Fly or Drive

[studog]

I live about 15 hours (drive time) from WDW. I am now a DVC member and would like to go maybe twice a year. I drove it once and hated it but my kids were younger then. I prefer to fly but with a family of 4, that could get steep. I don't know enuf about frequent flyer miles ...should I?

Does anyone just fly or just drive every time they visit WDW.

 

[mm6mm6]

It's all in your mindset my friend!

I love to drive.

I prepare the car and love doing it.

My wife and DD5 drove from Chicago to Orlando in 2002 and again in 2003.

We had a wonderful family time.

The rules are that when anyone wants to stop for any reason, we stop. Bathroom, food, site seeing.

We drive all day, leaving around 4am, until we hit the Georgia border. Then we find a hotel with a great pool to swim and relax in. We have a nice meal at a nice restaurant. With dessert!

The next morning we get up around 7 and hit the road at 7:30am. We stop for the free orange juice at the Florida Welcome Center and pick up brochures and take some family pictures.

We arrive Orlando between 3 and 4 pm. We stayed at the Radisson Twin Towers both trips for our first night before checking in at Disney.

We unwind in the pool and hot tub, have a nice meal and hit the sack. Get up in the morning for the filling all you can eat buffet breakfast and then head to WDW.

We love the drive. We love the family time. We bring games and a DVD player/computer lap top.

And the big thing is the money. We already have a minivan so want to use it.

Roundtrip airfare O'hare to Orlando was $222 each totalling $666 plus taxes and other fees. Basically it was going to be $700 and that didn't include getting to and from WDW after landing on the plane.

Total cost of gas and hotels there and back last year during August was $349. That left another $351 to spend at Disney!

Wheeeeeeeeeee! Drive it! No worries! Enjoy the scenery. It's our United States of America and they're just darn beautiful during the summer!

-Steve

 

[kilee]

We used to drive it-- then we got stuck in a terrible blizzard that socked the midatlantic states. We've flown EVERY time since. We're from WNY and snow is not forgein to us-- but it made getting home so awful-- driving is no longer an option.

 

[Mickey527]

I usually drive from CT but I found flights thanks to these boards, from Hartford to Orlando for $49 each way so I will fly my May trip. 2 people for $233 with tax and fees.
I drove in March myself, non stop. I had to fill the tank 3 times on the way down and back, and once at the parks and at home the 2nd day back so at about $25 per tank of gas it cost me over $200 for gas.
I do have to find a rental car now because I like to go to the outlets while on vacation so I figure it will probably be about $150 for a car for the 8 days and another $25 for gas. It going to cost me a little more, but less wear and tear on my car. If I could go without a car I would be saving money in the long run.
Keep watching these boards and checking the airlines and you might find some great bargains. I am looking for hints on rental cars right now. Peggie

 

[disneysteve]

We prefer driving for a bunch of reasons.

1. It's cheaper. There are usually 4 of us, so gas and cheap hotel for one nite each way comes out far cheaper than 4 plane tickets, airport parking and rental car.

2. We can pack much more stuff. We usually rent a house or condo, or at least a suite with a kitchen. Driving lets us bring food, toys, and other stuff that we couldn't bring if we were flying.

3. Much more relaxing. We love to fly - not scared or anything - but the whole process is a huge hassle and wastes lots of time. We need to get to the airport 2 hours before our flight, deal with security, sit around doing nothing, spend 2 hours crammed into our seats, hassle with baggage claim and rental car crowds, and then do it all again when we head back home. When we drive, we are on our own schedule, stop when and where we want, eat well and arrive in Orlando rested and refreshed, not dragged out from flying.

4. Its educational. We've used the drives to teach our daughter map-reading skills. We've sampled regional specialty foods - pecan logs, Georgia peaches, pecans, free OJ in Florida, etc. We've driven through cotton fields, past areas that had recently burned in forest fires and through swampland - all opportunites to discuss stuff that never would come up if we were passing it at 30,000 feet.

Are there drawbacks to driving? The biggest one is the loss of time in Florida. We leave Saturday 8 am, stop for the nite in S. Carolina or Georgia around 9 pm. Then reach Orlando for a late lunch on Sunday. Had we flown, we would have had dinner in WDW on Saturday, so we do lose a day, but its worth it to us.

