Flying vs Driving Advice

[DisneyArie]

I'm hoping you guys can help me out deciding if I should drive or fly to Disney World this September. Of course, driving the MUCH less expensive option, but is flying worth it to save time?? We are a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 small kids.

Option 1: Fly & use Disney Transportation
RT flights: $815.84 (4 people, 2 free checked bags each)
Concern: long wait times for buses (we will need to take a break about mid-day), not being able to leave exactly when we want; long transport times, price
Total: $815.84


Option 2: Fly & get a rental
RT flights: $815.84
Compact Rental car : $79.72 for 8 days
Gas: $40 estimated (We won't go around except to the parks & to the grocery store once)
Concern: Is the price worth it?
Total: $935.56

Option 3: Drive
Standard SUV rental : $362.17 for 10 days (We went with a SUV because we thought it would be more comfortable to have the extra room)
Gas : $180 estimated
Time: 16 hours each way; we plan on driving overnight and stopping every 2.5 hours that the kids are awake to give them a break and let them stretch and go potty. My husband and I will take turns driving, rotating every 2 hours because that's about the most amount of time I can last lol
Concern: Being exhausted upon arrival; wasting vacation hours from driving & sleeping
Total: $542.17

I guess I'm mainly hoping people who have done one or both to provide some insight. We have taken a road trip before. It was about 10.5 hours total, but it took us close to 12.5 as my youngest was just under 1, and he needed to be fed/changed/given a break quite often. We drove straight through and immediately passed out as soon as we arrived, taking about a 6 hour nap. My oldest was wide awake while my husband, the baby, and myself were all exhausted. We had my niece to keep him company while we napped; we won't have anyone at WDW.

This decision is stressing me out lol. Please help!

 

[verleniahall]

I have done both and I MUCH perfer the flight - even though I was terrified of planes. We left at 6AM and got into Orlando at 3PM with layover. We just packed into our carryons - no checked bags. We got down to ME, and was on a bus by 3:30 and were at the resort by 4:15 I think? (this may vary due to different things)

Personally, unless the DH REALLY has a hankering to drive it straight thorugh and no stops, I would say get a flight, and if you are worried about buses, go with a rental car.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Here's my personal viewpoint...

I live in CA, so we visit Disneyland instead of WDW, but the principles are basically the same.

If we choose to drive, we have about a 7 hour (or so, depending on traffic and stops) drive. If we fly, it's a 1 hour 15 min flight (plus the two hours pre-time at the airport). It definitely costs more to fly, but I prefer it because of the drastic time savings. More importantly, the personal energy savings. For me, the drive is exhausting and painful (but I'm disabled and have medical issues, so YMMV). I like to start my Disney time a fresh as possible, and flying makes this much easier. I don't want to pass out as soon as I arrive, I want to get started on my vacation.

I'm sure others will have different opinions, or suggestions, but my advice would be to pay a little bit more and arrive more rested.

 

[DisneyArie]

I have done both and I MUCH perfer the flight - even though I was terrified of planes. We left at 6AM and got into Orlando at 3PM with layover. We just packed into our carryons - no checked bags. We got down to ME, and was on a bus by 3:30 and were at the resort by 4:15 I think? (this may vary due to different things)

Personally, unless the DH REALLY has a hankering to drive it straight thorugh and no stops, I would say get a flight, and if you are worried about buses, go with a rental car.

Thanks so much! How was it getting to the parks? I read it could take up to 2 hours each way if using Disney transportation. I also read that I shouldn't even bother to take the bus if I have an early morning ADR.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We prefer to drive anyway, but we take our own car, so no rental fee to consider. Were we to rent, I'd rather a minivan than an SUV. More room & better gas mileage. We travel in a compact car though, so who am I to judge? LOL

I don't drive overnight anymore. In my 20's, working 2nd shift, no problem. Nowadays, I'd rather leave at 4:00 am & drive through the daylight in your shoes - we're more like 22 hours, so we take a day & a half.

Figure on that 16.5 hours getting stretched a bit,but also figure you lose roughly 1/2 a day each direction flying.

 

[DisneyArie]

Here's my personal viewpoint...

I live in CA, so we visit Disneyland instead of WDW, but the principles are basically the same.

