fly or drive

[Gumbo4x4]

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.

Which brings up another budgetary question - "budget" often means staying offsite, so that means needing to have a car in Orlando. If you factor in the cost of renting one while you're there, flying just gets that much more expensive.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

We drive every single time. We drive straight through and it takes us 23 to 24 hours. We leave our house around 4pm and get to our hotel by 3 or 4 or sometimes 5pm the next day--just in time to check in! Honestly, we have always driven-it's part of the experience for us. We are lucky in that our kids are EXCELLENT travelers. We have a DVD player in our vehicle so we watch movies, or we listen to Disney music. I make each of the kids a little goody bag for the way there that has games, books, etc in it and they love it. We leave at 4pm because by 8:30pm, our kids are asleep and will stay that way through the night.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

Which brings up another budgetary question - "budget" often means staying offsite, so that means needing to have a car in Orlando. If you factor in the cost of renting one while you're there, flying just gets that much more expensive.

Yup, that's another thing--we've never stayed onsite at Disney so we would need to rent a large vehicle. We prefer to have our own and our own car seats for the children because if you rent them, that's additional money out of your pocket.

 

[Colleen27]

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!!

If we had that kind of time I'd want to do it that way too. I love road trips! My DH is self-employed so there's no such thing as paid time off, and we try to work our family trips around his slow season which means he's not missing out on jobs but the kids are missing some school. All of that adds up to our vacation days having a high "worth" that figures in to the fly vs drive question for trips that are really all about the destination (like WDW). We save our road tripping for places where the destination is only part of the trip.

 

[punkin]

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.

I generally find the break-even point for us to be 3 people. If I have 4, I will almost certainly drive given current prices. If I have 2, I will probably fly and rent the smallest cheapest car possible. If there are 3 of us...it's really a toss-up.

 

[Disney-Chick]

Which brings up another budgetary question - "budget" often means staying offsite, so that means needing to have a car in Orlando. If you factor in the cost of renting one while you're there, flying just gets that much more expensive.

We always stay onsite but only the first day do we stay by Old Town. But renting does cost more. Plus being offsite you do not get the perks and 24/7 feel of Disney

If we had that kind of time I'd want to do it that way too. I love road trips! My DH is self-employed so there's no such thing as paid time off, and we try to work our family trips around his slow season which means he's not missing out on jobs but the kids are missing some school. All of that adds up to our vacation days having a high "worth" that figures in to the fly vs drive question for trips that are really all about the destination (like WDW). We save our road tripping for places where the destination is only part of the trip.

We are lucky to be able to take the time off work. Both DH & myself have 4 weeks paid vacation. The only problem now is our DD is going into high school and missed time there is worse than in junior high. This year she is chosing not to come with us as she doesn't want to miss any classes. So if that is the case this will be our honeymoon

 

[momto2inKC]

If we had that kind of time I'd want to do it that way too. I love road trips! My DH is self-employed so there's no such thing as paid time off, and we try to work our family trips around his slow season which means he's not missing out on jobs but the kids are missing some school. All of that adds up to our vacation days having a high "worth" that figures in to the fly vs drive question for trips that are really all about the destination (like WDW). We save our road tripping for places where the destination is only part of the trip.

Work is always an issue with us. My husbands employer gives no vacation or sick days. So days missed means no money. Some jobs he absolutely can't be gone for any days. It's hard to plan vacations. He's missed 3 of our 6 Disney trips because he couldn't get away from work.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

And once again thanks for answering the question nobody asked

Sorry, I didn't know posting another FACT relevant to the issue of flying versus driving was not allowed. And are you familiar with the expression of the pot calling the kettle black? You posted:

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

And then posted this(?)

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.

What does this have to do with the economics of the issue?

Who made you the board monitor?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Sorry, I didn't know posting another FACT relevant to the issue of flying versus driving was not allowed. And are you familiar with the expression of the pot calling the kettle black? You posted:



And then posted this(?)



What does this have to do with the economics of the issue?

Who made you the board monitor?

To be honest, I've been waiting for this response pretty much since I posted
Just a little good-natured ribbing here

 

[Disney-Chick]

To be honest, I've been waiting for this response pretty much since I posted
Just a little good-natured ribbing here

I am confused as to what Gumbo said that was insulting? Gumbo mentioned that the poster asked about driving/flying costs and made a statement about how weather or other circumstances did not seem to be the issue for to OP but that cost was? Ohhh talking to others through email/online you never know the tone. I am not trying to be rude just asking a question.

 

[timmac]

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

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.

But this leaves out the old addage that "time is money".

I know for me, vacation time from work--as well as time that I'm not able to spend doing a few hours of "self-employed" activities-- is a huge factor in the decision.

For me, flying means about half a day (total) on each end of the trip, whereas driving would be a full two days, and leave me feeling pretty tired after.

I think one mistake that's often made in these comparisons is to only look at the cost of gas. That's only part of the cost of driving. I've made this same statement on other similar threads, but I'll repeat it here:

At $4/gallon getting 25mpg (again, only an example), it's tempting to call the cost of driving 16 cents per mile. If you have, say, a $20,000 car that will have a lifetime of 200,000 miles, that means just for the car alone, it's 10 cents a mile. That's before fuel, oil change, wear and tear items or other maintenance. So, the total cost per mile ends up being more like 30+ cents a mile.

