Long distance to WDW-do you drive or fly-why?

[Simba's Mom]

Our last flight was an absolute horror. We can't get to WDW without changing planes, and due to delays/cancellations/etc. we ended up overnight in a hotel without clothes and swore we'd never fly again. And now DH has retired, so we've got more available time for trips. He just drove about the same distance as WDW and thinks that driving might be the way to go. Since I didn't accompany him on this last driving trip, I'm not so sure what to do. So how is driving such a long trip? After driving for two days, does it take a couple days to recover and "work the kinks out" once you get to WDW? Which would you do? Why?
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[Alesia]

We drove 15 hours last year. It was fine, but I wouldn't consider driving any longer than that. I'd much rather fly.

When flying, always pack a full days worth of clothes (and anything else you'll need) in your carry on.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would never drive 2 days to WDW. I drove once back in 1977 and once was enough even at age 21.

The problems you had were way out of the norm and rarely happen. But if you never want to have that happen again then drive.

 

[mkla2015]

Flying is just so much easier for us with 2 little ones. The drive to Disney for us is 16hrs minimum... we can fly there in 2.5hrs- everyone arrives happy and ready to go. We do lots of road trips (to visit family out of state) so we're used to being in the car for 8hrs at a time but it's very exhausting. Not to mention adding 2 days driving both ways- that's an extra 4 days of vacation time wasted.

 

[Kidanifan08]

We fly from IND. We could get there by car in 15-16 hours, but we hate to waste two vacation days driving. We both still work fulltime. As long as SWA has reasonable non-stop flights to MCO, we will keep flying. It would be nice if WDW would start sending DME to SFB so we could have the option of flying Allegiant. None of the other carriers out of IND have direct flights to MCO.

 

[North of Mouse]

Our last flight was an absolute horror. We can't get to WDW without changing planes, and due to delays/cancellations/etc. we ended up overnight in a hotel without clothes and swore we'd never fly again. And now DH has retired, so we've got more available time for trips. He just drove about the same distance as WDW and thinks that driving might be the way to go. Since I didn't accompany him on this last driving trip, I'm not so sure what to do. So how is driving such a long trip? After driving for two days, does it take a couple days to recover and "work the kinks out" once you get to WDW? Which would you do? Why?
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I really really 'hate' flying, and the mishaps the last year or so have not helped. We now live 630 miles from Disney and take two days. Like you, we are now retired, so there's no reason we can't drive. I see you live in TX. We also always drove when driving from south LA. Just take your time, stop often, and make the trip as nice as the destination - that's what we do, and don't get tired out.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We average 3-5 trips a year to WDW from Chicago (about 1,200 miles each way) and we usually drive. DH and I take turns driving and we drive straight through. We're a family of 6 and we drive for the cost savings (gas is usually about $250-$500 total). We're tired when we get there but after a good night's sleep, we're good to go.

 

[disney world dreamer]

i've done both a number of times.

i live in the buffalo new york area so it takes a couple days to drive and longer if we stop to do other things. (last july we went to the lost sea, ruby falls, rock city, and the incline railway on the way down and silver springs and myrtle beach on the way back)
also when we drive we do other things in the central florida area as we have a car and the freedom to do so. (last july we went to seaworld, universal studios, homosassa springs, and weeki wachee springs in addition to disney world).

personally i enjoy driving for the fact that i have more room and can move in my seat plus if we have to go to the bathroom or we are hungry or just need to stretch we can just stop somewhere.

i am not a fan of flying but the one thing i do like about flying is that instead of 2.5 days it takes 2.5hrs so you can hop right into the disney fun and then you can get home to relax just as fast.

i think driving is great when you have more time to vacation and flying is great when you don't have much time.

either way i don't feel like i need time to "recover" before i jump into the magic.

 

[bluezy]

We live about 1,000 miles away from Disney and we always drive. My husband hates to fly -- he'll do it for business but I would never ask him to do it for a personal vacation as I know he gets very stressed about it. We don't mind the drive at all -- and we've done the drive with anywhere between 2 and 5 children at ages ranging from 4-27. Our kids are all really good travelers so we've never had any issues with driving. We're fortunate that I don't work outside the home and my husband has 28 days of vacation that he has to take each year, so adding the extra 2 days for driving isn't an issue for us (though I realize it is an issue for many people). We split the drive over 2 days -- covering about 80% of the drive on the first day. That ends up being about 14 hours of travel time including bathroom breaks and a stop for lunch (we eat dinner when we get to our hotel). We get a good night's sleep at the hotel and then head out between 7-8 a.m. the next morning which puts us at Disney World around noon. We usually check-in to our resort and then head to Epcot for a few hours but try to get to bed by 10:00 or so and then get up for rope drop the next morning. We don't feel like we need any extra recovery time from the drive -- probably because we don't "push it". We could never do the drive straight through -- we'd be exhausted for the next day or so (my oldest son tried that on his last trip and said never again. He thought it would give him a head start and more park time but it ended up being the opposite because they were exhausted from the drive.)

