Airfare outpriced us! Drive from NYC or wait until next year?

[peekinglemer]

Dh, ds (4 in December) and I just got back from our first family trip to Disney in October. I planned for the worst, hoped for the best and...we had the time of our lives. From our son's first airplane ride where he got to meet the captain to the MNSSHP that we all loved, t was magical. And now we are ALL HOOKED.

It was good to be home but then just a few weeks later all three of us are jonezing for Disney again and I started looking for a trip at the end of January for us.

A little about us; we are "cash only" people and won't charge anything (thanks Dave Ramsey) but here is where the problem comes in. We have a lot going on next year (kitchen remodel, cruise next Dec. for my 40th b-day) so we only have a certain amount of money available for a January trip. When I priced out airfare it was a lot more expensive then it was for our Ocotber trip. In fact, it priced us right out. We have the option of driving from nys (19 hours) and still doing the trip but that long of a drive with a 4 year old sounds . Thoughts? What would you do? Go in January or just wait until 2011?

 

[ireland_nicole]

It's up to you, but just so ya know, we drive 20 hours from Texas every year and it works out fine. We like to drive through the night so the kids sleep through most of it, and then we pack a bag for each with new stuff just for the trip- new DVD's, new CD's, new colored pencils and coloring book, sticker pages, car games, this is how the kids got their leapsters, now new leapster games, etc. It's really not as impossible as you think.

 

[mousebymarriage]

We have driven a couple of times from Bergen County, New Jersey. The first time DS had just turned 5 and DD was 10, the trip wasn't too bad except for DD was car sick. She refused to take dramamine at first but, after puking or dry heaving through 4 or 5 states she finally took one and didn't have anymore issues. I would definately recommend buying a portable DVD player for your car if it doesn't already have one, it was great. We picked up a couple of new movies for the kids and brought a couple of old favorites too. The new movies totally kept their attention for over an hour, we didn't hear a sound. I also packed a few little "surprises" that I gave to each of them periodically during the drive. The first time we listened to DH's co-workers and left the house around 2:30am, not the best idea. The kids did not go right back to sleep, they were wide awake and eventually a bit cranky because they didn't have enough sleep. The next time we left at about 4p.m. and it worked out much better. They didn't fall asleep until about 11 pm but then slept until 8 am and were much happier.

We are planning another trip in Feb. and we will be driving, leaving in early afternoon.

 

[jtopp]

we alternate years driving or flying, although some years the cost of flying is too good to be true. when driving, we go over two days, and the cost including gas, hotels and food is less then half then when we fly. Of course, we take a minivan full of dvds ( onboard dvd players are Gods gift to traveling parents!) and snacks to keep everyone occupied. The hardest part of the trip is the long drive home, as no one looks forward to it. i say if you can afford the time, take the trip. January is one of the least crowded months, and even though the temp is not hot, it's a lot warmer then NYC.

 

[woodkins]

I'm not sure where in NY you are located but we are on Long Island, and we have booked flights for your time period for $75-89 each way out of Islip-MacArthur airport. It is a smaller airport and so much easier to fly out of than JFK and LGA. It is about 45 min-1hr east of NYC.

 

[peekinglemer]

Thanks for the responses. You guys make driving sound so doable that I am now thinking our trip may be back on the table. My husband is a truck driver and he would rather drive then fly anyway, but I was worried about how the little one would do.

Another question for those of you that have done the long drive down; what do you usually do the first day you arrive? I'm thinking dh would need some time to recover before we could actually start the parks.

Oh, and we are from Upsate NY. Endicott be be exact which is near Binghamton and a little over an hour away from Syracuse. We flew out of Syracuse last time with $89.00 airfare. This time it is around $198. Yuck. We did think about flying out of Rochester which is about 3 hours away. Much cheaper if we went that route.

