Talk to me about DRIVING to Disney

[HayGan]

That is not an accurate calculator. I put in our info and it says we will only use 43 gallons of gas from NY to Orlando. No way! It also says it will only cost us $125 roughly in gas money. It is over $50 to fill our tank so that is off as well. Maybe I did something wrong but I know for a fact we will use more gas than that. Oh well- even if it was free I'd be flying!

I find the calculator to be very accurate. How many miles to the gallon does your vehicle get? When I plug in Pittsburgh to Orlando, it is 953 miles and an estimated 39.7 gallons. My Highlander actually gets about 25 to 26 miles to the gallon on the higway so the AAA calculator is conservative at 24mi/gallon.

The numbers you were looking at were one way so your overall cost in gas would be about $250. How much would you expect it to cost?

 

[ICF]

We've been 3 times in the last 4 years. The 1st 2 were with only one child (then 4 & 5) and last fall when we went our daughter went as well so we had a 7 1/2 & almost 5 year old.

We drove from Indiana (took about 15 - 16 hours) and really wasnt that bad. We drive 8-9 hours on day one and then finsih it up on the 2nd day. We usually leave around 7 - 8 am and will stop a couple of times to stretch and get lunch and then usually make it to our final destination by 5pm or so and eat dinner after going into the hotel.

We take the gameboys & dvd player as well as other books and games to keep them occupied and it's never been that bad of a trip.

We also always stay at a condo offsite so we can take a lot more food and such in a van then you can if you are flying down there which is nice.

We have always stayed for free using hotel points from Marriott or Hilton so that isn't a cost for us to factor in.

By the time you factor in airfare and car rental for a week, the cost for us would be much higher the what we spent in gas and a couple of extra meals eating out while driving down.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I find the calculator to be very accurate. How many miles to the gallon does your vehicle get? When I plug in Pittsburgh to Orlando, it is 953 miles and an estimated 39.7 gallons. My Highlander actually gets about 25 to 26 miles to the gallon on the higway so the AAA calculator is conservative at 24mi/gallon.

The numbers you were looking at were one way so your overall cost in gas would be about $250. How much would you expect it to cost?

I drive a Honda minivan.
We drove to Boston and it was one tank going, one tank coming back. Boston is about 4 hours away. WDW is about 24 hours away. So figure 6 tanks of gas each way at roughly $50 a tank is $300 each way for gas.
So $600 for gas.
2 rooms at a hotel since we are a familly of 6- Even if they are cheap ($60 a night)= $120 + tax each way

Food- 3 meals (at least) at $40 each and that is conservative= $120 each way

Snacks- we could bring these so nothing really extra.

4 lost days of our vacation= priceless.


So $1080 if we estimate very cheap. That does not include wear and tear on the car.

So for $200 more we fly and are there in a few hours.

Really $200 is a bargain compared to what I would need to spend on therapy for myself if I was trapped in a car for 24 hours!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I have never done it. I never even considered it before, but the Disney budget thread got me thinking. Would it really save me money? I love the idea of having my own van at Disney and being able to cart all of my own stuff with me. I hate the idea of being in a car for 16 hours! I checked google maps and it says it is 1058 miles from my town to Lake Buena Vista and it estimates it would take 16.5 hours to drive there.

So, if you drive from some where up north (e.g. PA), how do you do it? When do you leave? Do you stay overnight on the trip? How do your kids handle it? (I have a 3 year old) Do you really think it saves $$? I'm going to try and do the math today, but with the way airfares change and with gas prices the way they are, it might be hard to do a good estimate. I'll give it a shot anyway.

I'd like to hear what you guys think about driving, the pros and cons, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We are planning two trips to Disney in the fall and it just occurred to me that I could try driving instead of flying! Now, convincing my DH this is a good idea is another subject all together!! We'll get to that later!

We've road tripped 44 times from Atlanta. It's 7 hours each way. We've been doing it since before the kids were born and they're 7 and 9 now. If you leave at their bedtime they'll sleep most of the way (we usually stop once for gas/pee). Now we leave sometimes at 3 am, they sleep until around 7, and then watch dvd's or play nintendo the rest of the ride down. THey're really good distance travelers, they've been doing it for so long. When the kids are asleep it's a great time for my DH and I to have some great conversations....

best advice I can give you is to only have water to drink in the car so the car doesn't get disgustingly sticky/smelly, and have snacks that are not sweet like goldfish so they kids don't get buzzed on sugar and have trouble sitting still in the car. Besides, they'll get monster amounts of sugar once they're at Disney anyways...