The main reasons we like driving are because we don't have to worry about what or how much we pack (same for buying souvenirs when we're there). We're on our own schedule -- we can start and stop when we want to. While flying would save some time, it wouldn't change our length of stay at Disney....and flying still takes up a big chunk of time -- longer than most people acknowledge/realize. My son & daughter flew to Disney on a band trip a few months ago. They had private transportation to and from the airports (so dropped off at the curb -- no parking involved) and no flight delays. From the time they left the meeting point to the time they got to the resort with a non-stop flight was 7 hours. It was only a 2.5 hour flight, but when you had in ground transportation, waiting time at the air port, etc. it was 7 hours -- again, with no delays and very efficient ground transportation. When people around here say, "...but it only takes 2.5 hours to get there if you fly..." I just roll my eyes. It really takes 7 hours.

 

[22Tink]

We live in BC, Canada so we definitely fly. No way I'm driving all that way!!!

 

[disny_luvr]

We typically fly because I hate to drive long distances. When I was younger we camped at Fort Wilderness and had to drive because we had a camper. I dreaded the drive from PA to FL; about 15-16 hours for us. Unfortunately, for our Disney Cruise coming up in November we'll be driving; flying isn't in the budget. There is a part of me dreading it and another part of me looking forward to it because we haven't been on a road trip in like forever. We really want to go back to Disney next summer and we already decided that if this road trip is okay we may just drive next summer and make it a longer trip stopping at other places along the way. Also, with gas prices dropping and airline ticket prices rising I'm seeing more driving trips in the future; it just makes financial sense for us. One thing with driving is the flexibility it offers. We'll see how November's road trip goes...

 

[maxiesmom]

My family used to drive to Florida, but I haven't for years. I'd much rather spend 2 1/2 hours flying that 2 days in the car. The drive to Florida is fine. The drive home is horrible. Everyone is tired and sad about leaving, and just want to be home in their own bed. Crabby people in the car for 2 days is no fun.


As far as ending up clothes if you run into a delay flying, that should never happen. Always pack for the first 24 hours in your carry-on.

 

[maxiesmom]

When people around here say, "...but it only takes 2.5 hours to get there if you fly..." I just roll my eyes. It really takes 7 hours.

Good lord, no. Just no. I fly out of a small airport, and getting there 90 minutes ahead is plenty. So a total of 4 1/2 hours maybe spent traveling. Still beats the tar out of 2 days in the car!

 

[RustManFan]

We have flown about half our trips. When my sister has joined us and when we took camping gear for FW, we used the auto train. Drove from NJ to VA and then the train. We love having our own car. Buy big "stuff"? No problem. Just throw it in our car.

Planning 2016 for just me and my adult DS and he won't indicate a preference. We will probably fly and then rent a car

 

[tobikaye]

How many hours of a drive to you have? It takes about 15-17 hours from where I live once you take into account traffic and stops for gas/bathroom. It usually is divided up between 2 days, especially if the first day does not start until later in the day. Usually the arrival day, no matter if it we drove 4 hours that day or the entire route, is a relax day. The next day, everyone is usually okay to go. If we drove straight through, then it might not be scheduled as fully as later in the trip. For the cost savings, it is usually worth driving when I travel with my parents and my sister. It saved us over $1000 on our trip to FL for our cruise last December.

I love flying and getting places quicker, but sometimes I am more stressed during the trip than when I drive as I lose control of any delays or changes. If everything goes right, then flying takes me about 6.5-7 hours from the time I leave my house until I arrive at my resort at WDW. If I have any delays or changes, then it could be even longer. For this reason, I am cautious on flying versus driving to FL. I have had a number of flights that were delayed, up to 3 hours, or even cancelled and rescheduled on a different line with a layover.

 

[smiths02]

Our last flight was an absolute horror. We can't get to WDW without changing planes, and due to delays/cancellations/etc. we ended up overnight in a hotel without clothes and swore we'd never fly again. And now DH has retired, so we've got more available time for trips. He just drove about the same distance as WDW and thinks that driving might be the way to go. Since I didn't accompany him on this last driving trip, I'm not so sure what to do. So how is driving such a long trip? After driving for two days, does it take a couple days to recover and "work the kinks out" once you get to WDW? Which would you do? Why?
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We always drive because we are about 7 hours or so away. However, we are flying for our adults only trip in Feb because cost is similar to driving, no wear and tear on car (and drivers), more vacation time, and we don't need a car for a short trip.

