Is it worth driving from New England to Disney for the "experience"?

[Roveer]

Have to share... I posted a page or 2 back about us always driving. One year on the way down the car started making a funny noise. Couldn't really find anything and got to WDW as usual. Had a great vacation and left on schedule early on a Saturday morning. I think it was one of our July trips. About an hour into the drive the AC stopped working. Spent the next 17 hours with windows open and the thermometer was reading 106. Every hour or so something else on the dash board would go berserk. First the spedo spun around and pointed straight down, then the oil pressure, then the temp, then the radio. It was like the car was disintegrating around us. We decided not to stop/stay in VA like we normally do and wound up stopping somewhere in DE but we were too afraid to turn the car off. My wife asked the girl at the McDonald's where we were, she answered with the name of the town and then my wife asked. No, what state are we in. We were pretty spent. I think we got home around 1:30 and slept for 10 hours. As bad as that was, we still all talk and joke about it. We really have the ability to turn lemons into lemonade. I've seen so many people come unglued by the slightest adversity. We just trudge along and try and make it one of life's experiences. When the kids were really young we would travel with a port-e-potie. We got stuck in some DC traffic on the way down and my wife HAD to go. Well, out came my smart phone for some really interesting pictures. It has become some of our funniest and fondest vacation memories. We were all howling with laughter, my wife included. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. If all of this sounds absolutely horrifying to you and life must be structured, than by all means avoid driving at all costs. Instead head for the airport for their version of lap of luxury.

I will add one thing. When we go to WDW we usually go for 12-13 days. When we go for only Sun-Sat (a single week), driving is a real buzz kill.

 

[kaetra]

Your time is worth money too. 20+ hours in a car is a LONG time. $300 doesn't sound like that huge of a savings for all the time you'll spend driving.

I would definitely fly for that cost. We've taken several very long 20+ hour road trips and the idea of it has always been much more appealing than when you're actually in the car - even with beautiful scenery.

 

[goofyernmost]

Your time is worth money too. 20+ hours in a car is a LONG time. $300 doesn't sound like that huge of a savings for all the time you'll spend driving.

I would definitely fly for that cost. We've taken several very long 20+ hour road trips and the idea of it has always been much more appealing than when you're actually in the car - even with beautiful scenery.

There was a time that cost was the factor for me, because with 4 of us airfare was prohibitive plus back then you really had to have a car when you got there. Now, by myself, I can certainly fly there cheaper then I can drive, but, because I am who I am, a car would be required once I got there, so, not enough difference to make it worthwhile. Fortunately I still like to drive and do road trips, so especially just from NC, I don't think of it as that big a deal. I still get there the same day.

 

[BrerNashville]

$300 is not even minimum wage for you and your other adult for that time.

At MOST, I would rent a car one way if you are into that Griswold kind of thing (there are benefits to having a car in Disney, and if you are renting a car there, it may not be much more expensive for the extra day or two, depending on drop off charges), but by all means, fly back.

 

[rwdavis2]

Every time I see this thread I think, "driving from Boston for the 'experience' is like getting a root canal without Novocain for the 'experience'. Just fly.

 

[ArwenMarie]

There was a time that cost was the factor for me, because with 4 of us airfare was prohibitive plus back then you really had to have a car when you got there. Now, by myself, I can certainly fly there cheaper then I can drive, but, because I am who I am, a car would be required once I got there, so, not enough difference to make it worthwhile. Fortunately I still like to drive and do road trips, so especially just from NC, I don't think of it as that big a deal. I still get there the same day.

If I could drive in one day's drive, I would never fly to Orlando. I hate flying so much!

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I would fly - the trip will wear you out (and your family) and eat up time you could be spending at WDW!

 

[goofyernmost]

I would fly - the trip will wear you out (and your family) and eat up time you could be spending at WDW!

