Family of five

[3kidsamomanddad]

I need help my husband and I are deciding if we should fly down to disney of drive. We live in New Jersey and we have kids eric who is 17, josh who is 9 and emma who is 2. we will be doing this when the kids have off during christmas. and we have a van so enough room for the kids to have enought space and they never really right so, that's a plus for us when we drive anywhere, tell me what you think.

 

[crazelion]

I would check the cost of flying and how much gas you will need. If was me I go with driving besides being in the airport crowds during the hoildays. Plus the 17 year old can help mom and dad drive some. You can tke everything you need with out worry if not meeting weight limits.

 

[powellrj]

I would really look in to flying down. The weather that time of year driving from the north can be really iffy. It may take you extra time to get there because of snow which would cut into your time.

 

[PaMom001]

Don't drive.....My family went down to WDW when I was 9 over Christmas, from PA. I turned 10 in January. It was horrendous for my sister and myself, she was 13. A lady I worked with had rented a van once with a lot of other families and they did a caravan and drove from PA to FL in 20 hours.

I agree with powellrj, there could be snow that puts a major crimp in your plans. And with gas being what it is, driving and possibly staying overnight (if you don't want to do the 20 hours straight of driving) could cost you as much as flying.

 

[LegoMom3]

We are a family of 5 in NH, and go through PA on our way down so I'm familiar with what your're up against. I doubt you will match the cost of driving down (unless you're in a big RV or stay in luxury hotels!!), meaning it will probably be more expensive to fly, but as another poster said, weather that time of year can be SO iffy. If money isn't a factor (with us it always is) I'd say fly, since you can get there in less than 3 hours compared with many long hours in the car.

Either way have a great trip!!

 

[MamaLema]

We drove from Canada and after calculating how much we saved, we will never fly again.

Our kids at that time were 12 months, 6, and 8. I know some people say don't drive with small kids, but honestly it wasn't that bad. We'll do it all again sometime next year

Edited to add: we drove straight and didn't have any extra hotel expenses

 

[3kidsamomanddad]

if we drive down we will be stopping at my sisters house for a night because we never see them and our car is good in snow so i'm not worried about weather

 

[czycropper]

Have you checked out JetBlue? They are flying out of Newark now and the prices are pretty cheap. Even though we're taking Continental in 9 days to go down there we're most likely going with JetBlue next year.

I rather fly then we can spend the extra time at the parks my DDs are 7 & 5 and driving anything over 6 hours would be too stressful even with the DVD. Also, weather needs to be factored in, not so much how your car can handle snow but also remember that further south (I grew up in Ala. and lived many years in NC & Northern VA) you get ice and from experience no matter how good of a driver you are - driving in ice is tricky. Just my $.02.

Have a great trip either way you go

9 DAYS!!!!

 

[jorodopo]

We drove last August from Turnpike exit 4 with DS9, DS6 and DD2. We drove straight and left in the evening both ways so the majority of the drive was while they were sleeping. We will probably never fly again. Didn't have to worry about ears, food, security, etc and it was nice to have a car while we were in Fl. Watch what time you hit the Washington area if you are taking 95 or take rte 13 to VA and do the Bay Bridge Tunnel. We did one way going and the other coming back and with stops for breakfast and lunch were still there within about 19 hours.
Have a great trip either way.

 

[horsegirl]

Now I don't necessarily disagree with the others about flying, but I would like to make a point about driving. When I was a child, my fmaily drove to florida every winter from NJ to stay at my grandparents' house in Sanibel. A few years we even took the train. Those trips are still held fast in my memories of a wonderful childhood. Yeah, it was long, but we stopped in DC, Savannah, Atlanta, St Augustine and many other wonderful places and of course South of the Border. We kids learned alot and it was a wonderful way to get to Florida. AIrfare was probably more expensive then, so maybe it wasn't an option, although we did that too. But it was wonderful. We also stayed in Florida for a longer time. None of this may apply, but sometimes some of the fun is getting somewhere! All that said, we are flying down this winter, as we are at the top of New England and don't have enough time. And it probably is cheaper to fly. Good luck with your decision.

 

[3kidsamomanddad]

I think we are going to drive down so we can stop at my sisters house to see her new baby girl because she just had it this morning and I got a phone call about 10 mins ago

 

[graygables]

I won't drive unless I have to (and I LOVE road trips!). I did the math, and for three of us, it was substantially cheaper to fly (direct on Continental) than to drive. Then there's the difference of 2.5 hours as opposed to 18-20 hours, depending on traffic. No, thank you! In addition to gas/hotels, you also have to add in meals on the road and the possibility of inclement weather, delays, etc. Just too much hassle in my book...give me a flight any day!

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

Ok.......I prefer driving in winter months which is different from most people, I know. But when the airport closes because of snow or your time is delayed because they can't land airplanes where you are going........now THAT'S a crimp in your plans!

We were stuck in Chicago one time from San Diego...........with about 100,000 people....Yikes!! Never again!

