Coming from PacNW- Fly, Drive, Rail or Cruise?

[CSAColl]

I live on Vancouver Island, so add a bazillion dollars to any 'cheap deal' and you start to go out of the box with your travel planning.

We've had an incredibly crappy year. My (relatively young) husband had a micro stroke in December and I've been under a lot of stress with being a full time student, mom, wife, etc etc.

So we really need this vacation . We're coming down at the end of September and I'm trying to get creative on how to get there. To fly out of Bellingham (the cheapest) we're looking at $240 roundtrip per person, plus the $150 roundtrip to get to the BLI airport. For that kind of money, it's not -too- much more to cruise down from Vancouver to LA (Holland America? Any reviews?)

Our car is old and will not survive, and since we don't want to have a Mater friend to help us on the way , we'll need to rent a car if we want to drive. There is $1000 plus gas, hotels, food, etc.

We're not planning on doing this the cheapest ever, but we can't break the very small bank we've managed to save up for this trip, so about $3000 would find me in trouble unless the DH had a VERY good time. :

Personally I'd rather drive than take a train, especially with a 3 year old, but what say the omni brain?

Drive, Fly, Cruise, or Rail?

 

[DizFan13]

I live in SW Washington, and we have driven to Disneyland four times. Granted, you would have a significant extra leg to the journey. We, however, truly enjoy the drive. Over the past few years, it has actually become equal cost or cheaper to fly, so that is what we do now. One of the aspects we consider is that in order to drive, DH will generally have to miss at least one or two extra days of work. By the time we add that to the cost of gas, we can fly for around the same expense.

If that is not the case for you, there are many benefits of driving. We were always able to bring a cooler with us, and therefore had our own food to eat at the hotel and to bring into the parks, which saved a significant amount of money. The big saver was being able to bring our own water bottles. In general, we had less concern about packing, since we didn't have to deal with airport security and checked bag fees. It was nice to go at our own pace, especially when the kids were younger. Plus, it is just a nice drive. There are some boring parts of the trip, but there are also some beautiful stretches. My oldest DS was just commenting the other day that he misses the "DLR or bust" road trips.

That being said, it is extremely convenient to get on a plane and be in Anaheim a few hours later. It really depends on whether or not you think your family would enjoy the drive. I don't think that it is such a tremendous savings (like it used to be) to drive, and so if you think it won't be fun, it is probably not worth it.

 

[awdsmama]

Holland America is a wonderful cruise line. It is more of a mid-30's+ age range in my experience (used to be mainly 50+ but it seems to have gotten more 30/40's travellers esp couples only). And what a fun experience to add on to your vacation I love cruises.

I live about an hour south of Portland, OR and was contemplating driving vs flying but prices are very high right now to fly so I opted to drive. One thing that helps me though is I have a few sets of friends that live near Sacramento so I am able to stay with one set on the way down and one on the way back eliminating any need for a hotel stay.

Had I had to add that expense, flying still would not have been my choice because of airport transfers AND I like having my own car should we want to head out to the beach or Hollywood for the day!

 

[CamoMama]

My parents live just above Seattle and will be driving at the end of June. They'll drive about 11 hours to my place and spend the night, then we'll drive the remaining 8-9 hours together the next day. I wouldn't rent a car for the drive. though, that's far too costly. If you want to go to the beach or Hollywood you can always rent a car after you get south and it won't cost an additional $1000. Especially with gas prices right now.

 

[KittyKat1978]

There was a lady (under trip reports) that drove down from BC and it took her 24hrs of driving time.

She also had children and made it alright. I believe they stopped overnight, so I would budget for 2 days of driving and a hotel stay.

One other thing to note, you can't take fruits, veggies etc over the broder, just pre-packaged stuff.

 

[limace]

If you cruised down, how would you get back? Fly? If so, that might be a significant cost. Sounds like the most fun way to travel, though!

 

[Davids-Coco]

Another option: You could always bus/train it to Seattle and then fly from there. The flights from Seattle are significantly cheaper than out of Vancouver.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I live in Eastern Wa and no matter where I check flights out of they are very high right now..I could fly to the UK RT cheaper. We always drive, much cheaper than we can fly, but I have a car that will make it

Jack

 

[kmay]

I've driven from Portland OR to Disneyland and it's LONG. LOL We did it when my daughter was almost 3 and she did well. Honestly, I would rent a nice hybrid vehicle and then fly home. The drive home is exhausting after 3-5 days of walking and all of that Disney fun.

The train could be could because your toddler could stretch their legs but they take a really long time. Longer than driving.

Another thing to consider are that the gas prices are sky high right now. You may be better off flying into Orange County and taking the shuttle straight to your hotel and then either shuttling or walking to the park.

 

[CSAColl]

All good points. I guess I don't have to make up my mind right now.

I really really hate flying out of seattle with a toddler because it is a real pain to get there unless you drive. Taking the Clipper means having to schlep the luggage, car seat, stroller, husband and child through 2 ferry terminals, a shuttle to the airport, a shuttle on the other end and then repeat.

The rail option sounds like a lot of fun and even though the travel time is longer, we wouldn't have to stop overnight for hotels which would save money as well as time. I think it would end up being roughly the same amount of time? The rooms are expensive though, and I am not sure that I'd be comfortable falling asleep with a toddler who might just up and leave.

The cruise is listed as a pretty insane deal.. $200 each way with $75 onboard credit per cabin each way, which makes it about $1400 after tax. Right now Flying from Bellingham is equal to that, but to add 6 nights of cruises to the vacation sounds a LOT better

Anyone else feel free to chip in or if you've already posted and see a flaw in my plan, please point it out!