 

[tyandbash]

We live just outside of NYC and drove down a few years ago when my kids were 4, 7, and ds turned 10 on the trip. We had a dvd player in the car, but really I thought the drive was totally doable even without one. We had no problems. We even drove out of our way in NC because we have family there and stopped over at their house for a night and they were not on the way to Disney from NY. We left at about 4 PM on a Friday afternoon before presidents week, (crazy time to be driving through the NYC area) got stuck in a ton of traffic. We got to NC about 4:30 AM. The kids woke up briefly at this time to go to sleep inside. We all slept until about 9 -10, hung out for the day and went to bed very early. Got up early on Sunday and drove to Disney. Our first day there we arrived around 3 pm. We went to Chef Mickey's for dinner and then to bed. We started in the parks the next day. I HATE to fly, I mean HATE HATE it!! So, we could have driven from California to Orlando and I would be happy with that. But, even my DH said it wasn't that bad driving and he would prefer to fly. Of course he has not wanted to drive since that time, but I think I may be able to talk him into a driving trip this summer. We are going for Christmas this year, and flying. Fortunately my love for Disney is just SLIGHTLY higher than my hatred of flying,lol. But getting to Disney anyway you can is better than not going!!!!!

 

[mousebymarriage]

Thanks for the responses. You guys make driving sound so doable that I am now thinking our trip may be back on the table. My husband is a truck driver and he would rather drive then fly anyway, but I was worried about how the little one would do.

Another question for those of you that have done the long drive down; what do you usually do the first day you arrive? I'm thinking dh would need some time to recover before we could actually start the parks.

Oh, and we are from Upsate NY. Endicott be be exact which is near Binghamton and a little over an hour away from Syracuse. We flew out of Syracuse last time with $89.00 airfare. This time it is around $198. Yuck. We did think about flying out of Rochester which is about 3 hours away. Much cheaper if we went that route.

When we drive down we usually just take it easy the first day. The kids swim and maybe play some games in the arcade at the resort. We sometimes hit Downtown and just leisurely browse the shops and grab a bite to eat. When we drive in Feb. we will spend our first day relaxing by the pool etc. and then we have dinner ressies at Chef Mickeys at 6:30pm. Early to bed that night so we can be well rested and up bright and early the next morning and hit the parks!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Sign up for the newsletters from airlines like AirTran and Spirit. They have good sales!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Im one of those "instant" people...so I'd think about the option of driving to that other airport and hop on a flight rather than driving 20 or so hours with a small one.
We always like a "fresh start" so I actually grabbed a night flight this last trip, stayed at Hyatt, right in MCO, grabbed a quick bite to eat, off to sleep, woke up and jumped on ME bright and early, had breakfast at resort.
Best thing we ever did and we'll likely repeat...for us it was great to be "refreshed and rearing to go" as soon as we arrived!
Your dh wants to "drive" to a vacation after he drives for work.....Bless him!!
If it was driving versus NOT going, I'd drive though.....I am already ansty to get back there!!
Have a great trip whatever you choose!

 

[DreamingPink]

I'm not sure where in NY you are located but we are on Long Island, and we have booked flights for your time period for $75-89 each way out of Islip-MacArthur airport. It is a smaller airport and so much easier to fly out of than JFK and LGA. It is about 45 min-1hr east of NYC.

WHen wil you be traveling? Those fares are amazing. I have airline tix for going to Disney in December and got good rates out of LGA. Somehow Islip always seems higher in fares? I still need to book my return? Can you tell me what airline or if a website used?

Thanks
Marjorie

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Something to consider--driving down in Jan., you can't count on having good weather for the drive. It may not matter so much because your DH is a truck driver, but there's a good chance of having to pass through a winter storm.

We were looking at possibly driving down in Feb., and don't like the idea of potentially having to drive through a blizzard. It would completely wreck any schedule we might have. I just figured I'd mention it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Some of my best memories were when we traveled to California from New Orleans by car. The journey was as important as the destination.

What my parents did (and we did with our son) was to get up very early @4:00 am and drive no later than 1:00 pm. We then had the whole afternoon to swim or play to let off some of our built up energy. After playing we had a nice meal and started the whole process again.

Now I choose to drive on most of our vacations to DC, WDW or Mrytle Beach even though it would probably cost less in the long run to fly.

