Flying vs Driving With Kids

[conniehar90]

It may not be in the budget but I vote fly and rent a car. Our kids are not good travelers so I would never consider driving with them. That said, we also have to have control of our own destiny by having a car. We have tried Disney transport before and it honestly added stress to our vacation because we had to wait for a bus many times. It may be the same timing but we prefer to walk/tram to the car and go when we want.

If you monitor the Transportation board, you can usually get some good tips for garnering a good rental car rate.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'd do the math on total door to door travel time each way from your house to the resort.

If you fly, there is travel to the airport, clearance time, flying time, retrieval of bags, ME to resort. Depending on departure time, you may need to drive to Dallas the night before and get a hotel.

If you drive, you have X number of hours in the car, plus almost certainly an overnight stay along the way.

In the end, what is the net difference in time?
What is the net difference in cost?
What is the net difference in convenience?

Answer those and you'll have your decision

Driving is part of the vacation. You're not losing "vacation time" as long as you're not at work

Sure, if you fly you could potentially get 2 more days in the parks. OTOH, you have to pay for 2 more days. And if that's not in the budget? Kind of a moot point.

Actually you are using vacation time when you're not at work. Vacation hours are what they deduct from your bank of vacation hours any time you're not at work. How do you choose to spend those hours?


With ME, you don't have to retrieve your bags at the airport. They magically appear in your room. All you have to do is walk off the plane and hop on the ME bus. Very easy and stress-free.

Whether or not someone would add 2 more days of parks by flying isn't the point. The point is you could if you wanted to, thus having a longer vacation but if it's not in the budget, then it's a shorter trip therefore fewer vacation hours coming out of the "bank" at work. Or you could just relax at the resort without having to buy park tickets for those other 2 days. It's nice to have time to relax and just enjoy.


If you compare 2 families spending 7 nts in WDW, Saturday to Saturday, the flier will only use 5 work days off & can still spend both Saturdays in the parks. Potentially 8 park days, and still have the next day at home after to unwind/unpack before returning to work on Monday.

To arrive in WDW that same Saturday morning, when would a 22-hour driver have to leave home? Late Thursday night? Friday morning? That's if you're lucky and when you get there you'll be exhausted.

Then when would the driver get home after spending the next Saturday in the parks and say leave for home around 4pm? They would get home late Sunday night, again exhausted & probably needing to take the next day off. Maybe even the wee hours of Monday morning if you stopped at a hotel to sleep.

So yes, you could spend the same # of days in the parks but the driver will use a minimum of 7 days off work vs. 5 for the flier, for the same amount of time spent in WDW. 4 of those days spent will be exhausted from driving.
I don't know about you but I can think of a million other ways I'd rather use 2 vacation days from work. I get 5 weeks off per year but it's still precious time.

People with a 10-12 hour drive may find it harder to justify flying. It might be a long day of driving but it wouldn't cut into sleep time.


Yes, everyone needs to eat 3 meals per day while on vacation, starting with the time you pull out of your driveway. I'd rather have 1 meal at the airport gate, killing time that we have to be waiting anyway, and then have the next 5 meals at WL, MK, watching fireworks, etc than spending those same 6 meals at various rest stops, taking more time from driving, or trying to juggle a bag of fries while driving. Oh wait, you could pack lots of food ahead of time & have 3 out 6 meals be soggy sandwiches from a cooler that was packed the day before.

I suppose some would call this fun. I'd still rather spend extra for WDW meals than eat in the car.

This can be argued for eternity but it all comes down to what each family's preferences are and how they choose to spend vacation time.
If you have more time than money, drive. If time is precious to you, fly.

I would say to anyone, try it both ways and do what works for you.

 

[SweetMissy]

Let me preface my response by saying that my DH and I are crazy, and how we do things isn't for everyone! We drive through the night. Our daughter sleeps while we drive, which cuts down on bathroom breaks (because, let's be honest, the kids take most of the bathroom breaks!). We take driving in shifts, typically start after sundown, pack a cooler with snacks and bottled water; it works out well for us. We play to our strengths: I'm a night owl, and my husband is an early riser, so he takes first shift from 6-11, I go from 11-4, he does 4-7, we break for coffee/food/stretching, and I drive from 8 to lunch (typically 1pm). This way both of us get some rest, an entire day isn't wasted with travel, and we beat the traffic when traveling through major cities. For us, I'd rather spend that extra $250-400 bucks elsewhere and tough it out driving. But like I said, what we do isn't for everyone, and it took us awhile to figure out a system that worked for us (when we were first married, DH wouldn't let me drive on long trips, said he "couldn't sleep in the car and didn't mind driving". He got over that pretty quickly, lol).

