WWY'all Do?

[DisneyDreamer04]

Guys I am asking here because y'all understand little ones and the in's and outs of travel with them.

I have a what would you do kind of question. We are trying to go this year, even though we are making it a super value trip.

My question is, would you:

a.) drive both ways (up and down to WDW) 16+ drive not including stops
estimate cost 300 bucks

b.) fly one way, rent a car one way(get down there alot sooner, and not as tired to start a trip) pretty good deal 500 bucks

c.) fly round trip (of course the easiest)but not the most cost effective 725 bucks


I just worry about the drive and if we will be wore out by the time we get there? Those are the only options I can think of any help would be appreciated.
Thanks ahead.

 

[lalagrace]

If 200 is not going to blow your budget trip it would be nice to get out of driving both legs.

 

[srwarden1928]

We drive 14 hours each way every time. 2 hours more is not significant IMO. At our age (40s) we stop on the way down & on the way back, usually at Tifton, GA. We pay 50/night for those nights, which is worth it to us.
We wouldnt have it any other way. We have no desire for the expense and hassle of flying. Renting a car doesnt help the expense that much. Driving is the way to go.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Thank you so much for your quick replies. Your right when you get over X amount of hours it doesnt matter. It still is a long trip. We were thinking of getting up and leaving @ around 5am, and just driving straight thru. It would put us there, by the time we figure in stops, and time change around 11:30. That way, we could just check in and get a good nites sleep and crash(the kids would be tired too). The flights are just too expensive I think. And option B doesnt have luggage fee's in it. I forgot..... I just hope by the time we get to WDW my 20month old isnt making me go any way we go, I know it isnt going to be ideal. Just not enough patience.

 

[tzolkin]

option D: drive down a day early

We have a 20 hr drive and decided to add an extra night to our stay (at a value only about $100-- we'd pay that to stop along the way). We will arrive Monday afternoon so dad can nap and the kids and I can hang out in the pool. We'll all enjoy this much more than stopping along the drive and we can get to bed early so we won't be too exhausted from the drive to enjoy our first day.


Option B has me puzzled. Only $200 for one way plane tickets and a car rental? Also, is the cost for Option A just for the gas? If so, I don't think you'll really spend that much. We have a minivan and I don't think we spent that much last year when gas was over $4/gallon.

Also, if you drive you'll have your own vehicle to go to the grocery store for food/snacks to have in the room and can bring a cooler. This really helps our budget because we don't spend as much on food and don't have to pay the fee for a fridge (if staying in a value).

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

We've always driven with our kids, it's about 7 hours each way. We leave in the middle of the night (usually around 3 am) and the kids sleep for a big chunk of the way. Flying with babies sucks! Plus if you rent a car you have to schlep the car seat down on the plane, etc.

Plus if you drive you can cram all the gear you want into your car!

Once you get to Disney, it's ALWAYS nicer to use your on transportation than use the Disney busses. Trust me, done it both ways with kids, I HATE busses. Slow, noisy, packed, and somebody always throws up on/near me by the end of our vaca.

So I say, look up the good "disney packing lists' (google it) and then get the family truckster on the road

 

[Darcy03231]

I think I would drive it. If you can do it so you're driving during the night that will help with the kids. DH and I drove from our house to Tennessee once (18+ hours). We got the car completely loaded and he took a nap (4pm - 10 pm). We loaded up the last minute stuff and the kids and took off. He drove while I napped in the car. We switched off around 4 am. By 8 am the kids started to wake up and we stopped for breakfast. He took over again. We drove all day, switching off, just stopping for meals and bathroom breaks and made it to his parents early that evening. Having the kids sleep for about 10 hours of the trip really helped. On the way back we stopped and spent a day in PA at Hershey Park which really helped break the trip up.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

option D: drive down a day early

We have a 20 hr drive and decided to add an extra night to our stay (at a value only about $100-- we'd pay that to stop along the way). We will arrive Monday afternoon so dad can nap and the kids and I can hang out in the pool. We'll all enjoy this much more than stopping along the drive and we can get to bed early so we won't be too exhausted from the drive to enjoy our first day.


Option B has me puzzled. Only $200 for one way plane tickets and a car rental? Also, is the cost for Option A just for the gas? If so, I don't think you'll really spend that much. We have a minivan and I don't think we spent that much last year when gas was over $4/gallon.

I never thought of just driving down early. May just do that. It would cost me $500 for renting a car, and flying down, with airport parking etc. I did somehow forget to add in gas coming back, so probably more like $650. I found a really good deal on airtran, and avis car rental. It was just another option.
Looks like all you guys are leaning towards the drive. That is what I had planned originally, but my DH, had plans otherwise. I think he is really scared to drive so far with our youngest. She HATES carseats. Always has for somereason. So, he then got me to worrying.......

Thank you guys for your responses. Very nice to hear honest opinion.

