Flying Driving Disney Buses Strollers and Money

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

I could use some thoughts and opinions here. It takes us about 2 days to drive to Disney. This is unpleasant but doable for me. I can decompress before a trip. However, with 4 kids, all you parents know, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Driving down will cost us gas and food, but not hotel b/c we have points saved up. Flying would cost us about $1,000. I feel like it might be worth the price difference to get down there so fast, and the kids would love flying. That being said, we're already spending an arm and a leg going to Disney. And this year, we are staying longer b/c we might not be able to come back for 2-3 years.

My DH said this might be doable when he heard the cost, but then he got to thinking about how much we hated riding the Disney buses when we stayed at the value resorts. It was just such a fiasco at the end of the night to stand in a long line of people and fold up the stroller, carrying sleeping kids and a backpack, and often stand on the way back to the resort. Granted, you have to stand in a long line to get on the ferry or monorail, but at least you don't have to fold up the stroller. And if you aren't parked too far back, you can skip the tram.

We will be staying at POR, so I don't know how the bus system compares to values. I imagine it could be just as crowded.

I considered also buying an umbrella stroller so that it would be easier to get on and off of transportation. We already own a travel stroller, a small stroller, 2 umbrella strollers, and a sit and stand. This umbrella stroller would need to be lightweight, recline flat or nearly so for our littlest, and be inexpensive b/c DH would be like another stroller? lol

So I guess I'm asking for opinions on flying, the POR buses, and a reclining umbrella stroller. Thanks!

 

[eliza61]

Personally I loathe, hated and despised taking disney transportation especially when my kids where in strollers.

Don't even get me started with the park closing nightmares.

So no matter how we get to disney and no matter where we stay we always have a car. so I really can't comment on the transportation This year we got great airfare $190 bucks rt pp including tax and assigning seats and we got a awesome deal on a car rental (25 bucks a night for a midsize)

Generally once we go over 225 for airfare pp, we drive.

 

[dhardawa]

If it were me, I would move from the moderate to a value resort (I truly didn't find much of a difference between the two) and use that money to fly. The thought of two days down and two days back would ruin my whole vacation.

The buses are crowded, but so is everything else. If it really bothers you, leave a bit before the park closes.

 

[mpls_mm]

I don't fly with the kids anymore, not since the great Sun Country incident of 2005, when my oldest puked all over a stranger sitting next to her and set off a great vomit chain reaction to be modeled after in sitcoms.

It takes us 2 days, but my husband is my best friend and I could talk to him for hours and hours so I don't mind. We have 3 kids, they settle in and do fine. We use Disney transport some times, if we have a long day planned at MK, we have breakfast at Ohanas and leave our car and then it's a short walk after the park closes. I doubt we save money when it's all said and done, but we like flexibility and being able to take in an extra sight like Supermans hometown or the Ruby caverns.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We don't stay onsite a lot, have only done value once, and mod once but I would def go for the mod. First, they have multiple bus stops instead of one. IIRC (it's been since 2001 so I may be way off) but the value resorts had 1 bus stop near the front that was so far away from our building, we wished we had a stroller or car just to get there. Ds was 1.5 and we rented strollers in the parks but needed one for the resort. (They were only $9/day back then!)
At least the mods (CBR) has like 7 bus stops throughout. Also a dorm size fridge is included so it's nice to brew a little pot of coffee when I 1st wake up w/o having to get dressed.

$1000 to fly for a family with 4 kids is a bargain imho. I would pay $2K to not drive so I'm probably not a good person to ask about that.

 

[McIntoshTx]

In my mind the 2 day drive from Texas would be fine, the two day drive back not so much. Sad enough to have to leave WDW when you vacation is over, to have to drive 2 days on top of that

I would say fly if at all possible, I would stay off site as oppose to driving if that made a difference. The trip we have next month was going to be at the Contemporary but we changed to POR and used the savings to fly and rent a car

Next time maybe the Contemporary


BTW just for reference 5 of us are flying Southwest from Houston to Orlando, Early Bird check in ($100 option) and a full size rental car for 10th Sept to 18th Sept. Price is just under $2100. I estimated with food, gas and hotels it would have cost us $800 or so to drive. The $1300 difference is a personnel choice as to rather it is worth it or not I guess

 

[squirrel]

I can't help with the first part.

I can recommend looking for a stroller at www.albeebaby.com I ordered mine from there in 2008 and had it shipped to the resort.

They have the Britax Blinks on for a great price. Has a decent sun canopy, reclines and has storage. http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-blink-stroller-sprout.html

 

[Mom_Rides]

When we were planning our trip last year, I pulled up flight info one evening and found a flight for the 5 of us for $783. I talked to DH and he said "nah, we can drive cheaper" I thought that was a great deal on a flight but decided he was probably right and driving would save us a bundle. About 8 hours into our drive down he was kicking himself And what did we find out??? DH is NOT a good long distance car traveler. The kids were ok, DH...well not so much. And don't even get me started on the trip home

In the long run, it didn't save us hardly anything. Sure, gas money didn't cost us that much but factor in the 3 meals a day we ate on the road for the 3 days we travelled, then the hotel we stayed on on the way home, and the frustration, we really should have just flown down.

As far as Disney transportation, we didn't find it to be too terrible. I think we only had one day that we were ready to go back and grab the car to drive to the park after waiting quite a while for a bus but other then that, it worked ok for us. We had an umbrella stroller for DD and we just divided up the stuff we had in the stroller to the boys to hold while one of us took DD and the other took the stroller. It worked well for us.

 

[McIntoshTx]

I don't fly with the kids anymore, not since the great Sun Country incident of 2005, when my oldest puked all over a stranger sitting next to her and set off a great vomit chain reaction to be modeled after in sitcoms.

It takes us 2 days, but my husband is my best friend and I could talk to him for hours and hours so I don't mind. We have 3 kids, they settle in and do fine. We use Disney transport some times, if we have a long day planned at MK, we have breakfast at Ohanas and leave our car and then it's a short walk after the park closes. I doubt we save money when it's all said and done, but we like flexibility and being able to take in an extra sight like Supermans hometown or the Ruby caverns.

"vomit chain reaction" classic.....

 

[pigletto]

You know your kids best. I would think 4 kids and driving would be hard, but then if you planned it right and took a leisurely pace it could be fine My friends drove their two straight through last year (22 hours) and said they'd do it again in a hearbeat! Then you have your car with you, which solves any other issues.
While flying is more convenient for sure, it still takes a very good portion of the day for us. And then you pay to park at the airport for the week which you have to tack on to that airfare cost.
We were positive we would drive this year and then I found airfare for the four of us for less than 800 return on direct flights!!!! Those same flights are 2450.00 right now! I just caught a good day to look I guess.

So I would advise picking your airfare price point. If you can't find something under it, then you happily take the car, plan the trip as best you can to be stress free and enjoy.

We loved loved loved POR. I didn't find the buses a long wait ever. But we almost always leave before park closing to avoid the congestion so it isn't too crowded.

Also, my kids are 7 and 14 so able to amuse themselves and less prone to meltdowns at this point (not entirely free of meltdowns.. but they are easier to get on and off a bus.)

 

[MomtoEmIs&Ow]

I didn't read the other posts, but we found the bus lines much more managable when we stayed at POR vs. the value resorts. A lot less people waiting to get on at the resort too, and the shaded 'bus shelters' were great!