Steve

 

[powellrj]

we don't live too far from you and usually fly. several reasons the main one being that we usually only have a week and hate to lose the days driving, also both dh and I are in sales and hate to drive much on vacations because we both drive so much during the week. We usually use ATA or Delta when we fly out of Indy, ATA usually has a $59 each way promotion going. My ds uses southwest when he flies and likes them (but I've never used them)

 

[my3princes]

We have flown a few times and driven twice. There will be 8 of us going next trip so we will drive. It is much cheaper than airfare. My husband purchased a small bus last summer and we tow our 28 ft travel trailer. We take turns driving and it takes about 28 hours. Our kids were 9mths, 5 and 7 last year and we did not hear are we there yet once as they know that it takes two nights and one day to get there. We camp at FW and I would guess that between driving and staying at the campground we save $2000. over a two week trip. It seems worth it to me.

 

[jjsmom]

We live in Maryland and have driven the 16-18 hrs for the past 6-7 trips. We used to fly when we were both working full time and 1-could afford the plane fare and 2-wanted to have as many days in the park as we could and then some "down" time before going back to work. Then I quit to stay at home and I had to do some creative budgeting in order to maintain my Disney habit. Anyway, both options have pros and cons.

Here are some of our observations based on our last drive down this past Feb.-
Pros-No planes to catch, no security lines (my husband got very delayed by a problem at work-if we were flying we would have surely missed the flight), no car rental counters (the last time we flew, I stood in line almost 2hours waiting for rental). Lots of time in the car for my daughter to do her make up work (she had finished it by the time we got to Orlando). Being able to pack what we want including cases of soda, water, and lots of snacks and breakfast foods, coffee maker.

Cons-Maybe we're showing our age, but this last trip seemed to tire us and cause more aches and pains than previous trips. Also, you never know what weather conditions or construction delays you'll run into. And of course, the time missed at the parks is another reason not to drive.

Unless gas prices go way down, we have decided to give airline travel serious consideration next year and maybe use a town car service that offers a grocery stop. I'm not sure driving is the way to go for us anymore.
Either way, have fun!

 

[KristiKelly]

It's about a 10 hour drive for us. We bought one of the TV/VCR/DVD players @ Best Buy - Life Saver!!! I record about 6 hours of cartoons from PBS, Nick, Disney & Cartoon Network, alternating every other one - 30 min. for DS, 30 min. for DD, etc. I also take movies that they haven't seen yet. We usually stop in Brunswick, Ga. to spend the night @ a hotel with Continental Breakfast. Then the next morning we're only about 3-1/2 - 4 hours away. On the way home we drive straight back. My kids say "it takes 2 days to get to Disney World, but only 1 to get home" DH loves to drive and we enjoy it. It's funny, you can go from NC to SC to Ga, and it all looks the same, but as soon as you cross the Ga/Fl line, things just look different. We also like to stop @ the big Florida Welcome Center, they have fresh squeezed OJ and the kids get about 10,000 brochures, that's kinda become a tradition for us now.

 

[ncbyrne]

After driving I-95 from NJ to FL twice, I must say, NEVER AGAIN. Instead of days on the road coming and going, it's a few hours. Vacation time is just too valuable to waste it sitting in the car bucking truck traffic! Air fare is worth every single dime at any price.

 

[WIcruizer]

4. Its educational. We've used the drives to teach our daughter map-reading skills. We've sampled regional specialty foods - pecan logs, Georgia peaches, pecans, free OJ in Florida, etc. We've driven through cotton fields, past areas that had recently burned in forest fires and through swampland - all opportunites to discuss stuff that never would come up if we were passing it at 30,000 feet.

It also gives us an opportunity to explain why there's a billboard for "gentlman's clubs" every 2 miles in southern GA. My wife and I joke whenever we drive through there, we're entering the "3 P" area of the country- Pecans, Peaches, and Porn.

Anyhow, we're about 50/50. Flying this time simply because of the unbelievable rates, and high gas prices. But we've driven many times, and really enjoy it. For those of you who drive, do you have friends who think you're absolutely crazy for driving to FL? I happen to find it relaxing as well, although I have run into horrific traffic conditions and/or weather.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by WIcruizer
For those of you who drive, do you have friends who think you're absolutely crazy for driving to FL?

LOL - Absolutely!! People think we're nuts. Folks who don't like to drive simply can't comprehend why anyone would willingly spend 17 hours on the road. The last couple of trips, I did all the driving and loved every minute of it, even the traffic wasn't so bad.

Steve

 

[tidoublegger]

We only fly. Our vehicles are too old to even consider driving! Even if we had a new van, I would still fly because I would be nervous of potential car problems...ie: accidents, flat tires, engine problems, etc. That could add even more delays to your trip! If my kids were cranky for any reason, being stuck in a car for that long would not be the way I'd like to start out our Disney trip! I will only fly!!!