Drive or Fly? On-Site or Off? Opinions wanted

[preschoolmom]

I need help deciding whether to drive or fly - and whether to stay on-site or off.

Advantages to Flying: It is like a 2.5 hour plane ride! We live in Chicagoland. We gain two extra vacation days if we fly. Driving takes 18 hours - before stops. So, realistically, it is two days in the car (bleah).

Advantages to Driving: We can pack all sorts of stuff. A cooler with favorite foods. Blankets and Pillows. Snacks. We will have our own transportation while in Florida - giving us more flexibility to come and go to the parks at will, with our own seats - and AC (LOL). We can go to Sea World easily.

Advantages to staying on-site: Disney transport to everywhere we would want to go (except Sea World). Proximity. The main advantage is that if we fly and stay on-site, DH doesn't have to drive anywhere for an entire week. He considers that a true vacation.

Advantages to staying off-site: We can rent four bedroom house with a private pool, in Windsor Hills, for the same price as two value rooms at Disney. We will have a full kitchen, and can make all of our children's favorite foods (my kids are really picky). DH and I could close the kids' doors after they fall asleep - and have our own space/quiet time as well.

If we stay on-site, I think we'll fly. Flying is more appealing than driving. If we stay off-site, driving is a necessity. Staying off-site might actually be more appealing to me at this point.

Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas? Personal experience you would like to share?

Cost wise - it is practically the same! There is no savings to driving vs. flying. No real savings with on-site vs. off-site. It is mostly just about preferences - but my two preferences - Flying and Off-Site don't really seem to match up.

In a related note - Is it possible to rent a minivan? Anyone here fly and stay off-site and then just rent a car? How do I find out which rental companies are at the airport?

Thanks!

 

[catho72]

I am from Chicagoland as well. We flew in 2008 and drove in 2009. For us, it was significantly cheaper driving than flying (there's five people in our family, too). We spent about $150 each way in gas and drove straight thru (18.5 hours) instead of spending money on a hotel. I'll be honest, flying was much easier. We flew when staying on-site and drove when we rented a condo in Windsor Hills. It WAS nice being able to pack a bunch of stuff from home for the condo.

OK...on-site vs off-site....I LOVE staying on-site and getting the dining plan. We rented a minivan both times we stayed on-site. For us, it was easier to rent the van instead of having to wait with three kids for buses. We used Dollar as the rental agency and paid $199/week plus tax. Loved it! That being said, we also really enjoyed staying at Windsor Hills. The extra space was wonderful, as was the extra bathroom, having the kitchen and laundry machine. We didn't have to pack nearly as much clothes since I could do laundry there. Don't get me wrong....cooking and doing laundry is not my idea of vacation, but with a larger family, it's handy in a rental home. We would stay again at Windsor Hills again in a heartbeat. It is very conveniently located to WDW and almost every restaurant imaginable.

If money isn't an issue, stay on-site and rent a minivan. For me, that's the ultimate vacation!

Have fun planning! For me, planning is one of the best parts of the vacation!!

 

[preschoolmom]

Thank you for your kind reply, Catho! I have to say, now I'm leaning towards staying on-site and flying

Not that money is no object (I wish!) but we just drove to NJ this summer and the drive was brutal. We drove on our last trip to Disney, too. Actually, we've always driven the kids everywhere - this would be our first time flying...

I think we can even skip the rental, have groceries delivered, and take a shuttle or cab or something for our Sea World day.

Still deciding, but our trip won't be until the very end of May - so I have some time.

Thanks so much!

 

[SunniKC]

We are driving (Kansas City here) for our upcoming trip. Several reasons, number one dh refuses to board a plane these days (we haven't flown since december of '01), two cost was incredibly cheaper (even if we rent a SUV for the drive) than flying--it was going to cost over 2500 for the four of us the time we want to go, three you mentioned those reasons--all the stuff we can take with us (a cooler full of diet coke brought from home would sure beat me heading to the vending machine every morning )

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I need help deciding whether to drive or fly - and whether to stay on-site or off.

Advantages to Flying: It is like a 2.5 hour plane ride! We live in Chicagoland. We gain two extra vacation days if we fly. Driving takes 18 hours - before stops. So, realistically, it is two days in the car (bleah).

Advantages to Driving: We can pack all sorts of stuff. A cooler with favorite foods. Blankets and Pillows. Snacks. We will have our own transportation while in Florida - giving us more flexibility to come and go to the parks at will, with our own seats - and AC (LOL). We can go to Sea World easily.

