Do Most of You Fly to WDW?

[famsen]

Now that we are DVC members, we will be going to WDW about twice a year.
We have always driven from Chicago to WDW and actually everywhere else we have vacationed because I am afraid to fly.
This last trip really had me rethinking my fear. The cost of gas was outrageous. Then we stopped for the night on the way back. In all it took us two days to drive home while our friends who stayed with us at AKV left at the same time we did and arrived home two and a half hours later.
I only flew once in my life. It wasn't a bad experience but I am still terrified of flying. I was thinking of flying next time because the travel is killing me as I get "older".
Can anyone put my mind at ease about my very unrational fear?
I can take an ambien or a lunesta before I board and sleep like a baby all the way there or I can take Xanax, for which I already have a prescription.
The other problem is, I have no idea how to book a flight, what the current rules for packing are, or anything else regarding an airport and I.D.s etc.
I know I probably sound like I am from the dark ages.
Thanks for the help!

 

[CraftyMouse]

We fly on occasion, but usually we drive. It's 20 hours, door-to-door, from our part of CT and we do it all in one shot (stopping for gas/food/potty usage, as needed of course). We usually leave around midnight and arrive at WDW around 8pm.

If it were just DH and I we'd probably fly more, but the cost of airfare for the 4 of us is almost always at least double what it costs us to drive ($400ish). Plus, since we stay for two weeks, if we flew we'd rent a car and that only adds to the total. We don't use the car for getting around WDW but do go off-property occasionally (grocery shopping, Disney outlet, etc.). When we drive we, obviously, have our car with us.

 

[Dodie]

Do a Google search of "DISBOARDS fear of flying" and you'll find lots of posts, mostly on the Transportation Board, about this very topic with lots of very good advice.

My advice is to read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Flying-Withou...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224114140&sr=8-1 I am a very fearful flyer and it REALLY HELPED.

There is a pretty good discussion board about this topic as well: http://www.fearofflying.com/message.htm

For me, it was the difference between the 16-18 hour drive and the 2 hour flight that finally pushed me over the edge 15 years ago and forced me to deal with my irrational fear.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I'd rather fly then drive...its safer, faster and my time is too valuable to waste in a car for 20+ hours. If the drive is more then 4 hours, I fly it.

 

[JimC]

We flew all but two times when we lived in PA. Those two where we did not fly we used the auto train. In my opinion anything over 500 miles is too far to drive. And most times I have little interest in driving anywhere over 150 miles.

 

[Disney_Villain]

We live 1700 miles from WDW - as the crow flies. Driving is not reasonable for us as we are still in our "working years" and only have 2 weeks of vacation maximum twice a year. We'd consume 2/3 of our vacation time driving to and from WDW! Flying is the only option for us.

I overcame my irrational fear of open water to go on the Disney Cruise Line in 2004 and we've booked 3 additional DCL cruises since. I am so happy I was willing to work though this or my family would never have experienced DCL. If I had the same fear of flights, I'd be working on it too.

 

[kayla87]

Can anyone put my mind at ease about my very unrational fear?
I can take an ambien or a lunesta before I board and sleep like a baby all the way there or I can take Xanax, for which I already have a prescription.
The other problem is, I have no idea how to book a flight, what the current rules for packing are, or anything else regarding an airport and I.D.s etc.

I can't really help with the first part, because I am terrified of taking off and landing. My husband takes valium for flights, and it really helps him. I would not suggest ambien, as the flight is really too short for it.

We book our flights on expedia. Make sure you know what days you'll be traveling, as changing flights is difficult and expensive. I really suggest paying for a non stop flight. The TSA website is really helpful - you can find what can be packed in carry ons and checked. As long as you're a US citizen, all you need is a government issued ID and your ticket when you first enter security (make sure it isn't an old ID that has rubbed off onto the plastic it's stored in - they really do look at them). I don't fly very often at all, so right now I can't think of lots of information to help.

 

[Laneychris]

We mostly fly though we have driven it is about 16 hours for us to drive.

 

[ChelleinNC]

On the other side of the argument:

Flight delays, cancellations, checked bag fees, having to arrive at the airport 2 hrs before a flight..... Those are the reasons I don't fly much anymore.

After a trip to MI, where our 90 minute layover in Philadelphia turned into 6+ hours and then 2 more hours sitting on the plane on the tarmac, with nothing to drink, no a/c (it was July) and no bathrooms No Thank You!
Of course, not all flights will be that bad.

For our Disney trips, we drive. It's 8-8 1/2 hours. If we flew, it would mean 2 hours at the airport, 2 1/2 hour flt, and at least an hour for luggage, car and drive to Disney for a total of 5 1/2 hours if everything goes on time. Add to that 4 tickets, and a lot of checked baggage, not worth it for us.

OP, no matter what you decide about flying for time & money, I hope that you do find a way to get past your fear of flying

 

[Deb & Bill]

The one time we flew, it took us nearly as long to fly as to drive with the flight delays, air plane problems. So we drive. And it's much cheaper, even with the gas prices.

 

[Kathi OD]

We started flying when we got down to only having to pay for one kid. Couldn't justify the airfare for 5 of us, when we could drive for what 1 ticket would cost.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We fly, not because we "love to fly" but because it's faster.

