How far would you drive for 1 day in the parks?

[PollyannaMom]

Not sure if this really belongs on the budget board but seeing as how I am looking for ways to cut costs, maybe? Anyhow, how far would you drive to do one day in the parks? For example, if you were living 1.5 hours away, would you drive home at the end of the day to save the $150 for even the value resorts?

I've done Six Flags as a day trip, and that's about 1.75 hours for me, so yeah, I certainly would for Disney!

 

[AnnaS]

One hour - maybe an hour and 15 minutes......

 

[ClapYourHands]

Depending on how "easy" the driving is, I'd say 2 hours is reasonable. We often do day trips that are 90-120 minutes each way depending on traffic. Six Flags is between 65-90 minutes, and I'll do that trek several times per year, but it often feels much farther. The difference is that the whole family goes to most of the outings, but DH does not do theme parks, so on Six Flags days I'm on my own driving there, back, and watching the kids all day. Although the distances might be around the same, I find I'm more worn out at the end of a day at Six Flags, particularly if traffic in Hartford is bad and I have to think about driving.

 

[wgeo]

We're 1 hour 45 mins door to TTC, we used to do day trips all the time. However never 2 days in a row. For that I would get a hotel. But just general day trips we would do around once a month back when we had annual passes.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I do a 2 hour drive just to visit Costco, so three hours to spend a day in Disney, no brainer.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I've done Six Flags as a day trip, and that's about 1.75 hours for me, so yeah, I certainly would for Disney!

2 to 2-1/2 hour drive for us to Great Adventure in Jersey; always a day trip and the driver still needs to bring the car back to the car rental spot. Totally doable sez the navigator, LOL.

 

[bigbabyblues]

From where we live, we drive at least an hour and a half for any day trip--hiking, big shopping trip, etc.

 

[1GoldenSun]

We live about an hour and a half from Orlando and do day trips all the time. We don't think anything of it. But if it were the one and only visit we were going make all year and we wanted to make a full day of it, we'd probably get a room. We don't feel that we have to do much because we know we can always come back.

 

[ten6mom]

I'm about 6 hours away (in Phoenix) and we have done a few "out and back" trips... leave around 0200, arrive at rope drop, and then leave the parks around 1600. It's exhausting but with two of us to drive it saves a lot of hotel money.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm about 6 hours away (in Phoenix) and we have done a few "out and back" trips... leave around 0200, arrive at rope drop, and then leave the parks around 1600. It's exhausting but with two of us to drive it saves a lot of hotel money.

You win!! - It sounds like an epic adventure.

 

[kathy884]

I'd go up to two hours each way, but make sure I had a rest day at home the day after.

And if budget allowed a little two night stay (come in day before - play at the pool), and stay day after (crash out in a nice bed after a full theme park day) and then have a leisurely breakfast and then drive home, while adding cost would be really nice getaway and is something I would seriously consider too. I could easily see myself doing either based on budget, mood, thoughts of other family members. Those little overnights are fun, but too many of those can really add up cost wise. An occasional one that fits in the budget can make for fabulous family memories. So can the early morning / late night day trip, though too.

The longest day trip I have ever done and I have actually done this three different times over the years is when I have a fabulous condo for vacation in Sedona, AZ (great deal for a seven night stay) and do a day trip (three hours each way mid week to visit the Grand Canyon mid week). Usually I have a car load of people and we are visiting and excited and the drive has gone surprisingly fast. I usually day before and day after plan to just stay put in Sedona, so it doesn't feel like overall there is too much driving in the vacation. And usually for the week stay I limit things to two day trips with the second being a shorter one like 40 minutes a way which is easy peasy.

 

[LovesTimone]

If you are wanting to visit the parks on say Sat. and Sun... then yes I would get a hotel room, check the hotels chains, on Hotel Blvd... as well as the ones out the back gate just off the 429.... the rates would be much more manageable...

My friend just got a pretty good deal at Double Tree Suites, on Hotel drive, for like 126.00 a night for a 1 bedroom with 2 queens and sofa pullout... which for their family of 4 worked out perfectly... They are staying there for 3 nights until they move to CSR her DH has a conference that is there... for the next 4 nights, then they booked for 1 extra night which she said is almost 400.00 dollars... she said that they are thinking about cancelling and changing back to the Double Tree, for 2 nights... which means they will have more time at the parks, and water parks...and to sit by the pool...

 

[matt101980]

Back in my young and adventurous days there was a weekend where midday Saturday I had a crazy idea of going to disney for a day on sunday. Im just outside philadelphia about a 15 hour drive. At around 5pm we drove down taking turns driving and sleeping. Got into the park around 9am sunday morning stayed till a little after 4pm and drove straight home. Got home around 7am Monday.

And I took a shower and went right to work It was a rough day. I would NEVER even consider this again. lol

 

[lovin'fl]

We'd probably drive 3 hours for a day at Disney. But we have spent a lot of time on the road in our marriage in that we live 5.5 hours drive from all our family and our 2 DDs are in college 9 hours away and we own DVC at WDW and at HHI and go often (HHI is 5.5 hours away and WDW is about 9.5). And our 2 DDs played travel ball for like 8 years and we were all over for that. If the team played in tourney within 1.5 drive, we'd drive back and forth. 3+ hour drive, we'd do the hotel for 1 night. But that was because they played on Sat AND Sun. If they just played on 1 day, we'd drive back and forth even 4 hours to save money on a hotel (in 2017 the hotel prices had gotten crazy, no longer under $100 a night and was about $150 a night so we'd forgo whenever we could since it was every weekend). Sometimes they would be eliminated early and we'd drop the hotel and drive home.

 

[seb65]

For me, it would have to be 2 hours or less. I think after a day in the parks, I'd be too tired to drive home.

 

[_19disnA]

^^^ I agree.

Disney is WAY bigger than any other local amusement park, so you will probably be tired from all of the walking and then there is the hot/humid Florida weather much of the year. I think it would make more sense to stay overnight at a local hotel somewhere near the freeway you are traveling. Those will likely be far less expensive than staying at one of the Disney hotels.

 

[tzeitel]

I do a 2 hour drive just to visit Costco, so three hours to spend a day in Disney, no brainer.

We live an hour and a half away from Costco and Target. No problem doing that, but they are indoors with A/C and nowhere near as big as a Disney park.

 

[mrodgers]

I do a 2 hour drive just to visit Costco, so three hours to spend a day in Disney, no brainer.

Ha, that's what I was thinking. I've driven, and still sometimes do, 4 hours just for dinner. My birthday this year I drove with the kids 3.5 hours for pizza for lunch.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Why not stay some where off sight that is cheaper than $150. I recently booked a Hilton for $71 not far from DS

 

[Chickinvic]

Not sure if this really belongs on the budget board but seeing as how I am looking for ways to cut costs, maybe? Anyhow, how far would you drive to do one day in the parks? For example, if you were living 1.5 hours away, would you drive home at the end of the day to save the $150 for even the value resorts?

I would do this if I lived that close. Probably up to 2.5 hours drive each way and I'd consider it.