Flying vs Driving Advice

[leahgoogle]

We are also a 16-hr drive to Disney. We have driven and flown to Disney and if you can afford it, I would definitely fly. We flew and rented a car when we got there to drive to the store (we ate breakfast in the room) and to the parks. It was great! Unless I had a long vacation time-frame blocked out, I would prefer to fly.

 

[DisneyArie]

Where are you eating? If you're eating at one of deluxe resorts around MK area, then you'd want to take a bus to MK and then walk, monorail or boat to the resort. If it's one around Epcot, take a bus to DHS and then walk or boat to the restaurant. In no circumstance would I ever book something that I would first have to go to DTD to transfer to another resort. That very well could take 2 hours. DTD is going to be the worst bus transportation (time-wise) you'll find, so def. don't go there unless you're going for something at DTD.

The only resort reservations we have are at Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club Resort and a character breakfast at 'Ohana at the Polynesian. We also have one at Disney Springs, but the rest are all at the parks.

 

[DisneyArie]

We are also a 16-hr drive to Disney. We have driven and flown to Disney and if you can afford it, I would definitely fly. We flew and rented a car when we got there to drive to the store (we ate breakfast in the room) and to the parks. It was great! Unless I had a long vacation time-frame blocked out, I would prefer to fly.

I can afford it, but I don't necessarily want to spend the money, if that makes sense . We originally planned on driving, but the more I think about the long trip, the more nervous I get. We drove to San Antonio a few weeks ago. It was only 3 hours, and my kids had an extremely difficult time. They have the dual dvd players in the back seat to keep them busy. They also had books & crayons, etc but NO. My tot cried most of the trip and wanted out of that car seat. On the other hand, we traveled to Dallas (about 5 hours away) last summer, and he was fine as he slept for most of the trip.

Our trip is from a Sat-Sat so the plan was (or is?) to leave at 7pm on Friday night in hopes of arriving at around noon (including stops). On our departure date, we have the Ohana character breakfast at 11:30am then were planning on leaving shortly afterwards then driving all day and having Sunday as a rest day. Back to school/work on Monday morning.

Planning a Disney trip is extremely stressful. I thought trying to get FD was the worst part lol.

 

[pcstang]

I would fly and get the rental. Take the bus to MK and drive to the other parks.

 

[catfan98]

We are about a 13-14 hour drive away from Orlando. We have 2 kids - a teen and a young adult. On our last trip we didn't stay onsite and we drove - we left early afternoon, drove until about 9pm, stayed overnight, got up the next morning, and drove the rest of the way. The return trip, we just got up early and drove back straight through. We drove to the parks everyday and my husband and kids grumbled quite a bit about it - they decided they did not like staying off property. For our trip next year, we have agreed to fly and stay onsite and rely on Disney transportation. We are using Mears or a private car service to take us to USO when we switch to our resort there for the last couple of days, and then to the airport. We just decided that flying would be a lot less stressful for my husband, who does the driving, and the kids are excited. Plus, I like thought of extra vacation time at the resort/parks and not driving days. It may cost a bit more, but we think it's worth it. Whichever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful vacation!

 

[martikus]

No contest - FLY. You won't start your trip exhausted and don't have an incredibly long drive home when the trip is over and there is nothing to look forward too.

Especially since the cost difference isn't even that big since you have to rent a car anyways to drive down. We always get stuck in accidents, etc so our drive is never as short as we want. We do drive to Disney, but it is only 8 hours and with our own car it truly costs just a tank of gas each way. It's hard to justify flights compared to that.

If flying I would splurge on a rental car. I prefer taking it to the parks. But don't panic if you prefer not to get a rental car. The buses are fine. We've never had to wait a long time except if you leave at the exact same time everyone else is (like after fireworks).

 

[yesiamcrazy]

We have done both, and like to drive. 22 hours.
1. With our large family. The savings are large.
2. We like to see things along the way.
3. We like having our own vehicle there once we get there.
4. We like packing what we want to pack, not what the airline says we can pack.
5. We are teachers who travel during summer break, so we've got plenty of time.

 

[kniquy]

We drove to San Antonio a few weeks ago. It was only 3 hours, and my kids had an extremely difficult time. They have the dual dvd players in the back seat to keep them busy. They also had books & crayons, etc but NO. My tot cried most of the trip and wanted out of that car seat. On the other hand, we traveled to Dallas (about 5 hours away) last summer, and he was fine as he slept for most of the trip..

Just this experience should give you your answer. You are only traveling with 2 kids so the difference between airfare and driving isn't huge. A friend of mine has traveled to Disney with DH and 5 kids - they always drive because airfair x7 is going to be pretty pricy. Now that they have done the trip numerous times they make the trip down and back more interesting with different stops. Maybe that is somthing to plan when the kids are a little older and can truly handle the long ride.

 

[DisneyArie]

Thanks for all of the advice. My family and I really appreciate it. We had a longgg talk last night and this morning, and we decided to fly. We are still indecisive in regards to the rental car, but we have one reserved that didn't require a deposit so we can cancel with no penalty if we decide not to get it. We went with a different fly that was nonstop. It was much more expensive, but it will save lots of time in regards to door to door travel.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Have a great trip!

