Flying Vs. Driving

[2DisPrincesses]

We have both driven and flown from mid-Michigan. We are driving again next month! We just couldn't justify the cost of flying this time. My duh HAS to have a vehicle (he hates relying solely on Disney transportation), so that is an added cost for us if we fly.

When we drive, we drive straight through and leave a day earlier than we would if we flew, so we're not losing any days off of our vacation. On arrival day, we are tired, but we swim, shop, etc...the sme things we would do if we flew in. By the next day, we are ready to go!

 

[pepe of ohio]

We have driven back in the late 70's and early 80's, I've flown twice *never again...won't even consider it again) back to the car and driving then discovered Amtrak.....we also discovered that a car was not necessary in WDW and it just sat in the resort parking lot so Amtrak became our mode of travel....

We're in northeastern Ohio, about 45 minutes from the train station, get picked up at 2 am...train to DC, switch trains and onto Kissimmee and WDW...car service picks us up, 30 minute grocery stop..and we're good to go...No security checks, scanners, no luggage fees, and best of all, the train keeps moving while you sleep, unlike a car....

Yes, it's longer than driving but there's not gas involved, no motel, not worrying about a breakdown, getting lost, or if the driver is getting sleepy or driving at night.....sitting back in a climate controlled enviroment, recling seats with tons of room (unlike an airplane)...we pack a lunch, snacks and drinks.....listen to Ipods, watch DVD movies, read or just watch the countryside roll past....feel like getting up and strolling to the club car or dining car or hey, have to use the restroom...very easy on the train....

Prices are cheaper than driving with a overnight stop....for the wife and I, round trip, coach= $450.00...that's $250.00 each R/T....for all the above, and me never to enter a plane again, train is the ticket over driving...

 

[TabithaCaine]

I must apologize for putting this thread on the wrong board - I somehow missed that there was a Transportation board on the DIS. Sorry about that!

I'm wondering if the Southwest credit card would possibly save us some money (not that we need another credit card). Although the annual fee sucks - I really hate cards that charge those. I guess we'd have to determine how many points we'd be getting for signing up and if it would really be a savings. Looking at flying out of either Chicago or Indianapolis, and even playing with our dates by a day or two, it seems that the lowest SW fares available are $155 per person.

 

[MolonLabe]

Thanks, Jaw. We're currently in northern IN, originally from southern MI. It looks like if we did fly it would be cheapest to go out of Chicago (Midway). I can see definite advantages to flying - it will just take me a while to wrap my mind around the logistics. We're not frequent fliers by any means - my oldest son took one trip by plane with us five years ago, and the little guy has never flown before.

sounds like we are neighbors.

Flying post 9-11 is a pain. At midway you need 1.5 hours prior to take off and 2 for O' hare. Coming from Indiana you need at least 75 minutes for the drive to mdw and a solid two for O'Hare.

Then flight time and then an hour to get your luggage and take the bus to your resort.

Best case, 9 hours by plane vs 19 hours by car. Not to mention subjecting your children to a potential tsa child molester groping your little ones. It's just not worth it IMO.

We will continue to drive. Plus I allow an extra two days to drive to the gulf and hit the beach while in Florida,. not to mention the rental car savings.

Here is what I do. I start driving the day I get of work. I drive from 5pm to midnight and get a super 8. Wake at 7amish and get into Orlando at 4-5pm. Stay off property for the night and get a full nights rest before checking in for a full day of fun on day one.

Some trips I feel fine and drive till 3am, take a two hour cat nap in the acadia and then finish the drive.


Excuse formatting sent from my phone.


Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

I attached the fly vs. drive calculator which can help you cost wise. I fly when I go solo but when the kids or all 4 of us go, it's not cost effective so we drive. I'm only 8 hours away though which puts it up to 9 hours with breaks.

If you do decide to fly, I think I would look into getting QSDP for the 4 of you so you don't have to worry about groceries. You could even do one suitcase with breakfast type foods or easy snacks and you'd have that empty for your trip home for souveniers.

Good luck!

 

[TabithaCaine]

Thanks for that fly-or-drive calculator - it was pretty cool! I think the airfare numbers I was plugging in were a little off (probably I wasn't including tax), so it made it look like flying would be slightly cheaper than driving - and I know that's not the case. But even with adjustments, it looks like driving would maybe be a $300 savings for us. Not an insignificant amount to be sure, but possibly worth it for the convenience/ time saving/ wear-and-tear on the car saving...

