR)... As we were driving to MCO to go home, DH commented on how grateful he was not to be looking forward to a long drive home.

-DC :)

[blowinbubbles]

DC Wrote:
<<We flew on our Spring Break trip (4-8 APR)... As we were driving to MCO to go home, DH commented on how grateful he was not to be looking forward to a long drive home. >>>

Oh, I have to second that! Although we only live 7-8 hours away, that long drive can be difficult when I'm tired and my kids are tired and fighting! Ugh!

Although, I'm planning on driving next trip. . . hehe, I think pharmeceutical drugs might be in order!

Ann

[WDWthe1forU]

1976 (Flew), 1986 (Drove-Honeymooning), 1989 (Drove 18 Mos DS), 1992 (Drove 4y-DS, 2y-DD, 3y-DN), as if I didn't learn my lesson in 1992! In 1996 (Drove 2y-DD, 7y-DD, 9y-DS).

By this time DH and myself are pushing 40y/o we are really starting to feel the 20 Hr car trip from NH to our layover destination So. GA.

Still addicted to the family bonding time in the car and the adrenalin ride rush. 2000 (Drove 5y-DD, 10y-DD, 12y-DS). What took a night layover in So. Georgia has now grown to 2 night layover -- Man we are out of shape!
We created some really great memories and have some fabulous pictures. At first when the children were young we would leave at 5pm sing, play games until they fell asleep. DH & myself would take turns driving/sleeping in shifts and the kids slept for at least half of the trip. That helped so much.

Someday we may drive again when the Grandbabies come and we need to create new memories. But for now, time is the priority on our list of pros vs. cons with teenagers in HS and vacation time at work. It makes sense to fly for us no matter the cost. Our biggest decision is nonstop vs stops these days. Good Luck in your decision!

[skiwee1]

We are leaving in about 17 hours for our drive to WDW. I already have my reservation at the Country Inn and Suites in Savannah. That is about a 10 hour ride from my house. I'm all packed and almost ready. My dear son is outside washing and waxing my van right now. Can't wait!:Pinkbounc

[Cheshire Figment]

Prior to our move down here, we found that driving down but taking the AutoTrain back to Virginia was the best for us. We had our own car, could go at our own pace on the way down, but were able to relax on the way home.

This did cost less than the combination of air and car rental.

[laso82]

We just drove from NY for the first time over the Easter break, and it worked out great. It was about a 20 hr drive.... we did the long stretch the first day, and arrived at the Beach club about lunch time the second day. It worked out fine for us.
We had 12 days, so it was okay to drive....still had 9 nites to split between Disney/Universal. I definitely would recommend it, and would do it again......:wave:

[AirForceRocks]

We drove two years ago, and we're doing it again in August. We leave here at around 4:30 in the morning, and the kids are awake by the time we hit NC, so we stop for breakfast. Then we stop for a picnic lunch on the way, and stop for the night in Brunswick, GA. The kids can play in the pool, then we rent a movie for before bedtime. Last time, we didn't put in a wake up, just slept until we woke up on our own, took our time with breakfast, then made about a four hour drive to WDW, arriving in time for a late lunch. That gives us an evening to relax before we hit the parks.

[pjlla]

Funny to find this thread today..... DH and I were just "running the numbers" of driving vs. flying over lunch today! We kind of figured at current gas prices versus the rnd trip tix we just bought this past January, flying costs about double what driving would. This said.... it is about a 20+ hour drive for us. Our kids have been known to fight during the 13 minute drive to church!!! So for sanity's sake, we will probably be driving for all trips to WDW in the forseeable future. But considering I am trying to find a way to fit in a trip next year (versus our "every-other-year" to WDW current schedule) maybe I will have to take a closer look at driving!..............................P

[gianna2004]

I've got to say that I prefer driving. Even though it is 19 hrs from Long Island to Orlando plus stops (plenty with a 5yoDS and 2yoDD), it is much more inexpensive than flying. I also enjoy the freedom of not worrying about how much to pack and not having any deadlines or flights to make.

On our last trip my husband won two very large stuffed animals at Pleasure Island. We flew down and it was a nightmare trying to figure out where to put them along with the rest of the extras we bought for the flight home!

I find that, especially if there is more than one driver, if you drive through the night the kids will sleep and you can have a fairly relaxing time of it. Besides, you have to stop at South of the Border!


Leaving May 1st 2004!
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