Manitoba Disney

[golflnks]

I would like to know about driving to WDW from Manitoba, we have flown the last two times. Any information about your drive down to WDW would be appreciated i.e. route, cost, sights, drive time etc.

 

[Maytai]

We have a family of 6 so driving from MB is usually what we look at first. We have to figure out the following:
1. How many nights of accommodation will we need and how much will it cost? We try to figure out where we have to go for a less expensive room.
2. How long to drive each day? We have to try and research along our route, how long we think the kids can last in the van, before we have to stop for the night.
3. How much is gas? We use an app to help with that. It tells us the appropriate cost to drive.
4. How many meals are we going to eat while on the road? Are all of them going to be eaten in a restaurant? We usually stop for groceries along the way.
5. Are we sight seeing along the way? Are there any stops along the way that HAS to be made? Eg. Visit family, tourist attraction, etc
6. When are we travelling?

After we research for a road trip, we figure out the cost to fly and rent a vehicle.

We started to research the road trip from Winnipeg to Orlando in January, 2014 for a trip we were planning for March, 2014. We figured out it was about the same cost to fly than to drive, even with the cost of a van rental (almost triple the cost of a car).

This past March, we drove to Grand Forks to fly with Allegiant. All prices in US dollars. $1200 for 6 of us plus $60 ($30x2) for bags. The hotel we stayed at in Grand Forks was $100 for the night before the flight, included breakfast, the 10-day parking while we were gone, and they also shuttled to and from the airport for free.

I think the most important part is WHEN to go. For out trip to Florida, we usually plan to go between Jan-Mar. (Usually still snow in MB and parts of the route.) And it seems that it's usually about the same cost or less to drive, but we also look at the time it takes. My kids (preschooler and teens) are awesome in the van and we have driven to Vancouver about 26 hours straight through, only stopping for bathroom breaks and a meal, so driving wouldn't be a big issue for us. But All that driving takes a toll on us adults! At the end of the research, we think, is it actually worth $200-$300 to be tired when you arrive in Florida, and then really tired on the way back? All that driving cuts into actual vacation time.

Also think of the wear and tear on your vehicle. Be sure to have extra funds, just in case something happened to your vehicle and you need something repaired along the way.

For our family, it was only worth driving when we actually wanted to stop along the way. Since we really aren't too interested in stopping along the way, we fly.