POLL: Driving to WDW: Why do you do it?

[pyrxtc]

I wish I could have picked more than one option. I wrote because it was cheaper. We found the the price of gas and tolls was way cheaper then flying 6 people down there. I also HATE flying. It freaks me out every time. I stress and get severe migraines from it all. I HATE IT !! But even though I hate it, I do it a lot cuz I can't justify driving all the time and everywhere. I'm trying to talk my Dh into driving to CA to DL next summer but I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[miprender]

I voted because "Its cheaper", but actually we are considering driving for our next trip in April. I stress out too much when I am flying and with 3 kids and 2 adults the airfare for our last trip was $2500, but we were there in 2.5 hrs.

Since I am begging DH to return again so soon I told him why dont we try driving down. Make a road trip out of it. That way it wont cost us that much.

So that is our plan right now....

Now I just have to wait for a 40% pin code

 

[duketennisgal]

I voted because we love to drive but that's not the only reason. For one, it's cheaper and the other main reason is the last time we flew it took us just as long from airport to hotel as it would have to just drive.

For us it's about a 9 or 10 hour drive, the last time I flew I left my house at 6 am and ended up at the hotel around 4:00 pm, that's 9 hours. We can't get a direct flight out of our airport so we always have a layover somewhere, this time it happened to be a 2 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta, then when we got to MCO it was almost an hour wait for Magical Express.

Another reason, I'm the type of person that likes to be in control of things, I feel much more in control when driving!

 

[Tinkbells BFF]

We're in Georgia and we're only 6 hours away so it would be a waste of plane fare to fly. Plus we get to bring things we wouldn't or couldn't bring on a plane, like a cooler, food, etc.

If you're in New York I'd seriously think about driving. In the end it will not only save the air fare but also the baggage costs and that's right off the top!

Whatever you decide, just have fun doing it. (This time I bought the Disney World trivia books for the car trip. ) Remember, half the fun is getting there

 

[nyfinfan]

Don't forget wear and tear on your car. I think the number that the IRS and AAA use is 50 cents/ mile but that includes gas. We decided to fly since the cost's were almost the same.

 

[duffy]

I would say it's a combination of many factors. I do enjoy seeing the country, I like reading or listening to books on cd while driving, and it's just so peaceful and fun talking with my family too. We had my daughter and neice and they enjoyed playing with each other's Nintendo DS games.

I also liked the convenience of bringing a small cooler. We wouldn't have to rent a stroller or fridge or sign up for any swaps if we needed one. No need to ship boxes to myself at the resort, or place an order with gardengrocer.com, I have plenty of room! We brought our own boxed wine and drinks for the kids, which we can't do easily if flying.

I didn't have to sign up for Dings! from Southwest or compare flights from different airlines. I didn't worry that I was paying too much for my ticket and that I bought it too soon/too late, or check for "hidden" fees like baggage fees.

No need to worry about renting a car vs. using Magical Express. Once we decided to drive, it all seemed so simple!

 

[DisneySunflower]

We are a family of 5 and it is always less expensive to drive than to buy 5 plane tickets!

 

[Tiggerific04]

We drive because DH does not fly. However, we really look forward to the drive and make it part of the whole vacation experience. We like being able to bring as much as we want and not having to worry about cramming our stuff into a certain number of suitcases. We also prefer to drive to the parks rather than take the buses, so it's more convenient for us to have our own car instead of having to pay to rent one if we flew.

We split the drive up into 2 days: NJ to SC, and then SC to FL. We tried driving straight through the first time we went and will never do it again! It's much more relaxing when we get to stop halfway.

 

[My2Angels]

We are a family of 5, and it is WAY cheaper for us to drive. It will cost me about $90 in gas to drive in June....about $1200 for us to fly......

 

[MouseketeerOvaHere]

We're only 4 hrs away so it just makes sense to drive. I've never priced flights but I would imagine it would cost us far more. we live by an Amtrak station but I'm not sure I'd like that sort of travel and it would take just as long to arrive if not longer. And once we got there we'd have to figure out transportation. Just easier for us to drive.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

We are like duketennisgal. It takes as long to fly with all the checkin, layovers, waiting for baggage, getting rental or waiting for DME, etc.
I have checked airline schedules and most times I can drive quicker, save a ton of money on our family of 5, bring what I want, and change dates without a hassle.
Our lugguge does not get beat up or lost and we do not get sick from the recirculated air.