 

[HayGan]

I drive a Honda minivan.
We drove to Boston and it was one tank going, one tank coming back. Boston is about 4 hours away. WDW is about 24 hours away. So figure 6 tanks of gas each way at roughly $50 a tank is $300 each way for gas.
So $600 for gas.
2 rooms at a hotel since we are a familly of 6- Even if they are cheap ($60 a night)= $120 + tax each way

Food- 3 meals (at least) at $40 each and that is conservative= $120 each way

Snacks- we could bring these so nothing really extra.

4 lost days of our vacation= priceless.


So $1080 if we estimate very cheap. That does not include wear and tear on the car.

So for $200 more we fly and are there in a few hours.

Really $200 is a bargain compared to what I would need to spend on therapy for myself if I was trapped in a car for 24 hours!

You like to fly - I get it. I have to say that your calculation of fuel consumption is completely flawed. Gas consumption on a long distance trip has to do with mileage not time. The AA fuel calculator is a VERY reliable measure of an approximate fuel cost for such a long distance trip. It certainly will not factor in your short distance driving once you arrive at a location (which can be considerable over a weeks time.)

A Honda Odessey can get from Los Angeles to Orlando and back for less than $700!!!

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Jessica,

we drove down to FL in December and we drove 1200+ miles. For us, we spent $500 total for gas and we drove a Cadillac Escalade down!!! (for about 16 MPG) I loved having it there with us. It was so convenient and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

I used the AAA calculator beforehand it was very accurate!

Good luck!

 

[eliza61]

I drive from S. NJ (over the Ben Franklin). We've driven about 10 times. It really does get pretty easy.

It's a lot better having your own car, your own luggage, your own schedule, your own control (as much as you can have).

there are no weight or bag limits, no taking off your shoes, no bag checks, no airport parking, no rental car fees, etc.

Yes, it does cost in gas, tolls and time. We drive DH's Expedition and while it does not get Hummer gas mileage, it is a little different than say a regular car.

The first time we drove it was in an older mini van with a just barely (think potty training) 2 year old and a an almost four year old.

Tell me about it. Last November my bags was over weight by 2 lbs. Southwest charged me $50.00 bucks. I wanted to unzip it and remove a few items but Dh didn't want any other complications so we paid the $50 bucks. Now I hear United is charging $25.00 to check a bag period! I'll bet dollars to doughnuts it a year all the airlines will have the same policy.

 

[Mono~rail]

I only read the OP so forgive me if anything I'm saying has already been said. This is simply our experience and reasons for traveling the way we do.

Our rule of thumb is that if we can make the drive in a day then we drive. If it were a drive that we would need to stop and spend the night then we fly. It has more to do with comfort than economics.

It is a 16 hr drive to my in-laws in Colorado, and about 16 hrs up to Cedar Point in Ohio. We drove, but we haven't gone since the twins were born (they will be 3 next week).

The longest drive they've been on is from here to WDW which is a 12-14 hr drive for us depending on traffic flow. It takes 14 hrs if we get stalled for construction or an accident. We live close to I-10 and we take nearly the entire trip. We take 10 until we get to I-75 to head south to Orlando.

Our girls travel really well. All my kids have actually been really good travelers - my oldest dd is 15 now. Our mini-van has the entertainment package, and they watch movies the whole way. They do get restless so that is our cue to find a McDonald's or Burger King with a playground so they can burn some energy. Fifteen to twenty minutes of playing and they are ready to ride again. To get them back in the car, we tell them that Mickey and Snow White are waiting for us and we have to hurry because they want to see them. Works like a charm.

Our driving schedule looks like this:

Leave the house at about 4:30 AM

Make Baton Rouge, LA before morning rush hour traffic that kicks in around 7 AM

Stop about 30 minutes outside Baton Rouge and get something to eat. Let the girls walk with me to the restroom to change diapers and stretch their legs.

Drive until 11:30 or 12, we're usually inside Florida by this time. Find a fast food mentioned above to let the girls play. Diaper change. We eat our lunch while they play and take their lunch with us to let them eat in the car while we continue on our journey.

Around 3, they get restless again. Stop at playground and fill the gas tank.

Drive until we get to I-75, turn south. Stop at rest area, let girls stretch their legs and we all use the restroom.

We roll into Orlando around 6 - 6:30.

