Drive or fly?

[SRiley1985]

We have never driven to Disney before, always flown. With airfare prices rising though, we are seriously considering driving. If we drive straight thru overnight, we can be there in about 13 hours. The gas cost for driving is about 500 dollars. Factor in a dinner and a breakfast stop each way, that is another 80 round trip. Plus, all the luggage and a stroller won't fit in my car, so that is another 70 to rent a stroller once we get to the resort. So to drive is about 650 and 26 hours of driving in one week.

Flying could be 640 if the Southwest birthday sale pans out the same as last year. 2.5 hour flight. No baggage fees, check our stroller at the gate so no renting one, no being in the car for a whole day, no worrying about the 20 month old freaking out and refusing to get back in the car. It's a no brainer, right? I don't know what to do!

 

[MommyRobin]

What on earth are you driving that is going to cost you $500 in gas? Is this an assumption you are making, or are you speaking from experience? Remember, this is highway driving, which is much cheaper than city driving. I know that in my case, I have a 20-24 hour drive (from Canada) each way. I drive a 2011 Grand Caravan. Last year I paid $375 r/t in gas. And my mileage is almost double yours.

 

[SRiley1985]

What on earth are you driving that is going to cost you $500 in gas? Is this an assumption you are making, or are you speaking from experience? Remember, this is highway driving, which is much cheaper than city driving. I know that in my case, I have a 20-24 hour drive (from Canada) each way. I drive a 2011 Grand Caravan. Last year I paid $375 r/t in gas. And my mileage is almost double yours.

2005 Chrysler Pacifica. It gets terrible gas mileage. 18-20 mpg. I used the driving calculator and it added in $101 in wear and tear, so it is actually $400 in gas. It is 985 miles each way. When I calculate it, I get 14 hours going 70mph. Mapquest says a little over 16. My original 13 was without taking into account the 30 min drive in the opposite direction to pick up my DSS. We are going over Labor Day weekend, so I'm also figuring gas will be almost $4/gallon.

 

[MartyM]

Fly. There's no one in the world who I'd ride with in a car for 13 hours.

 

[VAfamily1998]

13 hours...that's about the same as us, we're in Northern VA. Are you along I 95 as well? We have always driven. It's not too bad. Somtimes we have left at like 5 am and arrived around 7 or 8 pm (accounting for the gas/food/bathroom stops) and other times we have left in the afternoon and stopped overnight in Florence, SC, then drive the rest of the way the next day.

We are a family of 6, so for us the inconvenience of the long drive is worth it compared to the cost of 6 plane tickets...plus we have mostly stayed off site, so having a car was pretty much esssential.

I don't know if I could drive "through the night" though...that would be rough.

 

[kirstenb1]

We drive each year to avoid the hassle of air travel. We're in central Va. We eat cheap, fast food all the way. We stop in the Savannah area on the way down, free breakfast the next morning, and arrive at WDW around 2. On the way back we stop in Florence, SC again free breakfast, and are back in Richmond by 2 or 3. The kids get to bring whatever toys they want. We pack sodas/beer/rum/juice boxes, plus snacks.

 

[Butterbunkins]

We drive but we never drive our own car. For our next trip we have a full size car for 17 days for $316. Adding gas it’s not all that much more than a couple plane tickets and we make the drive part of our vacation. I always shop around for great car deals so we never put the wear and tear on our own car anymore. This time it’s through Avis using our Costco discount.

But we both like road trips and like I said we make it part of our vacation with the stops we make.

 

[ncc1701]

Due to traffic, bathroom/gas/food/breaks I would go with the Mapquest time and be happy if it is less. A word of advice is to have your local mechanic check the car over for any issues before you go. Better to have them replace a belt then having issues on your trip.
At least that way if there is a problem you know it couldn't have been prevented.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Fly. There's no one in the world who I'd ride with in a car for 13 hours.

I agree. We just dropped ds12 off at camp this past weekend, 3.5 hours each way. We were exhausted by the end of the day and felt icky after eating junk food and sitting so long.

