Driving from NJ or taking Amtrak.....

[PatricenPete]

We just booked a trip for March 2006. We will be staying at BWV on rented points. I was looking up airfare and it is RIDICULOUS. $800 to fly from Newark to Orlando. I refuse to spend that much money.

I am going to keep an eye on airfare during the next 9 months or so, but DH said yesterday that at worse we will drive down or take Amtrak.

What is driving like? We will have a 17 month old with us - how would that work out?

Our other option is to take Amtrak, but we have never done that either. What would you recommend/prefer?

 

[blondemom]

Hi. We have made the 20-hour road trip from Northern New Jersey to WDW twice already and are preparing for our third. The first time, my older son was 20 months. The second time he was 3.5. This time he will be 7, and now has a 2-year old brother.

You will get a variety of opinions, and need to weigh out your options. However, I found the trip to be an easy one. From NJ, it is really one road the whole way into Florida. We would take appropriate breaks - lunch, dinner, "potty," and leg stretching breaks. It's important to stop every few hours - if not to eat, then to get up and walk. You'll be less exhausted than if you did the drive "commando style." There are welcome centers along the way, and our personal favorite places - Cracker Barrel restaurant/gift shop. We allowed our son to pick out a small toy during the way down, and then back up to NJ. We only spent one night on the road, but this year, we are taking our time (two kids now), and spending two nights (one in North Carolina and one in Georgia).

Lastly, just an FYI, my parents checked out airfare for December and found that LaGuardia or JFK in NY was about $75 dollars cheaper per person. Would that be an option for you? I haven't done the train, but I haven't heard favorable reports from friends who did. They felt trapped in a small room with their kids.

Good luck with your decision.

L

 

[devotedchristian]

I would choose Amtrak. Did you know that you could get a 1bedroom suite with a "living room"? I mean, you can lay down in the bed and sleep and I don't think it would be that expensive. On the train, DS could get up and move around and wouldn't be confined to just sitting.

I learned all this on amtrak.com because I was going to Pennsylvania to help my SIL with her newbaby and I don't fly and DH didn't want me driving that long by myself.

I am seeing a whole new way of travel in the Airline and Train industry to make it more comfortable.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Well, we've done both. We have driven from South Jersey and taken Amtrak from Philadelphia. I will never take Amtrak again to WDW. It's to long I can't stand it. It stinks, some people are weird. And I don't even wanna talk about the bathroom. This trip we will not be driving either. The drive has gone fine in the past, but we're cramming so much in on this trip(Disney, Universal, and Sea World) that we need all the time we can get. Of your 2 choices I would say drive. Get a dvd player if you don't have one, get dvd's of baby shows and whenever he/she gets restless put one on. You also might want to consider leaving at night. We did this when we drove to GA last year and all 3 kids slept most of the way. We left Jersey about 6 and they ate in the car. Watched a movie and then went to sleep. Good luck

 

[dphie28]

We are going as a family for the first time this weekend. My brother (12) is afraid to fly so we looked into Amtrak. It was more money than airfare and the trip was about 22-24 hours. Driving is supposed to take about 18 if you go straight through. I would wait on the airfare though...I got our arline tickets from PHL to MCO for $200 per person round trip. EWR seemed to be the most expensive airport going to MCO in the NY/NJ/PA area. I would check LGA before ruling out flying.

 

[barb007]

Regarding airfare have you checked out USA3000 from Newark to Orlando? We are leaving in September & had thought to drive to Orlando due to airfare, but USA3000 had a roundtrip fare of $157 per person!! Couldn't resist & had to buy...plus I couldn't stand the thought of being in the car for over 20 hours.

 

[PatricenPete]

I did look at USA300 and can actually get airfare for the 2 of us for $350, which is awesome, but a friend of mine just travelled on USA3000 and had a HORRIBLE experience, so I just don't know what to do.

 

[michvin]

Hi...I've never traveled Amtrak but what I've heard about the long nation trips hasn't been positive...and not cheaper either. Have you searched for airfares on the actual airline sites...or are you looking at Priceline or something like that? I just checked US Air and they have flights in March at "off times" as low as $181 a ticket. Plus, my inlaws went to disney this past april, and at 6 weeks out, I got them tickets on the go fares us air link for around the same price. Sometimes, those "bidding" sites aren't always cheaper. The airlines only offer up a certain number of seats each flight for each type of promotion, whether it be a GO Fare, or a frequent flier seat, etc. I would reccommend you fly, and look for flights starting December (or book one now such as below)...good luck! Oh, when you book online, you ususally have a choice of where you want to sit too...they want people to do it online and not call so its really convenient. And, sorry, one more thing, United is service through US Air, so check their site too.

