fly or drive

[chipdale74]

what is better to help save money? Flying (2-3 hours) or driving over 2 days with gas, tolls, stops, etc? I also have an almost 4 year old.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I have flown and driven and given the choice I would pick flying over driving if your drive is more than 6 hours.

Especially with a little kid who will get bored, probably whiny and get a sore, numb butt!!

FLY!!

Just saving all those travel days you would spend in a car is worth the price of flying.

 

[ceecee]

Are you from NJ???
FLY!

 

[HayGan]

Strictly talking about money and not convenience, you are most likely going to save more by driving. Airfare is getting extremely expensive but you will need to do the math yourself. Compare your estimated cost of driving versus the cheapest airfare you can get. Use the AAA fuel calculator http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/ to estimate the fuel charges. I always at 20% as a buffer and for driving around Orlando but always come in under that number. I don't add in food costs because we take snacks along and get a meal along the way. We would get one at the airport anyway so that is a wash. Don't forget additional charges for flying such as airport parking when doing your comparison.

We have done the drive a number of times and it really doesn't need to take 2 days (we have about the same distance as you would from NJ.) Leave early in the morning (7 or 8) and be in Orlando by midnight. With a little one you could always drive straight thru the night as well and arrive the next day (easier on the kiddo but much tougher on mom & dad.) My kids love the drive and we think it really can be fun.

Flying isn't just 2 or three hours. You have your commute to the airport, the two hrs before flight time that you should be at the airport before your flight, flight time, deplaning, gathering luggage or getting to Magical Express, and the commute to the resort. You are talking about 5-7 hours. So driving does take more time but it isn't like you are comparing 2 hours to 16 hours.

 

[ah1126]

I would fly!

We live 6 1/2 - 7 hours from Disney and next time I hope to fly. This last trip took 9 hours to get there! We had bad weather most of the way down and it took forever!

If you can afford the tickets, FLY!!

 

[2disneyboys]

DH & I have flown several times and driven several times. The way we basicaly work it is if we can fly (all 4 of us) for under $500 we fly, otherwise, we drive. In Dec 2011, we flew round trip $479 for the 4 of us. its a good point to add all the "extra's in" like parking at the airport (at some places this can really add up.) We make driving as much of the vacation as the vacation itself. We have system for driving and it works for us. We have been taking the kids on road trips since they were infants, and dont' really have any problems with them on road trips. We look at it as some quality time. The thing with flying is things are usually so hectic (trying to get to the airport on time, checking in, security, getting to the gate, bathroom &/or meal breaks, loading on the plane, flying, deplaning, getting luggage, getting transportation.. I've EXHAUSTED by the time we arrive. However, in driving, you can take your time, you can go at whatever pace you want and it just seems "calmer" (to me at least) as a bonus, when you drive, you are not limited to what you can take in your suitcase... we have flown and driven and unless we can save a lot flying, we prefer to drive.

 

[jtopp]

Even though it seems like driving is cheaper, all things considered, flying is more economical. We are also from NJ, and have driven and flown. When time is of the essence, we fly. When time is not an issue, we drive, unless we can get a good deal on airfare. Then we realized, when you consider the additional time missed from work to drive, the flight is much more economical. Also, a lot easier on everyone traveling. Two to three hours vs. two days in the van. It's a no brainer.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Talking strictly $, you're splitting hairs if it's 1 or 2 people. At 3, driving becomes a mild bargain. With 4+ it's driving all the way (even if your have a gas guzzler ).

Regarding time & convenience, anything under 250 miles you can probably drive it faster. Up to 400 it can go either way. You don't really begin to save time until you stretch it further than that.

 

[ssawka]

Flying isn't just 2 or three hours. You have your commute to the airport, the two hrs before flight time that you should be at the airport before your flight, flight time, deplaning, gathering luggage or getting to Magical Express, and the commute to the resort. You are talking about 5-7 hours. So driving does take more time but it isn't like you are comparing 2 hours to 16 hours.

I agree on some of your points, but not all! If you live near a city, the commute to the airport is negligible; if you are taking DME, you don't need to gather your luggage; and for domestic flights, you really only need to arrive 1.5 hours before your flight, so I'd say you are looking at 5 hours tops.

Also, if you are going to account for every minute flying, you also need to do the same for driving. Even if you drive straight through, your still going to have food breaks, gas breaks, and probably a few unscheduled bathroom breaks; not to mention if you get caught in an I-95 traffic jam!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You're almost guaranteed a minor delay somewhere in the car. OTOH, if weather kicks in, you could lose HOURS flying. I've lost count of the # of coworkers who got trapped overnight somewhere that was less than a 5-hour drive home because of a cancelled flight.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

FLY.. Why drive and spend 4 days of your vacation in a car Not to mention how tired you will be after driving all that way.

And that is if everything goes ok. What if your car breaks down and you have to depend on someone to fix it. I have read several trip reports where people had tire blow outs at the most inopertune times and had to get a hotel for the night because the tire shops where not open. To people having transmission problems and spend 3 days waiting for their car to be repaired.

I wouldl fly.

 

[jessp1021]

Budget wise for us it was too close to rent a car, pay for gas and insurance on the rental, and then the accounted 2-3 stops we would have to make for snacks and meals and well for me I chose to fly!!