I can't guess exactly how much I'm willing to pay for airfare before I would switch to driving to FL but I know it's pretty high. Dh would rather go to work than do that long drive.

I like that on a Friday, I can work until 2,(only taking 2 hrs vacation time) kids can get a full day of school done, we can head to the airport for a 6 or 7pm flight, be in Orlando by 11 pm, crash at the Hyatt inside MCO, and wake up well rested Sat ready for vacay.
To me, it's priceless. Do what works for you.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm not sure why this is even a question if flying costs the same as driving. Fly, of course! Get there quicker and start the fun sooner!

 

[mieuxmew]

We are in NJ so for us driving to Disney is far..like 16-17 hours driving nonstop! We have been fortunate there is competition here and have been able to find reasonable airfare. We also have been able to find reasonable car rentals from the Orlando airport.

We are going to Hilton Head this summer, which is a 13 hour drive. No direct flights. Large layovers. Ridiculous prices (twice the price of flying to Orlando). Needless to say, we are driving. We have never taken a family road trip more than 6 hours, so I have the same concerns as you. Can you fit a small umbrella stroller, like a MacClaren? We are leaving at night and driving straight thru and then relax on the beach!

I looked into renting a minivan...prices so far are $1100!!! No thanks...we will take less stuff and rent bikes when we arrive.

Good luck with whatever you decide. In my opinion, if the price to fly vs drive is reasonably close, I would fly. I do know people who swear by driving to Disney and wouldn't dream of flying.

 

[kiki02]

Depends. where from? when? how many people? will you have to rent once arriving??????????

We have never driven to Disney before, always flown. With airfare prices rising though, we are seriously considering driving. If we drive straight thru overnight, we can be there in about 13 hours. The gas cost for driving is about 500 dollars. Factor in a dinner and a breakfast stop each way, that is another 80 round trip. Plus, all the luggage and a stroller won't fit in my car, so that is another 70 to rent a stroller once we get to the resort. So to drive is about 650 and 26 hours of driving in one week.

Flying could be 640 if the Southwest birthday sale pans out the same as last year. 2.5 hour flight. No baggage fees, check our stroller at the gate so no renting one, no being in the car for a whole day, no worrying about the 20 month old freaking out and refusing to get back in the car. It's a no brainer, right? I don't know what to do!

 

[nono]

Fly. There's no one in the world who I'd ride with in a car for 13 hours.

See everyone is different. I can't say I'd enjoy just anyone in my car, but I really have a blast with my family on the road, so travelling in the car is fun for us.

OP, if you have any hesitation, esp. with your youngest, why not just wait and try it when you might enjoy it?

 

[Soben]

It sounds like you really want to fly and if that's what you prefer, you should totally do that. Even if it's a little more expensive. It's your vacation, you don't want to be stressed out.

But I think you're stacking the deck against driving, you are still going to have to pick up your step son either way, but it's only going into the driving calculation; you're going to have to drive to the airport, so that's some gas; you need parking (probably, at most airports) or taxi service; would you rent a car when you got there? or do the Disney Bubble ME?; you can pack a cooler to save on food/drink and you might need a meal in your flying scenario depending on the times; I put a Pacifica in GasBuddy and a 14 hour drive came up at $239 round trip (maybe your car needs a tune up?)

I just drove 11 hours yesterday dropping my daughter off at camp. I can't imagine doing that after a week at Disney. I am not trying to talk you into driving. I just think you should be more realistic about the savings and then decide if it's worth it to you. I hope you get an awesome flight sale and enjoy your trip!

 

[MartyM]

Dh would rather go to work than do that long drive.

Top 4 things I never ever want to do:

1. Root Canal
2. Painting
3. Work
4. Long Car Trips

 

[darrengs]

I have never ended up driving to WDW with my family as I usually snag good airfare. But our current plan is to drive down from NJ in August, the round trip cost of <$300 in gas (for our AWD Chevy Traverse) add some meals and a hotel, still comes in way cheaper then $1400 - $1700 I am seeing for airfare (before luggage). So unless I once again snag cheap airfare, we will be driving this time.