When we go in May, I don't know what it will be like since the girls are potty training. I'm expecting lots more potty stops.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

You like to fly - I get it. I have to say that your calculation of fuel consumption is completely flawed. Gas consumption on a long distance trip has to do with mileage not time. The AA fuel calculator is a VERY reliable measure of an approximate fuel cost for such a long distance trip. It certainly will not factor in your short distance driving once you arrive at a location (which can be considerable over a weeks time.)

A Honda Odessey can get from Los Angeles to Orlando and back for less than $700!!!

Well even if you cut the price of fuel in half I personally think my time is worth more than I would spend to fly. The OP wanted to know the pros and cons of driving. If you have limited vacation time I see very few pros to driving. IMO time is money and I would rather have more time to enjoy with my family than money if me and dh are going to be exhausted from the drive. I get that some people love a cartrip. I am not one of those people. My oldest son doesn't like them either and our baby is not such a fan of the carseat either. For us flying offers much more freedom. Even though you have to add on the time at the airport and getting to the resort it is still quicker and for us it is part of the trip experience.

 

[PiratesRock]

Anybody know of a fuel calculator that let's you specify diesel? I couldn't find a way on the one listed here. Still, helpful with figuring miles.

 

[disneysteve]

Would it really save me money? I love the idea of having my own van at Disney and being able to cart all of my own stuff with me. I hate the idea of being in a car for 16 hours! I checked google maps and it says it is 1058 miles from my town to Lake Buena Vista and it estimates it would take 16.5 hours to drive there.

So, if you drive from some where up north (e.g. PA), how do you do it? When do you leave? Do you stay overnight on the trip? How do your kids handle it? (I have a 3 year old) Do you really think it saves $$?

We've driven every year since 1996 when our daughter was 5 months old. She's 12 now and we last drove in November. We're in Cherry Hill, NJ and it is about 1025 miles door to door.

We always stopped overnight going and coming. But this last trip, coming home we left at 8am and got home at midnite, so we didn't stop overnight.

It is a very easy drive down 95 from here. Literally 1 turn - from 95 onto I-4 at Daytona. Couldn't be any easier.

Does it save money? Absolutely. Even if you stop overnight, you save plenty. Gas cost us about $250 last trip for the roundtrip drive and driving while in Florida. You can't count meals because you'd have to eat them anyway. If you stop overnight, add $50 each way, so a total of about $350. If you fly, you need plane tickets for everyone, airport parking and rental car when you get there. That will definitely run you more than $350 (and if you can eliminate the stopover, $250 is doable). Also, driving allows us to bring food from home and lots of other things that we couldn't take if we flew. It is just so much more convenient to drive for us.

 

[disneysteve]

I drive from S. NJ (over the Ben Franklin).

Cindy, why do you cross the Ben Franklin? What you should do is go straight down 295 to the Delaware Memorial and then join 95 there. You'd shorten the trip a bit.

 

[100 acre wood]

I have never done it. I never even considered it before, but the Disney budget thread got me thinking. Would it really save me money? I love the idea of having my own van at Disney and being able to cart all of my own stuff with me. I hate the idea of being in a car for 16 hours! I checked google maps and it says it is 1058 miles from my town to Lake Buena Vista and it estimates it would take 16.5 hours to drive there.

So, if you drive from some where up north (e.g. PA), how do you do it? When do you leave? Do you stay overnight on the trip? How do your kids handle it? (I have a 3 year old) Do you really think it saves $$? I'm going to try and do the math today, but with the way airfares change and with gas prices the way they are, it might be hard to do a good estimate. I'll give it a shot anyway.

I'd like to hear what you guys think about driving, the pros and cons, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We are planning two trips to Disney in the fall and it just occurred to me that I could try driving instead of flying! Now, convincing my DH this is a good idea is another subject all together!! We'll get to that later!