It's tempting to also talk about staying offsite vs the cost of renting a car, but again, one needs to look at all the details to make the comparison... how does the daily cost of renting a car compare to the difference in hotel pricing? Given the competitive rates of many area hotels, I'd bet there's a lot of situations that may make up for the rental car cost.

For me, and many others though, it's a lot more than just cost... convenience has a less tangible value as well, which is usually a consideration.

 

[Disney-Chick]

But this leaves out the old addage that "time is money".

I know for me, vacation time from work--as well as time that I'm not able to spend doing a few hours of "self-employed" activities-- is a huge factor in the decision.

For me, flying means about half a day (total) on each end of the trip, whereas driving would be a full two days, and leave me feeling pretty tired after.

I think one mistake that's often made in these comparisons is to only look at the cost of gas. That's only part of the cost of driving. I've made this same statement on other similar threads, but I'll repeat it here:

At $4/gallon getting 25mpg (again, only an example), it's tempting to call the cost of driving 16 cents per mile. If you have, say, a $20,000 car that will have a lifetime of 200,000 miles, that means just for the car alone, it's 10 cents a mile. That's before fuel, oil change, wear and tear items or other maintenance. So, the total cost per mile ends up being more like 30+ cents a mile.

It's tempting to also talk about staying offsite vs the cost of renting a car, but again, one needs to look at all the details to make the comparison... how does the daily cost of renting a car compare to the difference in hotel pricing? Given the competitive rates of many area hotels, I'd bet there's a lot of situations that may make up for the rental car cost.

For me, and many others though, it's a lot more than just cost... convenience has a less tangible value as well, which is usually a consideration.

I think the bottom line is everyone does what they enjoy whether that be flying or driving. We could spend hours here debating about which is cheaper/easier/time saver etc but the OP needs to either try both or just decide to do one or the other. But it's all about what the individual family perfers. We specifically bought my Jeep Patriot for the drive to Disney as my DH only drive a convertible and it was to cramped for us.

 

[timmac]

I think the bottom line is everyone does what they enjoy whether that be flying or driving. We could spend hours here debating about which is cheaper/easier/time saver etc but the OP needs to either try both or just decide to do one or the other. But it's all about what the individual family perfers. We specifically bought my Jeep Patriot for the drive to Disney as my DH only drive a convertible and it was to cramped for us.

Agree 100%. Just to amplify that a little bit, part of the point I was getting at, is that not only does it come down to preference in a lot of ways, but specifically, it's not very easy to "justify" what is the right decision based on some (likely inaccurate) back of envelope calculations.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I am confused as to what Gumbo said that was insulting? Gumbo mentioned that the poster asked about driving/flying costs and made a statement about how weather or other circumstances did not seem to be the issue for to OP but that cost was? Ohhh talking to others through email/online you never know the tone. I am not trying to be rude just asking a question.

No biggy. I poked a little fun at someone for going off topic when I myself was engaged in rebuttles to the other off-topic replies here. It's all in fun

 

[Gumbo4x4]

But this leaves out the old addage that "time is money".

I know for me, vacation time from work--as well as time that I'm not able to spend doing a few hours of "self-employed" activities-- is a huge factor in the decision.

For me, flying means about half a day (total) on each end of the trip, whereas driving would be a full two days, and leave me feeling pretty tired after.

There's no doubt that the "time is money" thing can play a part. In my case, we'll be leaving mid-week & using all of the following week. Any overtime I work that partial week (and if our projections are correct, I will be LOADED UP come June) will come back to me as straight time. So, I lose that. People who have limited vacation time or are self-employed, also a factor.

On the flip side, what do most folks do with that extra time that flying affords them? Do they wait until Saturday night or Sunday to leave home? No, typically they fly out Friday night or first thing Saturday and wind up spending an extra day or two at their destination which obviously is a more expensive place to be than out on the road. So, the numbers can be tweaked any number of ways

You also have to factor in HOW you travel in a car. Do you get 30 MPG or 20 MPG, or even worse? Will you stay in a nice hotel on the way down, or the Super 8? Will you pack a lunch or pull into a restaurant for every meal? Is 1,000 miles from YOUR home comparable to 1,000 miles from someone else's? Maybe not.

Flip side of all that - what's your airport situation like? Will you have to make 1 or more connections or can you do a non-stop? Does driving to the airport require you to first start out driving in the opposite direction as you destination or is it "on the way"? Are you flying out of a major hub with reasonable airfare, or some little 7-gate miniport with no good fares?

Does your history of business travel mean you'll get free airline tickets? Or, does your CC rewards program mean you can have free hotels on your drive?