Alternate/Lower-Priced Flights

Itinerary Total - US$ 363.60 Flight Fare Rules
1 adult at US$ 181.80 and 1 companion at US$ 181.80

6:15am Depart New York, NY (LGA)
10:58am Arrive Orlando, FL (MCO) Mar. 07
US Airways flight 1453 View rules

10:40am Depart Orlando, FL (MCO)
2:59pm Arrive New York, NY (LGA) Mar. 14
US Airways flight 1404

 

[cour10ee]

Hi -- just wanted to weigh in on USA 3000, we are travelling to Disney from NJ as well this August on them... the airfare was just too much cheaper than anyone else.

My mother lives in Ft. Myers and has visited us once a month this year, using USA 3000 each time. All the trips have been fine, she boasts that they not only give you a movie, but a meal!! Whoopdie doo, but I think most airlines have discontinued food service, so I guess they are trying for bonus points not only with the fares but with the food...

Now for the bad news: the last trip she took was diverted to Baltimore for 3 hours. When I called to check on the flight status, they told me the plane had landed already in Newark (not true), I was disconnected twice and left on hold for waaayyy too long. It seems they do not have their information chain working very well for those of us on the ground. However, my mother says that even though landing in Baltimore was an inconvenience, the crew was very helpful. I guess this could have happened with any airline really, so I am not letting it change my opinion of them and will try to keep positive thoughts about our upcoming flight.

As for amtrak, personally, I would rather drive. You can stop when you want, eat better food, etc. If I am going to have to take a 20ish hour trip, I want to be in my own environment. It also costs more than flying, even for coach tickets. Coach means you get a seat much like your airline seat for that whole ride. The one bedroom compartments are even more $$. For example, I just looked and coach for the time I am travelling (end of aug) is $245-$315 one way. For the sleepers you add $353-$837 to the fare. Just FYI.

So, for what it's worth, I'd still pick USA 3000. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[J/T Gramdma]

Have you thought about taking the auto train. Driving to Lorton Va and then it is 12 hours on the train . you arrive at Sanford and it is about 30 mins to WDW. The van is around 350.00 and coach seats are approx $50-60 each. Go to amtrack and put in lorton to sanford and you will get info or search on the dis there is a sticky with lots of good information.

 

[leight]

We got married at the Swan last April and MIL, my sil, her DH & DD(6) took Amtrak from NY. Never again. They had a horrible time- bathrooms were gross, food was limited .

DH & I drove our two cars down last august when we moved from NY to Tampa and I dreaded it- but it was a breeze. ALthough travelling with small kids would be much more trying. Keep trying for airfare- I think Amtrak is expensive too and expand your horizons to include JFK- jetblue often offers nice fares as does Southwest & Delta. Try flying into tampa and renting a car- we have gotten weekly rental rates for $100!

 

[lovethattink]

We're making the drive from Orlando to Ohio, then Pa, then New Jersey in a couple weeks with a 14 month old. I'll let you know how the drive goes. We also did this trip during Hurricane Francis, but that was a totally different scenario with searching for gas, traffic, and trying to beat the storm.

Michelle

 

[ryanmilla]

We are headed to WDW in March of 2006 as well from New Jersey and we booked flights with USA 3000. Just couldn't beat the price. I have read just as many good comments about USA 3000 as bad, so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, being a direct flight I can put up with most things for only 2 hours. The only downside with USA 3000 is that they have a limited flying window to Orlando. For that time frame they only fly on Mon, Wed, and Fri to and from Orlando to Newark.

If you don't mind flying out of LaGuardia, American Airlines had a non-stop flight to/from Orlando for $180/person.

Best of luck with your choice. See you in WDW!

 

[shelly3girls]

We traveled from Philly last March during spring break. We purchased our airfare in January and paid $175 round trip per person. Now that SW is around we have been able to pay this price or less ($117 in June) on numerous occassions. Even though other airlines are charging high prices SW still offers this price. Now if we could just get our Dec fare...

 

[momxx5]

We drive to WDW and we drive to Canada....both trips a few times a year from NC. We have driven on all our vacations since the kids were babies. It really isn't that bad. Actually we have fun on our road trips.

I do think that airfares will come down. You have plenty of time to book airfare before your trip. Just keep an eye on the prices.

Good luck.