Family is afraid to fly....any suggestions?

[rayjess]

Hello, I am planning on taking my family to Disney World in April. Been there 3 times in the past and drove all the way from Ohio each time. Well I told my husband and kids that I do not want to drive and want to fly this time. I am fine with flying and have done so several times recently for work I was doing. Everyone here is not happy with the flying idea. I keep telling them it will be so much faster. But they still seem very leery.

Here in the past month they saw the plane accident in Chicago and the seaplane crash in Miami. My son says to me after seeing on the news "and you want to fly to Disney". I am afraid of booking flights and get to the airport and my two kids start freaking out.

Should we just drive down from Ohio or think of some way to make everyone more comfortable about flying?

Any ideas?

 

[Jakesmom504]

I don't really have any suggestions but I got a chuckle from reading this because we just went through this 2 nights ago! I'm terrified of flying, I wanted to drive but basically was told to suck it up by my DH and my mother. I have a 20 month old that will be 2 1/2 yr old when we go and I am going to try my hardest not to instill that terror in him....I'm going to pay a visit to the MD to get a nice little happy pill to keep me calm. The last time I flew I started crying before the plane even took off! Good Luck!

Although, the thought of being there in 2 hours is very appealing!

 

[eileen2664]

I don't really have any advice, but I do know what you're going thru. We're planning our first trip to Disney in February. Dh had insisted on driving (he's never flown and is scared), also from Ohio, 15hours with a 4 year old, that's 15 hours of "are we there yet?". Not fun! Out of the blue he agreed to fly, I jumped on my chance and booked the tickets. For the next 5 days after I booked the flights, there was something plane related on the news. Unfortunately for him I booked non-refundable tickets I'm sure that if we could've cancelled he would've done it in a heartbeat.
Good luck trying to convince your family to fly, I know I'm looking forward to the 3hr plane ride

 

[mickeyfan2]

I would drive. My DH hates to fly. He drives me crazy on the plane. They no longer let me get him drunk before flights. Alcohol always puts him to sleep. So now we always drive to WDW and once every few years I get him to fly to CA. It is just easier to drive to WDW then to watch Mr. Nervous Nelly on the flight down.

 

[Loves Disney]

I have taken a plane every year we have been to Disney World. I have been about 10 times. The trip is about a 2 1/2 hour ride. I am most likely the BIGGEST scardy cat there is but I "sucked it up" each time and successfully made it down with crashing, having had to land in water, there was never any fire, and no one has tried to scare the plane. The biggest terror for me, besides taking off, was the time we flew in a storm at yet, I am still alive. I found that brining something to sqeeze helps (My family understands what I mean after they walk through the airport with swollen red hands LOL) I get very woozy in a car after a long time so flying is really the way to go for me despite my hatred towards it lol. My family is pretty okay with flying (my mom is like me lol) My dad and sister have found the best way to fly is to enjoy the view and look forward to the destination. They are not afraid to fly. I also have found that the planes with the TVs on them help VERY much. Playing the "music trivia" on Delta Song has occupied me enough to not worry nearly so bad as I usually do. I guess what I am trying to say is, flying is definately the way to go no matter how afraid someone is. There are ways to try and forget the fact that you are worried and besides, you will love having the extra time (saves about 20 hours for us considering it takes about 22-23 hours to drive. We have estimated that, never drove down.) Time seems to "fly" when you are on a plane and before I know, we are there! It is like from "Finding Nemo": "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" Basically I just need to keep on remembering where we are going and that we will not crash lol. I enjoy flying at night because looking at the houses (lights) creates the illusion of being closer to ground for me rather than seeing the sun as if it were eye level and nothing but clouds below us. It is that first "take off" after that it is all good. lol. I think you should fly down. Tell your family to "suck it up" just as my family has told me LOL!!!! Then, if they don't listen, while they are sleeping the night before your trip, strap them down and tie them up. Drag them to the airport and tie them down to the seats. They should listen then too LOL! Which ever way you feel is better is the way you should go. For us, driving would not be a very good idea. However, you had said that you have driven before. If you did not mind it very much (meaning ill wise) maybe you should drive. But for me, I would only fly. (That sounds very funny coming from my mouth lol)

 

[bedgraynexl]

I wish I had some advice to give. Took DS5 and DD3 on their first plane ride in April. They were very excited by the whole thing, especially when our plane taxied to the gate. To them it was a big adventure and they never once asked or thought about anything going wrong. Good luck in getting them on the plane. Put emphasis on the good and play down the negative

 

[Feralpeg]

My only suggestion is to point out to them how many planes fly every day in this country with no problems. Two planes out of the millions of flights every year, is pretty good odds. Point out to them how many traffic accidents happen each day. Flying is much safer.