Where are you driving from? We're from NY and have done the drive every other year and even though this is our year to fly, we're most likely driving again due to cost of flying. We usually stop at a cheap hotel there and back but I would rather drive straight through.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Actually you are using vacation time when you're not at work. Vacation hours are what they deduct from your bank of vacation hours any time you're not at work. How do you choose to spend those hours?

Any number of ways - I may spend some of my vacation time doing absolutely nothing at my home. But, for us as a family, being in our car driving someplace new and/or fun, the vacation starts when we leave the driveway. For me personally, it starts when I pull out of the parking lot at work When we are on a destination-type vacation, that doesn't mean we don't also enjoy all that the states "in between" have to offer

With ME, you don't have to retrieve your bags at the airport. They magically appear in your room. All you have to do is walk off the plane and hop on the ME bus. Very easy and stress-free.

Fair enough, but I also left out lag time. I assume if you're the first off the plane and jump on that bus, the bus doesn't pull out within seconds. There is time used in that step.

Whether or not someone would add 2 more days of parks by flying isn't the point. The point is you could if you wanted to, thus having a longer vacation but if it's not in the budget, then it's a shorter trip therefore fewer vacation hours coming out of the "bank" at work. Or you could just relax at the resort without having to buy park tickets for those other 2 days. It's nice to have time to relax and just enjoy.

Park tickets for "extra days" are much cheaper than the resort stay for that time, so we'll forget that one from a budgetary POV. As for the vacation time, well that depends on how long you plan to stay at Disney. If you want 7+ nights, then yes you do have to take more time off work (assuming you're not in a profession that has Summers off, like my wife). If you're only planning to be there 6 or fewer nights, you can accomplish that whether flying or driving with exactly the same amount of vacation time.

If you compare 2 families spending 7 nts in WDW, Saturday to Saturday, the flier will only use 5 work days off & can still spend both Saturdays in the parks. Potentially 8 park days, and still have the next day at home after to unwind/unpack before returning to work on Monday.

To arrive in WDW that same Saturday morning, when would a 22-hour driver have to leave home? Late Thursday night? Friday morning? That's if you're lucky and when you get there you'll be exhausted.

In OP's case, there's no real way to be in the park Saturday morning. OP has a 3-hour drive just to get TO the airport. He may very well have to spend Friday night in Dallas in order to take a Saturday morning flight, or leave home at an insanely early hour that would make Saturday pretty much a waste anyway.

Then when would the driver get home after spending the next Saturday in the parks and say leave for home around 4pm? They would get home late Sunday night, again exhausted & probably needing to take the next day off. Maybe even the wee hours of Monday morning if you stopped at a hotel to sleep.

I have zero problem getting home late Sunday and being at work Monday. I wouldn't be any less exhausted if I flew home Sunday than if I drove home Sunday either.

So yes, you could spend the same # of days in the parks but the driver will use a minimum of 7 days off work vs. 5 for the flier, for the same amount of time spent in WDW. 4 of those days spent will be exhausted from driving.
I don't know about you but I can think of a million other ways I'd rather use 2 vacation days from work. I get 5 weeks off per year but it's still precious time.

Shoot, I get 3 weeks, 1 of which is set aside for Christmas week whether I want it or not. And I still drive EVERYWHERE we go. Speaking for me (since you asked), time with my family is precious whether in the car "to somewhere" or if we're already "somewhere".

People with a 10-12 hour drive may find it harder to justify flying. It might be a long day of driving but it wouldn't cut into sleep time.

There is no amount of money you could pay me to fly anywhere within a 10-hour drive. At best, I'd break even. I've had far too many of what would have been 4-8 hour drives turn into 8-16 hour "flights" in my day due to the inevitable delays. Blech!

Yes, everyone needs to eat 3 meals per day while on vacation, starting with the time you pull out of your driveway. I'd rather have 1 meal at the airport gate, killing time that we have to be waiting anyway, and then have the next 5 meals at WL, MK, watching fireworks, etc than spending those same 6 meals at various rest stops, taking more time from driving, or trying to juggle a bag of fries while driving. Oh wait, you could pack lots of food ahead of time & have 3 out 6 meals be soggy sandwiches from a cooler that was packed the day before.