It wasn't because it was snowing all that much.........drivers didn't have a problem. It was because all over the US there were delays and they wouldn't let them take off. It was horrible.

I like to be more in control.

And it is costing us $350 for the five of us (we drive through) and I pack most of our food/snacks/drinks. We could never fly for that.

And I want room to move around and I want to be able to stop for whatever, whenever I want. I don't want much, do I??

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

We are driving and it will be cheaper than flying. If we took a plane, we would need a car rental, transfers to and from the airport. Never mind the stress of traveling with 2 small kids an infant and a mom who is terrified of flying. I am looking forward to the drive, me and DH always took road trips.

 

[WAHMto5]

We have always drove and it has worked out great! We also leave around midnight when they are sleeping We enjoy the sights of driving also.

 

[Bearvet]

We are a family of 5, live in MA and drive to FL every Feb. We have been doing this for about 10 years - kids are now 10, 12 and 16. We leave after dinner, the kids watch a movie and fall asleep. We drive throiugh the night, switching drivers and stop for breakfast in SC! The kids love to watch the outside temp reading begin to climb. Between GameBoys, movies, books, MP3 players, etc. the kids keep pretty busy. They have now realized that if they do their homework on the drive down, then they're totally free to enjoy themselves.

We have a timeshare in Ft. Myers Beach, so that's our first stop - 26 hours straight through! Then we go to Orlando for 1 week (in-law's timeshare) - the drive from Orlando back home always seems so much shorter!

If we didn't drive we couldn't afford to do this trip every year. Like others mentioned, it saves not only the cost of plane tickets and rental car, but you can bring things with you. We have a mini van and use a car-top carrier. We also love the countdown to South of the Border - lots of fun billboards.

We manage to go through all of the major cities late at night and simply zip right through!
DS16 now has his drivers license, so we'll have 1 more driver this year - should be interesting! This drive isn't for everyone, but it works for us - like I said (and the kids know it too) we wouldn't be able to go otherwise!

 

[blessedby3]

I would only drive if I had to. Last time we went (2003) we had to drive, no cheap flights, but now that I have found DING- we are flying again!! We got airline tickets for $74 per person round trip. What a deal. I thought my last tickets in 1999 were good ones at $125 per person, but SWA is great for prices!! Jet Blue is also having some great prices, but they dont fly out of our neck of the woods. That and having DME pick us up for free is a great benefit. I always DREAD long car trips with our 3 kids. Maybe I have unusual kids, but they complain and get tired of sitting in a car/car seat after just a few hours. We have a tv and the kids have game boys and cd players, but they get old after a while and we are talking a 12 hour trip easy. I would MUCH RATHER FLY than drive any day. Our family arrives much happier and it gets our vacation off to a wonderful start.

 

[zookeeper]

Now I don't necessarily disagree with the others about flying, but I would like to make a point about driving. When I was a child, my fmaily drove to florida every winter from NJ to stay at my grandparents' house in Sanibel. A few years we even took the train. Those trips are still held fast in my memories of a wonderful childhood. Yeah, it was long, but we stopped in DC, Savannah, Atlanta, St Augustine and many other wonderful places and of course South of the Border. We kids learned alot and it was a wonderful way to get to Florida. AIrfare was probably more expensive then, so maybe it wasn't an option, although we did that too. But it was wonderful. We also stayed in Florida for a longer time. None of this may apply, but sometimes some of the fun is getting somewhere! All that said, we are flying down this winter, as we are at the top of New England and don't have enough time. And it probably is cheaper to fly. Good luck with your decision.

Excellent point!!! As a kid, we also drove everywhere for vacation. It wasn't always exciting and I can't say that I never wished we could fly, but I saw more places and learned so much. Now that I have my own kids we drive all the time and my kids have learned to be pretty good travellers in the car. My in-laws think it's ridiculous for us to go on a road-trip with the kids and tell us as much. I feel sorry for them that they can't see the value in the time spent together discovering the little things. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there that still appreciates a good Sunday drive!!

 

[kpk89]

There is a gas calculator on the AAA website http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasPrice.aspx

which could help you to compare the cost of driving vs. flying. I don't mind driving, but would rather fly and just get there if the cost difference isn't too much.

Either way, you'll be at Disney! Both types of travel have their benefits and disadvantages.

 

[disneymom3]

Mom of Sleepy, etc...I totally agree. When some folks said weather could be iffy, my exact thought was I'd rather pull over in my own car to a hotel than be stuck in an airport! I have had too many flights delayed due to weather and not always because of the weather where we were at.

Give me my own car and the freedom that entails any day. Plus, when you get to be 5 in a family, I just don't know how driving couldn't be significantly cheaper. You still have to rent a car when you get there, can't bring snacks for the way there or once you get there nearly so easily, etc.
We were actually considering flying for our trip in Feb and when I mentioned it to the kids they all were upset.Now we think we will rent a car and it is still going to be way less than flying. Plus, we all enjoy it more.