Tired of air travel, anyone ever do the drive from PA to Disney?

[MarkY117]

My wife and I used to have a nice direct flight from a small airport 10 minutes from our house in Bethlehem PA. It took us 2 in a half hours from PA to MCO, the airline left the airport and no other ones offer direct flights. Now we can only find flights with layovers and takes us almost 8-10 hours just to get to orlando.

My question is, did anyone here ever make that drive from PA to Disney? I hear it is about 16-17 hours, and after our horrible flight experiences we are thinking about just driving down for now on.

Any advice?

Thanks

 

[MEK]

Welcome to the DIS boards!

I flew out of ABE once and I can see why you are bummed. That was a great little airport. Well worth my drive up there to use it.

There are plenty of people who drive from your area. I have one dis friend from your area who is there now. They generally drive all night. This time she took the auto train and loved it.

The worst part of the drive is around DC on I-95. Find yourself an alternate route to avoid that. I highly advise it.

You could always fly SWA out of Philly, which is what I normally do. I alternate between Philly and BWI for the cheapest flight.

 

[goofyfigment]

I make the drive numerous times. Leave Scranton area between midnight and 2am and drive straight thru takes between 15-17 hours depending on traffic and stops.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It is about a four hour drive for you to Lorton VA. Consider driving there and taking the AutoTrain (see http://www.amtrak.com/auto-train ) which will transport you and your car to a location about an hour from WDW. And the timing will work well.

 

[PoohLover78]

We've driven from your neck of the woods before (Allentown). We left early in the morning and drove straight through till Jacksonville where we stopped for the night (in a motel, not a rest stop or visitor's center like many people here seem to do). Left early for Orlando the next day and had a fabulous day! On the way back we did the same, left late, stopped in Jacksonville for the night and then drove home the next day.

The year before we drove straight through from Albany, NY. I don't mind driving and I have no problem sleeping in the car but that was the worst trip I've ever taken! I honestly don't know how people can do such a long drive and then enjoy a day in the parks!

 

[Pooh2]

We've done the drive from NH to Orlando a few times.
We've also used the autotrain from Lorton. Much more relaxing than dealing with planes and breaks up that endless drive. For us, it's part of the vacation.

 

[mckelvey72]

I am not as far up north as you are.....Maryland here and we are trying the auto train. The kids asked to do it so I said what the heck. For a family of 4 it is about the same as flying and renting a car. But one thing I learned (the hard way!!) is that you need to book EARLY...like 11 months out if you can. Otherwise the closer you get the more expensive it gets. Not like airlines where the day of the week can fluctuate the price etc.

I could never drive that far.....the train is overnight...it leaves the station at 4 and arrives 9:30ish so you are sleeping a lot of it but I like that you can move around, get dinner, watch a movie etc.

Good luck in your decision!!

 

[mckelvey72]

Oh, one more thing......if you decide you don't want to drive all the way, check out Frontier Airlines out of Wilmington DE. You could drive down here and that airport is a small airport with only Frontier flying out of it. So that could be an option. There are hotels right there by the airport too and plenty of places to eat/walk around if you had time prior to the flight. Nice mall about 10 minutes from the airport etc.

 

[MarkY117]

Thank you to everyone for such great advice! I appreciate it and we will definitely look in to the auto train and other suggestions.

I am just happy that there are other options then having long layovers in airports.

 

[Dis8401]

If you decide to take the drive I would suggest breaking the trip up into two days each way if you're able to. We did just that on our previous trip there and it made for a much more relaxing drive. We also decided to try a more scenic route on the way back driving through Charlotte and Roanoke and then taking skyline drive through the mountains. It does add a little bit of time but we also did some hiking to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenery.

Allegiant Airlines also has direct flights to Orlando from ABE but unfortunately they only go to the Orlando-Sanford airport(SFB) so you would also need to rent a car. They offer fairly cheap flights to offset the cost but you need to be flexible in your schedule as they don't fly there every day. I find that driving from Allentown to Philly and taking either SWA or US Air to be the best option these days since they both offer several nonstop flights most days. The auto train would also be fun but we've never tried it.

Good luck!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

My wife and I used to have a nice direct flight from a small airport 10 minutes from our house in Bethlehem PA. It took us 2 in a half hours from PA to MCO, the airline left the airport and no other ones offer direct flights. Now we can only find flights with layovers and takes us almost 8-10 hours just to get to orlando.