It never changed that for me. I just put time in front and after my planned Disney time for travel. For example, If I intended to be in WDW from Monday thru Friday, I would travel on Saturday and Sunday on both ends. If I did the same amount of time in WDW and flew I'd be flying in on Sunday and out on Saturday. Two days additional for travel and I would actually get to see other things besides Airports, WDW and Airports. There is a whole lot of USA out there that I enjoy seeing, even if it is mostly from interstate highways.

That always worked for me because, personally, that is all I can tolerate. After 5 days I was going to hardware stores looking for a giant mouse trap. I got tired of the experience and my body just plain got tired, even in my youth. Now there is no question about it. As I think I said before.. for me that road trip itself was as much fun as the destination. Just lucky, I guess! When time was limited, I have flown there a number of times, it's just that I enjoyed the road trips more. I don't even bypass the cities. I love driving through Richmond, Jacksonville and Orlando. The architecture and local landmarks erases the sometimes tedious repetition of high speed highways. It took me a few years to have traveled every inch of I-95, but, I was finally able to completely connect those dots about 6 years ago. From Maine to the tip of Florida.

Adding a day or two to the itinerary allowed me to spend time exploring Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Fort Sumter, Savanna, Daytona Beach and places like the World Golf Hall of Fame, Silver Springs, Washington, DC. and many other places.

 

[GAN]

When the kids were really young we would travel with a port-e-potie. We got stuck in some DC traffic on the way down and my wife HAD to go. Well, out came my smart phone for some really interesting pictures. It has become some of our funniest and fondest vacation memories. We were all howling with laughter, my wife included. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.

That's beautiful!

 

[elcapitanJack]

We fly. 2-1/2 hour direct flight vs 19 hours on the road...the bad drivers shine up and down I95 this time of year too, so it's a simple choice.

 

[jcjen519]

we live in atlanta and fly. we even fly to savannah.....don't like driving. that said if you're going to take 5 days or so and stop and enjoy things it could be worth it. we flew to DC and then drove DC to atlanta last year and spent a couple days in different places.....3 days in colonial williamsburg...etc.

i think doing something like that could be worth it. you could visit williamsburg, savannah, beach on the way to orlando. that could be fun. if you're talking about a pretty straight drive with just a stop here or there my opinion is NO WAY! fly.

 

[EricBowser]

Wife and I are driving tomorrow 6 am with two children (5 and 8) from Pittsburgh to Orlando. Driving isn't all that bad as long as you can get share the driving and for us, we like to play games like the license plate game, the alphabet on road signs, and whatever weird things kids want to create. It doesn't hurt they each have their kindles and the mini van has the dvd player. Oh... and don't forget the sugar. lol.

Next stop... Savannah GA or Jacksonville FL....

 

[goofyernmost]

Wife and I are driving tomorrow 6 am with two children (5 and 8) from Pittsburgh to Orlando. Driving isn't all that bad as long as you can get share the driving and for us, we like to play games like the license plate game, the alphabet on road signs, and whatever weird things kids want to create. It doesn't hurt they each have their kindles and the mini van has the dvd player. Oh... and don't forget the sugar. lol.

Next stop... Savannah GA or Jacksonville FL....

Have a good trip and I hate to be a downer, but, don't expect any warmth until at least southern Georgia. From Pittsburgh, personally I wouldn't go any further then the Savanna area (Richmond Hills, if I remember properly) It's an easy trip from there, but between there and WDW you have to pass through Jacksonville and Orlando, it is best to be rested during that part of the trip. Enjoy!

 

[dina7]

Torturous is the pefect word to describe it. We drove down a bunch of times from NJ when I was a kid. I have vowed never to do it with my own family, lol.

 

[ellie05]

No way I would drive! We have driven NC to New England a couple times to visit DH family, but we haven't done that in a long time because the drive was way too long.

 

[mshanson3121]

I don't understand how flying is a 10 hour ordeal from New England.

Not sure exactly where your coming from but I fly from Albany NY. However I live in MA, 1.5 hours from the airport.

