When I think of driving all that way......

[41694love]

I am trying to make this trip as cost effective as I can. I am seeing airline tickets around 200.00 each (I need six). I just don't know if I can drive that far. Are there good airlines or good deals to be had? I have an airport 40 mintues from my home but it is always cheaper to fly from Philly or Allentown which are around an hour away. So, I think I could get the 200.00 range tickets. Still, from PA to FL is a loonnnnggg drive with four little kids - but I do think they would be pretty good though. I just don't know???????

 

[ADisneyQueen]

i would think you could find a better deal than $200 for Sept. Maybe wait a little longer for better fares on Southwest. We do not do well on long car trips. Driving to FL is something I could not do. Plus with gas, food, and hotels going down and back, how much would it cost you? I would rather fly and stay at a cheper hotel if I had to.

 

[gibsontrio]

YES it is ..lol.. i've driven from PA to south carolina and that was even unbearable, I couldnt imagine with kids (although we've driven from NY to arkanasas with them) Philly is definilty going to be cheaper for you. Keep checking with airline websites to see if the prices go down

 

[SGMCO]

We live in the Denver Area and we always have to pay
top dollar for Airfare. I think $200.00 RT is a good price
and it would take us 3 full days of driving to get there
and 3 coming back, so we have to fly.
We usually fly SW airlines because they are the cheepest
where we live and they also have went up this year
and don't offer the cheep fares for Saturdays anymore
(only Tues. and Wed.).
SW for us has the best schedule--get there earlier & non-stop.
I always see good deals on Airfare on the east coast.

 

[abish19]

We've driven to Disney twice with kids (once with our daughter when she was 16 months old and again when she was three and our son was one). For us it isn't too bad - we drive from Michigan - because we bring plenty for the kids to do/watch, stop often at rest areas and for meals, and usually my husband and I bring a book that we read together (well, he drives more and I read more). We enjoy driving and like to watch as the grass gets greener and it's warmer at every stop. If cost is really a factor, driving doesn't have to be horrifying unless you just plain HATE being in a car for long periods of time. Nothing can improve that part!

That being said - you MIGHT get better airline fares, but then there's still lots of tickets to buy. Of course, with flying you save a lot of time.

Will you need a vehicle once you get to Disney World?

Good luck with your decision. Just wanted you to know that driving doesn't have to be torture!

 

[RMulieri]

Been there done that...from central Pa to Fl with a ONE small child...never again. I do remeber my parents taking all 3 of us in the car( a ford pinto might I add )to disney from NJ...no wonder all they wanted was a liquor store when we got there Seriously, there is truly no hardship in having to drive.You alone know how behaved your kids will be in the car...

 

[mom2aredhead]

I'm in NYC, grew up in Jersey and I can safely say that I will NEVER drive to WDW. Yes, we are a much smaller family so the airfare is not as much of an issue, but when you add up the days of vacation spent traveling, cost of hotel room on the way there and back (unless you plan to go straight through ) food/drinks for the road, the number of extra stops you'll have to make for little bladders after the food and drinks, the cost of gas, wear/tear on your vehicle...UGH!

We've gone a few different times of the year..in early December we paid $118 + tax r/t from Newark, in May and October I think it was about $139 or $149. I would think that Sept would be similar unless you're traveling Labor Day weekend or trying to tie it in to Rosh Hashanah or a time when schools are closed. Its just a matter of finding it at the right time.
You have Southwest out of Philly which usually has good deals. Sign up for their DING's. Also, check Spirit out of Atlantic City and maybe join their $9.00 fare club. Faithfully check KAYAK and FARECAST and make sure to sign up for the notifications from a few of your preferred airlines so if a sale fare comes out you know about it right away.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Golden Rose]

We drove with a two year old last year from Texas. We couldn't find an airfare for less than about $300 pp, and DH actually enjoys driving, so it made it an easy decision for us. We'd recently bought a minivan with a DVD player, so that made it an even easier decision. Our little boy (who doesn't get to watch too much tv at home) was thrilled to have two days in the car with the DVD player. (His reaction to arriving at the Boardwalk? Tears because we turned off his Spot DVD )

I don't know if I would do it with one that young without a DVD player in the car, though. We'd planned to wait a couple more years to try it, but in the end, decided to do it last year. We had a wonderful time as a family, and we're doing it again in a couple of months.