If we choose to drive, we have about a 7 hour (or so, depending on traffic and stops) drive. If we fly, it's a 1 hour 15 min flight (plus the two hours pre-time at the airport). It definitely costs more to fly, but I prefer it because of the drastic time savings. More importantly, the personal energy savings. For me, the drive is exhausting and painful (but I'm disabled and have medical issues, so YMMV). I like to start my Disney time a fresh as possible, and flying makes this much easier. I don't want to pass out as soon as I arrive, I want to get started on my vacation.

I'm sure others will have different opinions, or suggestions, but my advice would be to pay a little bit more and arrive more rested.

Thanks. The flight is 2.5 hours vs 16+ driving :/

 

[DisneyArie]

We prefer to drive anyway, but we take our own car, so no rental fee to consider. Were we to rent, I'd rather a minivan than an SUV. More room & better gas mileage. We travel in a compact car though, so who am I to judge? LOL

I don't drive overnight anymore. In my 20's, working 2nd shift, no problem. Nowadays, I'd rather leave at 4:00 am & drive through the daylight in your shoes - we're more like 22 hours, so we take a day & a half.

Figure on that 16.5 hours getting stretched a bit,but also figure you lose roughly 1/2 a day each direction flying.

We can't take our car because it's leased, and we're already over the mileage allowance with a full year left

 

[verleniahall]

Thanks so much! How was it getting to the parks? I read it could take up to 2 hours each way if using Disney transportation. I also read that I shouldn't even bother to take the bus if I have an early morning ADR.

Sheesh - no way - I think our longest wait was for Studios one morning becuase we were getting coffee and the bus left as we were coming out - but I think we only waited 15 minutes?

We are early risers at Disney and always usually have a pretty empty bus on the way there

If you have an Early ADR tell them at the Front Desk and they will be able to help you with that - usually there can be a bus that is availble to help you out

 

[disnerella]

We have done both and as a result will likely only fly in the future.

We live 1,000 miles away and drove down in 2 days staying overnight one night in a hotel on the way down and back. The kids were good / entertained but one got very car sick. Something we never learned until this trip. Oy, what a mess, never again. So, lesson learned for us!

IMHO, if you can afford it fly. If you are a road tripper at heart, drive. Either way, enjoy that vacation!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Here's my personal viewpoint...

I live in CA, so we visit Disneyland instead of WDW, but the principles are basically the same.

If we choose to drive, we have about a 7 hour (or so, depending on traffic and stops) drive. If we fly, it's a 1 hour 15 min flight (plus the two hours pre-time at the airport). It definitely costs more to fly, but I prefer it because of the drastic time savings. More importantly, the personal energy savings. For me, the drive is exhausting and painful (but I'm disabled and have medical issues, so YMMV). I like to start my Disney time a fresh as possible, and flying makes this much easier. I don't want to pass out as soon as I arrive, I want to get started on my vacation.

I'm sure others will have different opinions, or suggestions, but my advice would be to pay a little bit more and arrive more rested.

Not a chance in you-know-where I'd fly if I could get there in my car in 7 hours. If everything goes as planned, you're saving at best 3-4 hours each way.

I've had WAY too many of those short flights get delayed to the point I could have arrived several hours sooner had I driven instead

But, that's me & you did list out some valid reasons it works for you.

 

[dhardawa]

Thanks so much! How was it getting to the parks? I read it could take up to 2 hours each way if using Disney transportation. I also read that I shouldn't even bother to take the bus if I have an early morning ADR.

I have used Disney transportation a zillion times and a two hour estimate is absurd. Most times, it's under 30 minutes including actual travel time. After the fireworks, it can be a long wait, but guess what, it's s long wait for the boat or monorail to the parking lot too.

The only time it took two hours for me was the time there was a bomb threat and they had to stop all buses and inspect them before they were allowed back into service.

 

[Lvsdisney]

I would fly (unless you LOVE road trips!).
I don't think you need a rental. The buses aren't that bad. Yes, you may have to wait around a little longer than you want, but when you think how long it would take you to get to your car, especially from MK to the parking lot, the timing is about the same. I like not having to worry about where we parked, and even driving.