I suppose some would call this fun. I'd still rather spend extra for WDW meals than eat in the car.

We always seek out interesting places to eat along our route. Sure, there's the occasional sub sandwich (we've long ago figured out how to keep them dry), but we have nice sit-down meals as well. Even fast food places we don't have at home (like Zaxby's) are a bit of a treat on vacation

This can be argued for eternity but it all comes down to what each family's preferences are and how they choose to spend vacation time.
If you have more time than money, drive. If time is precious to you, fly.

I would say to anyone, try it both ways and do what works for you.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Any number of ways - I may spend some of my vacation time doing absolutely nothing at my home. But, for us as a family, being in our car driving someplace new and/or fun, the vacation starts when we leave the driveway. For me personally, it starts when I pull out of the parking lot at work When we are on a destination-type vacation, that doesn't mean we don't also enjoy all that the states "in between" have to offer




Fair enough, but I also left out lag time. I assume if you're the first off the plane and jump on that bus, the bus doesn't pull out within seconds. There is time used in that step.

True, but it's about equivalent to stopping for lunch and a bathroom break, which a driver will do many, many times over each way.


Park tickets for "extra days" are much cheaper than the resort stay for that time, so we'll forget that one from a budgetary POV. As for the vacation time, well that depends on how long you plan to stay at Disney. If you want 7+ nights, then yes you do have to take more time off work (assuming you're not in a profession that has Summers off, like my wife). If you're only planning to be there 6 or fewer nights, you can accomplish that whether flying or driving with exactly the same amount of vacation time.

This explains a lot.


In OP's case, there's no real way to be in the park Saturday morning. OP has a 3-hour drive just to get TO the airport. He may very well have to spend Friday night in Dallas in order to take a Saturday morning flight, or leave home at an insanely early hour that would make Saturday pretty much a waste anyway.
This is where the time spent being able to fly will really vary depending on where you live. Philly International is around 1/2 hr drive for us, AC about 45 mins. Getting to an airport doesn't take long but still the more stressful part of travel for me. If I could take a helicopter from my driveway to PHL, I would.

I have zero problem getting home late Sunday and being at work Monday. I wouldn't be any less exhausted if I flew home Sunday than if I drove home Sunday either.
My dh could easily get home late at night and go to work the next day. He neither unpacks nor does all the post-vacation laundry. In fact, vacations are a breeze for him.
you must not have a long drive then if you could leave WDW on a Sunday then be at work Monday.


Shoot, I get 3 weeks, 1 of which is set aside for Christmas week whether I want it or not. And I still drive EVERYWHERE we go. Speaking for me (since you asked), time with my family is precious whether in the car "to somewhere" or if we're already "somewhere".



There is no amount of money you could pay me to fly anywhere within a 10-hour drive. At best, I'd break even. I've had far too many of what would have been 4-8 hour drives turn into 8-16 hour "flights" in my day due to the inevitable delays. Blech!

Our max drive would 6-8 hrs. For us what should be a 6 hr drive, let's say to Williamsburg, easily turns into an 8+ hour drive due to traffic, construction, etc. No method of travel is without delays but in the 30+ vacations we've taken by air, only around 3 stand out as having more than a 30 min. delay. Maybe we're just lucky. OTOH, every time we drive, it's a PITA. By the time we hit VA, I remind dh that if we were flying to FL, we would have been there already.



We always seek out interesting places to eat along our route. Sure, there's the occasional sub sandwich (we've long ago figured out how to keep them dry), but we have nice sit-down meals as well. Even fast food places we don't have at home (like Zaxby's) are a bit of a treat on vacation

Still, having a leisurely table service meal will only add to your total travel time. Something a flyer doesn't have to deal with.

 

[dvczerfs]

I see your from jersey, your better off flying. (im just kidding) (my wife is from jersey and its a looooong joke with us)

 

[LaurenPlock]

Where are you driving from? We're from NY and have done the drive every other year and even though this is our year to fly, we're most likely driving again due to cost of flying. We usually stop at a cheap hotel there and back but I would rather drive straight through.

