Anyone drive from Colorado to Disneyland?

[BensWife]

I have never thought about doing a driving trip, but looking at air prices, it is going to cost about $1000 for plane tickets for the 4 of us from Colorado to SNA. So, I starting to think about driving. First, I really do not like car trips. I am worse than a kid when it comes to long car drives. However, if it can save us a lot of money, I may be able to get past my dislike of car travel so we can go to Disney a year earlier than have to save for another year for airfare. Have you ever driven from Colorado (Pueblo to be exact) to Disneyland? Did you stop at Flagstaff? Were your kids dead from the long trip when you got there? This would be the kids first really long car ride. They have never gone longer than a 2 hour trip up to Denver. Any suggestions or pointers if we decide to do this?

 

[StarGirl11]

Well I can't exactly offer advice on the kid advice since I don't have any of my own and only in my 20s. But my Mom and I have down the Denver to LA route via NM and AZ route several times (just recently a few weeks ago) so maybe some of this will come in handy.

The way we go is Day 1 Denver to Albuquerque. Day 2 Albuquerque to Phoenix (there is a couple of ways to do this including going through Flagstaff). Day 3 Phoenix to LA.

Most legs are around 8 hours a piece (since your starting from Pueblo that should cut down the first leg by a couple of hours but its still a bit of a haul) that includes stops at the rest area. Then again we are two adults. And have multiple long car trips under our belt. So 6-8 hours in the car on one day isn't unusual for us. With kids it might be another thing. I don't know when I did the trips when I was a kid I didn't have much of a problem sitting in there for long periods but then again I also had experience with really long plane rides. Depends on the person I guess. The only concern might be stops for food but if you can eat fast food in the car than that might not be a problem.

The main problem you would face with adding an additional stop is finding somewhere. There can be large gaps between towns sometimes. That's why we pick the big towns to sleep in. There's a town around 40 minutes outside of Albuquerque you could stop in if you wanted to for the night. So stopping there won't really add to much time to the next day. Also some advice if your staying in Albuquerque stay on the southern side of the city closer to the university, it's much nicer. As for Flagstaff it's still a good few hours outside of Phoenix. So if you stop there you have to take into account how it might affect the next day's driving. Since within a couple of hours of leaving Phoenix you hit the California border and a couple hours after that your start reaching Burbank and those cities. Nowhere near Disneyland yet but your getting into LA yes.

Anyway hope you hav a good trip no matter what you decide.

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

We've driven from Nebraska through Colorado on our way to Disneyland.

We start at home and make it to Denver. We stay overnight there and then head toward St. George UT and stay there overnight. Then go through Vegas to Disneyland. It's not for the faint of heart. It also saves us thousands in airfare. We've done it twice. I don't think we will probably do it again.

Traffic from Vegas to Anaheim can be brutal depending on what day and time you're traveling. We did it once on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was over 9 hours. Crazy. Last time we did it it was only 5 hours, so much better.

My kids are exhausted and so are we when we get home. There's no way to avoid that for us since its such a long trip.

All that being said if I to decide no Disneyland because we had to drive, I'd drive. My kids are bigger so iPods, Kindles, and movies help pass the time.

 

[jaydoe]

I'm curious where you would fly out from. Does Pueblo have an airport? I was thinking it might be cheaper to fly out of Denver? And maybe to LAX instead of the other airport SNA.

 

[Enchanted Minnie]

We live in a suburb of Albuquerque and have thought about driving out to Disney, it's about a 12 hour drive for us. We have done Amtrak once before and it was a neat experience but it would be cheaper to drive. The longest trip we've done with the kids is 6 hours to Carlsbad, NM to see the caverns. I suggest a DVD player is essential! Plus I packed some snacks and some activities to keep them entertained!

I would recommend if you are planning to stay in Albuquerque for the night to NOT stay near the University area. Yes it does have some hotels but I never travel in that area at night. There are some weird, scary people out on Central Blvd. Like "women of the night" and their handlers kind of people. I would stay at a hotel closer to the freeway, such as the Holiday Inn on I-25 and Jefferson. The hotel is pretty nice and it even has a indoor pool with a big slide. It's close to many restaurants to choose from also. Then when you're ready to continue on your trip the I-25/I-40 interchange is 3 exits away.

