Driving versus Flying (Example-NC)

[Chkysbak]

Please take the following as an example only. I typed this up and wanted to share it everyone. This is an example on a comparison from NC, but you can apply it to your location when deciding flying versus driving.

I took a week shopping around everywhere like:

Expedia, Travelocity, Cheapflights, Kayak, Priceline, Delta, US Airways, Southwest, Allegiant Air, & Skybus.

After a brain overload and thinking which one is better, I came up with this decision.

Expedia, Travelocity, & Cheapflights were about the same ticket price, but with fees. Nothing wrong with that, but when you are shopping you are looking for bottom dollar amount.

With Skybus & Allegiant, well they don't take you to Orlando International. Skybus takes you to St. Augestine (Near Jacksonville) and Allegiant Air takes you to Sanford airport (30 Minutes away). Other things about Skybus and Allegiant, all though they have great rates, they do have hidden charges if you don't pay attention (baggage check, select your seat, drinks, snacks, etc..) Allegiant Air I was honestly thinking about, but when you looked at the flight arrival times it was late in the afternoon and departure time early in the morning. Thats practically taking away two days from WDW. So you have to add that cost into the factor as well.

Now going to Delta, US Airways, & American Airlines, they have good rates and great flight times. They have assigned seating and the normal in flight amenities. I would have booked through them since round trip for 4 (2 Adults - 2 Children) would cost me $852.00, but I choose the option below.

Southwest airlines for the money had the same flight times as Delta, AA, & US Airways. The pricing was great @ $626.00. Thats a savings of over $200.00, who can argue with that. My flight arrives in MCO (Orlando) at 9:15am and departs @ 8:45pm.

Flying versus Driving (My Opinion)

Flying time = Total time = ~ 5 hrs. 45 mins.
(1.5 hours drive to RDU, 2 hr wait before flight, 1 hr 45 min. flight)
Disney Express time = Unknown, but it can't be 3.5 hrs.
Driving to airport cost = Google maps = 82 mi - about 1 hour 24 mins (can make in 1 hr)
(Van gets ~22 MPG, ~ $3.13 per gallon - DOE East Coast Average) $11.66 One Way - 23.32 Round Trip
You also have to figure normal wear and tear on the Tires, etc.. $0.15 per mile (According to AAA) = 12.30 One way or 24.60 Round Trip
Parking (Park & Ride) = $6/day = $54.00

Total Flying Money = ~$727.92

Driving Time = Google maps = ~ 628 mi – about 9 hours 51 mins (can probably make it in 9)
If driving (I would do all the driving) I would be exhausted and wouldn't enjoy my first day as much as I would if I was refreshed.
Money = (Van gets ~22 MPG, ~ $3.13 per gallon - DOE East Coast Average) $89.35 One Way - 178.70 Round Trip
You also have to figure normal wear and tear on the Tires, etc.. $0.15 per mile (According to AAA) = 94.20 One way or 188.40 Round Trip
You factor in a meal and snacks for this trip (Family of four):
McDonald's, etc.. : ~$20-35 per meal (One Meal) (Based on personal experience)
Snacks = ~$8.00 (Drinks, candy, etc...)

Grand Total for driving = ~$410.10

Driving saves you ~$317.82

You have to figure out what is best for your family. I wanted the convenience and for the price, its not worth the headache of driving.

I didn't factor in the parking cost for parks, but those are usually $10.00/day.

Well I hope that this helps people in the future planning trips. This is how I usually go by doing it. I know I know... its anal, but thats me

 

[Cheshire Figment]

But if you are staying on property, as you imply by talking about Disney Express, there is no charge for parking unless you use velt parking at the deluxe resorts.

 

[NewmanFam6]

I prefer flying because we are able to get there faster. My budget prefers driving because there are 6 of us to get to Orlando

 

[lovetomow]

I'm in NC also and we always fly. It's worth it to me not to have to hear are we there yet, I'm bored, I'm tired, I'm hungry for 9 hours. Absolutely worth the $300 + extra it costs us to fly!

 

[carmie3377]

I prefer flying because we are able to get there faster. My budget prefers driving because there are 6 of us to get to Orlando

Other than we have 4 instead of 6, I totally agree. DH only gets 7 days in a row off. Driving would take too much time and would only give us 5 days in the park, and that is if we come home on his last day off. He likes to have a day off before going back to work, especially if driving. As much as I would like to save the money, I think we're flying too, waiting for SW to release Oct. fares!

 

[carissanboys]

I'm probably one of a few that actually prefers to drive over fly with my children. I've done LONG flights to Australia more than once and I've had my share of flying with kids. At least in my van, if one of my kids throws a tantrum, I won't get evil stares by strangers.

I realize it might not be totally cost effective to drive, but seeing as we like to stay off property and would have to rent a vehicle, I think it's still cheaper to drive.