In years past, we've driven from Michigan, but this year we moved and are driving from Iowa. It's going to be a bit longer than before, but we're using the same strategy.

 

[LaurenPlock]

This is almost exactly out method too (from Michigan). Works well for us for now!

That's hilarious, we're from Michigan too! Must be that crazy, tough, Michigan blood.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm from NJ and we drove in 2003, 2009 and 2011. We flew in 2008.

I prefer to fly. I don't mind driving to Disney if I'm not actually driving....but the drive back is horrendous.

My XH preferred to drive. And he drove the whole way. I may have driven an 1-2 hours midway to give him a break but that was my limit. Straight highway bores me and puts me to sleep. There were a few times that I didn't drive at all. He drove all 14-16 hours.

My SO and I are planning a trip with the kids for 2015 and he has always wanted to do a road trip. It's on his bucket list. But he said I have to help him drive. Driving has been voided and we are flying.

Flying will be great because we are 20 minutes from Philly airport and like a 6-8 am flight. We are in MK by 12 pm.

 

[megrod74]

It probably is a Jersey thing - we are not known for our patience I am kind of envious of all these long distance driving fans.

I currently live in NJ and we have 5 people so we thought about driving but my DH caved and we bought plane tix for our next trip. However I think we must be high maintenance people, all 5 of us. Our kids do not travel well in the car - I could have written that previous post about kids asking for stuff every 10 minutes. Plus I get carsick, plus we can't hear the kids in the back row of the minivan so there isn't any awesome bonding conversation happening, just shouting. My 8 year old has a bladder the size of a thimble. Add in the fact that I can't really sleep in the car and that without 8 hrs of sleep I am a Cranky Mama, and it just doesn't sound like a good time will be had by any.

My DH and I used to live in TX and drove to WDW once, before kids. I had to collapse the back of the SUV to make a bed in order to sleep while he drove. Like I said, high maintenance.
Also, the route taken (TX to FL vs. NJ to FL) makes a difference. It once took me 14 hours of drive time *by myself with 3 kids under 6* to get from NJ to NC. PURE TORTURE

 

[disneynewbee]

I don't like driving to Disney with 4 kids in the car but I prefer it to flying. We have gone 4 times and have flown once and driven 3 times. The school now only allows 5 days for preplanned trips so we may fly next time so we can have more time in the parks. I prefer driving because with kids you tend to need a lot of stuff and I can fill the car up with every what if item possible. My kids are getting a little older now so less stuff is needed, a good time I guess to try flying again. In the past we always drove because my husband is a getting there is half the fun kind of guy. I finally got him to fly thinking I would love it since it saved time and I just really didn't. Hoping I enjoy it more next time.

 

[wallskm]

We just drove to Miami for a DCL cruise from NW Alabama (14 hour drive that we split into 2 days)...while it wasn't terrible I found that I much prefer flying if possible. For the cruise logistically it was just easier to drive than work out transportation to/from airports to hotels to port of Miami and dealing with car seats along the way. We have a credit card that we use for EVERYTHING that gets us airline points...for last year's WDW trip we paid $30 for our plane tickets and this year we got them for free with points left over. Makes the decision pretty easy for us!

 

[kam1011]

We always drive now. It saves us a ton of money (6 plane tix!) and we have the freedom to come and go as we wish. Ultimately, it was a delayed plane that put me over the edge several years ago. Also, I couldn't rely on Disney transportation and still consider the trip a "vacation" so we would absolutely rent a van when we got down there which is hundreds more again, plus carseat lugging, etc. We may fly again someday when carseats are long behind us if we get a massive deal. For now, with little ones, I prefer the flexibility.

 

[timwhackymouse]

I think this really depends on your condition. I have a family of 5 and live in Houston, so it takes us ~16 hours one way. We usually make one stop at the half way point, Mobile and stay the night. I prefer to fly but with tickets costing around $350 a person we save much more with driving. That way no parking fees at airport, baggage fees and no need to rent a car when we get to WDW. With the savings of just driving alone we can afford to take another vacation. Time is money but sometimes money is time, extra time for another vacation that is.

 

[monorailsilver]

For me it would depend on the price of the flight.

We flew to Disney last August for about $1500 for the 5 of us. I added the extra leg room seats for the return so that increased the cost but it was well worth it at MCO when the line for security was really long! We got to bypass it.