 

[safetymom]

I agree. Point out that it is safer to fly than drive. That gives you that much more time in Orlando.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree, flying is safer. Just be sure not to instill your own fears in your child(ren). Make sure if you are discussing this with another adult your child does not hear. It only takes one time to have a child hear something that you think is scary and then he will decide it is scary for him also. I have had to tell this to my DH's phobia crazy family. They have all kinds of fears that I dont want passed on to my 3 children (elevators, flying, staying home alone, etc.). My kids see flying as an adventure. We joke that it is a thrill ride just like some of those at Disney!! Have never had any of my children afraid to fly.

 

[Loves Disney]

I found this which I think would help ease the fear of flying. It is what I read before our last trip down.

Compare these to the more down-to-earth transportation - the motorways or the railways. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that your chances of being killed in a motorcar accident is 1 in 5,000. If you decide to travel by train, your odd of dying due to a train crash is reduced to around 1 in 400,000. In an airplane, it varies from 1 in 400,000 to 1 in 10,000,000 depending on the reputation of the airlines you are going to travel on.

Here is the link:

Are airplanes safe?

I also found this. It shows which airlines were the safest. Southwest being the safest.

Rankings
Airlines
Accident Rate

1
South West 0.00
2
America West 0.00
3
Delta Airlines 0.23
4
North West 0.35
5
Continental Airlines 0.40
6
United Airlines 0.43
7
USAir 0.45
8
Air Canada 0.48
9
Aloha Airlines 0.49
10
American Airlines 0.53

 

[Typhoon John]

Well, let me offer some thoughts that may help.
I will not fly. Period. I have flown before and loved it. I flew from my home here in Georgia to California 3 times over a period of 4 weeks one time. It was exhilerating and never boring.

Now then - DON'T READ THIS PARAGRAPH UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET A LITTLE WIERDED OUT. (So, you're gonna read it anyway, huh? ) We did have a flight coming from either LAX to Dallas-Fort Worth, or Dallas to Atlanta that seemed very tense. I believe it was from Dallas to Atlanta because I think it was the last flight I was on. Anyway, for some reason, it was very uncomfortable. I knew we were running late, and the pilots were trying to make up time, apparently. Everyone on the plane was very quiet. I don't know why, but it was just one of thse thing you could sense. Anyway, when we came in for a landing, I noticed that the things we were passing on the ground were usually things that I thought, at least, I would normally see going past after we had landed. When we did touch down, it was very hard and a lot of people on the plane screamed out, just for a second. Then, we passed all of these fire trucks and ambulances that had their lights on and were waiting as we passed. That unnerved me and I think a lot of people on the plane. The stewardesses came over the loudspeaker and said that it was just a drill and that we shouldn't worry about the vehicles that looked as though they had started following our plane. When we stopped, there was a sigh of relief. But, there was nothing out of the ordinary as far as de-planing, so I'm not sure what the deal was.

OK...BACK TO THE NON-SCARY STUFF.
Actually, plane travel is really safe. The only reason I flew to California is because of a girl. As a matter of fact, I always told myself that a girl would be the ONLY thing that would ever get me on a plane. Now, I'm think maybe a trip to Orlando would be good reason, also.

For you, the first alternative I thought of was Amtrak. I looked on their site and a ticket would run you about $118, each way I believe, per adult. I put in from Cleveland to Orlando, and unfortunetly, Amtrak still hasn't figured out how to get someone from point A to point B without going around the world. You'd have to go through Washington and possibly NY to get there and back. Pretty ridiculous. The trip would also take about 27 to 30 hours. If you had a sleeper cabin, then that would be kind of fun. But, I have another story about Amtrak, in case you aren't familiar with it.