 

[megcellent]

I live in North MS and we decided to drive the first time we went down - the drive down was not too bad, but it was my very first time visiting Disney (yep, no trips to Disney as a child) so the excitement helped. The drive home ... AWEFUL! Of course we took in all we could while there so we hadn't exactly been getting full nights rest. After being in the car for about 4 hours we were struggling to just keep ourselves comfortable and awake. We ended up stopping at a friends house about 3 hours from home to rest for the night. Needless to say, next time we flew - so much more convenient, and it actually worked out only about 150 more expensive than driving. To us, well worth the extra $150!!!

 

[trpltongue]

If anyone is interested in flying, right now United is doing a promotion where new applicants for the United Credit Card get 21000 miles after $250 of purchases. It only takes 25000 miles for a flight, so all you need to do is charge another $4000 on the card and you've got a free flight. Also, you can have separate cards at the same residence. My wife and I applied separately and both got 21000 miles. I added them to my previous balance to get a free ticket and she will need to earn the extra 4000 miles through purchases.

Overall it's a great way to get 2 free tickets.

 

[crisi]

So much of it is dependant on distance and what time is worth to you.

We are in Minneapolis. Disney is two twelve hour days in the car away. But airfare isn't cheap from here either - normally $250+ a ticket. So its cheaper to drive, but its two full days - which we don't have.

However, if you are about four-eight hours away, driving is not only likely to be cheaper - its nearly as fast. By the time you commute to the airport, leave plenty of time to get through security, get to the gate, wait for the plane, wait for the delay (which isn't uncommon), fly (the short part of the trip), land, taxi, disembark, get your luggage - a short flight is four + hours of time. There isn't really anything other than a flight that takes half a day or so anyway.

But there is the quality of that time to consider as well. Some people don't mind getting in a car and driving for hours. Other people would rather take a plane which takes just as long, but the trip is broken up in stages that allow them to stretch and move time along.

 

[MrsPete]

Don't forget that you have to factor in what type of vehicle you're going to drive. We have a brand-new car that gets 40 MPG. We're also in NC. A few months ago we went to Florida (okay, it was Port Canaveral, but that's not much different from Orlando): $70 in gas, lunch at Cracker Barrel on the way down, lunch at McDonald's on the way back. So it cost us about $130 for the four of us to go to Florida AND BACK.

Even Skybus would've cost more. We're going to New Orleans soon, and our Skybus total for the four of us is $136 -- that's four $10 tickets there and $10 tickets back + taxes, etc. Plus we'll have to pay to drive to the Greensboro airport (not a long drive for us, but also not right next door), and we'll have to park our car. Then we'll need ground transportation in New Orleans.

So the point is that for our circumstances, even the lowest of the low airline tickets is more than flying.

 

[JoanneNC]

We are driving for a few reasons and to be honest - $$ factor wasn't even considered.
1. convenience - We prefer to be in control of our traveling and not the airlines or a shuttle from the airport to the parks
2. We like to have our vehicle when we vacation or we would have rented one - even though I hear transportation is great - DS2 is proned to Asthma attacks that actually need medical attention/O2, etc and I want to be able to get where I need to go.
3. We can bring more stuff with us and not fret over packing too much or not enough, etc
4. It's easier to me to travel in a car with 2 kids then an airport + a plane, then a shuttle, etc
5. DH and I are constantly traveling by plane for work - we are sick fo RDU...lol

So- we will be leaving from NC around noon and driving to Jacksonville - using hotel points for a Hilton stay and then finish up the next day

 

[carissanboys]

We are driving for a few reasons and to be honest - $$ factor wasn't even considered.
1. convenience - We prefer to be in control of our traveling and not the airlines or a shuttle from the airport to the parks
2. We like to have our vehicle when we vacation or we would have rented one - even though I hear transportation is great - DS2 is proned to Asthma attacks that actually need medical attention/O2, etc and I want to be able to get where I need to go.
3. We can bring more stuff with us and not fret over packing too much or not enough, etc
4. It's easier to me to travel in a car with 2 kids then an airport + a plane, then a shuttle, etc
5. DH and I are constantly traveling by plane for work - we are sick fo RDU...lol

So- we will be leaving from NC around noon and driving to Jacksonville - using hotel points for a Hilton stay and then finish up the next day

I didn't put that in my post, but I drive for a lot of the same reasons. We've driven from Maryland to Florida twice now and I can honestly say it was a breeze. Perhaps my kids are use to traveling (3 boys under 8 years old), but we haven't had any issues. We have a DVD player in the van and this year the boys had a Gameboy (youngest had his Leapster). We divide it up into two days each way, although it's more a day and a half since we went to a park on arrival day and also spent a few hours at a park on departure day.

The drive down 95 to Florida is pretty simple (off season of course). It's a much more relaxing drive than when I drive up to Maine (which I've done by myself with the boys too and that was pretty simple). Maybe I'm just more relaxed when driving and that rubs off on the kids.