 

[Narnia_girl]

We are in Illinois, and have done both. I much prefer to fly. For children, flying in a plane can be as much a thrill as a ride. You also don't need as many snacks and activities for a long car trip.
But for us, probably the main attraction to flying is to give my husband a break from driving on vacation. A wrong turn, tolls, bad directions, lots of traffic, trying to find parking, returning the rental, etc....I'm sure it's not this way for everyone, but for us, not driving is part of his vacation.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Not a chance in you-know-where I'd fly if I could get there in my car in 7 hours. If everything goes as planned, you're saving at best 3-4 hours each way.

I've had WAY too many of those short flights get delayed to the point I could have arrived several hours sooner had I driven instead

But, that's me & you did list out some valid reasons it works for you.

I think my locations sways it, though. I take the first Southwest flight out in the morning (for my upcoming trip it is 6:25am), which is very rarely delayed, so I am in the parks by 9am, 9:30 at the latest (if there is a long line checking into the hotel). I take the last flight home, which is often delayed by a half our or so, but I'm heading home, so I don't really care as much. When we drove, we left at 5 am and didn't get checked into the hotel until about 3 pm (I don't remember what exactly happened, but I think there were accidents on I5).

 

[Lvsdisney]

Thanks so much! How was it getting to the parks? I read it could take up to 2 hours each way if using Disney transportation. I also read that I shouldn't even bother to take the bus if I have an early morning ADR.

Maybe that 2 hours was for getting to the resort from the aiport? Which for us both times wasn't that long. From gate to resort max was 90 minutes, and that was with dropping off at 2 resorts before ours. Hotel to parks prob at MOST 30 minutes (with waiting and travel time) but more like 12-20 minutes on average.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I would pay the approximately $275 more to fly and use Disney transportation.

-we have driven MANY times from Michigan (19 hours). The drive home feels so much longer than the drive down.
-we just returned from a trip in which we relied soley on Disney transportation including to/from our cruise and to/from the Parks. We never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus. Usually less than 5.
-Resort Airline Check-in and Disney's Magical Express were so convenient. My DH has always wanted a rental car but this trip was so smooth, we are going without one again in October.
-where are you staying? Might make a little difference in the bus transportation to the Parks.

 

[DisneyArie]

Sorry, guys. I meant up to 2 hours to get to your destination-not wait time. This is the article that I read.

"If you've got dining plans at another Disney hotel, the cheapest option is to take a Disney bus from Caribbean Beach to Downtown Disney (or an open theme park), then take another bus from there to your destination hotel. Do the reverse to get back to Caribbean Beach. While that's free, it can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours each way. If your destination is one of the Magic Kingdom monorail resorts, and the Magic Kingdom is still open, you could take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then either walk (to the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower), hop on the monorail (to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian), or take a boat (to Fort Wilderness, the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian). We suggest you still allow at least an hour for that."

 

[DisneyArie]

I would pay the approximately $275 more to fly and use Disney transportation.

-we have driven MANY times from Michigan (19 hours). The drive home feels so much longer than the drive down.
-we just returned from a trip in which we relied soley on Disney transportation including to/from our cruise and to/from the Parks. We never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus. Usually less than 5.
-Resort Airline Check-in and Disney's Magical Express were so convenient. My DH has always wanted a rental car but this trip was so smooth, we are going without one again in October.
-where are you staying? Might make a little difference in the bus transportation to the Parks.

I'm staying at CBR. I think it has 6 bus stops.

 

[DisneyArie]

We are in Illinois, and have done both. I much prefer to fly. For children, flying in a plane can be as much a thrill as a ride. You also don't need as many snacks and activities for a long car trip.
But for us, probably the main attraction to flying is to give my husband a break from driving on vacation. A wrong turn, tolls, bad directions, lots of traffic, trying to find parking, returning the rental, etc....I'm sure it's not this way for everyone, but for us, not driving is part of his vacation.

Yes!! I forgot to include time for us getting lost, which is certainly bound to happen. Happens every time, and we have a GPS

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I'm staying at CBR. I think it has 6 bus stops.

Yes, the busses there are not my favorite. The multiple stops definitely adds time to both ends of your trip. We love the Resort though! I might rent a car if midday breaks are a necessity. However, not driving is pretty nice if you can relax enough to not worry about the few extra minutes it might take. Magic Kindom takes a while to get back to the parking lot. I much prefer the busses there.