Fly or Drive? You decide

[mousemomof3]

I need advice on this...We live in NE Alabama, we have reservations for WDW 9/28-10/4. We have driven in the past and a couple of times I have flew down when I was meeting friends down there; point being, driving is doable. A few weeks ago, I used the fuel cost calculator to determine the cost of driving down- it said that we would be spending $120...we can get airline tickets for $190, so we decided not to at the time bacause #1, I don't like to fly, not afraid, I just don't...I don't like the atmoshpher of being so close to unfriendly strangers...anyway, #2, we have friends in Vero Beach and we were thinking of going to see them after we leave WDW, #3, we are not going to the parks everyday and we wanted our car to be able to go around (like to Wal-mart, FL Mall, etc.)....
However now that there are rumors of rationing, $4/gal., I am thinking more like we NEED to fly. What do you guys think? Do you think all of the rationing and sky-high gas prices will be over with at that time.
BTW, my aunt and uncle are there now and are concerned about getting home...they go through Atlanta to get home and they have seen on the news where it is $6/gal. there.....What do you all think? Also, I don't want to have a car down there and not be able to put gas in it.....

 

[ncbyrne]

What prices are you getting for airfare? My vote is FLY, but first see if it's feasible by cost.

 

[disneysteve]

I think folks are panicking and over-reacting.

You say you need a car to get around at Disney and do non-Disney activities. You also say you will need a car to visit friends in Vero Beach. So if you fly, you will still have to rent a car which is an added expense and will make flying no cheaper, and probably more expensive, than driving. I say stick with your original plans and drive.

We are going in November. I entertained the idea of flying but after checking airfare and rental car rates with numerous airlines and car companies, I realized that even at $5/gallon, it would still be cheaper to drive, not to mention way more convenient.

 

[HayGan]

I think that these $3 a gallon rates are going to be very short lived. Flying and renting a car for a few days maybe a little more expensive but may but at least you would know what your costs will be.

Have a great trip

 

[tikilyn]

I just changed our plans for driving to flying. I'm more afraid of how we would get there. I haven't seen to much on the news about I 10 and I do not want to drive all the way to I 20 and then all the gas shortages . That's just to much stress. I just bought four RT tickets from SW for 759.00 (non ding). Thats 359.00 more than what I was going to spend driving. Thanks to stupid Katrina for making me spend another 359.00

Oh well atleast my dd 4 will be happy. Everytime we see an airplane in the air she always ask when she's going to get to fly. Silly girl!

 

[kfeuer]

I'm in Atlanta and this whole thing should blow over soon. There were so many rumors running around (largely fueled by the media) that a major pipeline was damaged and the gas supply was dwindling, that people panicked and rushed to the gas stations. I don't know who had gas for $6/gallon (obviously a price-gouger who should be paying some heavy fines under the new bill the governor just signed), but most places it was in the $3 range yesterday and today. That's bad enough, but it's not $6 either. Most stations are out of gas today because of the panic, but hopefully that will be rectified soon. They're saying today the pipeline is working again so all this was a tempest in a teapot.

Believe, I've been nervous, too because we're due to drive down for our Disney Cruise next Saturday. I think things will be okay by then. However, they're asking people to stay home this weekend.

OP, if it was me I'd still plan to drive. Flying just adds so many costs (parking costs at the airport, rental cars, etc.) that even with the high gas prices I know driving is still cheaper for those of us who live relatively close by. Our concession is that we're going to squeeze into DH's Honda Civic for the trip instead of the mini-van. It won't be too comfortable for my 6'4" DH sitting in front of DS 4 (booster seat) or DS 2 (car seat) but we're going to bite the bullet to save a few bucks.

 

[homedad]

if u like to drive than drive. we don't like trips over 12 hours in the car so Disney is a flying trip. That being said with gas the way it is flying seems that better deal, less time wasted, and expense to drive with higher gas prices. This will pass, the people in the hurricane zone have the real issues. Us other folks are very blessed.

 

[kimbac3]

Just heard on the news that the cost of jet fuel is going up too. They said it's even harder to come by then gas. May raise airline ticket costs.....
Kimba

 

[adisneymama]

If you were able to get gas in Atlanta for around the $3 mark you were lucky. I have friends there and it was $5.87/gal. They also showed it on the news. We are running out of gas here in NC. Our govenor was on asking us to carpool etc to conserve gas. The city my DH works in was mandated that they close all gas stations at 5 pm today in an effort to save some gas. It is something that is going on and it isn't all media hype. That being said, if the Op is still going to want to visit friends etc, I would plan on driving. However, if she isn't going to visit the friends etc, I would drive $70 in airfare is very much worth not having to stress. Good Luck either way!

 

[mickeysaver]

I am in a similar situation.
I hate the drive, mostly because I am always the one that does the driving. As an incentive, our trip is/was going to be from home to Savannah the first night. We had/have plans to go to The Lady & Son's restaurant, which is run by Paula Deen from the Food channel. We are/were then going to Orange City, FL for a couple of nights, so that Gabby can visit with her family. From there, we are/were finally going to WDW. We have plans to go to MVMCP with all of the FL family members the first night and enjoy the rest of the vacation with a day or two where we are most likely going to be joined by other friends from FL. The room is booked, the MYW hopper tickets are purchased and so are the MVMCP tickets.

My partner hates to fly....she flew to Ireland earlier this year with her mom, but had to be drugged to make it through the flights. But, I found airfare today for $364 for both of us round trip from Atlanta to Orlando. We could use ME and even arrive a day sooner than our current plans and still we would come out cheaper than our currently planned itinerary. But, Gabby then misses out on time with her family and she is very much a momma's girl. So, the idea of flying is really unappealing to her. I thought that flying would be a better option over the driving idea, but today I heard that there are some issues with the supply of jet fuel too, so I don't even know if booking the flight is a better idea or not.

It's very confusing and unsettling. I hate to throw any more money at these plans without knowing if this trip is even going to occur. Maggie

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Gas in Stone Mountain (just east of Atlanta proper and well within the metro area) was around $3.19 this evening...and that's down from yesterday so I wouldn't worry about it in the short haul...although I WILL start filling up my cars on the gas lulls...both were on half full so I had to be careful about choosing to go out.

 

[kfeuer]

If you were able to get gas in Atlanta for around the $3 mark you were lucky. I have friends there and it was $5.87/gal. They also showed it on the news. We are running out of gas here in NC. Our govenor was on asking us to carpool etc to conserve gas. The city my DH works in was mandated that they close all gas stations at 5 pm today in an effort to save some gas. It is something that is going on and it isn't all media hype. That being said, if the Op is still going to want to visit friends etc, I would plan on driving. However, if she isn't going to visit the friends etc, I would drive $70 in airfare is very much worth not having to stress. Good Luck either way!

I wasn't saying that there weren't a few gougers trying to rip people off, I was just saying that prices that high were the exception. Every station I passed in on the way to work had gas again, most for $3.19. If everybody will stop trying to fill up on the same day I think we'll be okay! Conservation is definitely a good idea right now, though. We'll be staying close to home this weekend.