Driving or Flying

[dopeydude]

In your opinion, what is the best way to get to WDW would you rather fly and arrive in a short period of time, or drive and let the excitement build?

we always drive (16 hours) and always seem to arrive at about 10:30 so in the distance we can see illuminations off in the distance letting us know that we have finally made it to our destination

[TheMartellFamily]

We drive to save money. We fly because we want a longer vacation. It all depends how much time and money we have we do both.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We always drive/train it to Disney. I hate to fly, and it saves some $$ (which we can then spend at Disney).

It would be nice to fly though, and be there in just a couple of hours.

[I LoveJack]

Fly. We drove one time and I will never do it again until the kids are old enough to help drive, like 20 something. It was me, DH, both DD and mother-in-law. I had 3 kids in the back most of the time, if you know what I mean. It was like the Griswalds going to Walley World

[BMan62]

Fly! I do not enjoy 16 hours behind the wheel anymore. 2 hours in the air is a much better option to me. 5 hours from leaving home until check in.

Besides, I always feel rough for the first 24 - 36 hours after a 'white knuckle cruise' like that. I go to WDW to relax from the first minute I'm there.

As far as costs...It is actually a little cheaper for the two of us (DW and I) to fly from Baltimore (BWI) to Orlando (MCO) than it would be to drive.

[elmjimmlm]

We like to drive because we leave about 2 days early to start our vacation...

[Mickey'sGirl]

We usually make the 21+ hour drive, because
1 - It's a lot cheaper for the for 4 of us (one night accommodation plus gas),
2 - I like to have a car when we are down and
3 - I honestly like the search for our hotel -- grabbing a pizza and watching some tv. It's a bit of an adventure in iteslf.

Our kids travel well, so I am sure that helps make our decision easier!

[JRocker]

I wouldn't mind flying, but there are too many things that rule it out for my family.

• Cheaper to drive than fly five, six, or seven people.
• We own a camper, because it is significantly cheaper to to stay at a campground. I'm pretty sure the camper would be over the weight limit for checked baggage.
• If we flew we would have to do the dining plan or eat out which would more than triple the cost of what we spend of food now. (we cook at camp)
• We would miss out on the journey. There is so much to see and experience in this country; why would I want to just fly over it when I can stop in and enjoy it?

It's a 22 hour drive for us. This last trip we took three days to get there and had fun doing it. My kids have always traveled well. I can honestly tell you that I never heard any of them ask "are we there yet?".

The destination is awesome, but we have always enjoyed the full package; the journey and the the destination.

Of course, you have to have the time off for it. I'm fortunate with that, so far.

[disneymom15]

We have always flown. We wouldn't do it any other way. Love the fact that we can be there within 5 hours. More time to spend at our favorite place.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

We drove when the kids were little, but only fly now. I don't think I could handle ten hours of anticipation anymore! I'm pretty much in a frenzy by the time we get there now!

[ParkMan]

We fly - we prefer the longer time in the park.

In fact, we've gone so far as to get a town car to shave an hour off the time to get from the airport to the hotel.

I generally like driving (we just did 2,000 miles on vacation), but on our Disney trips it's all about maximizing our time at WDW.

[AllDisney]

Drove down once. 14 hour trip. Did the drive in 2 days. Never again. Flying is the only way to go

[SteveL]

I just got $44 airfare on nonstops from Allentown PA to MCO. Drive? No way.

[PetefromRI]

It's only the 2 of us so it's not that much of a savings for a 22 hour+ drive.I love the exitement of flying.

[amd780]

We will be driving down on our next trip to save money. Of course, we'll take along plenty of Disney music to help build the excitement!

[nicster]

For that long of a drive, I would fly. With me, it is only DH & myself, still 16 hours! The fatigue afterwards would be another consideration. Do you really want to 'spend' your WDW energy on driving or on WDW???

[Fangorn]

For us, driving isn't really an option. At just over 3000 miles one way, we're looking at a 5 day road trip just to get there. Given gas, food and lodging costs, I'll gladly opt for flying. Particularly when I can routinely get a SW flight from Portland to MCO for about $120 (I just re-booked our Sept/Oct trip at $90)

$90 + 6 hours + a chicken sandwich at Wendy's sure beats 5 days driving +$400 for gas + $500 for lodging +food for 2 for 5 days.

Even when we had all 4 kids with us, it was still cheaper to fly.

Steve

[AdventurerKim]

FLY!!

I've done the 10+ hour drive multiple times as a kid; that was exhausting!

[Gooftroop5]

We drive 23 hours with 2 night on the road before we go into disney. We actually could do one night then into disney but that makes it too tiring.

Half the fun of the vacation is the long ride. Driving is tradition. My dad can't fly do to medical reasons so we have always drove sometimes with the camper in tow. Our favorite part is watching for the South of the Border signs.

We don't cut into our park time we try to maximize dh's vacation time & comp time to spend the number of days we want at the parks. We actually get a longer vacation driving.

[Marceline]

Have never done the 24 hour drive down there. It might be fun someday but I doubt my hubby has any interest in being crammed in a car for that long. He is a tall fella at about 6'4" and extended periods in a car make his knees and ankles ache like the dickens.

I love flying, take-off and landing are a big thrill to me.....it's the just the first big ride of the trip.