I took a train earlier this year from Atlanta to New London, Connecticut and the trip took about 22 hours. I thought of all the cool stuff about trains. Disney World has great trains. It's very nostalgic. I had this vision of riding through the old west on an Amtrak train. (I'm from Georgia, remember, so I may not be the brightest bulb in the pack.) Anyway, it turns out that modern trains are like Greyhound buses on rails. They're not a bad way to travel, though, and I would take one again. However, I wouldn't take a long trip without renting a bedroom. That would've changed my whole experience. Instead, I was stuck trying to sleep in a seat like you'd find on a GReyhound. It was comfortable, but not for 22 hours. The nice thing is that you can get up and walk around and stretch your legs and even have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining car. There's also a snack car for when you get hungry, too. It looks like it would take you about an extra 10 hours, something you're probably not willing to do, to take the train rather than drive. I even had a friend that went from NY to Miami on Amtrak and he loved it because he had a sleeper cabin and they even hauled his car along. Sounds like that part may be $$$$. But, all in all, a train would be nice if you had the time and had a bedroom.

So, the question would be: How much time do you have on your vacation? If you plan to drive, then I would try to break the trip up, if possible. I drove to Dallas from my house and it took 14 hours. I ended up staying over somewhere. But, if you don't break the trip up into 2 days, you could drive it in 1. Make sure to take breaks when you need them. And, it seems like I have jet-lag the day after I drive anywhere that's a long distance.

OK, so I probably didn't help much. But, if nothing else, let me say this: Please don't force anybody to do what they don't want to. I know that wouldn't be your intention, but if they have a fear of it, maybe that's not all bad. And, (again this isn't something you would do, but I'll say it anyway) don't give them too hard a time if they're not comfortable with the idea of flying. The whole time I was flying to California, I kept thinking, "Only a girl could get me into something like this." And, maybe Disney...
Good luck to you!

- John

 

[pepe of ohio]

No one can convince another to get over their fear of flying. I, myself have a big fear of flying but have done it 3 times in the past, but not without drugs. My whole trip is different when I fly then when we drove. We're from Ohio also and to us its 21 hours of non stop marathon driving. Thats all in the past now, the past few years we have taken Amtrak, time wise its about the same and money wise its comparable. But for ease of mind and arriving in WDW refreshed, pleasant and ready to go, its the only way I'll go. My wife will fly, no problem, but she enjoys the train also and knows what a basket case I'ld be if we flew. The train is a whole new experience if you have never been on one but we do the reserved coach seat on the first leg from Alliance Ohio to Washington and from there we have a roomette that only 150.00 for the two of us and it includes all meals. We board in Ohio at 3am and are in Wa. around 3 and out of Wa. around 4pm and are in Kissimmee by 11am if no delays. A cab ride from there, 35.00 from Kissimmee and we're at our resort.

 

[beachbaby91]

It depends on how old your kids are, too. If they are younger, bring some little toys for them to play with on the plane to get distracted, then they won't be scared. If they are older or teenagers, just bring a notebook for them to draw on or card games. Just relax and realize it's only a short couple hour flight until you're at Disney!

 

[DisneyDotty]

I, too, am a white-knuckle flyer. However, I would rather fly to WDW (or most places) than waste 2 or more precious vacation days driving. I'm wondering--have your kids ever flown before? There's a lot of fear in the unknown. Perhaps you could find some books/videos about what to expect when flying to calm them down.
Also, as a sidenote, no one was seriously hurt on the plane at Chicago's Midway, but the poor boy in his van was killed. Airplane travel really is very safe. I'd trust it over cars/trains.
Good luck with convincing them to fly! After they've flown a few times, they ought to be more comfortable and agreeable with the whole experience.

 

[Loves Disney]

If they are older or teenagers, just bring a notebook for them to draw on or card games.