 

[tarin24u]

WDW is an exhausting vacation - I can't imagine needing to drive home when we are done.

This is why my DH will not drive. I would love to drive down - take our time and stop in NC - but driving home after a week in Disney does not sound like fun. He would sell the car in Orlando and buy plane tickets Flying is not bad at all. I have no problems with the airport security - post 911 we in the northeast are used to it - and we have been really lucky flying Continental and Jetblue. We do rent a car but I know people like Magical Express, too. Flying/driving is a really hard decision for some and a no-brainer for others. Either way, get there safely and have fun!

 

[glocon]

Our family is not a fan of flying-we're all big chickens. We do the drive from Nashville. It's about 12 hours I think. We leave at about 3am and drive as far as Ocala. Stay at a hotel, swim, strech, go to sleep early. Get up early- about 7, have a quick breakfast and on to Disney. It's about an hour drive from there, so we are there well before noon and have the whole day to enjoy.
Yes coming home seems much longer than getting there, and traffic in Atlanta is a bear (sorry) but we're home before midnight even with rest stops to stretch and eat.
We just factor in the two days of driving. I will usually get a new movie to watch, and/or a new video game for kids, keep snacks in the car, and we are good to go.
But Nashville is quite a bit closer, so that would make a difference.

 

[francie57]

For us there is no choice but to fly. Don't want to waste the vacation time just getting there. We will probably start driving once we are retired and a timeframe doesn't matter any longer. Don't forget, when checking the driving vs. flying calculator the price listed for airfare now includes all fees and taxes so it won't be any higher because of that. By June the price of gas will be more than it is now so that will add to the cost, not to mention the wear and tear on your vehicle so that current $300 difference will be less. For us the extra time at Disney is worth that.

 

[LeahA]

We have driven from Illinois 13 years in a row. We are used to the ride, my kids are good in the car, you can bring so much more with you. We LOVE Disney and the only way we can afford to go every year is to drive!!!

 

[lissawynn]

We have driven from northeastern PA three times and were planning on driving this summer, too. On Saturday DH agreed to fly! I am not a fan of flying, but we have added a full park day to our trip. Also, DH has saved an additional two vacation days because we decided to fly. I was very concerned about the cost of gas this summer, and even though we have a very comfortable vehicle, it's a gas guzzler. Since we are flying Southwest, we can take a suitcase with some breakfast items and will probably order water and drinks to be delivered.

 

[Micca]

We'll be flying until we retire, then we're driving (unless we are taking children).

 

[tinkermommyof3]

We always fly and we love to fly. It is so nice to get to MCO in a few hours. Magical Express has always been efficient for us. Prior to ME, we had to use other forms of transportation to resorts. Really love ME.

 

[Tara]

http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

I attached the fly vs. drive calculator which can help you cost wise. I fly when I go solo but when the kids or all 4 of us go, it's not cost effective so we drive. I'm only 8 hours away though which puts it up to 9 hours with breaks.

There's something seriously odd about that calculator. I put in $350pp for airfare, $6/day for airport parking.

It returns a total cost for flying that is broken down including the following:
Cost for 2 Travelers:
Total Ticket Cost: $548.78 Shouldn't that be $700??? Why ask me what my airfare is if it isn't going to use that?
Total Baggage Fees: $0.00 Ok, this is right - flying Southwest
Total Car Rental Cost: $280.00 Trip is 8 days, put in $40/day for rental, should be $320
ALB Transportation Cost: $2.60
ALB Parking Cost: $120.00 What the heck? $6 x 8 days = $48
MCO Transportation Cost: $0.00

 

[henry72]

So please help me work through the advantages/ disadvantages for flying. Is there a fee for Magical Express? Is it timely/ convenient? How long will it take for them to get us to/from the airport to Pop Century? The resort will hold our luggage before/ after check-in if necessary, right? If we drive, we were going to bring a cooler with drinks and breakfast food for the room - which isn't going to happen if we fly. I know lots of people like doing the grocery delivery, but that sounds like a bit of a hassle. I wasn't planning on doing the dining plan (if we did it would only be Quick Service), but maybe if we fly (and aren't planning on a rental car) I should consider it?

Any opinions and suggestions would be appreciated!