 

[Satchmo128]

Another option: You could always bus/train it to Seattle and then fly from there. The flights from Seattle are significantly cheaper than out of Vancouver.

I was going to suggest this as well. We are in Seattle and have always flown (and we look around at the different LA-area airports to find the best deal). That being said, if we had the time to drive down we would do it just for the experience (adding at least 4 days to the trip is a bit much for us right now).

 

[alleycatmom]

In your specific situation, I think the cruise sounds like the best option.

Our car is on its last legs and we're looking to buy -- just in time for our 9-hour road trip to SoCal/Disney/Legoland in July However, we did look into renting a car and it actually wasn't as high as we had feared. I want to say $200 for the week?

Have fun!!

 

[Babybears]

The cruise option sounds pretty hard to pass up!! What a fun way to get there!

We also live in the NW and have done most of the options you are considering. The train is definitely something to consider. It leaves Seattle in the morning and arrive in LA the very next day around 9:00 pm. This actually is probably quicker than driving, at least for us, since we usually break up the 20 hour drive over three days. There is then a connecting train you can get to Anaheim or you can get a shuttle or taxi. I would reccommend a sleeper car, since it is overnight, but they can be pricey, so may not work as an option. If you do end up in a sleeper, the price includes all your meals on the train (which adds up fast) so, may be worth considering.

 

[CSAColl]

The cruise option sounds pretty hard to pass up!! What a fun way to get there!

We also live in the NW and have done most of the options you are considering. The train is definitely something to consider. It leaves Seattle in the morning and arrive in LA the very next day around 9:00 pm. This actually is probably quicker than driving, at least for us, since we usually break up the 20 hour drive over three days. There is then a connecting train you can get to Anaheim or you can get a shuttle or taxi. I would reccommend a sleeper car, since it is overnight, but they can be pricey, so may not work as an option. If you do end up in a sleeper, the price includes all your meals on the train (which adds up fast) so, may be worth considering.

When you took the train, did you have kids? Were the seats nice enough that you could have slept in them? presumably there are more people in seats than have rooms so I assume they do okay?
I'm a bit nervous doing an overnight in a common space with a 3 year old especially because I haven't seen the train layout.
I wonder if there is any video on youtube? hmmmm :

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

When you took the train, did you have kids? Were the seats nice enough that you could have slept in them? presumably there are more people in seats than have rooms so I assume they do okay?
I'm a bit nervous doing an overnight in a common space with a 3 year old especially because I haven't seen the train layout.
I wonder if there is any video on youtube? hmmmm :

I haven't taken the Coast Starlight line, but on my last trip from Portland to Minneapolis on the Empire Builder, we had what they call a "roomette". It wasn't "common space", but a small cabin for just the two of us. The seats folded down into bunks and were pretty comfortable. The door had a curtain and lock for privacy. Having the meals included was very nice. On one of our trips, we even had a "car concierge" who offered to order our dinner and deliver it to our room. (We opted to stretch our legs instead.)

They have other sizes that you could comfortably fit an entire family in. Some even have their own private bathroom!

It's definitely worth looking into.

 

[Nintfamily]

I live close to Bellingham (We fly out of there mostly for convenience) You might also drive to Bellingham and catch the airport shuttle, if you didn't want to fly out of Bellingham. Just a thought.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've taken the train from Vancouver to Seattle, and also from Seattle down to San Jose, and while I cannot wait to take DS (7 years old) on a long journey...it's in the future. We have taken him to BC on the train once when he was little, and the problem with it is that you just can't tell how a little kid will be!

I'd do the cruise, absolutely. And THANK YOU for showing me that option, because we're trying to get a cruise, any cruise, schedule so that DS can see if he likes it and we're trying to bring MIL along as well, but in her own room, and most cruises get really expensive when you need two rooms. But this is perfect; place we want to go, a way to get there, food is included, just lovely. Most excellent.

Though I do notice the cruise going *back* leaves the day you get in. So you still might need to find a way home.

 

[bumbershoot]

Someone else mentioned fruit.

I'll mention Kinder Eggs. They are illegal in the US, so don't bring any with you. Americans, apparently, can't figure out that the very large egg inside of the chocolate egg isn't food. I kept thinking the toy was tiny and just rolling around inside the chocolate; I was surprised to see the size of the plastic egg inside that then contains the toy...

 

[specialks]

Can I ask if you know what hotel you are staying at. There may be parking charges included.

Another option: You could always bus/train it to Seattle and then fly from there. The flights from Seattle are significantly cheaper than out of Vancouver.

I was going to suggest this as well. We are in Seattle and have always flown (and we look around at the different LA-area airports to find the best deal). That being said, if we had the time to drive down we would do it just for the experience (adding at least 4 days to the trip is a bit much for us right now).

I was going to mention this too. We've flown Alaska Air from SEA to SNA for as low as $69 each way + tax. However, the sales always come late, and are really hard for a planner to wait for. We drove last October and really enjoyed stopping for sights along the way (redwoods, golden gate). However, we spent a lot on hotels and gas. Also, we had only 3 days at Disney because we couldn't take extra time off

Also not sure if you know about:
http://www.quickcoach.com/

Someone else mentioned fruit.

I'll mention Kinder Eggs. They are illegal in the US, so don't bring any with you. Americans, apparently, can't figure out that the very large egg inside of the chocolate egg isn't food. I kept thinking the toy was tiny and just rolling around inside the chocolate; I was surprised to see the size of the plastic egg inside that then contains the toy...

The kinder eggs are because the kids might mistake the toy inside the egg as edible. Kind of like how restaurants aren't allowed to garnish with in-edible foods.

 

[specialks]

I forgot to add that I would way prefer the cruise!