Advantages to staying on-site: Disney transport to everywhere we would want to go (except Sea World). Proximity. The main advantage is that if we fly and stay on-site, DH doesn't have to drive anywhere for an entire week. He considers that a true vacation.

Advantages to staying off-site: We can rent four bedroom house with a private pool, in Windsor Hills, for the same price as two value rooms at Disney. We will have a full kitchen, and can make all of our children's favorite foods (my kids are really picky). DH and I could close the kids' doors after they fall asleep - and have our own space/quiet time as well.

If we stay on-site, I think we'll fly. Flying is more appealing than driving. If we stay off-site, driving is a necessity. Staying off-site might actually be more appealing to me at this point.

Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas? Personal experience you would like to share?

Cost wise - it is practically the same! There is no savings to driving vs. flying. No real savings with on-site vs. off-site. It is mostly just about preferences - but my two preferences - Flying and Off-Site don't really seem to match up.

In a related note - Is it possible to rent a minivan? Anyone here fly and stay off-site and then just rent a car? How do I find out which rental companies are at the airport?

Thanks!

In approx 15 visits to WDW, we've only stayed onsite twice and flew every time. We loved having a private pool home: plenty of space, our own private bedroom, full kitchen (not that we cooked but could have a decent breakfast before heading to parks and real coffee while still in my pj's.)
I also liked having a full size washer/dryer. We could pack extremely light and just take carry on.
With pool heat the kids could take a short swim before breakfast and we'd all unwind after the parks in the pool. so nice..
We haven't rented a home in a while since we bought our timeshare condo but plenty of disers here could guide you in that process.
yes, you can rent a minivan but due to economy and car industry esp. car rentals are very high lately. See mousesavers.com for lots of discount codes and coupons.
Onsite at MCO:
Budget
Avis
Thrifty
Dollar
National
Alamo
L & M
maybe Payless (I think I recall seeing their sign in the rental car garage.)

Hertz is offsite and requires a shuttle.
Here is a link to MCO website.
http://www.orlandoairports.net/ops/rac.htm

Onsite is good if you plan to do WDW only. If you like to venture out, too bad then, you're trapped.
We have also done Gatorland, Universal, Kennedy Space Center, Ripley's, Medieval Times, airboat rides, etc.

Windsor Hills is literally a 5 min drive to AKL using the Sherbeth Rd shortcut so not a lot of driving at all and signs are very well marked.

We will never, ever, drive. Even to save $1000 or more.
My time and sanity are priceless.

Before SWA cut back on # of flights, we could work a full day on a Friday, order a pizza delivery on the way home, change clothes, eat and catch a 9pm flight out of Philly. Then crash at the Hyatt right inside MCO (cheap on Hotwire.) and wake up fresh Sat am in Florida.
Not a single day wasted.

Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[Minniemama350]

I live in Ga and I always dream of flying, but would rather stay longer(only 8hr. drive).If I lived where you do, I'd rather fly. I absolutely prefer staying on site. It's just like they say...you can stay in the magic. I've been and stayed off several times on budget trips(still way better than not going), but on is always just that much better to us.

 

[Mommy2Jameson]

I live in central Illinois. We took our 2 year old last year for the first time, and as much as I was dreading flying with him, I KNEW I'd go crazy in a car with him for that long and there was no way we could drive straight through!

Shockingly, he did WONDERFUL on the plane! We're flying again for his second trip in October.

As for staying onsite, I HIGHLY recommend it!

I don't understand how people can say it's easier with your own car, because parking is usually super far away at the parks and you have to wait for a tram. And at the MK, you park at the TTC and have to take the monorail there. Plus if you decide NOT to stay onsite, you have to pay I think $12.00 a day. I'd much rather just hop on a bus and take it back to my resort.

Also, with small children it's great, because I would take the toddler back to the room for a nap or bedtime, and the older kids could stay at the parks and come and go as they needed.

And if you fly, you can always use Magical Express, and then you don't even have to worry about your luggage. Last year, we switched planes in Chicago, got a weather delay, missed our flight, and after trying to fly standby on 3 more flights, we ended up spending the night in Chicago with my sister. Well, when we called to let them know we wouldn't be in until tomorrow, they confirmed that they already had our luggage! LOL It beat us down there by a day!

