Fly or drive?

[hanna-nana]

Our drive would be about 5-6 hrs depending on stops with the kids. A flight would be about 5 hours door to door. I'm torn on whether or not flying would be worth it. It would cost about 1800 to fly us all, plus a shuttle. Or $100 at most in gas. Flying is more fun, maybe less tiring? I was wanting to stop at a grocery store for some snacks when we get in though. Since I'm picking up allergy friendly snacks, I'm nervous about leaving it to a Von's delivery. It seems like a lot, but then again not a lot when we are already paying 6500 for our week there and being at DLH.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Except for two occasions, we have driven. For that price difference and little to no potential time savings, we would drive.

 

[goldmay]

I do a long drive like that a few times a year to visit family. It's not too tiring as long as you take at least one long break in the middle. You also have the benefit of not having to worry about airline luggage requirements when you're bringing home all of your souvenirs.

 

[wanderlust7]

We always drive as well, except for once when we had flight vouchers that were expiring. I actually found flying to be more stressful and tiring, schlepping the kids and stuff through the airport. DH always drives though, so maybe flying is easier for him. He would never opt to spend the extra money though.

 

[sheetz]

That's about the distance between LA and Las Vegas so most Californians probably wouldn't consider that a particularly long drive. With 2 drivers and a short pit stop it shouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[Geemo]

I'd drive. Take the money from the flight cost and upgrade to the GCH.

 

[Winnowill]

We're in Phoenix and, honestly, wouldn't even think about flying, even given LA-area rush hour traffic. Flying is such a hassle, and has so many limitations, not to mention the serious increase in expenses. Plus we like having our car handy, even if we're close to the parks.

 

[tlovesdis]

We are in Nor Cal and we drive. Much easier and cheaper! My car gets awesome gas mileage!

 

[ADLFAN]

I'd probably drive every week if I lived that close! and it sounds like the price difference would practically pay for another trip!

 

[Indiana Scott]

If I were only a 5 hour drive away, I would drive for sure!!

 

[alvernon90]

We're in Phoenix and, honestly, wouldn't even think about flying, even given LA-area rush hour traffic. Flying is such a hassle, and has so many limitations, not to mention the serious increase in expenses. Plus we like having our car handy, even if we're close to the parks.

We are also in Phoenix and we always drive, and we drove when we lived in Tucson (which was more like a seven hour drive). When the drive is only five hours, flying might not save any time at all and would probably save, at most, an hour in each direction. Unless your travel time is worth $1,000 per hour to you, it is better to drive.

Don't forget that one of the biggest advantages to driving is traveling exactly when you want. Want one more ride on POTC? You can do it if you have a car, but not if you need to get in a shuttle to head for the airport. For me, even if flying and driving cost the same, that flexibility would tilt me toward driving anyway. And no naked body scans to deal with!

 

[sheetz]

I think the only reason I would fly is if the highways were closed off for some reason. Like if they were flooded out or snowed over.

 

[94bruin]

We drive from Nor Cal - about a 6-7 hour drive. I like the flexibility of being on my own schedule as well as the ability to pack the van with ALL my necessities, lol! Maybe one day when the kids are older, we'll fly. For now, we'll drive.

 

[corinne76]

5 to 6 HOURS to drive? And that much savings? Definitely drive! Plus, if you're driving, you could pack a cooler and bring your own food too.
DS and I have allergies so I know it's not always easy to find food. I wouldn't like to leave groceries up to someone else either.

 

[hanna-nana]

I know the kids would love to fly. I kinda prefer to not be sitting for 5 hours, but oh well. Yup, the cost savings is pretty big.

 

[SnowWhite09]

In Australia we quite often drive because of the cost of flights and given that you will be saving very little time and then have your car there when you arrive I would most definitely drive. Have fun!

 

[DizMe]

I live in NorCal and I usually fly. It's about an 8 hour trip by car. When I fly, I leave early in the morning, like about 5 AM, because it's a 1 1/2 hour drive to the airport, but I'm in DLR by 10 AM. Driving down 5 is one of my most dreaded routes. I hate it. I like going to the airport, having a coffee, getting on the plane etc. I like being shuttled to the hotel and not having to park a car. I don't like driving and having to stop for fast food or packing something to eat in the car. The trip seems so much longer and my kids get kind of snarky. I haven't really managed to shut that down completely; movies only work for a few hours. My dh gets tired and cranky, too. So for us, we like to fly when possible. That's why I have a SW card and save up points for it. We don't go as a family more than once a year so it's worth it to me, especially when the flights are free. We never leave the resort so having a car isn't a bonus but an extra cost (something like $15-20/day at most places).

In your case, though, that drive doesn't seem bad. Flying in your case is a lot of money to pay for not a whole lot of benefit IMO.

 

[disneyfirsttimer18]

My kids would love to fly, but we will always drive to DL. It's close to a 12 hour drive for us, but DH and I are road trip junkies and our kids do pretty awesome.

If we decide to do WDW one day, we just might really consider flying.

 

[GatorChris]

Did you say flying is more fun?!?! It's like getting on a bus with wings - and full of the common cold virus. Our drive is 6.5 hours and we've never considered flying. Of course, the nearest airport is over an hour away, so the plane doesn't help on time that much. Plus it's waaaayyyyyy cheaper: $100 max round trip for gas. Plus we take EVERYTHING in our van. It's so nice to have nearly no limit to what we can bring.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I would drive. One of the things I like best about driving is being able to bring my own food. This can really cut down on food costs once you get there. I always pick a hotel with both fridge and microwave, and then use a cooler to bring my own waters, drinks, fruit, etc. I also bring little oatmeal cups or other foods to cook for breakfast, as well as the makings for different types of sandwiches. I make a sandwich before I go into the parks in the morning and bring my orange and there you have it, a practically free lunch that you don't have to wait in line for. I am in the park from rope drop to close, so I do usually end up eating one meal in the parks and my sandwich as the other meal, but it's nice to not have to spend money on food in the parks for every meal. You can still pull this off when flying, it's just a lot easier when you can bring what you already have at home.