What's the Driving vs. Flying Percentage?

[famsen]

Just wondering; what do you suppose the ratio is of guests staying for an extended period of time(not the local day-trippers) at WDW who drive there compared to those that fly in? 80/20?
The thought came to me while I am statistically and rationally trying to calm myself down for my flight next week. Yes, I am still afraid to fly.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I guess it depends a lot on how far away you are--folks within a few hundred miles or less probably wouldn't fly at all, so the stats would be "off" because of that.
But for folks in my position (1,000 miles away) 80-20 fly vs. drive seems about right.
And we fly--I HATE everything about flying except that it gets us to Orlando in a little less than 2 hours.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Just wondering; what do you suppose the ratio is of guests staying for an extended period of time(not the local day-trippers) at WDW who drive there compared to those that fly in? 80/20?
The thought came to me while I am statistically and rationally trying to calm myself down for my flight next week. Yes, I am still afraid to fly.

See if your doctor can prescribe something for anxiety. My dad takes Xanex for flying and does just fine.

I would ask for 1 extra dose just to try it and see how you feel on a day you don't have to work. On a plane is not the time to discover you're allergic to a med or have some type of adverse reaction.

Here's a great website that might help.
http://www.takingflight.us/forums/

You will love getting to Orlando so fast. We like that we can finish a full day of work/school on a Friday, quick change clothes & eat, and get to Philly for an 8:00 flight, and be in Orlando by 10:30 pm. We crash at the Hyatt right inside MCO and wake up Saturday morning well rested and in FL!

If we were driving, we'd be around DC or VA by 10:30pm!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Just wondering; what do you suppose the ratio is of guests staying for an extended period of time(not the local day-trippers) at WDW who drive there compared to those that fly in? 80/20?
The thought came to me while I am statistically and rationally trying to calm myself down for my flight next week. Yes, I am still afraid to fly.

You could create a poll and it will give you the %.

 

[famsen]

See if your doctor can prescribe something for anxiety. My dad takes Xanex for flying and does just fine.

I would ask for 1 extra dose just to try it and see how you feel on a day you don't have to work. On a plane is not the time to discover you're allergic to a med or have some type of adverse reaction.

Here's a great website that might help.
http://www.takingflight.us/forums/

You will love getting to Orlando so fast. We like that we can finish a full day of work/school on a Friday, quick change clothes & eat, and get to Philly for an 8:00 flight, and be in Orlando by 10:30 pm. We crash at the Hyatt right inside MCO and wake up Saturday morning well rested and in FL!

If we were driving, we'd be around DC or VA by 10:30pm!

Thanks for the advice. I know I flew in September and I DID love it that we were at Disney in 2-1/2 hours and had all day to have fun.
I do take Xanax daily for anxiety anyway. My Dr. also prescribed me something for relaxing and sleeping on the flight. It didn't do the job last trip, however. I'm still scared.

 

[mrodgers]

I don't know anyone who flies. Nearly everyone I know in PA who goes to Disneyworld drives down.

We are driving because it will be "faster" for us. Flying we would arrive in Orlando sometime late afternoon to early evening. To late to waste money on park tickets. Driving, since I can have any amount of vacation I want, we are taking 2 extra days and driving most of the way down. Leave Saturday and spend the night. Get up early Sunday and drive 4 hours and possibly even get to Disney by 10 am (more likely 11 or 12.) Then we will have nearly the whole day after a quick drive to go to Magic Kingdom as soon as we arrive.

It's 2.5 hours for us if we could fly straight through. That doesn't include the 2 hour drive to the airport, the fact that we would have to get to the airport early and the fact that I couldn't find a flight that was straight through. That 2.5 hour flight turned into an all day thing starting at 4 am in Pittsburgh and ending at 8 pm in Orlando. If it is going to take the same amount of time overall, I may as well drive and save $1000 and be able to enjoy seeing my kid's faces light up upon entering Magic Kingdom for the first time as soon as we arrive instead of having to wait until the following day.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I don't know anyone who flies. Nearly everyone I know in PA who goes to Disneyworld drives down.

We are driving because it will be "faster" for us. Flying we would arrive in Orlando sometime late afternoon to early evening. To late to waste money on park tickets. Driving, since I can have any amount of vacation I want, we are taking 2 extra days and driving most of the way down. Leave Saturday and spend the night. Get up early Sunday and drive 4 hours and possibly even get to Disney by 10 am (more likely 11 or 12.) Then we will have nearly the whole day after a quick drive to go to Magic Kingdom as soon as we arrive.