If you think of the road trip like part of the vacation it might be fun! Showing the kids different things in towns and silly town names it part of the experience... And if all else fails benadryl is always an option (totally just kidding!!)

 

[BensWife]

I'm curious where you would fly out from. Does Pueblo have an airport? I was thinking it might be cheaper to fly out of Denver? And maybe to LAX instead of the other airport SNA.

Yes, Pueblo has an airport, but it is really small and expensive. We fly out of Denver. We usually do a park and stay at one of the hotels by DIA. Leaving the car at the hotel and staying the night is usually cheaper than just paying for parking at DIA. I will have to look into LAX though. Didn't think of that. Maybe that would be cheaper!

 

[jaydoe]

Yes, Pueblo has an airport, but it is really small and expensive. We fly out of Denver. We usually do a park and stay at one of the hotels by DIA. Leaving the car at the hotel and staying the night is usually cheaper than just paying for parking at DIA. I will have to look into LAX though. Didn't think of that. Maybe that would be cheaper!

And I'm sure SW Airlines has direct flights from Denver to LAX. SW always seems to be the cheapest airline....and free bag check!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

We drive to SoCal from Colorado Springs all the time. Sometimes we fly. Since we have family in SoCal we are not "driving to DLR" but we do visit DLR on most of these driving trips.

The drive thru I-70 to I-15 is WAY nicer than the route thru New Mexico.

We leave at 5AM and get there at 8-9PM. Coming back we usually stop somewhere for the night. Depends on time of year.

Now, whether this saves money depends. Driving still costs money and puts wear and tear on the car. It is more than just gas. Since we travel around SoCal a bit we need a car when there. So if we fly we need to rent a car. Which adds to the cost.

 

[perez921]

Were driving from co heading to I-70 to Vegas then Anaheim. We have done this two times before and it wasn't too bad. As long as the weather is nice no snow storms getting out of co should be an issue. Now this time we will be going in two seperate cars (we have a big family) and also with 2 two year olds. If any one has any advice or tricks please pass them along. thanks 20 more days!!!

 

[waltonmkb]

We've driven from Albuquerque to Disneyland before. Pueblo is about 4.5 hours from Albuquerque. Albuquerque to DL is pretty much a straight shot across I-40. The first day we drove to Needles, CA (about 9 hours) and stayed the night and drove on to Disneyland the next morning (about 4 hours). Those times included rest and gas stops. The drive is a whole lot of nothing except desert and cactus.

 

[BigCheese]

We did a Monument to Anaheim road trip a few years ago (about 17 hr total drive time each way). Like you, I'm not a road tripper and our kids have never been on a road trip longer than a couple of hours prior to this trip. We made stops in Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and Vegas en route to Anaheim (and the same on the reverse trip). We probably could have done just a stop at Flagstaff but we didn't know how the kids would react being in the car for 8-10 hours at a time. I didnt know how I would react either. At the end of the day, it was a good experience but I would not do it again. The money saved on airlines we paid for with gas, hotels and meals (both ways). At the end of the trip prior to the drive back home all I could think about was "we have to make the long drive back now". There is a nice convenience of flying and getting to your destination on the same day. There's a more direct route (than going through Vegas) but we stopped there to meet family. But for us it just comes down to value vs convenience. Saving a few hundred dollars is always nice, and if you feel you and your family can tolerate the drive, then it might be worth it for you guys.

 

[Mackysmycat]

We drive from British Columbia every Spring Break - that's about 24 hours. We love it! Our kids almost 13 and 10 - and we love to stop along the way and see different sights, eat at fun places, and stay at hotels (with pools for the kids!) along the way. And it is SO MUCH cheaper than flying the 4 of us from where we live to DL!!

