I am a total newbie to the board AND to Disney World.
My 6 DS and I will be traveling alone for our first trip to Disney World.
I live in East Central Alabama and driving to DW will take at least 9 hours. SO....... should I drive to Birmingham and take a flight to Orlando or just drive? I would have to drive part of one evening (maybe 6 hours??), spend the night somewhere, eat a few meals on the road, and then drive about 4 hours the next day and then arrive in Disney World.
It will cost us about $420 to fly (round trip).
Would I really need a car when I get there? All of my friends tell me that they never get back in their car again until time to go back home.
My brother has told me I would spend the same amount of time waiting in the airport, getting in Disney, etc... and doesn't seem to think I should do it.
Any advice!!??
TIA!
PS.....Our trip is the Oct. 5 or 6-Oct. 11.
I know it's a lot of fun planning your first Disney trip with your little guy. I hope you're both excited about going!
I'm going to be different from the other responses that you've received, and I'd say that I would certainly consider driving.
I live in Atlanta, and we are also very familiar with Alabama. Several years ago, we started driving from Atlanta instead of flying to WDW for exactly the reason that your brother described.
For our family, we've come to the conclusion that for relatively short trips (as opposed to cross-country or international), it's almost not worth the hassles involved in flying. We're not afraid of flying. We, in fact, do enjoy the flying itself. We love that it allows us to visit places that we would not consider driving to.
Flying seems to take even more time and trouble now with the extra security requirements. I do realize that the Birmingham airport is a bit smaller than my home airport (Atlanta) and is much easier to navigate. So it probably doesn't take quite the chunk of time to fly out of Bham as it does out of Atlanta. But we've just decided that it is simpler and less stressful to go ahead and drive the 7 to 8 hrs from Atlanta. Packing is a whole lot easier and less restrictive. No security to deal with. You drive yourself directly door to door. You can decide how leisurely of a pace to take. Your car is probably a lot more comfortable than the airplane.
As far as driving from your area -- We have driven to WDW one time from Auburn. Not sure if you are anywhere close to there. But the drive was very easy -- and I'm thinking that it was between 7 and 8 hours. About 4 hours (maybe a little less) to Valdosta, and then seems like it's a bit over 3 hours from Valdosta to WDW. From Auburn -- Hwy 280 to Columbus -- then through Albany, GA -- hit I75 at Tifton -- Interstate the remainder of the way.
If you HATE to drive, then don't. But it could be a nice road trip for you and your son. You can take breaks whenever you want. You can take a bunch of Disney CDs -- build up excitement on the way. Maybe purchase a Park music CD while you are at WDW -- then listen to it on the way back and talk about all the things you loved doing at WDW. The drive really could enhance your trip.
Do you NEED a car at WDW? Probably not. It does allow you a lot of flexibility, if you want it. If you think that you will make more trips to WDW in the future, then it could be worth driving at least this one time. If, during your entire stay, you never had a desire or need to drive anywhere, then that will tell you that your family does not need a car. Or you may find that you were glad to have the car. Or you may find that you would be fine without the car, but maybe any future co-travelers would probably want it.
I believe that the drive is entirely doable in one day. But if that's too much for you, you could stop halfway in Valdosta. Or, you could probably easily make it to Gainesville or Ocala, and then be able to get to WDW mid-morning the next day.
I hope you and your son have a wonderful time together!
pixie dust to you both!