I think it all comes down to being what you enjoy more. I like the driving and seeing new places and looking out the window and having time to daydream. I'm not real fond of flying (I've done LOTS of it and while I don't hate it, I still get nervous about it). And if we lived further north or out west somewhere, we'd probably fly too.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'm probably one of a few that actually prefers to drive over fly with my children. I've done LONG flights to Australia more than once and I've had my share of flying with kids. At least in my van, if one of my kids throws a tantrum, I won't get evil stares by strangers.

I realize it might not be totally cost effective to drive, but seeing as we like to stay off property and would have to rent a vehicle, I think it's still cheaper to drive.

We feel the same way. Last year we flew, and we didn't like the experience as much as when we drove. We drove 90 minutes to catch our flight, then we had the check-in and security stuff at the airport, then grabbing the bags, getting a shuttle to the rental car (which we prefer to ME), then finding a Publix nearby where we could grocery shop, then negotiating our way through Orlando traffic to get to Pop. From our front door to the check-in at Pop was 10 hours, vs 13 to drive it. So we saved a little bit of time but it just felt way more rushed and inconvenient. We all agreed that next time we want to drive.

 

[mom0299]

We live in TN, just on the NC line. We have done it both ways and much prefer to drive.

When we flew and used Magical Express our plane arrived at 6:30 pm and we didn't get our luggage until 12:30 am. I used to love to fly, but it has lost a lot of its charm in recent years. Planes are packed, security is grueling, and you don't get decent food anymore.

When we drive we go straight through and stay in an Orlando area hotel (free with points DH gets from business travel). We get up the next morning and check-in to our Disney resort all refreshed and ready to go. By driving we can pack as much as we want. I am one who likes to overpack "just in case" we'll need something. I also take breakfast and snack foods, water and drinks which saves us a lot of money. On the day of departure we stay in the parks for as long as we possibly can - usually until 5 or 6 pm and then drive as far as we can before finding a cheap hotel. We get home at a reasonable time the next day.

 

[tar heel]

I've run the numbers many times and have come up with different figures than you! We're a family of 5, and I've never been able to get the flights under $1,000. We're in the Charlotte area, so no Southwest for us. We also take bottled water, snacks, breakfast bars, etc., which are a significant savings. I would really like to fly some time, but recognize it will be an added expense.

 

[bnorm27]

8-9 hours is the absolute limit for me to be in the car with my family. Anything more then that, and you'll have to proclaim me insane if I do anything rash!

I would never fly from NJ. From NC, I would definietly give it a go. However, there is something to be said for arriving fresh and not cranky! You could always break up your 8-9 hour trip as well. Do 6 hours the first day, stay at a hotel, and then finish the next day. I'm certain that even one night in a hotel would still end up beng cheaper then flying. I probably would not even drive to the parks, but use the Disney transportation system if I stayed on site.

 

[DonnaDuck]

We are in White Lake, NC. It takes us around 8.5 hours to get to WDW. We go yearly, 3 trips in 2007.

We love to drive. It costs us around $200 round trip (food & gas). We usually leave around 5am in the morning. We pack a cooler with sandwiches. We stop in SC and eat a good breakfast and will eat our sandwiches for lunch. We usually get to WDW around 2:30pm.

On the drive home, we eat breakfast at the resort and pick up snacks (with our ddp credits) to take home with us. We eat that for lunch.

We love to have our van while we are down there. My dh actually prefers to drive to the parks and the resorts. We aren't so fond of Disney bus transportation.

Each of my children has their own TV/DVD player in the van, so this keeps them entertained. Leaving so early in the morning, they are usually sleeping the first 3 hours or so.

When the boys are older, we may fly some...but for now, it's nice to drive. We sing songs, play games...etc., We've gone enough now that my kids know what landmarks to look for to know that we are getting close. The anticipation of getting there is always so exciting...

Now also keep in mind that my dh is an excellent driver. LOL If I was riding with someone that wasn't a good driver, it might not be as pleasant of an experience.

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

We are in West Central Alabama and it usually takes us around 11 hours to drive (considering stops for bathroom and eat). It really is a lot cheaper for us to drive than fly - especially now with the added costs of $25 for additional luggage. I like to drive for the freedom of taking and bringing home what I want too.

 

[Darcy03231]

If I lived within 8-10 hours of WDW I would certainly give driving a try. Seeing that we live about 24 hours away I can safely say that I will never drive it! Luckily, we've been able to get very reasonable airfares. It helps that I'm within driving distance to five airports and can take advantage of the discount carriers (Southwest, JetBlue, Airtran, Skybus, Spirit, Allegient).

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

What a great idea! I'll be using that next year for our MN trip.

DH always wants to drive (22 hours). I prefer to fly.