Driving from Maine...

[englishteacha]

We said we'd NEVER drive from Maine to Disney. I did it as a kid and my dad insisted on taking 3 days to get there and back. UGH.

However....we're having a baby in May, and in 2013 I really want to take baby and my mom to Disney. Flights for 3 adults are expensive. (and having baby on our laps for 3-7 hours could be uncomfortable to say the least, and getting baby his/her own ticket would really increase the price)
If we were to fly, the flights alone would be over $1200 for 3 adults (based on current prices), though it may be worth it to avoid 48 hours in the car! So we're considering driving for this one trip. We have a Chrysler Town and Country, so plenty of room for 3 adults and baby and our stuff.

I know it's a long time from now, but what suggestions do you other long-drivers have for such a big road trip? We'd break it into 2 driving days with a night at a hotel on the way. It's 1400 miles, about 24 hours one way.

 

[ancestry]

I live in Maine. If you watch carefully and monitor the prices and are somewhat flexible with your dates or days of the week you will be able to get the airfare for $250 round trip (including taxes). The price you are quoting $400 per person is really high for flying out of PWM. Watch JetBlue and AirTran. Although Jet Blue seems to have discontinued their direct flights out of PWM.

Another thing we do is drive to BOS and fly JetBlue direct to MCO from there. We can often get the BOS to MCO direct flights for $200 or under round trip each way.

Or we drive to Manchester and take Southwest although that is my least favorite option as I don't like the cattle call seating that Southwest does.

You just need to watch the prices and buy when they drop. Now if you are traveling over a holiday that is a completely different story.

 

[tweety38]

I have done that drive a few times, never with a baby. I was bad enough. The ticket prices depend on the time of year too. Also, which airport are you closer to. BGR has direct flights with Allegaint that are about three hours each way. PWM has direct flights with Airtran.

 

[englishteacha]

As a teacher, I'm stuck with vacation weeks. I tried February and April vacations for 2012, which came to over $400 pp from Portland and from Boston, and I'm guessing rates will be similar for 2013. I long to travel during the "off season"! But, alas, my career has me tied into school vacation weeks, which means I'm stuck with higher airfare. Summers aren't as bad, but the heat can be unbearable for us Mainers!

I'd rather fly, trust me. I'll watch airfares like a hawk leading up to our proposed trip. My other concern about flying, besides price, is if my mom can't go and we've already purchased her ticket. I know some airlines are pretty strict about cancellations/refunds/credits.

 

[tweety38]

Well if you have to drive...we left at 7 pm. Drove all night and took naps along the way. Can you sleep while someone else drives? I never could and that makes it worse. I would have a lots of dvd's and books. Maybe an Ipod full of podcasts. Driving is better then no Disney.

 

[PrincesCJM]

As a teacher, I'm stuck with vacation weeks. I tried February and April vacations for 2012, which came to over $400 pp from Portland and from Boston, and I'm guessing rates will be similar for 2013. I long to travel during the "off season"! But, alas, my career has me tied into school vacation weeks, which means I'm stuck with higher airfare. Summers aren't as bad, but the heat can be unbearable for us Mainers!

I'd rather fly, trust me. I'll watch airfares like a hawk leading up to our proposed trip. My other concern about flying, besides price, is if my mom can't go and we've already purchased her ticket. I know some airlines are pretty strict about cancellations/refunds/credits.

I am also a teacher and I went to Disney last April during vacation. I bought tickets early on Delta - early as in June. We knew we wanted to go and found a price we liked so we bought them. The other thing that can help is to consider taking a day or two off early from school to fly out. DH and I left Wednesday night so I used two personal days. We arrived at MCO around 11pm but it was worth it. I did have to pay for my substitute that Friday but it was well worth the $70.