Also, when staying onsite, you get the Extra Magic Hours, which are GREAT! And you can get the DIsney Dining Plan. We did SEVEN character meals on our trip last year, and will be doing 7 again this October. There is no way I could have budgeted that without the dining plan!

 

[TrustedTraveler]

We (6 adults) will fly out of Midway in January on Southwest, with taxes and fees about $200 pp R/T. We'll rent a minivan at the airport (probably through priceline) and stay offsite in a 6 bedroom pool home very close to Disney for about $875.00 /wk tax and pool heat included.
Why these choices?
Not about to give up 4 vacation days to save only a little by driving
No comparison in comfort and relaxation over 2 or 3 hotel rooms
We'll save a bundle by eating breakfast, taking a few snacks and cooking some meals at the house. We bought a crock pot for the house a few years ago and I use it often.
Our transportation is just a few steps from our door, no waiting in lines for a bus and usually we can get to the parks in less time than staying on-site. We come and go as we please.
This will be our 4th year on this plan. We wouldn't do it any other way.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[preschoolmom]

Thanks everyone - I'm really enjoying every single response!

This reminds me of the time I served on Jury Duty! When the first lawyer would talk, I would totally buy his side - and then when the second lawyer would talk - I was totally in agreement with him!

I think we'll fly. Now to solve the on-site/off-site dilemna!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Trams come one right behind the other and for us it's all part of going to WDW. Just like the way onsite people wait for a crowded, hot bus and don't even get a seat. Nothing magical about that, right?
No one's armpit is in my face on the tram. For us a car= freedom.

Not trying to start a debate or argument. We've done both more than once just to try different ways and see what works for us.

We can stand to be in 1 small room only for a few days and after that it's just too much.

The only time I can tolerate it for a whole week is on a cruise only b/c we have no other choice and if the Walt Disney suite on the Magic wasn't $20K I'd consider it.

It's nice that there's more than one way to do WDW so we can all be happy there.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks everyone - I'm really enjoying every single response!

This reminds me of the time I served on Jury Duty! When the first lawyer would talk, I would totally buy his side - and then when the second lawyer would talk - I was totally in agreement with him!

I think we'll fly. Now to solve the on-site/off-site dilemna!

woo hoo! one point for the flying team! just kidding!

 

[kksmom92]

We're from west michigan so we get to the LONG drive too.

We flew down 2 years ago and while it was nice getting down there faster, for us that really don't fly much (let alone doing it with 2 little kids) ended up getting quite stressed trying to get through the security checks with the unloading everything from the stroller.. taking the kids out, trying to get them to walk through the thing by themselves, packing everything back up.. etc. It seemed like everyone was always in such a rush we always tried to go as fast as we could, but still felt like we were taking to long.

We had agreed.. driving was less stressful for us so this year we ended up driving. The drive down wasn't bad, but the drive home the kids were quit crabby and my dh got so annoyed he said next year we would be flying no matter what! LOL

Well, looking at airline prices and van rentals we have decided to once again drive. We will be renting a van no matter what (can't imagine driving all that way in our car) and I was lucky enough to get a van rental from Muskegon airport for $784 where the cheapest I've found down there for 2-3 less days is well over $1000, then we would have to add the $800 worth of airline tickets on top of that, so we would be looking at it costing an easy $800 more to fly. Of course we are lucky that we are able to drive straight through as my husband works nights so we leave when our son gets out of school and I take the 1st leg while my husband tries to nap, then he drives at night while I sleep and I start driving again in the morning while he sleeps.

We also stay off site as we can get a 4 bedroom villa with a private (heated) pool & jacuzzi for $650! My husband and I stayed onsite once (pre kids) and it was ok for us, but we could never imagine staying in the all-star resort with 2 little kids. I would be stressing about how noisy they would be at night and since they go to bed way before us it would be hard for us to watch tv or just enjoy the night. This way the kids can go to bed and we can either watch tv or go out and swim in the pool or sit and relax in the jacuzzi. Plus we don't have to pack as many clothes when staying off-site because I can always throw a load of laundry in the washer & dryer when we get home from the parks at night. Plus with the more room the kids just have room to wind down before hitting the hay.