 

[Minnesota!]

I think you made the right decision. For me, no contest - flying. We live (I just looked) 1566 miles door to door. 22 hours, 50 minutes without stopping (or construction), or a 3 hour, 15 minute flight (must be gate to gate...I have never had a flight take anything more than 3 hours).

My flight next month is at 730a. I will get up at 430a, get to the airport at 530a CST, and be in my room at Pop by 1230p EST. So, a 7 hour travel day. I would barely be out of the Midwest at that point if I drove.

With flying, you don't arrive exhausted, you don't deal with stupid drivers, wrecks, detours, etc. As long as you know what you are doing at the airport, security is a breeze.

Also, this will be our 25th or so?, trip to WDW property. never have rented a car. Never felt the need to. The busses are quick and plentiful. We routinely do resort meals at various resorts...it's never taken 2 hours, and it has barely ever taken half of that. Worst case? Hop in a cab.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Marie2016]

I haven't gone through the whole thread but if you have to rent a car for the price difference I'd fly. I believe you said in another thread your in Houston? We live here too and have driven with the kids and flown on our own. Both ways was fine for us and the transportation at the airport was quick and painless!

One thing I wanted to mention in case you aren't aware... We have a lease as well and usually if your releasing a new vehicle from the same manufacturer when yours is up they don't care about the miles. Just FYI maybe call and ask?

 

[Ngwira]

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!

We drove one year and will never do it again. We are about 1,00 miles away. Now, we only take the auto train and pay for a sleeper both ways.

 

[leebee]

OP, I'm glad you decided to fly. When we had little kids, we usually chose non-direct flights, so the kids could get out and run around, it was easier to change diapers, etc. We just found that was easier. There is no way I'd undertake such a long drive- mostly because I cannot imagine how tired I'd be when we start the trip home.

Regarding driving at WDW- We think everything is well-signed, so it's difficult to get lost. We like to have our own car so we don't have to wait in long bus lines at the end of the day; at park closing at MK/HS, we have waited for well over an hour to get on a bus multiple times (on 3 different trips), so we are not big Disney Transportation fans. We also were almost 2 hours in transit from POFQ to the Polynesian one year for an ADR at Ohana- buses were non-existant at POFQ, monorail stalled out just after leaving MK, etc. It was our anniversary dinner and of course we missed the ADR, but Ohana was gracious and found a table for us anyhow. However, the morning buses have been pretty good- doesn't take too long for a bus to show up. We just like being able to come and go as we please, without standing in long lines when we are hot and tired, without trying to juggle sleeping kids while standing on a moving bus, etc. SO... something to consider, but regardless of what you decide on a rental car, I'm glad you are flying.

 

[Nomad70]

We have always driven, but we are currently only about 6 hours away. When we live in California we are only 2 hours from Disneyland. As a military family of 5 (4 now that our dd got married) our kids were basically raised on long road trips so they have always done well, even as infants. Case in point, we drove from south Alabama, to NY, then up to Fairbanks Alaska which took us two weeks 1/2 weeks in the middle of winter, and we are still here to tell about it. lol I suppose if we were 16 hours away we may consider flying, but we would not waste money on a car rental. Our last family trip to DW our car sat in the same spot for 10 days without us even going to it once. We have never had issues, even when the kids were in strollers, taking Disney transportation. Whether it was a early afternoon rest period or late at night after fireworks. We have never gone in the summer months, usually between September and December when the crowds to us didnt' seem that bad. If you think your family would do better flying, I would fly, but no rental car. Oh, and we have had early morning reservations and never had an issue getting to them with Disney Transportation.

 

[TravelandLeisure]

I would do option 1. We always drive down, but we are only about 8.5 hours away. IMO driving 16 hours would really stress me out and waste a lot of time. Besides, you are still paying a chunk of change to rent a car, which chips away at what you would be saving anyway.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Flying is much better - Sometimes I drive, sometimes I fly. For 16 hours, I would for sure fly.

The rental car is iffy - if you are going to use it alot like to DHS, Epcot, AK plus from one resort to another for dining reservations, it would be worth it.

Otherwise, it would be ok using Disney buses.

I've done both - rented a car and just relying on Disney. I prefer a rental car - it's faster and nice getting into your own vehicle at the end of the day knowing you will have a seat. But sometimes I just can't find a good enough rental car deal so I stick with DME and Disney Transport. I just remember to relax and not be in a hurry and I do ok.

 

[BabiesDaddy]

Option #2. With this option, you've got your transportation options open your whole trip. Plus, your saving alot of time and energy for your trip by flying.

 

[Kriii]

We have used both the Disney buses and rented our own vehicle and much preferred the rental vehicle. It gave us the option to eat dinner off of the property and we found it faster than the bus system for traveling around the World. The buses are definitely doable though. You made a good call choosing to fly.

 

[sk8jdgca]

I like to rent a car. You can go off Disney property for meals, get groceries, go to the Disney Outlets. I can't stand the buses and am happy to not have got be packed like a sardine to get back to my room