Looks like were driving

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

I want to fly from FNT (Flint,Mi)to MCO, but tickets are over $700.00 for 2pp RT. My DH won't spend that kind of money. So now it's 19 in our car.

Thank god we have a Ford Focus,but still 19 hours. Anyone else have to drive now because of the gas prices.
Gas price this morning(5/5) just drop from $4.29 to $4.18.

tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[msmayor]

I'm not sure how many miles you have to drive, but if its 19 hours each way that's LONGER than what we would drive (about 16 hours).

At $700 total round trip for two, we'd fly - it would end up being cheaper because we would not drive straight through.

We'd end up spending close to $380 on gasoline alone, another $160 on two nights in a hotel (one down, one back) and probably another $100 on the extra meals. $640 to drive vs. $700 to fly? The extra $60 is worth paying to avoid 32 hours in the car.

 

[Reddy]

We drive but flying isn't an option for us (austic sons - hates being in small room with alot of people - can you image being on a plane with us??)
Central Texas for us - I'm thinking my GPS says it is 18 hours & several minutes - really depends on when we hit the big cities (rush hour or not)
DVD players for the car is a must

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

My Dh still thinks it's cheaper, And yes 19 hours one-way and no over night stay, driving non-stop . Dh tells me pack a cooler and were fine, he's fine, I'm not. Still hoping prices will drop.

tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to fly from FNT (Flint,Mi)to MCO, but tickets are over $700.00 for 2pp RT. My DH won't spend that kind of money. So now it's 19 in our car.

Thank god we have a Ford Focus,but still 19 hours. Anyone else have to drive now because of the gas prices.
Gas price this morning(5/5) just drop from $4.29 to $4.18.

tigger2ntinkerbell

Honestly, I think you need to look at fuel costs. I keep checking the AAA fuel cost calculator, and for a Chevy Traverse it is coming back at over $600 for gas, from Grand Rapids Michigan. So you are not that far away from us. So, depending on what kind of milage you would get, would saving only $100 or so still be worth driving?

I want to add, I went to the AAA fuel cost estimator, and put in a 2010 focus. Just put in a random year. And it came back at $400 just for gas.

Also, have you checked flights out of Grand Rapids? I can still find flights to Orlando (I look all the time!) for aroun $220 a person.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

I was just in Grand Rapids last weekend and had a great time.
My DH has been tracking with Gasbuddy.com
(Car info: 2011 Ford Focus 25 City/34 Hwy, 12 gal tank,Mi/tank Miles). total RT $267.28.
But I still think it's higher than that. I only have a couple of weeks to get him to change his mind.

tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[maxiesmom]

Using the AAA calculator, your trip is coming back at $382. That is actually from Detroit, as that is the closest city to you it would let me plug in. It is also using $4.21 as the average fuel cost in Michigan. I know here it is actually $4.29 a gallon.

When are you planning on traveling? We have flown from Flint many times, but now that we have Air Tran out of Grand Rapids, it is actually cheaper to fly from here to Orlando then to drive to Flint. Delta has been staying pretty competitive with Air Tran.

Also, have you checked flights from Detroit? It may save you a bunch if your hubby would be willing to drive there, and then fly out.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

AAA only starts at Detroit and I live about 57 miles north. So it's a little off and the travelmath.com is way off(doesn't do make,model of car or gas millage)

Copy of AAA rate:
ResultsStart City:MI, Detroit End City:FL, Orlando One-Way Trip:1173Miles46.92Gallons Used$191.25Fuel CostRound-Trip:2346Miles93.84Gallons Used$382.50Fuel Cost

Tried again to talk DH into flying and he still says he won't pay $500 to $600 to fly. Maybe I should just by the tickets and not tell him.


tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

Travel time: June 12- 19( Sun to Sun) I would like to fly in the day before and if I have to say 1 day after, it's OK with me,then Dh grips about having to book a hotel for a night or 2. Not like we have to be back for work (retired now).

tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[designermv]

Are there any other cities you could fly out of that might have cheaper fares? OMG. 19 hours in a car. Just thinking about it makes me want to go rock in a corner. What are the dates for your trip?

