Please Help Should We Drive Or Fly??

[princesscrazydaughte]

We are going in less than two weeks and we are starting to get cold feet about driving. Thanks to our locale we could still get Southwest tickets not too high.

We are travelling with a 2 and 4 year old. We were planning on taking the van with a DVD/VHS player and driving through the night but now we are afraid it may be too much.

I wanted the advantage of having the car for places like Downtown Disney and AK (we are staying at Poly) and because we have a lot to bring and we are planning on doing some Christmas shopping while we are down.

Disney Vets, what would you do?? I don't want to ruin the vacation by driving, but I have done a lot of reading on these boards suggesting we might want to have a car at WDW and we won't rent one if we fly.

Please help. We are running out of time.

 

[CarolA]

How long are you going for? If this is a short trip by all means fly.

Question two! Are you REALLY sure you will be awake enough to drive SAFELY thru the night with two toddlers? My personal theory is that this is VERY dangerous and I am always surprised we don't have more deaths. I posted recently about a local family who lost several members in an accident that occured around 1 am when they drove late at night after a long day at work. I know I will get flamed for this, but I think it is irresponsible to take that type of risk.


Option 3 is to take a few days to drive and arrive rested.

 

[pumpkinboy]

I agree with previous post: yeah, you could drive it, and it might be convenient to have your car with you, but staying at the Polynesian (how wonderful) you're really not gonna need your car much, if you don't mind sharing the ride with a large group of fellow happy travellers. Provided that your Southwest fare is decent, by all means take the plane and save yourselves the stress of the drive; arrive more-or-less relaxed (tho we all know that the TSA is making it harder to do that ). I think flying would be the sane way to do it, especially for a shorter trip.

Of course, since we live in an area with pretty good mass transit options, we Bostonians are used to relying on others to get us where we need to go. I know most of our fellow Americans are not similarly blessed. And when you come right down to it, Disney transportation is head-and-shoulders above our local MBTA. So it takes you 45-50 mins to get from the Poly to Downtown Disney, it's exciting for the kids to ride on buses, and good for them to get used to. Plus, they drop you off much closer to where you're gonna want to be. And there are too many cars at WDW already; leave yours in the garage or at the airport.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Paull117]

Driving is not that bad with kids and it is nice when they are sleeping to just throw them in you car. My wife and I did it this year from wisconsin it took 2 days of complete driving but it was fun to bond with the kids(3yo and 6months). I do agee about driving at night unless you drive or work nights don't do it. Plus you live in TN from what your location says. That is only one complete day of of driving to WDW. If I where you I would leave after work drive 5-6 hrs that night and then pick up the next day. The DVD/VCR thing is a life saver but for the most part we did not need it until the way back. It was the only thing that kept our 3yo from having a melt down because she had to leave disney.

Paul

 

[tinaluis]

I agree with the previous posters -- if your trip will be a short one (less than 6 days) then flying is the way to go, especially if you can get decent airfare on SWA. That said, however, we have driven our last two trips from Chicago with our three DDs and really enjoyed the drive and the family time we spent together, not to mention having a car while at WDW. Since you are staying onsite I don't think you'll need a car as much as we do because we stay offsite, but it is definitely nice to have access to your own car while there. We usually split the drive into two days, stopping near Marietta, GA on the way down and near Clarksville, TN on the way back, so we're not driving all night and falling asleep at the wheel. I really don't think we could handle drving straight through with the kids. Driving is not bad, and it's our only option, so that's what we do. Good luck with your decision!

 

[mudnuri]

we always drive when we go to florida...The airfare for 4 would have to be VERY cheap to make it worth flying.

We've done the Florida road trip when the girls were 17 months, and 2 1/2, when they were 2 1/2 and 4, and again at 4 &5. We will be doing it again in April when they will be 7 1/2 and 6. We did buy a TV/VCR combo in Florida the first trip, and now have two laptops with DVD's.

I'd drive, but we NEVER drive through the night. It's not worth risking anyone's lives. We leave in the morning, drive all day stop at the hotel around 8, then drive again. Until about 8, and then the last day- it's about 4-5 hours to WDW (we've not gone there before, but it will be),

I have the route mapped out with what exits have schools near them so the kids can run around a playground for a 1/2 hour or so, and we let them sleep as late as they want in the morning..usually leaving the hotel around 10am

Brandy

 

[dzneelvr]

From your location, just drive.
You may not use your car much, but at this late date, the hassle of getting a flight, checking in, security, potential delays, etc. outweighs the benefits.

When we drive there is an added bonus--no worry about the size or number of purchases made!! You can pack everything into a car rather than a carryon!!

Save the flight for when the kids are a bit older and can enjoy it.
Personally, my DH and I like those overnight drives every so often, you get to see a different world out there.

Have a great time!!

WDW in June/July 2004

 

[Goofmeister]

I think driving to your vacation is a very good way to build memories and bond with your loved ones.

Plus you have more flexibility with your packing and luggage.

I agree though, don't drive through the night take an extra day.

Driving Pros:
More Family Time
See more of the country
Cheaper (but not by much)
luggage is less of an issue
Car at WDW

Driving Cons:
Time consuming
More Family Time

Flying Pros:
Quicker?? (It always takes me a good 8 hours to go anywhere by plane with all the waiting and checking in, picking up luggage etc...)
Flying can be fun the first few times

Flying Cons:
Cost
Luggage
Car
Car Seats??
Children reactions
Airports, Transportation to and from
Airports, Connections, carryons, and children

We are having the same discussions about whether to fly or drive. I don't know, but driving sounds like a better choice for us.