 

[naebear]

First off, I will say that this is about driving to Disney in general, not specifically from CO. I have driven from Portland, OR to Disney twice as a child with my parents. It's about 16 hours and we split the drive into 2 days each direction, as it was too much car time for any of us to have in one day. It was long and tiring for everyone! As an adult, I look at it this way: I can fly the four of us for around $720 if I get good rates (I do add $100 for car parking at the airport into the final savings). It takes us a morning to get from home to the park gates, we arrive not very tired and ready to go. Same coming home, we can leave the park at 2:00 and be home by 8:30 the same night. Very convenient!! If we were to drive, we would spend about $350 to $400 on gas. We would also have food and lodging for 1 night each direction ($250+). For me, it just isn't worth saving $200-$300 to spend 4 days driving and the tiredness that comes along with it. Besides, we would have to account for a 9 day vacation (2 there, 5 at the park, 2 home) versus a 6 or 7 day trip. To us, those extra 2 vacation days are precious!! I know that every persons situation is different. I advise you to sit down and calculate the true cost of driving (be realistic about food cost, figure close to your gas mileage, and check a few prospective hotels along the way to get a true feel for that cost as well). Add these costs up and compare them to air fare. You will know if it driving is feasible for your family.
Also, make sure that you check airfare to all the airports available from Denver to the Disney area to see where airfare is lowest . That could make a huge difference right there!!

 

[Mackysmycat]

I guess it depends on where you're coming from and how much your flights are. Adding up food, gas and hotels - We save over $1000 easily by driving instead of flying!

 

[naebear]

Where you are coming from definitely makes a difference!! If driving meant saving over $1000, I would reconsider my stance!!

 

[Mackysmycat]

We DO fly when we don't have the time to drive, but at Spring Break when we have two weeks off, there's no excuse NOT to drive lol. And sadly we don't live in a major Canadian city, so prices are high for flights for us.

 

[allsaintsatx]

I'm currently pricing out a trip from central Texas to DLR, and looking at the cost of driving versus flying to see if we could save some money by driving.

I've crunched the numbers with different flight scenarios (cheapest flights, most convenient flights) and different driving routes, although its just a straight shot from Texas to California!.

For us, the cost is always within a hundred and fifty dollars, and I would gladly spend an extra $150 not to sit in a car in the summer heat for 4 days.

I had to factor in gas prices there and back, an oil change, food for 3 people 3 times a day for 4 extra days, at least 2 extra nights in a hotel somewhere and of course putting about 2000 extra miles on our cars engine. Also, 4 extra days of a pet sitter, 4 extra days not making money at work.

 

[jedijill]

I'm flying from Denver to LAX on SW for $200 RT at the end of the month. LAX was half the price of SNA.

Jill in CO

 

[HydroGuy]

We did a Monument to Anaheim road trip a few years ago (about 17 hr total drive time each way). Like you, I'm not a road tripper and our kids have never been on a road trip longer than a couple of hours prior to this trip. We made stops in Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and Vegas en route to Anaheim (and the same on the reverse trip). We probably could have done just a stop at Flagstaff but we didn't know how the kids would react being in the car for 8-10 hours at a time. I didnt know how I would react either. At the end of the day, it was a good experience but I would not do it again. The money saved on airlines we paid for with gas, hotels and meals (both ways). At the end of the trip prior to the drive back home all I could think about was "we have to make the long drive back now". There is a nice convenience of flying and getting to your destination on the same day. There's a more direct route (than going through Vegas) but we stopped there to meet family. But for us it just comes down to value vs convenience. Saving a few hundred dollars is always nice, and if you feel you and your family can tolerate the drive, then it might be worth it for you guys.

FWIW, I had a flight to SoCal last weekend and then back after the weekend. Our flight got delayed twice and then after fours hours canceled. We were very fortunate that we called quickly to the 800 # and got booked on a flight the next morning.

This is not the first time this has happened to me or probably many of you. Bottom line is that your "nice convenience" comment is not full proof.

I fly a lot and have things down to a science to keep this kind of thing to an absolute minimum. But flying is not always the most convenient and is often the most inconvenient. If the distance is 1000+ miles then flying is usually more convenient. But Colorado to DLR is about 1000 miles and so it depends. When we go to DLR we also usually go to the beach too in San Diego. Driving allows us to bring all our beach gear which we can't bring on an airplane. It also allows for last minute passenger changes.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm flying from Denver to LAX on SW for $200 RT at the end of the month. LAX was half the price of SNA.

Jill in CO

I just have to say that for $200 I would probably do the same but I really dislike LAX especially it involves DLR. It is anti-magic and to me always feels awful coming out of the airport. I was just there last weekend from Colorado.

SNA is just a nicer, smaller airport and feels more like Orlando for those who visit WDW. It is a much nicer place to arrive in general and especially when going to Disney. I would choose SNA every time if I could and even pay more to go to SNA within reason.