I'd drive up to two or three hours to fly out of another airport. We drive to Baltimore (only an hour) and stay at a hotel with a park and fly rate. It's usually much cheaper than airport parking. Then we just take the hotel airport shuttle in the morning. Would your husband consider that? In Michigan of course, not Maryland.

 

[msmayor]

My Dh still thinks it's cheaper, And yes 19 hours one-way and no over night stay, driving non-stop . Dh tells me pack a cooler and were fine, he's fine, I'm not. Still hoping prices will drop.

tigger2ntinkerbell

19 hours...non-stop. Then add in the wasted $$ at Disney because you'll need to rest/sleep after such a long drive.

More so than many vacation spots, when considering Disney time is indeed money. Losing even a few hours of planned park time comes at a cost when you consider how much admission is. Spending only 6 hours vs. 10-11 hours in a day means your per-hour cost is much higher.

I feel for you, OP. Its not always easy for some folks to see that sometimes spending a little more in $$ gains a LOT more in intangibles.

 

[kksmom92]

Are you staying onsite? Or offsite? (Just wondering if you flew.. do you need to rent a car too?)

 

[designermv]

Crappy flight times, but if you could do Detroit-->MCO there is this option:

Departing: Sunday, June 12, 2011 Earn 1 A+ credit $89.00 - Coach
Detroit, MI (DTW) to Orlando, FL (MCO) Flight 1483
7:17 PM 9:43 PM


Returning: Sunday, June 19, 2011 Earn 1 A+ credit $149.00 - Coach
Orlando, FL (MCO) to Detroit, MI (DTW) Flight 1482
3:58 PM 6:35 PM

Total: $518.80 for two passengers on AirTran

 

[kksmom92]

If you fly Down Saturday Delta has some flights for $277.40 (per person)

 

[jakenjess]

We just did this over February break. Kids in high school now so we are confined to school vacations and the airfare was out of sight! There are four of us, so it adds up fast. So we drove, 24 hours each way, straight through!! It was very long, and the kids aren't exactly begging to do it again, but it really wasn't that bad. We packed lots of snacks and drinks, DH and I took turns napping, and after one good night's sleep after we arrived we were raring to go. Good luck!!

 

[designermv]

You could also fly out a day early, keep original return date, on Southwest for $572. It would be out of Detroit though.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

19 hours non stop? Your DH will be "fine" until he falls asleep and drives off the road.

Honestly if you don't have to worry about the time it takes because of jobs then slow down and smell the roses. Find a nice spot and stay the night..... You will enjoy the vacation a lot more! Make getting there PART of the vacation!

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

DH can't have his cake and eat it to: example I don't care if we get in at 9pm- He does ( doesn't like that he'll lose a whole day). But driving 19 hours doesn't bother him (does me). I like getting on a plane and 2 hours and 15 mins later I'm in ORLANDO .

He was cranky when we did this before when the kids were small (about 10 years ago).
Now that it's just him and I , and I think we should be able to just enjoy our trip and if that means using a little bit more money on Airfare then I'm all for it and really to spend 1 night on or off sight is not that big of a deal to me.
Maybe I can remind him that he was very tired and a sore back from driving ALL THAT WAY,and that we are staying at our TS.
I should added up the the total cost if we had to rent the at the TS,plus Gas to and from, lunch and dinner on the way down and back, and what if his back goes out and we have to spent the night coming home.
I think I will be buying tickets by then end of today.

tigger2ntinkerbell

 

[kksmom92]

Goodluck!! While we have done the drive from GR quite a few times non-stop I'm looking forward to actually getting down there in a little over 2 hrs versus 20+ hrs!

 

[kaffinito]

Well I'm, still looking at driving. I have my two kids coming out of DFW one way, me doing RT from DTW to MCO, and then the two boys flying one way from MCO to DTW to get home.

Total cost to fly, $735.20

Fuel to drive, $478.00

So unless airfares drop a lot, I'm driving. I can go from Detroit to Valdosta, spend the night, and be at MCO in time to meet the boys plane from Dallas at 11:08 am. Cost of overnight will only be 70.00 since I bring my own food and such when it's just me driving.