The heck with flying!

[musical2]

We have flown to WDW, we have driven to WDW, and we have taken the Auto Train down. We really like taking the Auto Train down. We live in Maryland, but it is only about an hour from the Auto Train Station in Lorton, VA. The train allows us to relax on the way to Florida and we still get to have our Minivan with us. Plus, we get to pack that Minivan full of our stuff so we don't have to worry about paying baggage fees. The train leaves about 4:00 in the afternoon and arrives in Sanford, FL around 9:00 am the next day. Dinner and breakfast are included.

We are 5 or 6 of us traveling depending on whether we take our AuPair with us or not. We find the Auto Train fits our needs well. Plus, my girls always see taking the train as an adventure. Sure, we'd get there faster by plane, but we also get to have our own vehicle and carry some extra stuff with us and bring back more new things. We just stuff it all in the Minivan.

 

[peach3es]

Looks like we'll be driving too. We are 4 kids and 3 adults (my sister will meet us there, flying alone!) and it's just too expensive to fly. Right now the van we are being loaned for our months in the US is a 1991. We aren't feeling super excited about using that for the trip. We're hoping someone has a mini-van we can use for the trip. The cost of renting a car and using it for the round trip was just as much as a flight. I looked into train travel and that was the same price.

Driving our own minivan is the only thing that will save us money. And even with the cost of gas, and factoring meals on the road into it, we're talking about saving several hunded dollars.

But it's no fun to drive out of PA in January and break down somewhere along the road, either! I'm praying for a different driving option.

The good thing is there are 3 drivers, so hopefully that means we can get a lot of driving done while little ones are sleeping!

 

[musclemouse]

(this was suppose to be a reply from Brian Nobles post)..grrrr

Ditto. Hartland here! I don't like the long drive and neither will my two very young boys or my husband complaining. Not for me...no way.

 

[wall*e2008]

We either drive or take the auto train (a rare occurance).

 

[6264EVER]

March of 2009 - we're driving. It is about 1000 miles for us to drive. Priced air and rental car......decided to drive. DD and I are at WDW and DH is deep sea fishing with my dad................the money we save by driving will pay for the fishing trip for both....

 

[bkelly65us]

The DW is really getting into the fact that we are driving on our next trip. Since we'll have the van and the luggage carrier on the roof this has really taken a load off her mind concerning what we can pack. And bring back as souvenirs, of course!

 

[klmall]

We would drive maybe. The drive is 18 hours each way with gas and food stops. The way down is fine, full of excitement but the return is so awful - boring and both ways are full of speed traps and gassy food! And now it's just the two of us to split the driving. Probably won't drive unless we turn it into a long, southern touring trip of some kind.

 

[DesigningMouse]

No way no how,lol. No fly no go. I really don't like road trips at all. It's too far and not worth it the frustration it is guaranteed to bring.

 

[UConnJack]

I've only driven once, that was 8 year ago for the 2000 New Years with my girlfriend and two friends. It was a long drive, but we had good company and 4 people to switch off driving.

My (now wife) and I have flown everytime since then, it was cheap for just us two, and still relatively cheap with our daughter included. Now that our son is over two, we will be paying for 4 tickets, and with the current state of fuel, I expect a decent airfare from the northeast will be in the $200-250 range from here on out. Gone are the days of $100-150 tickets. Worse yet, non-stop flights will become less available, which really takes some of the convenience out of flying.

So, for our next trip, we are considering driving. Versus $800-1000 for flying (plus airport parking and rental car), driving is definitely economical. From CT, it will be about a 20 hour trip (1,200 miles), assuming minimal traffic. I grew up driving to Michigan at least twice a year when I was a kid, and my wife used to drive with her mother to WDW at least once a year. We road trip all the time, 3-6 hour trips are common, so driving doesn't scare us. The kids are pretty good car riders too. For each the last 5 years we have taken a drive to Disney's Hilton Head Resort (about 16 hours), driving straight through about half the time. A long ride, but not too bad, so the 4-5 hours further to WDW again doesn't scare me much.

I figure we'll drive straight through on the way down, leaving in the evening and myself driving through the night while the wife and kids sleep. Then in the morning, my wife would take over while I sleep. On the way back, which is never as fun of a drive, we will take a 2nd mini-trip for a couple days about half way to break up the trip. Maybe Myrtle Beach, Williamsburg, DC, Outer Banks, Smokies, etc. I get the feeling that this may be our MO for our WDW trips from now on.

 

[stky6]

"How much do you weigh?" No one wants to give me an exact figure,

I always tell them if we get to the end of the runway and we're still on the ground I know they lied to me

I'm fairly familiar with some of the airports there in southern OH. I often fly to I68 (Lebanon), since my MIL lives close to there. I've been to that Sporty's airport, but drove there to see the shop. There are some great small airports in that area.

Do a lot of t&g's at Lebanon when I go "airport hopping", just cruise the local airports and t&g at them then fly up to Middletown (MWO) and eat at Frisch's. Sporty's is great on the weekends, free hotdog flyin's Have you made your way over to Middleboro yet to see the Glacier Girl, stopped there once on the way to Gatlinburg but the plane was out on the show circuit.