For us parking wasn't an issue at all. Yes, it stinks you have to pay $12 a day to park when you stay offsite, but for us I couldn't imagine dealing with the bus at night with 2 tired kids and trying to bring the strollers on board as well. That just sounds like a nightmare to me. Our last night at Magic Kingdom the last night we were there we ended up having to park out by the race track. We ended up walking out to the car instead of waiting for the tram and actually got there faster doing it that way. PLUS, the kids got to sleep in the strollers all the way out there (that's why we walked) and we just had to move them into the car seats instead of having to wake them up because we had to get on the tram and needed to fold up the strollers.

This is just what works best for us... good luck with your decision!!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We're from west michigan so we get to the LONG drive too.

We flew down 2 years ago and while it was nice getting down there faster, for us that really don't fly much (let alone doing it with 2 little kids) ended up getting quite stressed trying to get through the security checks with the unloading everything from the stroller.. taking the kids out, trying to get them to walk through the thing by themselves, packing everything back up.. etc. It seemed like everyone was always in such a rush we always tried to go as fast as we could, but still felt like we were taking to long.

We had agreed.. driving was less stressful for us so this year we ended up driving. The drive down wasn't bad, but the drive home the kids were quit crabby and my dh got so annoyed he said next year we would be flying no matter what! LOL

Well, looking at airline prices and van rentals we have decided to once again drive. We will be renting a van no matter what (can't imagine driving all that way in our car) and I was lucky enough to get a van rental from Muskegon airport for $784 where the cheapest I've found down there for 2-3 less days is well over $1000, then we would have to add the $800 worth of airline tickets on top of that, so we would be looking at it costing an easy $800 more to fly. Of course we are lucky that we are able to drive straight through as my husband works nights so we leave when our son gets out of school and I take the 1st leg while my husband tries to nap, then he drives at night while I sleep and I start driving again in the morning while he sleeps.

We also stay off site as we can get a 4 bedroom villa with a private (heated) pool & jacuzzi for $650! My husband and I stayed onsite once (pre kids) and it was ok for us, but we could never imagine staying in the all-star resort with 2 little kids. I would be stressing about how noisy they would be at night and since they go to bed way before us it would be hard for us to watch tv or just enjoy the night. This way the kids can go to bed and we can either watch tv or go out and swim in the pool or sit and relax in the jacuzzi. Plus we don't have to pack as many clothes when staying off-site because I can always throw a load of laundry in the washer & dryer when we get home from the parks at night. Plus with the more room the kids just have room to wind down before hitting the hay.

For us parking wasn't an issue at all. Yes, it stinks you have to pay $12 a day to park when you stay offsite, but for us I couldn't imagine dealing with the bus at night with 2 tired kids and trying to bring the strollers on board as well. That just sounds like a nightmare to me. Our last night at Magic Kingdom the last night we were there we ended up having to park out by the race track. We ended up walking out to the car instead of waiting for the tram and actually got there faster doing it that way. PLUS, the kids got to sleep in the strollers all the way out there (that's why we walked) and we just had to move them into the car seats instead of having to wake them up because we had to get on the tram and needed to fold up the strollers.

This is just what works best for us... good luck with your decision!!

I see your dilemma but why do you feel you need to rent a van in FL? We also have 2 kids, have been going regularly since we only had one and never rented a van, full size at most which I just paid less than $300 for 10 days a few weeks ago. My neighbor has 3 kids and still gets a full size.
As your kids get a bit older and don't need a stroller thru the airport, getting thru security gets a lot easier.
jmho but I'd rather clog up the security line for a few mins than spend 20 hrs in a car.

 

[kksmom92]

When we go down there my in-laws end up coming up from Punta Gorda (They go down for the month of Feb & March) and stay with us for a couple days and go to Disney with us so with a van we can all ride together. I suppose we could do a full size car, but with two car seats it would make it quite squished having those with 4 adults in one car.

Then after Disney we drive over to Orange Beach, AL and stay a week with my parents. While we stay with them we always like riding together when to go places so once again it's much easier and more convienent to have a van instead of a full size car.

If it was just the 4 of us and weren't hooking up with other family memebers then we would rent a car.

Right now with the dates we would need a vehicle for it still would cost us $685 for a full size car (Feb 6-21st) after getting my visa discount.