If I were you, I would seek professional help because you do want to deal with it. It wasn't flying but there were things that I just didn't know how to deal with. I didn't find the right person for me the first time, but I didn't give up, and truly life is better now.

Best wishes.

Bobbi

 

[stopher1]

We've always flown, and for the time being don't see that changing soon - but it's always possible. The cost would be less for us to drive, even in a rental vehicle, yes, but the time savings really does it for us. 2 1/4 hours vs. 15+. For us it's more about the convenience - but that could change at some point in the future. DW and I made a trip about 10 years ago from Ann Arbor, MI to Washington, D.C. - about a 10+ hour trip, and another to northern Alabama - about a 14+ hr trip or +/-... she said never again for any car trips over 8 hrs. So we fly.

 

[melissac]

We always fly. I could never handle being in the car for 24 hours, specially with 2 children. I don't like to fly but I take a Xanax before boarding and it helps. I wish it would knock me out but it doesn't but it does relax me. We fly in 10 days with 7 children ages 7-14 and 4 adults so this should be interesting. The weird thing is I'm more nervous flying with just my DH then when all 4 of us fly. I wish you luck.

 

[danv3]

Anyone on the easy coast taken the train? It's a lot longer than flying obviously but much cheaper. Also it's overnight so you can skip a night at a hotel but still get a partial day in the park after you arrive mid morning. Just not sure how getting from the station to a hotel works. Cab?

 

[Mischa]

We have driven and flown. I love to fly because we get there faster, but then feel "trapped" because of not having a car. And it would be too costly to get a rental. So now we mostly drive. It's about a 15 hour drive (give or take) and we don't mind it. However, I will be honest and say that as much as I love to drive, when I had to drive the 850 miles myself (because DH was injured) I did mind the drive! It was definitely tiring.

I may look into the auto train (we live in VA) for our next trip.

Now when I go with my girlfriends for a "girls' only trip" we definitely fly - want as much time as possible on vacation!

Another reason we drive, is that DH is not a fan of flying. He'll put up with a short flight but nothing longer than 3 hours. I've been telling him I want to go to Disneyland one day and he thinks we'll drive (NO WAY!) He also takes a a pill that helps him sleep and if we ever go - he'll take one of them and sleep most of the way. I think if you are really afraid of flying that would be the way to do it - take a pill and "chill".

Good luck!

 

[miamimama]

This is the kind of thing I look at, even though I don't love flying: First, we get an extra two days of vacation time when we fly vs. drive. Time is the most valuable commodity we have in this life - you can always find a way to get a little more money in this life, but not more time.

Second, just look at the safety stats: for example (just from a google, so don't hold me to this):


"PlaneCrashInfo.com reports the odds of dying in an airliner crash are 0.089 per 100,000 flight hours. The odds of your dying in a 1 hour flight are less than 1 in 1,000,000.

Those odds are averaged for all airlines, including those with the worst safety records. The odds of dying in a flight on one of the 25 airlines with the worst safety records are about 1 in 724,000. Fly with one of the 25 safest airlines and your odds improve to less than 1 in 10,000,000.

If you average one round-trip flight per year (on the safer airlines), your lifetime odds of dying in a plane crash are less than 1 in 66,000.
Are those good odds or bad odds?

National Safety Council data show the one-year odds of dying in an automotive accident as an occupant of an on-road motorized vehicle are about 1 in 12,300. This translates to lifetime odds of about 1 in 158. "

So, if you can find ways to deal with your fear, drugs, or otherwise, I would give it a try! Good luck.

 

[Morganpics]

We just flew down from Maine yesterday. It was a really long day. The flight left Portland at 6am, which meant getting up at 2am. We arrived at the airport at 4:40, and the lines were dreadful. Note to self-no more flying the day after a holiday! We arrived in Orlando 11am, were bussed to OKW very promptly, had to wait about an hour for our room. The bottom line is that it was a VERY LONG day. I would try not to leave so early again. The flights were fine. We actually arrived 27 minutes ahead of schedule. Next trip down we are going to try the drive.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We live in the Phila area. We prefer to fly because we get to FL and back home so much faster. We've probably flown about 25 times in the past 10 years and only had 2 bad experiences with long flight delays. And I can also say I've been in several traffic jams and long delays driving. So you can have delays either way. One year we were stuck in VA on I 95 for 2 hours in practically one spot. My one dd had to go to the bathroom really bad and there was absolutely no where to go. So my point is, issues can pop up with flying or driving and we've done both.

I just like leaving the house at 6 am in Philly and being in the MK before noon. However, a big reason we've flown more than driven in the past decade is good airfare. Should this change, we would resort back to driving. But we hate having to use our paid vacation days for driving on I 95 and also the wear and tear on our personal vehicle. We go to FL at least twice a year on average. We're not "straight through" drivers because we found we're just so hung over by the time we get to FL than noone feels like doing anything but sleeping. So we drive about 11-12 hours on day 1, sleep over night, then resume driving the next day. But this uses up extra vacation days for us.

 

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

When I priced the autotrain out for us, it wasn't cheaper than flying. That said, there are 5 of us, and although it takes longer, we drive. Because it's a lot cheaper for 5 of us to drive than fly.