Please note that you are confusing a direct flight with a non-stop flight. A direct flight does have stops.

You might want to browse the Transportation Board; there are many threads about driving as well as the auto train.

 

[amomma23]

DH and I did it twice with friends while we were in college. It wasn't bad with 6 20-something drivers going all night. Honestly, as 30-somethings with three kids the thought of driving gives me nightmares. Now, we fly non-stop on Southwest and get there in 2 hours.

 

[bakerworld]

We've driven from Philly area to FL twice. The first time we stopped at Savannah - 10.5 hours - and then on to Tampa but we timed to WDW area = 5 hours. The second time we went to Hilton head = 11 Hours (mainly because we got lost) and Hilton Head to WDW = 6 hours. Nice to have the whole vacation on pts.

We've driving for the 3rd time in March. We've decided to stay 2 nights in Savannah, then on to WDW for 5 nights, on to Vero Beach for 2 nights - since we're driving - then back home stopping at Hilton Head for 2 nights and than home or maybe a stop in Williamsburg if we're not up to the 10/11 hour drive.

 

[PeterPanic]

I'm probably not the right person to ask because I LOVE ROAD TRIPS! When I lived in Vermont I made many a drive down to WDW. Unlike others to me the journey was as much fun as the destination. It is 1500 miles from where I lived in VT. to WDW. I have made it in two days, but mostly I never even tried. When the family was young, it was a three day venture. Leaving home at 5 AM and driving to Fredricksberg, Va. The next morning a later start and on to some place near the SC/GA border. The last day was a leisurely drive from there to WDW arriving around 2 PM and feeling good. Reversed the process returning home with the second night in Chambersburg, PA. So that should be an easy two day'r or a tiring drive through. The second was just not my cup of tea.

I feel that people that decide to drive straight through are taking a huge risk. On the roads down to Florida (mostly I-95) being fatigued and sleepy is one dangerous thing to be at 70+ miles per hour with cars and trucks all around you. I'm not going to kid you...that highway is very heavily traveled. If you can't spare the time to stop, think about it, your life may be well worth the hassle and cost of airfare.

 

[lisaviolet]

I'm probably not the right person to ask because I LOVE ROAD TRIPS! When I lived in Vermont I made many a drive down to WDW. Unlike others to me the journey was as much fun as the destination.
.

Me too. Just love road trips.

Have done Toronto - WDW many a time - 21 hours.

Most times I now fly from BUF or PIT but really loved the drive. And adored travelling through WVa the most.

 

[bakerworld]

Can't say I love driving. There are plus like packing room and driving to dinner reservations. Without taking the car we wouldn't be visiting Vero and we probably wouldn't have discovered Hilton Head as fast. It's also nice not to worry about cancelled flights which is the main reason we driving in March. Of the last 3 times we've flown in the Spring our flights have been cancelled due to weather - snow, rain, wind.

 

[boreas154]

DW and I pretty much always drive down. We actually have a bit farther to go as we're up near Erie. We've found that driving to about the SC/GA border (SC side) gets a large portion of the trip done, gives us a chance to sprawl out and get a little sleep, and find good hotel rates. This only leaves us a few more hours drive on day 2, and with leaving early we can still get in a pretty full park day if DS is up for it.

 

[mickeyfan13]

We have driven numerous times as I do not fly really well. Leaving from Bucks County usually takes about 18 hours. We leave about midnight anh arrive around 6am.If we are tired we pull into a rest area and sleep for an hour or so.Also last June we flew Frontier out of Trenton Mercer on a direct flight,the airfare was low and the airport is small,no hassles.

 

[NJDiva]

I just came back from Disney and I took the auto train for the first time....I think this will be my new mode of transport to Florida!!! I really enjoyed the ride and I slept most to trip and when I got to Sanford it was only about an hour to the parks...try it ...you might like it

 

[Bete]

I take a different road trip from you, but our road time is just over 14 hours. We are retired; so, we can take our sweet time getting down to Disney. We have driven for at least 6 trips, now and I don't think we will do it any differently in the future. We can get a non stop to Orlando and I still prefer driving there, now. We are able to take in the other attractions in Orlando more easily with our own car.

Over the last two years we have put over 10,000 miles on vacation road trips. I really like road trips, now.