1.5 hours to get to the airport
1.5 hours in the airport - I fly alot so I can do less but I know most families want the 90 min.
3 hour flight.
30 min to get to ME
1 hour to get to the hotel

That is still only 7 1/2 hours and I'm going to guess a lot of people on here don't have a 1.5 hour drive to the nearest airport.

Heck I have flown back and forth to DC several times. Now that one really is almost as long but still worth it to just not have to worry about anything.

Plus to me driving is the ordeal. On the plane there is no worries that I'm going to take a wrong turn and get lost or even with the GPS just end up in an area I don't want to be driving through. I can sleep the whole flight if I want no need to pay attention to anything...

Not everyone is able to get/can afford, a direct flight. Many flights, even from NE, have connections. Turning a "quick" trip into a long, drawn out ordeal.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Coming from someone who experienced many car rides to Florida when I was a kid, it is not worth it to me personally AT ALL. The drive as you said is torturous. South of the Border is a tourist trap (to me.) For only $300 savings, I would definitely just fly. I would need to save more like $1,000 to consider driving!

But if you really want to go back to SB, then maybe it is worth it to you.

 

[mshanson3121]

I would fly - the trip will wear you out (and your family) and eat up time you could be spending at WDW!

Flying doesn't always = more time at Disney. For those who have budgets, flying tends to eat into that budget, meaning they can't afford any extra time at Disney. For us, the cost savings ($800) of driving is what is allowing us more time at Disney.

 

[mshanson3121]

Have to share... I posted a page or 2 back about us always driving. One year on the way down the car started making a funny noise. Couldn't really find anything and got to WDW as usual. Had a great vacation and left on schedule early on a Saturday morning. I think it was one of our July trips. About an hour into the drive the AC stopped working. Spent the next 17 hours with windows open and the thermometer was reading 106. Every hour or so something else on the dash board would go berserk. First the spedo spun around and pointed straight down, then the oil pressure, then the temp, then the radio. It was like the car was disintegrating around us. We decided not to stop/stay in VA like we normally do and wound up stopping somewhere in DE but we were too afraid to turn the car off. My wife asked the girl at the McDonald's where we were, she answered with the name of the town and then my wife asked. No, what state are we in. We were pretty spent. I think we got home around 1:30 and slept for 10 hours. As bad as that was, we still all talk and joke about it. We really have the ability to turn lemons into lemonade. I've seen so many people come unglued by the slightest adversity. We just trudge along and try and make it one of life's experiences. When the kids were really young we would travel with a port-e-potie. We got stuck in some DC traffic on the way down and my wife HAD to go. Well, out came my smart phone for some really interesting pictures. It has become some of our funniest and fondest vacation memories. We were all howling with laughter, my wife included. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. If all of this sounds absolutely horrifying to you and life must be structured, than by all means avoid driving at all costs. Instead head for the airport for their version of lap of luxury.

I will add one thing. When we go to WDW we usually go for 12-13 days. When we go for only Sun-Sat (a single week), driving is a real buzz kill.

I think this is the biggest factor in driving vs. flying for many people - attitude. Yes, the kids are going to fight, yes things could go wrong, yes, you'll probably want to smack your DH on the head a time or two at one point, and your DH may envision opening the door and kicking you out on the freeway at 80 mph. LOL. So what? That's LIFE. That's every day life. And it can happen in an airport or a plane just as easily. Sure, there's less time for the negatives, but there's also less time for the positives - we have some of the greatest conversations and laughs with our kids in the car. We sing, we listen to comedy shows, we play games, the kids tell us stories (our son never fails to blow us away with his imagination), we TALK. Driving gives us real time together, to actually focus on each other without the distraction of theme parks etc... To me, having time together, yes, even when some of it means refereeing children (seriously, how is that different than any other day of a parent's life?), is priceless.

 

[GAN]

I'm all for flying, but is there anyone from New England here that wouldn't drive/walk/crawl after THIS last month of winter! I'd go anyway I could.