 

[becca1125]

We are driving with our kids. 10, 7 yr old and 19 month old. Id rather drive and take what I want than fly and be limited. The only one I think it will bother is my 19 month old but Im stocked with a dvd player and Wonder Pets We only have a 7 hour drive but Ive done much longer trips. When we moved from Hawaii to FL we flew from HI to CA then drove from CA to FL. The dvd player and Barney were life savers!

I like the day earlier idea. Arrive so that you can have the afternoon/evening to relax by the pool and let the kiddos unwind.

 

[growinupdisney]

We always leave about 12am- 2am (depending on DH) too! I let my DH go to bed really early about 7pm so he can get plenty of rest before the drive then I drive the first few hours. I then sleep in the car. The kids sleep most of the way if not all DD14 and DS12 def. do I have a DD who almost 2 who usually wakes up around 7am. This works the best for everyone. Our drive is about 10 hrs. Also when leave in the middle of the night you tend to stop less and make better time (no traffic)

 

[tzolkin]

I edited my above post.


Re: your worries about the drive... Would your DH be willing to leave in the evening? This works best for us because our kids will sleep 12 hours of the drive. Two of mine have severe issues with motion sickness, so sleeping is the most pleasant way for them to travel.

 

[NU2WDW]

That is a looong haul to do straight thru with a little one like that. I would recommend leaving the day before if possible, going 10-11 hrs max and staying overnight, then driving the rest of the way the next day. Otherwise, I'd find a way to budget for the flying. JMHO! Have a great trip!

 

[texaslady22]

We did a 16 1/2 hour drive with our two year old, and we drove it straight through. Not a problem at all!! In fact, after about 8 hours of driving, my 2 year old said "I love vacation!!"

 

[tinkerdoodle]

I personally would never drive that far. My dad surprised my brother and me with a trip to WDW when I was 16. He even invited a friend for each of us to go. Only deal was we had to drive from Northern KY. That was a miserable drive, let me tell ya! My friend and I were just talking about that trip last week and how awful that drive was!!!

Fast forward to a few years ago, DH's cousin was getting married in Gulf Shores, AL. We now live in PA. Yep, you guessed it! We drove - me, my DH, my MIL, and my 2 DS' ages 2 & 5 at the time. Now mind you, my sons were and are very good travelers (my family still lives in KY and we visit alot) but I will NEVER, EVER drive that far again! It was just awful, the whole time you feel like you are never going to get there. Then when you finally do, it takes 2 wasted days to get your energy back. So for me, the very thought of driving that many hours to WDW is worth every penny of flying. No amount of money is worth making that drive to me. None, whatsoever! We are going to WDW in June and I found a great deal round trip on SW.

 

[urgoinagain?]

18 hour drivers here, straight through with 3 little ones. If you can drive at night while the kids sleep, it works great. Driving in the day for a long time is awful! There is only so much you can do to keep them occupied. If you have any questions pm me!

 

[fours]

We did a 16 1/2 hour drive with our two year old, and we drove it straight through. Not a problem at all!! In fact, after about 8 hours of driving, my 2 year old said "I love vacation!!"

your 2 yr olds response is priceless. Our daughters loved car trips...we'd stop and make it fun. It's all about making memories.

 

[duffy]

I don't mind driving, but to me it's not just a simple matter of saving money by not flying...it's also trying to not waste time. And time is money! If we drive, it's at least 13 hours, which amounts to a day driving down, and a day driving back. Those are days that I have to schedule off of work, not to mention days that I'm NOT spending at the parks!

We're going after Thanksgiving and still haven't decided which we're going to do.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Maybe I am just over thinking it. We flew down before, and now since y'all gave us the idea of driving down a day ahead, we can throw that into the idea pot. My poor dh really really wants to fly, but if I think we can drive all the way thru or even stay a nite somewhere down the road, including a nites stay for almost 300 bucks less. I see that as money to spend in Disney. I do worry about how hard the travel is, since I have never done it with a child that little, and how tired us parents are going to be. I just dont know.

 

[Colleen27]

We fly, simply because we can't generally add 4 days to our trip so driving would mean much less time at WDW. Otherwise I'd happily drive. We drive to Boston (12hrs) and Virginia Beach (14hrs) every couple of years to visit family and we really love the whoe road trip feel. We don't drive through, though. We break it up and stop to see some of the sites along our route. The drive takes longer that way, but it is easier on the kids and less exhausting for us.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

We just drove from Boston in February. Airfare was ridiculous for school vacation week and we wanted to try out driving. We actually left two days before our reservation in Disney (left on Friday around noon). Its about a 21hour drive. We rented a mini van for $500.

I would do it again. We tried to do the majority of driving while they were asleep so about 7PM to midnight/1AM...then a few hours during the day. We stopped in VA for the night then again in GA. The trip home we only stopped 1 night..(but I got the stomach flu so thats a different story)

The driving was an adventure for the kids and us. We really enjoyed stopping in new places, seeing new sites. My 5 year old thought she died and went to heaven at South of the Border with all the lights and plastic animals... It will definitely stick as a childhood memory

I think as long as you are looking at it as part of your vacation it won't be that bad...