Have a great trip whether you choose to go this year or next.

 

[woodkins]

WHen wil you be traveling? Those fares are amazing. I have airline tix for going to Disney in December and got good rates out of LGA. Somehow Islip always seems higher in fares? I still need to book my return? Can you tell me what airline or if a website used?

Thanks
Marjorie

I got $75 each way flying Southwest for 12/10-12/15 out of Islip and I know my friend got similar rates for Dec and January as well. I book directly on the SW website. You just have to check the fares every day. The day before I booked the same flight was $114. The good thing about SW is if you book at the higher rate, you can rebook at the lower fare and they will give you the difference in a credit to be used within one year. I always get better rates out of Islip & since I live about 15 mins north of ISP it is waaaay easier!

 

[mousebymarriage]

Something to consider--driving down in Jan., you can't count on having good weather for the drive. It may not matter so much because your DH is a truck driver, but there's a good chance of having to pass through a winter storm.

We were looking at possibly driving down in Feb., and don't like the idea of potentially having to drive through a blizzard. It would completely wreck any schedule we might have. I just figured I'd mention it.

I agree with the possibility of weather being an issue. Definately keep an eye on the weather channel or weather.com

DH and I just had this discussion a few days ago. We decided that if weather is going to be an issue (we will watch the forecasts and check online) then we will haul our butts out of here a day earlier and just stay at an off-site hotel for 1 night. However, this won't help us if a storm just "pops up" at the last minute but, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[dkbnyc]

since you just went in October, and $ is an issue, then i would wait until next year as planned. I think the drive is way too long. If your dates are flexible, then start watching airfare now- your next trip may be sooner than you think!

 

[famgel]

What about flying out of Ithaca, I found a Continental flight roundtrip $188.40, layover in NYC for about 1/2 hr, but about 5 Hrs roundtrip. Good luck in what ever you decide. We always seem to find a cheap airfare that makes more sense they driving, which includes gas, food, hotel for one night (maybe), etc.

 

[taurus8012]

Its not a bad time if you combine the stops(breaks) with the destination it can be kinda fun. When I drove with the kids we made it a point to leave at midnight due to lack of traffic , kids going to sleep, by noon I am usually in S.Carolina we take a rest look around for a while usaully 2hrs to eat, shop, (I forgot the name of shopping centre "Over the Boarder" something) will try to drive as far into Georgia as possible(Savannah) before going to sleep for the night( Comfort Inn the kids love pool).Then its about 4-5 hr drive to Disney

 

[Shleedogg]

Thanks for the responses. You guys make driving sound so doable that I am now thinking our trip may be back on the table. My husband is a truck driver and he would rather drive then fly anyway, but I was worried about how the little one would do.

Another question for those of you that have done the long drive down; what do you usually do the first day you arrive? I'm thinking dh would need some time to recover before we could actually start the parks.

Oh, and we are from Upsate NY. Endicott be be exact which is near Binghamton and a little over an hour away from Syracuse. We flew out of Syracuse last time with $89.00 airfare. This time it is around $198. Yuck. We did think about flying out of Rochester which is about 3 hours away. Much cheaper if we went that route.

I had a friend in college who was from Endicott, she graduated high school in 2002. I live in Batavia, which is half way between Buffalo and Rochester and we go back and forth between the two depending on price.

Anyway, back to your question. I would drive to Rochester. I just looked at flights for Jan (picking random days) and there were a ton of flights under the $100 mark each way, even some nonstop. If you're driving that far, you might want to check out Buffalo too, it's only an extra hour. Sometimes Southwest has amazing deals and unfortunately they don't operate out of Rochester. Hope you can make the trip happen!!

 

[crl]

I haven't had a chance to read through all the responses, but I wanted to let you know we drove to Disney from Central PA last year (a 17 hour drive) with 2 kids ages 5 and 3. It's certainly doable since we are considering doing it again this year. Just be sure to have prize bags to hand out along the way. My kids got things such as Dollar Store toys, cheap DVD's, and fun snacks. Now they know on long car rides (more than 6 hours), they have something to look forward to and be good for.