 

[davinakb]

Like many others I think: flying is better than driving and I'd want a car while there, whether on/off site. Have you looked into Priceline? I've seen all sorts of winning bids, full-size and minivans. May be an option to let you have the affordable space and comfort of off-site, and your own car. FWIW.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

When we go down there my in-laws end up coming up from Punta Gorda (They go down for the month of Feb & March) and stay with us for a couple days and go to Disney with us so with a van we can all ride together. I suppose we could do a full size car, but with two car seats it would make it quite squished having those with 4 adults in one car.

Then after Disney we drive over to Orange Beach, AL and stay a week with my parents. While we stay with them we always like riding together when to go places so once again it's much easier and more convienent to have a van instead of a full size car.

If it was just the 4 of us and weren't hooking up with other family memebers then we would rent a car.

Right now with the dates we would need a vehicle for it still would cost us $685 for a full size car (Feb 6-21st) after getting my visa discount.

Gotcha. Yes, with 2 more adults you def need a van. Our rental car price dropped a huge amount as time got closer. Alamo wanted over $500 when I 1st started checking around 6 mos out. Ended up getting a full size for $279 and could have gotten a midsize for $235 but we like the extra space.

You still have lots of time. It is not peak season when you're going so you should be able to get a much better deal if you keep checking.

Did you try the coupon codes and discounts on mousesavers.com?

Of course if you really prefer to drive then it's best to do what you like, not what I like, right?

When our kids were still in car seats there were no baggage fees so it was easy to put the car seat in a zippered carrier bag and check it on the plane.

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm from NH and there's no way I would even consider driving! Way too long for me.

I always fly and have done both on-site and offsite. I only stay on-site when there's only 2-3 of us going and one of them is a small child. Other than that, we stay off-site. I love having a private pool, full kitchen, washer & dryer and plenty of room to spread out. The kids can go to be early and the adults can stay up (or in my case since I have older teens the adults can go to bed early and the kids can stay up. I rent a minivan and usually get one from Alamo or Dollar.

 

[TotoToo]

Cost wise - it is practically the same! There is no savings to driving vs. flying. No real savings with on-site vs. off-site. It is mostly just about preferences - but my two preferences - Flying and Off-Site don't really seem to match up.

In a related note - Is it possible to rent a minivan? Anyone here fly and stay off-site and then just rent a car? How do I find out which rental companies are at the airport?

Thanks!

Have you actually priced out the cost? It is very hard to believe you can get 4+ (how many people?) air tickets and then rent a van (not cheap anymore - the $199/week deals are LONG gone) equal to the cost of a few tanks of gas and maybe one or two nights in an inexpensive hotel stop.

If you can really do it for close to the same I'd still go offsite for the space (which makes it a real vacation for us) vs the small room & depending on the excruciatingly feeble Disney transportation (waste 1/3 of your time traveling & waiting for that).

 

[CR88]

I am not sure if anyone has suggested it yet as I didn't have enough time to read through all of the responses, but you could always rent points from a DVC owner and get a 1BR or 2BR. We prefer staying on site so much more. Staying off site does have its advantages, but when we are on vacation we don't want to drive ANYWHERE, look for parking, deal with traffic, etc. It is so nice being in the Disney atmosphere 24/7, plus the extra magic hours are nice during the busier times of the year. A room at the Epcot resorts or Bay Lake Towers means you won't need to take a bus anywhere except Animal Kingdom. We have stayed off site before, which was also nice to an extent, but once you get on the road to the hotel or resort, it seems like you re-enter the real world, and it just kind of takes away from the vacation in our opinion. Also, I would suggest flying since you can fly either AirTran or SW out of Midway dirt cheap. We paid $150 RT. Driving 18 hours each way plus the recovery time from the drive is too much time to loose. The worst part though is the drive back! While I can see both sides, I think a vacation is not having to do ANYTHING except relax, play and enjoy the time away from reality.

Good luck.

 

[angelmav]

We just drove and stayed at a rental home offsite. Our drive was 1800 miles one way too, all the way from Colorado! While I wish that we could fly, out of DIA the best deal roundtrip was almost $2800 for the 7 of us! Plus, its not like its exactly inexpensive onsite! We had a beautiful three bedroom home (with towel animals on check in) with a heated private pool for $550 for the week! The parks were less than 10 min away, in fact, Ill bet we went from front door to park entrance in less time than most on-site guests traveling by bus/boat etc. Sorry, but all that extra space was plenty magical to me! We would get our fill everyday in the parks and if we felt like it at night at DTD. It was plenty relaxing, I really dont get the vehement arguments agaisnt, it was the perfect vacation!