Seriously thinking about driving

[TeresaMc]

I am considering driving to the world in August. It is a 20 hr drive but airfare is so high I think it's worth considering. I keep weighing the pros of driving/having a car vs the thoughts of driving 20 hrs. i really think the pro's are winning. I have never driven to the parks, how hard is it to find your way around inside Disney. We are staying at Coronado Springs.

 

[NaeNae30]

Driving around inside is not bad at all. There are signs everywhere pointing you in the right direction

I would keep looking for airfare though. Have you tried Southwest? We booked flights for $117 each roundtrip for our trip in June. They usually go on sale at least once a month.

 

[Pembo]

We're in Ohio and it is a 17 hour drive we've made many times. Getting there is part of the fun! Driving on property is easy and it is nice to have a car for a run to Target or it's easier to get to mini-golf or Downtown Disney from your resort.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

We always drive down there but we only have a 10 hour trip. We have stayed on property for the past 6 years for a weeks + vacation. Let me share our thoughts on driving. First, if you can book through AAA you will get the diamond parking pass. This is GOLD!!! Let me tell you, their special parking lot is located with the handicapped parking. Therefore, you are so close to the park that you just walk to it quickly. At Epcot, I swear we crossed a little road and were right at the ticket gates. It's a beautiful thing.

We used to take the Disney transportation but what we realized is that we stood, and stood waiting for buses in huge crowds. Then, were forced to stand or be squeezed like sardines in the buses after a long day. What we found out was that if we drove, we were in our car and back at our resort before the lines at the parks even got loaded into a bus. It's a no brainer. The only time we take the DIsney transportation is when we go to MK becuase you have to park at the transportation center and then have to take the ferry or monorail. This is when the driving is not necessarily the most convenient.

Getting around Disney isn't bad. We tend to get lost now and then from the resort to the correct direction but we just plug everything into a GPS and I can quickly chose the park and we get right there. Hope this all helps.

 

[choppee]

i don't know where you are coming from, but if you are coming from the eastern seaboard, why not take the train? my family of five were thinking of driving to orlando this year, but with the cost of flying being so ridiculous (1300.00 total for 5 roundtrip!!!!!) we had resigned ourselves to driving. from north carolina, it's about a 12-15 hour trip...not terrible, but not fun for us. someone mentioned to me to check the train, and it's an overnight train for 500.00 roundtrip! what a difference. give it a shot. there is a train forum somewhere around the transportation section where you can get some really good information....good luck either way

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

i don't know where you are coming from, but if you are coming from the eastern seaboard, why not take the train? my family of five were thinking of driving to orlando this year, but with the cost of flying being so ridiculous (1300.00 total for 5 roundtrip!!!!!:scared1 we had resigned ourselves to driving. from north carolina, it's about a 12-15 hour trip...not terrible, but not fun for us. someone mentioned to me to check the train, and it's an overnight train for 500.00 roundtrip! what a difference. give it a shot. there is a train forum somewhere around the transportation section where you can get some really good information....good luck either way

Everyone has their own feelings about this & I'm not trying to convert you but I'd gladly pay double that to not have to spend a minimum of 40 hrs in my car & dealing with traffic. I love going 550 mph. Heck, I'd fly to PHL from my back yard if I could.

 

[sunnygurl]

I am considering driving to the world in August. It is a 20 hr drive but airfare is so high I think it's worth considering. I keep weighing the pros of driving/having a car vs the thoughts of driving 20 hrs. i really think the pro's are winning. I have never driven to the parks, how hard is it to find your way around inside Disney. We are staying at Coronado Springs.

First choice fly. That being said, we drive down from VA (12 to 14 hours). It's not bad and we have touristy stops we love to do. Having a car when you are there is super convenient.packing food and stuff for little one is nice too. Downside, the drive back after a nice long trip at WDW...you're tired and the drive back seems so much longer. We tend to do Daytona for a night as our stop over. Or drive straight thru.

Oh, you also have to take more time off work if you drive, which is a bummer.

 

[darkwing818]

We've driven from Tennessee (11-12 hours) for years with no problems. But adding another 8 hours would be tuff, we'd probably break it up & stay overnight somewhere. Finding your way around WDW can be a bit confusing at first, but after a while it gets, "more" confusing . We stay on property which helps limit our driving around WDW as we use WDW transportation.
Good Luck which ever way you go..

 

[olecow]

My family is driving to Disney from Milwaukee this Saturday. It's a 21 hour trip, but we're spending the night just north of Atlanta. We're not going straight through. My two sons and I are looking forward to the road trip. We've never driven through Kentucky, Tennessee (spelled that wrong), Georgia or Florida. My 6 year old daughter is too young to care. My wife however, is not too excited about it.

Once we get there I don't plan on using my van again until we go home. We always use Disney transportation and have had no problems. It's the trip home I'm already dreading. Twenty one hours in the car so I can go home to an overgrown yard and work.