But let me tell you a story about driving home. We were young and didn't have kids. We decided to spend the first part of the day at Hollywood Studios. We would leave around 3-4 and be home by midnight. Well, the alternator in our car died about two hours from home. We were stuck at a Wal-mart at 10 pm in a bad part of town. "Luckily" there was a Super 8 right next to the Walmart. We had to stay the night and were awakened by a shirtless man banging on the door convinced his "lady" was holed up in there with some other man.
Luckily, we were only a few hours from home and DH's uncle (car mechanic) came and helped us out.

Now, we still drive because we are relatively close, but I don't think losing your luggage is worse than being stranded.

My DH prefers driving because he has a little fear of flying (he still flies for work or as needed but prefers not to), BUT flying is actually safer.

 

[maxiesmom]

But let me tell you a story about driving home. We were young and didn't have kids. We decided to spend the first part of the day at Hollywood Studios. We would leave around 3-4 and be home by midnight. Well, the alternator in our car died about two hours from home. We were stuck at a Wal-mart at 10 pm in a bad part of town. "Luckily" there was a Super 8 right next to the Walmart. We had to stay the night and were awakened by a shirtless man banging on the door convinced his "lady" was holed up in there with some other man.
Luckily, we were only a few hours from home and DH's uncle (car mechanic) came and helped us out.

Now, we still drive because we are relatively close, but I don't think losing your luggage is worse than being stranded.

Exactly. Delays can happen when you drive too. Having control is an illusion. You never know when your car will break down, or an accident will happen ahead of you. There are many things that can cause delays when you drive.

 

[bumbershoot]

we ended up overnight in a hotel without clothes and swore we'd never fly again.

Imagine that trip, but add a change of clothes to your carryon. Does it feel as horrible with sleep clothes and new undies for the next day? We should all travel with what we need for a full 24 hours in our carryons. Do I always do this? Nope. Should I? Absolutely. Did it save DH theother week when he found himself in Peru without his checked bag for WAY over a day? Oh yes. Now if only he'd left his toothbrush and toothpaste in his carryon LOL.


Unless I lived as close as Georgia, I'd make a driving trip to WDW a big deal. Stopping along the way to see sights, etc. So it would take a lot longer.

 

[bluezy]

Good lord, no. Just no. I fly out of a small airport, and getting there 90 minutes ahead is plenty. So a total of 4 1/2 hours maybe spent traveling. Still beats the tar out of 2 days in the car!

I was simply sharing my experience...and also the experience of some other people (frequent flyers) who fly to Disney out of this area. It doesn't matter whether they fly out of the small local airport or the major city airport (we're fairly centrally located between the two)...it's still not 2.5 hours from the time they leave their house until the time they get to the resort. It's a 45-60 minute drive to the airport alone (from home) so they're leaving at least 2.5 hours before their departure time. Most people who from this area say it takes *at least* 6-6.5 hours from door to door. And that's assuming flights are on time. Is it faster than driving? Absolutely!! But it's not as fast as some people like to make it out to be -- not directed at anyone in particular, just a general statement. For our family, driving is fun. Flying would be a huge stress monster that would start our trip off on the wrong foot. And we don't spend 2 *days* in the car. We spend a total of about 15 hours in the car over a 48-hour period and 15 hours in restaurants and a hotel room and then 18 hours at Disney world!. We enjoy seeing the sites along the way. And we've never lost our luggage. I know driving isn't for everyone, but some of us enjoy it.

 

[minnie mum]

Since we are both retired we drive to WDW now. It's about 21driving hours for us (we live in Ontario), so spread the drive over 3days/2nights. It's actually quite relaxing for us. We stop every couple of hours for gas or meals or just to stretch our legs. We can pack as much as we want. Have a picnic lunch if the weather is nice. Stop for a little sight seeing if the spirit moves us. We don't drive to the point of exhaustion, stopping every day around supper time. And we always make it a point to go for a walk after dinner to loosen up after sitting all day. We get to Orlando in late afternoon of the 3rd day. The next morning we're ready to hit the parks.

On the drive home we try to make a point od staying someplace new and doing something different just to avoid the boredom of retracing the same old route.

Now this is not something we would have done while we were still working. It would have eaten into our vacation time too much. But with retirement comes the luxury of time and the opportunity to take a more relaxed approach to travelling (as opposed to just getting from one place to the next as fast as possible).