Car options for our loooong road trip. Help!

[Cheshire Figment]

One thing to consider for any rental is the number of miles. I looked at MapQuest and the one way distance Sacramento to WDW via Tuscon, San Antonio and New Orleans is 2,909 miles (and 44 hours driving time). Add driving around and also going to Port Canaveral and you are looking at a total of about 6,500 miles.

For any rental make sure, in advance, that there is actually an unlimited number of miles for the rental. You may find that your rental is limited to 1,000 miles per week and you have to pay a lot of money for the excess miles. And also make sure the rental will allow you to take the car out of the state.

 

[Tina]

If you're concerned about gas mileage, you can also consider renting a full size hybrid, rather than a Prius. I recently rented a Hybrid Nissan Altima in SoCal. I was AMAZED at the gas mileage.

 

[3boymthr]

So far it appears that no one is pushing the Prius. Ok...we'll rule that out. With just us 4, a van would be comfortable but so would the mid size car for better gas mileage and a better price. The truck is still highly considered, but the wear and tear, etc. would be a bummer and we would probably need to replace the tires, which tacks on a lot more money. My DH did a spreadsheet, and with hotel, gas, rental fees, etc. as part of the formula, the best net cost is the mid size car. The van is very expensive and the truck is pricey with the gas.

I would still like to research buying one way tickets and driving back, but it seems cheaper to return the car back to where you rented it from. Is that entirely true??

Our itinerary is to drive from Sacramento to a little past Tuscon. Then the next morning head to San Antonio, then New Orleans and then Orlando. This would take 4 days. Then relax in Orlando with our DVC points, then take a 4 day DCL, then return to WDW to hit the parks for another 4 or 5 days and then return back home. The drive home is what I am most worried about!!!

Hi Couple of things,

First given you're itinerary at WDW, you may want to reconsider this trip. Because given things you've already said, You WON'T enjoy it.

You're looking at 2 twelve and half hour days, an 8 hour day and a 9.5 hour day, that's without any stops. Factoring in traffic, gas, food and potty breaks you're looking at two 15 hour days and two 12 hour days, which allows you absolute no time to see anything but the highway.

I'm basing my numbers on the following figures from AAA:

Day 1 - Sacramento to Tucson - 868 miles, 12 hours 21 minutes driving time.
Day 2 - Tucson to San Antonio - 868 miles, 12 hours 21 minutes driving time.
Day 3 - San Antonio to New Orleans - 543 miles, 8 hours driving time
Day 4 - New Orleans to WDW (I picked AK as it was closest) - 646 miles, 9 hours 23 minutes driving time.

Second, You say you'll have to get new tires on the Tundra, truthfully, I wouldn't factor that into the cost of the trip as that's a maintenance expense, something you'll have to do anyway. Yes, you'd have to do it a little sooner, but no matter what, unless you sell the truck, you're going to have to change those tires.

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I only live 500 miles from WDW and made the trip one time in a car - that will never happen again. I had a Maxima and there were 2 adults and 2 kids. It was not fun. I drove a mini-van for years and trips in the mini-van were so much easier and less tiring. Now driving a Tahoe and the trip is still easy. I love the idea of letting your children SEE the US. I think that is a wonderful idea. My vote would be for a van or SUV of some sort. It is probably a trip that you may never drive again - enjoy it!!!

 

[JamesMom]

Take my story for what it's worth I just got back yesterday from a long car trip - North Fort Worth to Corpus Christi to visit the beach & stayed with my aunt & uncle. Granted it was only 7.5 hours driving each way, but it was long for me and my two boys ages 5 & 7.
I rented a mini van over driving our Ford Explorer for several reasons:
- Third row seating so the boys can spread out
- Can seat my uncle & aunt in the car, too, to drive around. Explorer with car seats can't seat 5 comfortably.
- Save wear & tear on my explorer. It is 7 years old next month and only has 67,000 miles on it. We drove 1,200 miles the 6 days I had the mini-van.
Cost? $300 for the week (unlimited mileage) and about $100 gas.
It was definitely worth it for us to rent the car.