It's 2.5 hours for us if we could fly straight through. That doesn't include the 2 hour drive to the airport, the fact that we would have to get to the airport early and the fact that I couldn't find a flight that was straight through. That 2.5 hour flight turned into an all day thing starting at 4 am in Pittsburgh and ending at 8 pm in Orlando. If it is going to take the same amount of time overall, I may as well drive and save $1000 and be able to enjoy seeing my kid's faces light up upon entering Magic Kingdom for the first time as soon as we arrive instead of having to wait until the following day.

Wow, that's really rare in Philly. Southwest and USAirways both have several non stop flights, probably 6-10 per day. I don't know anyone who drives.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't know anyone who flies. Nearly everyone I know in PA who goes to Disneyworld drives down.

We are driving because it will be "faster" for us. Flying we would arrive in Orlando sometime late afternoon to early evening. To late to waste money on park tickets. Driving, since I can have any amount of vacation I want, we are taking 2 extra days and driving most of the way down. Leave Saturday and spend the night. Get up early Sunday and drive 4 hours and possibly even get to Disney by 10 am (more likely 11 or 12.) Then we will have nearly the whole day after a quick drive to go to Magic Kingdom as soon as we arrive.

It's 2.5 hours for us if we could fly straight through. That doesn't include the 2 hour drive to the airport, the fact that we would have to get to the airport early and the fact that I couldn't find a flight that was straight through. That 2.5 hour flight turned into an all day thing starting at 4 am in Pittsburgh and ending at 8 pm in Orlando. If it is going to take the same amount of time overall, I may as well drive and save $1000 and be able to enjoy seeing my kid's faces light up upon entering Magic Kingdom for the first time as soon as we arrive instead of having to wait until the following day.

AirTran and Southwest both have 2 or 3 non-stops a day PIT-MCO. I'm flying Delta next Saturday because I got frequent flyer tickets. My PIT-ATL flight is 8:00am, about an hour in ATL and then onto Orlando. I'll leave the house about 6:00am and get to Orlando about 12:30pm. I can't imagine 18 hours in the car.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

AirTran and Southwest both have 2 or 3 non-stops a day PIT-MCO. I'm flying Delta next Saturday because I got frequent flyer tickets. My PIT-ATL flight is 8:00am, about an hour in ATL and then onto Orlando. I'll leave the house about 6:00am and get to Orlando about 12:30pm. I can't imagine 18 hours in the car.

Exactly. Even to save more than 1K. It's worth every penny.

 

[DC7800]

Just wondering; what do you suppose the ratio is of guests staying for an extended period of time(not the local day-trippers) at WDW who drive there compared to those that fly in? 80/20?

There are also those of us who neither drive nor fly into central Florida.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

During the summer months my family and I drive to WDW, however in the winter months we fly down. So I guess we are 50% for driving and 50% for flying.

 

[GranddadTom]

Clearly the ratio will change as you get further away from Orlando. I’ve flown may times (from Baltimore) and the time it takes me to get from my house to my Disney hotel averages around 6 ½ hours if I can get a non-stop flight and all goes well. I suspect that this time won’t vary much for others since the time in the air is only about 1/3 of the total trip and we all seem to live an hour away from our airport. Then the question becomes “how many people who are 6 ½ hours drive or less away from WDW fly?” My guess is – not many. I like to have my car a WDW, I like to leave home when I want to – not when the airline wants me to, I like to be able to keep my shoes on and pack bottles containing more than 3 oz of liquid, and I like to not have to worry about whether or not my middle name needs to be on my ticket or where my seat will be and if the person next to me has the flu. I wonder where the 50-50 point is – mileagewise that is. And I wonder how that point has change over the last year.

 

[NotUrsula]

Can't tell you on how many WDW visitors drive vs. fly, but I'm betting that driving is out in front. It's just common sense, as statistically more people in the US drive than fly to get anywhere. Even now, after deregulation, the percentage of the US population that has ever flown is a tiny fraction of the population as a whole.

As to the tipping point at which travel time breaks even, most studies that I have seen say that, post-911, the tipping point is usually around 6 hours door to door. Most Americans who can drive somewhere in that much time will do so rather than fly, because recommended arrival for security adds 3 hours to any air trip. Add in layovers, travel time to the airport and time spent checking/waiting for bags, and the average 2 hour flight now takes 6-7 hours to complete.

As for Amtrak, from my home the shortest possible route to Orlando is 52.5 hours! That works out to a little under 19 mph. Quite frankly, I could ride a bicycle there in that much time. Amtrak is a great alternative if you live on a direct route line, but for most of us outside the East Coast it is just not a realistic alternative.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Can't tell you on how many WDW visitors drive vs. fly, but I'm betting that driving is out in front. It's just common sense, as statistically more people in the US drive than fly to get anywhere. Even now, after deregulation, the percentage of the US population that has ever flown is a tiny fraction of the population as a whole.

