How Far Do You Drive?

[Planogirl]

We've been driving from north Texas and it takes about 17 1/2 hours if we don't dawdle. We MIGHT be able to get a flight for the same price as driving for the two of us but lately flying has been routinely expensive when I price it. Plus I prefer to have a car so we'd have the expense of renting one if we flew. Hotels along the way aren't a factor since we stay at places with points.

 

[MomofKatie]

Gas for the round trip and getting around ORL for a week (1200 miles or so)- we budget $120 (40 gals @ $3/gal). That is WAY less than we could fly for- and we can pack the car full of stuff that we wouldn't be able to fit in our 2 bag maximum on a plane. Between the time NOT saved (it takes almost as long to get to the airport, checkin and security check, fly, and get to the hotel as it does to drive), the hassle of going through the security measures, and the expense of tickets, transportation to WDW from the airport, parking fees, and the inconvenience of having to rely on WDW transportation for the week- driving is a no-brainer for us.

 

[mmafan]

We are on the NY/MA border and we drive down to 2 hours north of Fl every year.. takes us about 16 hours.. WDW is about 5 hours more..so 21ish hours ( driving straight thru..only stops are for gas and bathroom).. we will spend about $450-500 for gas and tolls round trip based on current gas price ( north of the mason/dixon there are a LOT of tolls ..have change and singles..lol). Since there are 7 of us.. we are saving well more than 2K by driving...

if you want to calculate gas here's what we did when we went down to GA the first time:
http://www.fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/

we also know we get 400ish miles to the tank and it will take 3 tanks plus a touch to get there and the same to get back..so roughly 7 tanks of gas ( 19 gallon tank) so 140 gallons at $3 ish a gallon ..

what are you driving with 7 people that gets 400 miles a tank full....or are you driving like 65mph the way down

 

[auntfrannie]

Ok, I'd like to know who has driven vs flying. We use to drive to Florida for vacations when we were going to the beach. GREAT drives, always fun to see America, worth every minute. BUT...to take that into effect with a Disney trip seems absolutely crazy. Disney is about time. These boards all are about that. Cutting time in line, transportation from resort to park, TS vs CS, etc..How do you NOT take airfare into your budget when planning a trip? These trips are planned up to a year in advance. Budget airfare is very attainable. And we fly out of Syracuse which one of the WORST locations in the country to get good airfare. Anyone who lives up here always looks at Rochester, Buffalo, or Albany when planning to fly. So, I'm jw how people even look at driving vs flying when you can't reach WDW in a day? Who has done both and what's your thoughts. What am I missing?

I've done both and I prefer driving. I do many solo trips and I still prefer to drive. An hour to get to the airport, need to get there 2 hours before, 2 hours on the plane, another hour or two to get to the hotel. Add to that the airlines are the absolute worst service industry with being herded like cattle and paying extra to check luggage. No thanks. I would rather drive the 16 hours

 

[disneyfan55]

I've done both and I prefer driving. I do many solo trips and I still prefer to drive. An hour to get to the airport, need to get there 2 hours before, 2 hours on the plane, another hour or two to get to the hotel. Add to that the airlines are the absolute worst service industry with being herded like cattle and paying extra to check luggage. No thanks. I would rather drive the 16 hours

Agree 100%!!! That and the new 'enhanced' searches/xray! Plus, bringing snacks/drinks and having a car. This past trip we did (never did before) drive to the parks most days! Many crowded buses and rude people on them. The first night my daughter was holding my 2 1/2 yr. old grandson on a packed like sardines bus from MK and not one 'gentleman' offered a seat. One made me somewhat disgusted - kept staring at her and made me sick, I actually told him to stop staring at her! That being said, a car was used the rest of the days and it worked out much better. I always thought that the buses were the way to go until this trip and we have been there many, many times!

 

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

We start our 700 mile trip tomorrow morning!

(Will drive to Tallahassee tomorrow, about 450 miles. Then on Monday we will finish the other 250 miles to WDW. On the way home, we will stop in Crestview, FL for the night.)