 

[blessedby3]

SW is good for having low roundtrip tickets. Download their Ding program and watch as the time gets closer. Do you have an Allegiant Airlines near you? They are a budget airline and we have flown them 3 times. Our last tickets were $39 each way, but they fly into Sanford instead of MCO (no free DME). Jetblue also seems to run some specials comparable to SWA. I have driven it once (we live in SW VA) and I said NEVER AGAIN!! We just grab the best airfare we can get and fly. I just budget it into our vacation fund.

 

[Sheaboys]

Well we are in Massachusetts and we drove to Florida 2x. Once in 2005 with a 7, 5 and 3 yr old and again in 2007 with a 9, 7, 5, 4 and almost 1 yr old. Both times were fine. But we drive straight through. When we went to Disney World in 2005, we stopped at my parents house for 2nights, they are North of Tampa on the west coast of Florida, left their house Sunday morning for Disney, took about 2 hours. So I believe the staying overnight prior to a Disney trip is a must. Our friends drove from NC (the North West Corner) to Disney they left very early Sunday am, and got there around 2pm, their kids were crap and so were they by 7pm. She said, they should have left the evening before, and stopped in GA or north FL. So the ride would not be so bad.

Now, Download Ding from SW, they have great fares. This year, August I also need 6 tickets, so I am looking into flying, because DH does not want to drive. Ding Fares, come out about 1-2 months before. Like today I got a DING for April. And yesterday I was still getting Dings for March. If you find a fare prior to a Ding, you can book it, and if a cheaper fare comes out, you can get a CREDIT not a refund through SW. Good luck!

 

[The Lion King]

Well we're driving from OH next month. While I'm not looking forward to it, it's the ONLY way we were going to be able to go. There will be six of us also and my dh is excited to drive. We are going to leave about 1am Sun. and drive to Jacksonville. We'll stay over night there and get up early Mon. to head to WDW. We are going to spend the first day at DTD and the resort so that on Tue. we are ready to hit the parks.

We have a van with DVD player so we are taking plenty of movies. Each of the kids have a gameboy so hopefully it won't be too bad.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

We have always driven to WDW, drove down with our two little ones in October and will do so again this year.

I know getting a cheap airfare will help, but you also need to take into consideration the value of having your own vehicle at WDW, even if you will be using Disney's transportation.

The kids love the DVD player. We armed ourselves with stacks of their favorite movies. We brought toys. And arranged our departure and arrival times to best suit their schedules.

For us, I could not imagine not having our own car to off site if we need to. We do grocery shopping down there, so our car comes in handy. Plus, with the little ones, we take a lot of our "stuff" from home (pack-n-plays, etc.)

You have to remember the hidden costs of each.

Let's look at your potential expenses flying vs. driving.

Flying: Let's just say you find a cheaper airfare of $150.

Airfare = $900

Airport parking? 5 days = approximately $50.
Need to rent a pack-n-play? That's $50.
Need groceries once your arrive (snacks/drinks)? Consider the extra cost of food vs. that of shopping at Walmart on your own. For example, Walmart's Gerber Graduates entree = $1.99, Netgrocer = $2.75.

Total = Roughly $1000


Driving: I figured mileage from Philadelphia since I don't know where exactly you live. I'm not including food during the ride down or back because it's not exclusively an expense of the trip. At home, at WDW, or on the road, there's always a food expense (which can be decreased by packing snacks and drinks from home).