I do not like driving long distances in the car. That is not how I want to spend my vacation. It is a 19 hour trip if we drive (without stopping) but the flight is a direct 2 1/2 hour flight. Yes we do have to get to the airport 1 1/2 hours before the flight but I feel my time is worth more enjoying my vacation rather than sitting in the car with the kids.

I have had no problems flying with our kids. The first time DS was 19 months and the next time he was 4 and DD was 21 months.

Magical Express is free. Within in an hour to an hour and half after landing you should be at your resort. The best thing is that they get your bags for you and deliver them right to your room while you are off having fun at the parks.

I have not bought groceries from any of the delivery sights. We have always packed snacks and breakfast food in our checked luggage. The space freed up is then used for souvenirs to come back with us.

Personally, the dining plan is not worth it for us. We have gotten it the past two times since it was free. I don't want that many sit down meals. We have 3 planned for our 6 day visits this coming May. With the kids (this time 4 and 7) sharing meals and us bringing snacks, I think paying out of pocket would be best for us.

 

[punn]

we are from western pa and drove our first couple trips but i finally got hubby on a plane a few years ago and we will never go back to driving. i agree with everyone that Disney is exhausting and driving home is the worst. All of us hate flying but the thought of driving 18+ hours is worse. Normally we drive the hour to Pgh airport but this year we got lucky, Latrobe airport (literally 5 mins from our house) started offering flights to Orlando on Spirit. We got tickets for 132.00 a person round trip and don't have to pay for parking. Yes you pay for bags but if you watch what you pack its still a huge savings.

 

[MolonLabe]

we are from western pa and drove our first couple trips but i finally got hubby on a plane a few years ago and we will never go back to driving. i agree with everyone that Disney is exhausting and driving home is the worst. All of us hate flying but the thought of driving 18+ hours is worse. Normally we drive the hour to Pgh airport but this year we got lucky, Latrobe airport (literally 5 mins from our house) started offering flights to Orlando on Spirit. We got tickets for 132.00 a person round trip and don't have to pay for parking. Yes you pay for bags but if you watch what you pack its still a huge savings.

You can do better going from Pittsurgh to WDW. I made the trip from PGH to JAX at least 10 round trips, 12 hours tops. 2.5 hours all day long from Jax to the MK parking lot. (FLA native and parents who lived in the north hills).

From Latrobe you save an hour compared to me coming form the north hills of PGH.

You can make that trip in one day. Leave at 5am and be in Orlando by 8pm worst case. Stay off site your first night and you're ready to go the next morning.

As much as I hate post 9-11 air travel, even I would be tempted to fly at $132 round trip. Still you roll the dice as to weather or not some perv with TSA is going to stick their hands down your kids pants. No way I could stand by and watch that happen.... and that's the main reason why I won't fly with my children.

I can see how a dad might take the odds and hope it doesn't happen, what I can't see is how any father would allow some random stranger in an airport to put their hands all over their child.

 

[klmrph]

I must apologize for putting this thread on the wrong board - I somehow missed that there was a Transportation board on the DIS. Sorry about that!

I'm wondering if the Southwest credit card would possibly save us some money (not that we need another credit card). Although the annual fee sucks - I really hate cards that charge those. I guess we'd have to determine how many points we'd be getting for signing up and if it would really be a savings. Looking at flying out of either Chicago or Indianapolis, and even playing with our dates by a day or two, it seems that the lowest SW fares available are $155 per person.

$155 is each way, did you realize that?

 

[punn]

We have driven it 3 times and have always gone 79 to 77. Drive time is a little over 15 hours but with kiddos you need to think about all the stops that is where i got 18+ hours. In my opinion its not worth being completely exhausted when we get there or on the drive home. We have also flown the last 3 times and never had a problem with security. I think if any of that would happen i would be bailing my husband out of jail. Latrobe is a tiny airport and i've never heard of a security nightmare story out of it. Sorry if you have been thru something bad at an airport but they have the security in place for a reason.

 

[kathie859]

This is an easy call for me. Less time on the highway equals more time at Disney

We've driven and flown (flying next month) and I am infinitely more relaxed flying and using ME. Even DH who used to be a serious white knuckly flyer prefers flying to driving We're lucky since the airport is literally just over a hill away--about 3-4 miles and it's easy to get someone to drop us off and pick us up. I fly Delta almost exclusively and my bags are free. When the children were still at home, we drove because it WAS cheaper but with gas prices as they are and time being a precious commodity, flying is the way we prefer to go.