 

[Rlbren]

We always drive to Disney. There are 4 of us and usually airfare is just to expensive to even be an option. However, this year it's just my dh and I and we decided to fly. We paid $465 round trip. We're flying out of Charlotte and the flight is only an hour and half. We figured to drive it would be at least $500 in gas, food and 1 night's lodging round trip. It's also a 10 hour drive one way. Of course, I haven't flown in 6 years and my DH has never been on a plane so I'm sure it will be an experience.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

I think we'll be driving unless a really fantastic Ding! comes along. It's $1000 for my family of 5, plus $80 for parking vs. $550 in r/t gas + 2nts hotel. I'd rather have that money toward WDW anyway...

One thing we are considering as an alternative this year is the Autotrain out of Lorton, VA. We could take our car and the 5 of us down to FL and back for $857, and skip the driving altogether. Dinner and breakfast are served and you can walk around, sleep, watch a movie on your DVD player, etc anytime you want to.

Either way, an added perk of having a car would be eliminating the "stink eye" we get from fellow passengers as my DH and I each struggle to break down a single stroller while holding the hand of a little on and loading them onto said bus. We could use the car to get to the parks each day, not to mention driving ourselves to our ADR's at various WDW resorts. Come to think of it, this might be our best chance to actually hotel hop and sightsee in the lobbies this time.

If you have any intention on taking the autotrain you should book now and cancel later if you change your mind. If you choose to will call the tickets rather than getting them printed ahead of time it is %100 refundable.
Train pricing actually makes sense, the earlier you book the lower the price... so it is a widely held belief that one should book sooner than later.
BOB

 

[shelly3girls]

We have decided to drive over Christmas. We cannot find airfare below $400 out of PHL. I was on the SW site the minute they released fares and the cheapest was $400. I would rather drive since we are actually going to Vero Beach so need a car anyway. I might be a little rough with a 2 year old in the car but we will survive. We will have 9 of us in a van including 4 adults to share the driving. It sure beats $4k for airfare and risk flight delays. Last Christmas we were delayed 5 hours so door to door was 11 hours anyway.

 

[lunapnp]

What part of Kentucky do you fly out of. I fly out of I67 west of Cincinnati, Ohio, we were going to take the 172 down but no place to put all the camping gear. It will only be about a 14 hour drive so no biggie, be able to stop in Gatlinburg for pancakes

I just have to ask...where is your favorite place in Gatlinburg to get pancakes??? The absolute best are at The Pancake Pantry!

 

[Vjale]

We live in New York and have driven a few times in the past when my kids were younger. I felt like it was easier then, because of all the extras with the kids. It seemed easier to just throw everything in the car, and go. To me the worst part of driving was always the drive home. After spending a week running through Disney World, to have to face that 16 hour ride home was enough to ruin my last two days of vacation. So we started flying, and now to get on a plane and be in Florida in 2and a half hours is wonderful. However, I am not a huge fan of flying, especially in bad weather. So both have different advantages and disadavantages, but I usually fly now.

 

[boBQuincy]

We don't like driving at night so we would have to leave WDW in the morning to drive home. Flying gives us almost a whole extra day at WDW so for now it is still our first choice.

Southwest has been reliable and is still not too expensive compared to driving.

 

[peach3es]

So, for those of you with experience making this drive (we're coming from central PA and estimate drive time to be around 18-20hours), can you share some tips for traveling with small kids?

Do you leave in the middle of the night? Drive straight through? Stay over night somewhere? Leave early in the morning and hope the kids will be happy to start with? I'm just looking to see what has worked for you in the past.

FYI: I've got 4 kids and they will be 9, 7, 6, and 3 when we go!

~~Carrie

 

[thumbalyna]

We are from scranton pa...i made the drive once with my DD when she was 4.
we left here around 3-4 am and drove to SC, we stopped along the way for bathroom breaks and food and of course gas (back when it was 99 cents a gallon). i had snacks in the car and coloring books to keep her entertained when she wasnt napping. there was no problems except about 2 hours into the trip she realized what the reststop signs looked like and every time she saw one she would say she had to use the bathroom even if she didnt.
coming home we left around 9-10 and would try to drive up to VA so that the second day's drive wasnt as long.

 

[NOVATraveler]

AutoTrain for me! I consider it so much fun that it is part of the vacation. Leave Lorton, VA at 4 p.m. "Happy Hour" at 5 in the lounge car. I always go for the 5-pm dinner seating where I have met nifty people at my table every time. Then, they show a movie, or you can get a drink, or watch a DVD at your seat, play cards, etc. I sleep very well on the train, some don't. Arrive at Sanford at 8:30(ish) a.m. Drive 35 minutes to WDW.

The rude customer or employee is very, very rare. A whole different ambiance permeates the train. I've encountered a lot of folks who just want to stare straight ahead on a plane. I'm an introvert, so I'm not looking to talk someone's ear off. But, rude is rude. Everybody is friendly on the train. Last time I went (July) I was having coffee in the lounge car about 7 a.m. A man came in wearing a T-shirt, pj bottoms and slippers. Had to smile at that.

Already booked my next two train trips: October, I'm going for a 10-day stay at WDW and in November, I'm headed for the Miami area for a 7-week working vacation.

Planes are a thing of the past!

 

[madcoco]

Not to change the subject and start stirring the pot, but our transportation infrastructure is really broken. Why does it always take accidents/a crisis to start change? It really is too bad there aren't more Auto/Hi Speed Trains in the US. Having traveled in Europe and Japan the High Speed Route , we are so far behind in the US.