Estimated gas (mini van gas mileage) = $300 roundtrip
Hotel room (for splitting the drive) = $200 total w/ tax

Bring your own pack-n-play.
Bring your own snacks.
Have your own vehicle to buy food once you're there.

Total = Roughly $500

Driving for your family will be about half the cost than flying if you can get a super cheap airfare. That money could be used put toward your accommodations at WDW. Or, for us, that would be $500 less that we would have to budget for our trip.

If the thought of driving is absolutely horrifying to you, then the extra money will be worth it. It's all about what we think we can endure for 15, 10, 5, or even 1 hour in the car with kids.

 

[spalady]

We drive to WDW from Pittsburgh and have no problems at all~of course my girls are 15 and 12. We actually look forward to that time in the car chatting,listening to a book on cd, playing games (we like to play a disney trivia game) We try to stop over maybe 2 nights and go someplace we have never been to. Last time we stopped in South Carolina and St. Augustine this time we are going to try to drive as far as Savannah, Ga and stay there a couple days and sight see there. Now coming home we just stop over 1 night if we have to, by then we want to get home and see our dog!!

 

[Princessbaby]

We have driven twice from northern Indiana. It was a great drive both times, but I do have to say it is harder to get home because we are so tired (must be all the late EMH we end up doing!). The first trip our kids were 6, 3, 1. Our second drive they were 8, 6, 3. We plan on driving the next time too ( my DH loves the drive ). I do like having my car there because the busses are hard to do after a long day at the parks (at least with little kids and strollers they are).

 

[AlyLynn]

We are from Pennsylvania, and also have 4 kids. We go to Disney so often, we bought AP passes last summer! We drive it 2-3 times a year. We did fly last Easter, because it was cheaper than the gas would have been. The kids hate flying, and so we drive. Everyone thinks we're crazy, but the trips down and back for us have been so much fun! We have even taken the Auto train, the kids still liked driving better. We have 2 trips planned for this summer. It takes us between 19-22 hours usually.

 

[dreamer17555]

Also wanted to point out are you planning any kids clubs? Lots of TS (the DxDDP)? Because having a car could be invaluable if you are. We are driving (from NC) for those very reasons. We would waste so much time waiting for buses (well except to MK of course!) that driving is worth it.

-Becca-

 

[mnasmom3]

We've driven with our 3 kids a few times. Flying is easier, but can be more costly (especially for bigger families) even if you get a deal on airfare. Obviously, it'll be most cost effective to drive straight though instead of paying for hotel rooms. We go straight through and it's worked out well for us. Try it once. Next time you'll know if you need to spend the money on airfare.

 

[taitai]

One other thing to think about when you do the math is the cost to you of the extra vacation days needed to do the drive. So, if the drive takes you two days, then you will need 4 extra vacation days. Assuming an annual salary of $60K, that is roughly $900 lost dollars of vacation/salary. Added onto the $500 cost of driving as illustrated above, you come out ahead flying.

Of course, neither of those calculations takes into account the cost of wear and tear on your automobile for the drive.

Sorry if that makes your own decision more difficult.

Have a safe trip whatever you decide to do.

Taitai

 

[bwmmfan]

We drove from PA last October. We had a 12, 8 and 5 year old. We often say it wasn't terrible and plan on driving again in 2009. We liked having control stopping when we want etc. Nothing ruins a trip more than a long day in an airport. Seems everytime we fly the plane is delayed. I hate that. This is a tip that worked for me. Each of my kids got an M & M container filled with quarters. The kids were told if there is any fighting or if anyone asked if we are there yet I got to take a quarter. Any quarters they had left were theirs for arcades. It worked! I didn't take one quarter!!!

 

[Karlzmom]

Have you considered Amtrak?

They go straight into Orlando from the Eastern sea board, let you walk around at will..food is surprisingly good for the price and conditions...we have taken the train cross country with a 2 year old and treat the getting there as part of the vacation. The best part is even the "driver" in the group gets to sleep while still making time and arrives equally refreshed.