As to the tipping point at which travel time breaks even, most studies that I have seen say that, post-911, the tipping point is usually around 6 hours door to door. Most Americans who can drive somewhere in that much time will do so rather than fly, because recommended arrival for security adds 3 hours to any air trip. Add in layovers, travel time to the airport and time spent checking/waiting for bags, and the average 2 hour flight now takes 6-7 hours to complete.

As for Amtrak, from my home the shortest possible route to Orlando is 52.5 hours! That works out to a little under 19 mph. Quite frankly, I could ride a bicycle there in that much time. Amtrak is a great alternative if you live on a direct route line, but for most of us outside the East Coast it is just not a realistic alternative.

This is the part where it really varies depending on where you live. We're approx 25 min drive to our airport (Philly) that recommends arriving 1.5 hrs before flight. There are plenty of nonstops so the whole thing is 5 hrs.
To me, it's not just the time itself. It's what I'm actually doing in those 5 hrs.

Sitting at the gate for 1 hr waiting to board is waay less stressful than dealing with I-95, as is riding on the plane.
I have more stress driving to PHL than getting thru security and the rest of the flight.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

While I always drive to Disneyland, Orlando is just too far of a drive. My DH usually can't get that much time off at once, so we always fly to Orlando.

 

[silmarg]

We have flown and driven from NYC area. I would say we have been to WDW about 12 times in the last 10 years and have driven 4 of them. But most folks that live by us think we are nuts when we talk about driving down.

Driving is tough time wise (18-20 hrs), but its great to have your car down there (no added cost for a rental). But driving back is the pits.

Driving was much easier when the kids were younger (IMO) since you could pack all their stuff (like strollers and car seats) and not lug it around an airport and thru security.

That said, I will only fly if its less than $120pp each way.

I have driven from NYC to Baltimore to get a cheap flight for President's week last year and may fly out of Philly next year.

And I only do non stops.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have flown and driven from NYC area. I would say we have been to WDW about 12 times in the last 10 years and have driven 4 of them. But most folks that live by us think we are nuts when we talk about driving down.

Driving is tough time wise (18-20 hrs), but its great to have your car down there (no added cost for a rental). But driving back is the pits.

Driving was much easier when the kids were younger (IMO) since you could pack all their stuff (like strollers and car seats) and not lug it around an airport and thru security.

That said, I will only fly if its less than $120pp each way.

I have driven from NYC to Baltimore to get a cheap flight for President's week last year and may fly out of Philly next year.

And I only do non stops.

You should easily be able to beat that on SWA flying out of Philly, sometimes Airtran too. Also Airtran now flies out of Atlantic City so check that out too.

In 15 trips to WDW plus many cruises, I've never paid more than $120 pp each way except our return last year, Sat after TG, which I knew would be more. I think that was $188 + tax.

 

[jmartinez1895]

We live in Birmingham AL and our first trip we drove. It was about a 10 hour drive and with 3 kids we took a vow that NEVER agian would we drive. We have flown every year sence then and the flight is only about 2 hours. For us our sanity and comfort is worth the flight.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We have flown on every trip it except. It is just too afr of a drive from W. Michigan. 5 hours of flying time is so much easier to take then 24 hours of driving.

 

[kristenrice]

Another West Michigander checking in...

As a child, I took two trips when we flew and two trips when we drove. As an adult, I have driven once and flown 5 times.

As a parent, I have flown three times with the kids. In April, we are driving with the kids for the first time. Grandpa and Grandma are coming too so we will split up the drive time.

When we fly, we will usually drive 2.5 hours to Detroit and spend the night near the airport and fly out in the morning. Returning, we drive back home after we land.

When we drive, we leave in the later afternoon (after school) and get a hotel when we are tired. The next day, we drive all day again and we usually end up about 2-3 hours outside of Orlando. We get another hotel and then we have a short drive the next day (Sunday) to "start" our vacation. By spreading it out over 2 nights, nobody is completely exhausted when we arrive.

The trip home is another story. We will check out on Friday morning and drive as long as we possibly can. Then, we get up the next morning and drive until we get home. This gets us home on Saturday night so we have Sunday to recover before going back to school.

Generally speaking, we are going to use whatever transportation method is cheaper. With 4 people in June, our airfare and hotel stay was about $700. It would have cost that much in gas alone to drive so flying was the obvious choice. In April, splitting gas costs with my parents, it will cost us about $700 to drive instead of $1800 to fly.

So, I guess for us, it just comes down to what will be cheaper. I generally plan on driving, but if we can find airfare that works out cheaper, we will fly.