We have driven many times from your neck of the woods. For this coming up trip, however, we were able to get a great airfare out of Dulles, the costs of driving vs. flying were actually close.Even taking into account gas, hotel, food etc for driving vs.. flying with rental car, we decided to fly.
Pros on driving
No need to rush
You are not on any deadline to checkin or get to the airport
Can take as much luggage as your car can carry
You have free transportation once in Fl

Pros on flying
There in a much shorter time
No headache of traffic
Arrive better rested and ready to GO
It is safer to fly
Don't have to pack as much entertaining stuff for kiddo

Good luck

 

[KNEIPPK]

We have driven the 3 years we went- we leave at 4 am hit emporia- shoneys- by 8 am- drive til we get tired like 6 or 8 pm- then find a hotel off of 95- Hampton inn- and drive the rest the next day. We liked setting our own pace and once drove to St Marys and stayed at a great La Quinta

We have taken the SUV - tinted windows our kids were teens and they sleep and played the whole way

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I have driven it every time with my family (3 kids). I did it last year from Michigan because it is just cheaper with 4 or 5 of us depending on if my dh comes or not. We can drive it in 18 hours - we leave at 2pm and drive straight through. We stop to eat food we packed - sandwiches and whatnot and then we stop for breakfast in the morning - Bob Evans or something like that. It cost me less than $375 in gas and eating out to drive down. We don't stop at hotels because that is time wasted to me - so we take turns driving and the kids bring books, hand held games, coloring stuff and the portable dvd player. They move around and switch seats and even the dh or I will climb in back of the mini van to watch a dvd. I think that it is fun family time together and I rather enjoy it. I like to fly but there is something about a family road trip I like better.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do - remember it's your family memories and no one elses!

Michelle

 

[margiemc]

We have driven down the last 6 times we went to Disney. I'm in Philly too (hi neighbors ), and it usually takes us 18 hours to get to the World. It's just three of us, me, DH and DD10. The last time we drove was December. We left on a Friday around 2am. This way, you miss all of the DC traffic! We drove all the way to Kingsland, VA, which is 3 miles outside of the Florida border. We got there around 4pm. We grabbed a quick dinner, relaxed, and went to bed early. The next day, we had our free breakfast at the hotel and were on the road by 8am. We got to Disney around 11am. We have a portable DVD player in the car and I usually buy a couple of new, used movies that she hasn't seen yet. She will also bring her Nintendo DS, some colored pencils and a drawing pad. To really put things into perspective, friends that we were vacationing with opted to flying down (they have two kids, DD6 and DS3). They got to Philly international at 6am so they could go through security, etc. They were supposed to leave at 8am, but sat on the runway until after 10am. There flight was delayed another hour, and then cancelled another hour after that. They were finally able to get another flight later in the afternoon and did not arrive at our hotel until 6pm! It was a long and horrible day for them.

I like having access to a car and no limits on what we can bring down and home from our trips. We pack a cooler and we bring breakfast supplies and snacks for the trip. We also brought home the monorail set, as well as a few other bags of stuff that our friends bought since they couldn't fit it in their suitcases. We don't mind the time in the car. It's kind of nice when it is just the three of us.

 

[disneysteve]

Pros on flying

Arrive better rested and ready to GO

I disagree with this one. I find driving to be far more relaxing and less aggravating than flying. We can leave when we are packed and ready. We can stop when we feel like stopping. We can eat when we're hungry. We don't have to stand in any lines. We don't have to wake up early. We don't have to be crammed into uncomfortable airplane seats. We don't have to haul around our carry-on bags.

I find air travel exhausting but I find driving relaxing.

 

[disneysteve]

We left on a Friday around 2am. This way, you miss all of the DC traffic!

FYI - You can avoid the DC traffic no matter when you leave. At Baltimore, take the Harbor tunnel/895 instead of the Ft. McHenry Tunnel on 95. That takes you to 90 and 50, I think, and eventually leads you back onto 95 just north of King's Dominion. I did that last trip and I left NJ about 2pm. Had I stayed on 95, I would have hit DC right at rush hour. This way, it was smooth sailing the whole time.

 

[Kaler131]

We take road trips a lot. Dh loves to drive, but I used to loathe them...I would pile the kids in the car...make sure they had everything they need; their snacks, dvd player, gameboys, etc. Even with all that stuff, they would fight and bicker on the trip and drive me crazy.

Then I discovered the trick....I take the dvd player and they get their toys, snacks, gameboys. I put in the earphones and I don't hear them. I measure the trip by how many movies it takes. For example, here to Maryland to visit the relatives is about 3 movies. Driving is so much more enjoyable now.

That is a GREAT idea!!!! I never thought of that. My DH and I could take turns driving while the other is watching a movie and switch off. Of course I will make sure I get the longer movies (LOL!)

 

[HelenePA]

Question from those who did drive from the PA area am I going to hit any tolls?? I'm going to start out on 81, what's my best route?? I'm in Schuylkill Co if that makes any difference.