 

[geenerbell]

We flew our first two times. We drove last month for our November trip and have to say it was great. I would do it again just for the no stress packing experience. Packing to fly these days is such a pain. We live in Western Maryland so it's about 16 hours. We drove 8hrs to Fayetteville, NC and stayed with our family. Then drove another 8 hours the next day. The worst part was when we got on I-95 the second day and the GPS said over 400 miles to our next turn on to I-4. Total trip cost about $200 for gas. I also loved having a car to find my way around the World. Also, loved the money we saved staying at Bonnet Creek ($45 a night) and eating off property.

 

[Happy Mom2]

We are 11 hours from Disney. DH hates to fly, and I love the drive. We drive 8 hours the first day, and the rest of the way the next. It's nice to get there early, and enjoy a nice relaxing day before we hit the parks. We drove straight through on the way home.

 

[larryz]

960-some miles each way.

The trip down last weekend took 16.2 hours of driving, 44 gallons of fuel, about $133 plus hotel rooms and food.

It's a road trip, something we don't often get to do, and we like it.

Besides, flying out of the Midwest in winter is a crap shoot, even more so than driving. Once you miss that connection, you're at the mercy of the airline, their passenger loads, and additional weather delays.

We're headed back north tomorrow; we've had a good visit!

 

[stargazertechie]

Disney is about time. These boards all are about that. Cutting time in line, transportation from resort to park, TS vs CS, etc..How do you NOT take airfare into your budget when planning a trip?

So, I'm jw how people even look at driving vs flying when you can't reach WDW in a day?

Who has done both and what's your thoughts. What am I missing?

We've done both. When we drive, it's because we can find cheaper off-site accommodations. Our lodging off-site this stay is only costing us $230 for 9 nights. If we flew, we'd have to get a rental car, or depend on their spotty park transportation schedules. Airfare was slightly more expensive (by 30 bucks) but we're saving close to $400 by staying off-site.

That's worth a 17 hour drive each way in my book.

When we stay on-site, however, we fly. Much quicker, more time in the parks, ease of using the DME.

 

[stargazertechie]

what are you all driving.. and how much do you fighure for gas....

The AAA website is a good one, if you know what kind of highway mileage you usually get you can also use Mapquest. Just navigate to the "original' layout, use your address for the starting point, use whatever disney resort you're staying at as the ending point, click on "get directions" and after that, you'll have an option to "calculate fuel cost".

FWIW, Mapquest and AAA come out to be approximately the same for me, but I do live in one of the major cities from the drop-down list.

 

[justakrazymom]

what are you driving with 7 people that gets 400 miles a tank full....or are you driving like 65mph the way down

We have a Kia Sedona and average about 24-26MPG on the highway ( we've done the trip as far as Savannah GA MANY times in this van so we know what we get for mileage) and that's with a cargo carrier on top..

 

[justakrazymom]

Just did the mapquest gas "thing"...came out to $348 which is what we figured..then it's about $100 for tolls and soda's...lol.. so perfect..we budgeted $450 for the drive..

 

[twoplustwins]

16 hours each way. we have four children and cannot afford plan tickets for all six of us! Plus, we like having the van and all the carseats are already installed.

 

[momto2greatkids]

We drive around 10 - 11 hours depending on how many times we stop for gas and food.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

I always drove (550 miles each way) but last December we took 4 hours to get through Atlanta.
In September I went with my sis's family including 2 yo grandson and we flew from Nashville on Southwest for $240 each. First time using DME and we loved it. I'm going next Oct and will use free flight that comes with new Southwest cc. After that, I'll decide when the time comes.

 

[catne]

we have driven many times...1200 miles each way. 24 hours on the road. We've even driven that straight through (many, many years ago when we were young & crazy. With 4 kids & grandma in the van. Really crazy)

 

[casselsshopper]

It takes us about an hour to get there.

 

[Mickey Gator]

Two hours to WDW.

 

[Tinkerbell2B]

We drive from Little Rock, AR. It is about 950 miles or around 15 hours or so. It is worth every single minute once we get there!!