FWIW..I prefer to fly bc of the time issue, we are from NC and it takes us 10-12hrs sometimes more depending on how much we stop and we are EXHAUSTED by the time we get there and the kids are wired and ready to go! We have only flown down once but I was very organized, didn't have any issues with time and honestly felt more relaxed knowing that all we had to do was get on a plane, get off a plane, and get on a bus I think it took 1-1.5hrs total from getting off the plane to getting to the hotel which was GREAT for us!! If it is doable I would definitely fly!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

FLY.. Why drive and spend 4 days of your vacation in a car Not to mention how tired you will be after driving all that way.

The question was presented from a budget POV, not a time POV

And that is if everything goes ok. What if your car breaks down and you have to depend on someone to fix it. I have read several trip reports where people had tire blow outs at the most inopertune times and had to get a hotel for the night because the tire shops where not open. To people having transmission problems and spend 3 days waiting for their car to be repaired.

I wouldl fly.

If you have an unreliable car, sure. If not, I wouldn't worry about it. I think extreme delays are FAR more common with air travel (particularly if there's a connection) than with car travel.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Flying is far safer than driving.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Flying is far safer than driving.

And once again thanks for answering the question nobody asked

 

[Disney-Chick]

First off, I want to say that I am from Nova Scotia, Canada.

I read all the responses and was laughing when I see a 10-12 hour drive! We drive 36 hours and enjoy doing it. Oh if only we were 10 hours away! Im sure we would be down there way more often then we are now. We are able to see more if we chose to do so as driving gives you that benefit. As for weather since we always go in Dec. We watch and leave earlier if need be (that is usually my idea). We have hit some really nasty weather but go with the flow, and it always seems the weather is worse on our way home so we don't have to feel rushed and always leave a day in case we have to make an unexpected stop for the night.

As for money, someone mentioned getting a flight for under $500 for 4 people, that would be awesome if we could but our flight for 3 was $2500. Some Canadian's will drive to the States and then fly the rest of the way as it is cheaper. Yes driving can get boring in those spots where there is only trees, but overall my family enjoys it. My daughter was 9 when we first started and will be 15 next month so I didn't have to deal with a 4 year old.

At the end of the day I believe (for us) that driving is cheaper by far. But to each it's own and you will do what you feel you are able to. Either way once your at Disney it is all worth it

 

[momto2inKC]

what is better to help save money? Flying (2-3 hours) or driving over 2 days with gas, tolls, stops, etc? I also have an almost 4 year old.

Driving will more than likely be cheaper. Flying is getting quite expensive. It will take more time, but since you say you want to save money, then driving would be the way to go in most cases. We normally fly, have driven once. This year we are driving unless airfare takes a total nose dive. We are renting a car ($240 for 2 weeks), will be driving straight through, 18 hours (taking turns), so no hotel to figure in. We always pack a cooler of drinks, a bag of snacks and then usually sandwiches for lunch. We stop for breakfast and dinner. With gas included this will be less than 1/2 of what flying would be. It's a no brainer for us.

 

[pigletto]

This is an ongoing discussion in our house. With flights going up up up, we are considering it more than ever.
It almost always ends up with no good answer though. We're bringing dd's friend on our August trip. So that's 5 people. Flights for 5 are going to run us about 1400.
However if we drive, we need to consider gas, at least one night at a hotel on the way there and back, food for the trip each way and the biggest issue.. lost time.
The drive is 20-24 hours of just drive time. So it will take 2 days on each end at a minimum.
Suddenly, the 1400 for flights looks a lot better.

If it ends up being over 1500 for flights we'll drive, but I'd prefer to fly and spend those extra days in the parks. If it was a matter of drive or not go.. I would happily drive.

 

[Colleen27]

Just three of you? You may find that the small savings you'd get by driving isn't worth the time and stress.

With 5 of us flying from Detroit to Orlando by the time we figure in gas, food on the road, and a room at our stopping point it comes out pretty close - usually driving would save $300-400 and I don't feel like that's worth the time spent, considering we'd have to spend fewer days at WDW to fit in the 4 travel days. But on trips where we're not all going, like May which will just be me and one of my daughters, flying often works out cheaper than driving - I spent $516 on airfare (total) vs a budget of $400 in gas, $150 in hotel rooms on the road, and $100 for food if we were to drive.

 

[Disney-Chick]

Just three of you? You may find that the small savings you'd get by driving isn't worth the time and stress.

With 5 of us flying from Detroit to Orlando by the time we figure in gas, food on the road, and a room at our stopping point it comes out pretty close - usually driving would save $300-400 and I don't feel like that's worth the time spent, considering we'd have to spend fewer days at WDW to fit in the 4 travel days. But on trips where we're not all going, like May which will just be me and one of my daughters, flying often works out cheaper than driving - I spent $516 on airfare (total) vs a budget of $400 in gas, $150 in hotel rooms on the road, and $100 for food if we were to drive.

As much as it is about the savings we enjoy the drive. We plan other adventures. We stopped in NY for a day, went to South of the Border etc. So really we are seeing more. We don't lose days at Disney as we are there for 12-14 days which doesn't include the drive. For example this year we will leave on the 6th or 7th of Dec and check into Disney on the 9th and leave on the 20th or 21st to be back for the weekend to rest up. We do the drive usually in 2 days if not 2 1/2 days. We also like having our own car with us. Usually when we get in we stay in Kissimmee and go and enjoy Old Town. My DD & DH love doing the go carts.

So in the end for us driving is more than just saving some money, it's about the freedom we have while in Orlando but also of when we leave to go down or come home.

I know this is going to sound funny but I want to stop in and go to the Maury Show!!