 

[maxiesmom]

How many are in your family? Do you plan on stopping at hotels on the way down and back? Will you regret the extra time on the road you could have spent in the parks?

 

[JoanneDisFan]

I'm in the same boat. Airfare is high so as of right now we are driving the 17 hr trip with a stop on the way. But I'm searching the internet almost daily for cheap plane tickets. Southwest is a good choice. I have allegiant at our nearest airport, but it flys into Sanford not MCO, and they only fly twice a week.

 

[arielmomma]

We're with you. With the price of airfare, we've taken to driving. We drive 22 hours a couple of times a year. Don't get me wrong, I love flying, but there are some major advantages to driving too. My kids actually really enjoy the drive down. It's the only time I load them up with special snack bags and let them watch unlimited movies and video games all day long.

My advice would be that if you have kids, make sure they are entertained and understand just how long the trip will be (we have a strict no "are we there yet" policy). Have plenty of snacks and drinks so you you have to stop as rarely as possible. I love audio books while I drive. We usually drive from MI to around Gainesville, FL (about 18 hours) then we spend the night and only have a few hours to go the next morning. That way we are good to go and enjoy the parks after lunch.

I'm also with the person who recommended a AAA diamond pass. They are really nice to have. We greatly prefer driving to the parks (except MK) and the diamond pass is very convenient. Driving around Disney is very easy. Everything is labeled clearly on signs. It's also great to have a car for dining ressies, to make emergency grocery store runs, and to see other areas of Orlando. Let's face it, rental car prices are getting to be beyond ridiculous too.

I initially didn't think we'd like driving (my DH down right feared it) after being regular flyers, but now we've come to enjoy the drive. Like you, we always weigh it out, but nearly always driving wins anymore. Happy travels!

 

[amomma23]

Have you checked this out?
http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

It made me feel a whole lot better about the cost of flying. It would only save my family about $60 to drive! (Luckily we have a zillion RR points, so we're not paying anything to fly this year.)

 

[TeresaMc]

It will be myself and my niece(13) and nephew(11). I am the type of person who rarely sleeps, I average 4-5 hrs a night all of the time so I don't think 20 hrs straight through will be that difficult for me. The savings of driving vs airfare and then adding on the additional savings of being able to take breakfast food, snacks and drinks along is sounding like the best option. The jury is still out!!

 

[emilyltd]

Have you checked this out?
http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

It made me feel a whole lot better about the cost of flying. It would only save my family about $60 to drive! (Luckily we have a zillion RR points, so we're not paying anything to fly this year.)

That was interesting! According to this, we're saving $900 by driving. I think the decision to drive or fly totally depends on so many variables for each situation. I had actually figured we were saving a minimum of $600. I'd rather fly, though.

 

[maxiesmom]

It will be myself and my niece(13) and nephew(11). I am the type of person who rarely sleeps, I average 4-5 hrs a night all of the time so I don't think 20 hrs straight through will be that difficult for me. The savings of driving vs airfare and then adding on the additional savings of being able to take breakfast food, snacks and drinks along is sounding like the best option. The jury is still out!!

If you are the only driver, I think you need to stop along the way. That is a long drive for any solo driver to make without getting some sleep.

What price flights are you finding? With only 3 people I am surprised it is saving you that much to drive instead of fly. Btw, you can take breakfast food and snacks along on the airplane too. We often pack food for our room!

I just did the fly or drive calculator, and it would cost almost $550 for me to drive down. I can typically get airfare for $270. I'm very curious as to what results the OP would get.

 

[TeresaMc]

Have you checked this out?
http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

It made me feel a whole lot better about the cost of flying. It would only save my family about $60 to drive! (Luckily we have a zillion RR points, so we're not paying anything to fly this year.)

Gave me a savings of $822 and that's not even counting what we would save on bringing breakfast food, snacks and drinks for in the room.

 

[maxiesmom]

Gave me a savings of $822 and that's not even counting what we would save on bringing breakfast food, snacks and drinks for in the room.

Holy Cow!!! How much are flights for you? That is a good chunk of change to save!

 

[TeresaMc]

The cheapest I can find are $368, the other day cheapest were $426

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Have you checked this out?
http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/

It made me feel a whole lot better about the cost of flying. It would only save my family about $60 to drive! (Luckily we have a zillion RR points, so we're not paying anything to fly this year.)

This is neat. It estimated $782 to drive and 1012.00 to fly. Even if my savings were greater, my time is still more valuable (vacation time off work) & my sanity too. With Southwest we're allowed 8 bags free. If we wanted to we could bring a whole suitcase full of food & not cost us anything extra. If a family of 4 needs more than 8 bags to take on vacay, they have some serious packing issues.
We have the SWA credit card & earn equivalent to a one way seat to MCO approx every 1.5 months so we rarely have to pay for all 4 of us to fly.

Of course not everyone has access to SWA & some have fear of flying.
Do what works for you. Like breastfeeding vs. formula, it can be debated til the end of time.