On the flip side, we went to my sisters in April. April for us is $$$$ flights. I'd say $500-$600 rt to Ft. Myers and then we would have to rent a van/SUV that would fit us 5 plus my mother and maybe my sister and her dh every so often. So that alone is $3500-$4500 just for a flight and car rental. Don't forget airport parking at my home airport which would add at least $150.

So we drove last April (she just moved there about 18 months ago). We drive from CT..both ways...long boring states with just trees...both ways...

I would do it again if I had to, obviously to save money but when we go to Disney we typically go in August and our dates are flexible so I can pick that cheaper flight.

This April we are trying the autotrain both ways. Yes we still have to drive. 5 hrs to DC and about 4 hours in FL to my sisters but that is better then 2 long days.

What I did was made a trip tik for each kid. I figured if I only had one they would fight over it.

I found a great scavenger hunt online-it had things I would never think to out in there....a drunk driver, a passenger kissing a driver...ok so I took those kinds if things off my kids lists, but there was one that said 6 motorcycles in a row or something like that. They used it every so often.

They watched movies which we wouldn't let them do right off the bat. They each had their own screen/movie-a lap top and 2 portable DVD players. They had some homework, and they had their iPods/pad. It was Easter just prior so I got them some game type books to do for the car. They each had their own bucket of fun.

So while you can do it, look to see how much the flight is. If flights are really pricey then I would just drive.

 

[cheryllarsen]

I would say depend on the age of your kids! My two year old hates being in a carseat and we would probably end up cancelling our vacation a couple of hours into the drive. :0

 

[cheryllarsen]

We are lucky enough to live 30 mnutes from Disney. I have used the buses there for transportation between resorts and park and it does take FOREVER! Less time in the parks and more time waiting on buses. So there are pros and cons.....

 

[eliz603]

It all just depends.

We live in NC, and it's a 10 hour drive. Not that bad. I grew up spending a week at Ormond Beach, FL, most years. We would leave around midnight, drive through the night, hit Savannah/Brunswick for breakfast, then mosey on down the coast. It's been more than 15 years since I have done this, though!

Now as an adult, we have always flown. We can get a direct flight to MCO if we drive a bit more than an hour to a different airport, and the flight is less than 90 minutes. However, now that we need 5 tickets, it's getting to be more than we want to pay.

Last year, we flew when DS2 was 16 months old. DH jokes that he himself is still scarred from this experience. We were Those People coming and going. Bless those sweet and understanding people on the plane who recognized that we were doing everything in our power to quiet a child who just didn't want to be cooped up at all. Coming back was worse because he had the same problem on DME, and the bus driver kept making fun of us, which really didn't set well with this frustrated mama. I gave DS a cookie to get him quiet, and he just slobbered it all over my DH's new polo shirt. Even though I got it clean, DH didn't want to wear it because he just kept remembering our frustration.

Soooooo..... We are driving this year. DS2 used to be a horrible car rider, but he has certainly improved over the past 6 months. We are spreading our drive down into two days to help reduce stress. We're driving to Jacksonville, spending the night, then getting up the next morning and driving to St. Augustine. After a few hours there, we'll head to AoA for our first night and let the kiddos play in the pool. The next morning, we'll hit the parks and switch to OKW for the remainder of our trip. Our return plan is to drive back in one day, hoping that the kids (well, DS2) is tired enough to just sleep most of the time!

 

[princess jackie]

I never driven to WDW as an adult with kids of my own. I hated it as a kid and could never figure out why my cousins got to fly when we couldn't. I would rather fly and save the time. It takes us about 22 hours to drive. But with the cost of 5 plane tickets it is way cheaper to drive! We don't have a trip planned for this year but we are weighing out the options for next year.

 

[balcerfamily]

We just returned from two weeks at WDW. We drove from Houston to New Orleans, stayed overnight there, then drove to Panama City Beach and stayed the night, then onward to WDW. On the way back we just drove straight through. It took about 15ish hours.

We drive a Prius V so gasoline for the entire trip was maybe $160. We obtained lodging from Hotwire and ended up in a Hilton and a La Quinta for $200. The travel expenses were a total of $360......There is no way I could find flights for 4 for that!!

All that being said...the convenience of flying is soooo appealing! I would love to be there in just a matter of hours and not have to have extra days capping our vacation for travel. If only I could convince my husband!