NC DISers - do you drive or fly?

[TruBlu]

The flights are running around $1000 for all four of us right now, so we are thinking about driving.

We can't decide!!!

What do you guys do?

 

[dlpcarden]

In the past we would drive to Disney it was like a 13 hour drive each way. Earlier this month we went back down to Disney but this time we flew. We flew out of RDU and it was only 1hr 40 min flight.

We had several factors that made us decide to fly - we took our 8 year old son with us and did not want to sit in a car with him for 13 hours asking "are we there yet?, how much further". Drive = 13 hrs - Flying = 2 hours top. We have a 1989 Suburban that gets 9 miles to the gallon. So gas prices were another factor. Also, we did not want to but the wear and tear on our vehicle.

The next time we go to Disney we will fly again.

Hope that this helps you decide...

Dottie

 

[Marmstrong]

The flights are running around $1000 for all four of us right now, so we are thinking about driving.

We can't decide!!!

What do you guys do?

From Charlotte it's slighly less than 9 hours. We split the trip on the way down. Last year we left about 4, stopped around Savannah, in Feb of this year we got an earlier start so got as far as Jacksonville. Coming back we did "quick potty grab food for the car" stops and did the whole trip in about 8 hrs 40 minutes...2 potty/gas/food stops, one near St Augustine and the other north of Savannah. We were coming back on a Sunday so were a little worried about traffic, I-4 was crazy between Orlando and Daytona, turns out it was the beginning of "Bike Week"...after that it was smooth sailing. Driving down in the evening we were late for construction although they were just getting some night-work going somewhere down in GA.

 

[NCRedding]

We've driven once, and flown for all the others. I prefer to fly, just because I hate I-95, not sure why--we've had good luck on it most times.

I am not sure when you are flying, or from where, but Allegiant Air will be flying from Greensboro 3 days a week, starting the end of May. The flight times are limited, but the round trip run $115 per person. Edited to add: they fly into Orlando-Sanford, not Orlando International, so factor in rental car or transportation costs to get to WDW.

 

[Accentuate+]

We drive from SC. It's about 7.5 hours for us. I'd much rather drive than fly.
The time advantage in flying is tempting but the advantages to driving outweigh it for us.
If you drive you can pack and bring pretty much anything you want. You are in control of your schedule and - the biggie - you have your car in Orlando. I think disney does an amazing job getting tons of people where they want to be but I just don't like dealing with the buses. The waiting, the standing room only etc. If you want to run to the grocery store or if you want to go to Sea World or Universal you can just jump in the car and go. If you want to go to a different resort for dinner you don't have to factor in wait and travel times for two or more buses or shuttles, etc.
It depends on how far a trip it would be for you. If I had to add the time and expense of an overnight stay on the way down I might reconsider and fly and rent a car once I got there.

 

[teacherforhi]

We flew last summer, but took Southwest which meant we had to drive two hours to Raleigh to catch the flight. We're driving this summer because we have more people and didn't want to fuss with trying to pack all the things a one-year-old needs in order to survive in Florida.

 

[dlpcarden]

We flew southwest the last time we went to Disney. But, I could understand having to driving just to carry the kids things. I have 2 boys (8 and 2) and when we drive most of the things we pack are for the boys.

 

[Robert P]

It depends. I've done both. At @ 540 miles from the NC/SC line below Charlotte, that's not a huge distance. It's @ 620 miles from Clemmons, NC, and it takes us less than 9 hours. That's with 2 stops, for fast food and fuel. We figure it this way (rough time estimates):
Drive to GSO and park - 45 minutes
Arrive before the flight and check bags - 1:45 minutes
Flight down - 2 hours
From MCO to WDW - 1 hour if we're lucky.

So, the flight process takes us 5.5 hours, if everything goes perfectly. Delays or cancellations or overbookings add more time.

The drive is, let's just say 9.0 hours.

So, we lose 3.5 hours each way, but have our own car at WDW for DTD or AK visits, or even (dare I say it) off-site visiting. If the car gets 20 mpg, that's @ 60 gallons round trip @ $2.50 per gallon, so $150 in gas. (No, I am not figuring oil use or tire wear. This is just a quickie example.)

If we fly, and get a decent GSO fare at $200 each, that's $800 for 4 of us.
(not including parking at the airport)
So, $800 - $150 = $650 savings, for an extra 7 hours travel time, means we 'earn' $90/hr for the drive time. I wish I could make $90 an hour at work!

So, for us, driving makes the most sense. In fairness, we do time our departure to avoid rush hour traffic along the way. Also, we can take along lots of stuff that normally wouldn't come on the plane, due to bag limits.

It comes down to alot of factors: location in NC, finances, length of trip, personal choice, etc... but since both CLT and GSO have TERRIBLE pricing to MSO, it looks like we'll be driving, at least for the immediate future.

Hope that helps.
Robert P

 

[Olaf]

Download the DING software, and watch it closely. I think a lot would depend on when you're planning to make the drive. I-95 can get horrible during school vacations.