And there IS a line out there where it sort of becomes too far to drive in a reasonable amount of time (see the Portland to WDW thread for that!). Mapquest shows ~1,000 miles for us. That's not 2 full days, but rather 1 full day + 1 morning. As mentioned, figure on losing 1/2 a day to flying if you can get a non-stop (we can) and don't have to drive out of the way (we don't). Essentially, I'm losing 1 day in each direction compared to flying, as opposed to 2 days each direction for folks who live another 4-500+ miles further away. The other option for us, is to make it 2 very easy days with a stop in Chattanooga to see the aquarium on the way down & the one in Atlanta on the way back. Either way, no real exhaustion like there is if you're leaving at 4:00 a.m. and driving until 11:00 p.m. for 2 or more consecutive days.

So yeah, the equation - be it time or money related, or some combination of the two - is obviously different for everyone.

Speaking in general terms though, the more people you take with you, the more sense it makes to drive.

 

[Disney-Chick]

Agree 100%. Just to amplify that a little bit, part of the point I was getting at, is that not only does it come down to preference in a lot of ways, but specifically, it's not very easy to "justify" what is the right decision based on some (likely inaccurate) back of envelope calculations.

It is hard to say how much it costs to drive/fly considering the rise in gas etc. I know we spent $1000 for all 3 of us round trip for gas/hotel/food. Not sure what the cost would be to fly during the time we go but again we enjoy the drive.

No biggy. I poked a little fun at someone for going off topic when I myself was engaged in rebuttles to the other off-topic replies here. It's all in fun

As long as were all happy So many people start fights for no reason. Most time I sit back and just read but thought I would ask the question. At the end of the day were all Disney Lovers so we should just share the Disney Love

254 days until our trip!

 

[janey99]

We drove from NJ last year with a 3yo and a 13 yo. Without beating around the bush, it was horrible and I won't do it again (we are flying this year).

Some lowlights -

DS3's car seat kept him in just enough of an upright position that every time he fell asleep, he would jerk upright 20 minutes later - for almost 21 straight hours!

I thought a Ford Explorer with three rows of seats would be big enough for everyone to feel comfortable. I was wrong- the seatbelt buckles are mounted on these 8 inch hard plastic stalks that completely prevented me and DS13 from getting comfortable in any position.

I can't forget to mention South of the Border and its ubiquitous billboards. When we finally reached that point at about 3am, it was a very surreal sight.

On the way home, I wanted to try a Waffle House "for the experience." I was so out of myself by that point that when a ROACH crawled out from under the napkin dispenser and across the table in front of the waitress, I didn't get up and walk out because I was worried she would think there was something wrong with ME!

DH became crazed and obsessed with his drive time. On the way home (a day after Irene hit) he stopped only three times the whole trip and I'm pretty sure he willfully drove on a road that had been barricaded due to flooding!

A few minor positives -

It WAS cheap - I barely recall any tolls and gas, even in the Explorer, was not that bad.

Gas station attendants in all states below Maryland are very polite and call you "ma'am" even when you stagger in at 4am looking like a speed freak and carrying a urine soaked 3yo!

Jane

 

[dzneelvr]

It takes us roughly 24 hours to drive from IL (8 hours alone to get out of our state) and we had to do it one year to satisfy DH after a particularly horribly delay-filled day at Ohare in chicago the year preceeding. I softened the experience by adding a 2 day/1 night at Vero Beach Disney (it was not DVC at that time) on the way home. the drive back was horrible The drive down was a bit scary at times (some of the exits did not feel safe to us). DH and I were exhausted when we arrived at WDW and it took a few days to catch up on our sleep.That was the one year we did an 11 day trip because you basically lose 2-3 days in driving and decompressing. Now that Allegient is in the regional airport 40 minutes from our front door and we fly into Sanford 3 hours later and at our hotel in 4, we would NEVER drive again I advise do whatever you have to with luggage to keep the cost down and fly. I'd gladly wash clothes every other day at a resort than drive again Another reason: both DH and I work, so we don't want to waste our vacation time on just getting somewhere

 

[disprincessatheart]

We had the same debate in January. Our ds is two and no longer sleeps thru the drive. We have about a 9 hour drive from our part of nc. We were able to get a direct flight on southwest for just under $600 for the three of us. Since bags were free and the airport is really close, the only additional cost was $48 for parking. It clearly would have been cheaper, by more than half, to drive, but it's such a long and stressful day. Normally by the time we arrive dh is a grouch and we do nothing, so the whole first day is a waste. Same on the return trip. By flying we were able to sleep in until a normal time, left our house around 10:15, arrived in Orlando at 1:30 and we were in our room by 3. None of us were exhausted so we went into a park and actually enjoyed our evening. On our return trip we spent the morning at the pool and didn't have to leave for the airport until 3, unlike our usual early morning scramble to get on the road. We got home at about the same time. After all that, we decided as long as we can get the flights at least that cheap, we'll continue to fly.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

On the way home, I wanted to try a Waffle House "for the experience." I was so out of myself by that point that when a ROACH crawled out from under the napkin dispenser and across the table in front of the waitress, I didn't get up and walk out because I was worried she would think there was something wrong with ME!

They didn't tell you the roach was PART of the "experience" of Waffle House, did they?

In all seriousness, I've had some weird experiences at Waffle House, but that's just gross