 

[Brancaneve]

Thank you Jamesmom and cheerforchelsea! Van sounds great!

 

[Mom2Ben02]

I would still like to research buying one way tickets and driving back, but it seems cheaper to return the car back to where you rented it from. Is that entirely true??

Well, I read previously that this is true for Florida destinations. It looks like a lot of cars end up dropped off in FL, so they always have an abundance. I am sure someone here can give first-hand info.

 

[Brancaneve]

I'm a teacher and on vacation at the moment so...as some of you know, the vacation brain is working at full speed. After so many good points that many of you made, my DH and I have(drum roll).....reached a compromise!

We are flying to WDW, spending the week at the parks, going on the DCL, staying another night in Orlando and then renting A VAN(yipee) to drive home. The cost of the van isn't too bad, considering we are taking it just one way.

I just knew that going there and back would be absolutely too much, and this will give us an opportunity to see the country, while enjoying the benefits of flying. By driving back we are gaining an hour at the time zones, as well as being able to recover at home from the long trip. If we need to take more time, there is no worry that we will miss the cruise ship.

The cost will be just a few hundred dollars more, counting on airfare being reasonable. But certainly worth every penny, as everyone gets what they want and we both get to enjoy "the world" and the "USA"! Thank you for your help!

 

[Leleluvsdis]

I'm a teacher and on vacation at the moment so...as some of you know, the vacation brain is working at full speed. After so many good points that many of you made, my DH and I have(drum roll).....reached a compromise!

We are flying to WDW, spending the week at the parks, going on the DCL, staying another night in Orlando and then renting A VAN(yipee) to drive home. The cost of the van isn't too bad, considering we are taking it just one way.

I just knew that going there and back would be absolutely too much, and this will give us an opportunity to see the country, while enjoying the benefits of flying. By driving back we are gaining an hour at the time zones, as well as being able to recover at home from the long trip. If we need to take more time, there is no worry that we will miss the cruise ship.

The cost will be just a few hundred dollars more, counting on airfare being reasonable. But certainly worth every penny, as everyone gets what they want and we both get to enjoy "the world" and the "USA"! Thank you for your help!

That's AWESOME!!! I'm so excited and happy four y'all!!! Can't wait to hear more about it... Happy Planning!!!

 

[JB2K]

What about a Ford Escape? They are very comfortable and roomy. They also get 28 mpg.

I second that -- I own the Mazda variant of the Escape (Tribute) and it's served our family well on 1K+ miles trips to WDW...and they're better on gas than a full-size truck...

 

[McKelly]

I'm a teacher and on vacation at the moment so...as some of you know, the vacation brain is working at full speed. After so many good points that many of you made, my DH and I have(drum roll).....reached a compromise!

We are flying to WDW, spending the week at the parks, going on the DCL, staying another night in Orlando and then renting A VAN(yipee) to drive home. The cost of the van isn't too bad, considering we are taking it just one way.

I just knew that going there and back would be absolutely too much, and this will give us an opportunity to see the country, while enjoying the benefits of flying. By driving back we are gaining an hour at the time zones, as well as being able to recover at home from the long trip. If we need to take more time, there is no worry that we will miss the cruise ship.

The cost will be just a few hundred dollars more, counting on airfare being reasonable. But certainly worth every penny, as everyone gets what they want and we both get to enjoy "the world" and the "USA"! Thank you for your help!

That sounds like the perfect compromise!! Have a great time! May I ask what car rental company you are using? We often talk about renting a vehicle as well for long car trips, but so far, they have all either limited us to in-state or limited miles...might just be our local area though. It sounds like I have been researching the wrong car rental agencies!!

 

[Brancaneve]

We are using Alamo, which is the official WDW rental company. Since we will need the car after our cruise to drive cross country, my DH looked into picking it up from the Capa Canaveral Alamo. It was about $500 more to get it from there! So we will have to drop it off at the Orlando Alamo, and get another van. DH said that the prices are quite different depending on which Alamo you are renting from, even within Orlando! It will cost around $800 to rent the van, but I think it will be well worth it.