As a 17 year old I can say that music is a good way to take my mind off of the fear of flying. of course, I love music of all kinds so it obviously depends of what the kids enjoy doing. I bring notebooks to write in (Love writing) but I seem to never get around to it. Just the whole experience with the family on the plane helps ease my mind. I have also had the advantage of working mini television screens on the airplanes we have ridden. Playing "Music Trivia" against whoever was on the plane was the BEST "mind easer." I found it a fun way to challenge my parents at music! (heh again my love for music shows in my post lol)

The music trivia has sparked a funny memory. While riding down to Disney we played the game. It is difficult to make the high scores and especially make it to the top. My dad had made the high scores but did not however make it to the top as some person on the plane kept on winning over him. Finally, after about the seventh game of my dad losing to this person my dad says, "Who is this *name of person* anyway!? The one who keeps on getting higher than I do!" Not a second later my dad feels a tap on his sholder and the man behind him says, "That would be me." It was a very funny coinscidence!

If that story is any clue to how fun it can be on planes, Great! Even despite my terrific fear of flying, I always manage to find the fun of it! I am sure your family would as well.

 

[Typhoon John]

pepe of ohio: Your post makes me want to take Amtrak again. The reason I had taken it to Connecticut was because it was the same number of hours as driving. Had I know that rooms weren't that expensive, I would've gotten one. The only thing for me is that if I wanted to take a train from where I live to Orlando, it's not that convenient. But, I may still do it anyway....with a room, though.
- John

 

[littleprissboutique]

I so hate to fly, but I do it. I have done it now for three years. The part I hate the most is take off. Once I am up in the air I am fine. Take offs scare me to death.

Picture this: I am sitting in my aisle seat, My husband on the aisle seat next to me and my dd3 at the window to my other side.

As we take off ( I promise--every single time we take off ) I grab hubbys hand, hold my dd3's hand, close my eyes and start singing JESUS LOVES ME TO MY SELF !!!! I dont know why, it seems so silly at this moment, but when I get on that plane it is the norm. I have made it fine. My husband laughs at me everytime.

The reason I hate take off is this: As soon as you leave the ground it feels funny. Well to me anyway. As the plane climbs, I can feel a sinking sensation. It drives me nuts, and messes with my head.

So, I recently set out to overcome my fear:

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com

This website takes about 3 hours to complete, but it is free of charge. I can tell you that it has made a difference! It explains everything. It even explains why I get a sinking sensation during take off....

So, I dont think I will need hubbys hand on this flight. Maybe Who knows I may even get up and walk on this flight

If we drove, It would be worse. My hubby only knows one speed and that is anything above 95--Seriously. So after 10 hours of 95 mph, I would be either in a hospital along I-75 somewhere, or I would be dead from hubby killing me. I always tell him to slow down. Like ever 10 mins. If you want to make a man mad tell him to slow down 5000 times! Honestly at a normal rate of speed it would take 14 hours or so. It takes 1 hour and 23 min of flight time, and there is now way I would drive it. So, I always tell everyone-- I am 1 hour and 23 mins from hearing " Thank you for flying with Delta today. Here at Orlando Int airport it is a beautiful sunny day and we hope you fly with us again"!!!!! YEAH

 

[MinnieFan]

My family (especially DS14) was the same way. We finally flew for the first time last week. With only 6 days for vacation, we could not justify spending 42 hours of that precious time driving. In the past, I did not want to force DS to fly if he was that afraid, so I have been talking to him for several years until I felt he was comfortable enough to try. I booked Jet Blue since I figured that the individual TVs would help to distract the kids. I kept telling them that air travel is safer than driving, that they would be able to be in the parks a few hours after takeoff, etc. They were a little bit nervous before the first flight but they ended up enjoying it, and fortunately we had two smooth and uneventful flights.

You may not be able to fly this trip but perhaps you can start laying the ground work for a future trip by trying to ease their fears. Good luck!

 

[Rodski]

Thank-you so much for the link which helps you overcome your fear of flying. This will be my first time flying and these lessons helped a great deal and have better prepared me for my flight

 

[tiedye602]

DH and I flew to WDW with our 3 DDs when they were 8, 10 & 12. I told them that they got to pick a soft drink and probably would get a little pack of peanuts or something. I guess it's the little things in life, but they got excited over that! I also told them there were angels on the wings flapping their wings like crazy helping the plane fly. My youngest thought she saw one! We talked about all the fun things we would be doing that afternoon when we got there, and it made the flight time "fly" by. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful vacation.