Can't Decide Drive or Fly? About This Page:

[disneydreamer33]

I am planning my 40th birthday trip and can't decide if I should fly or drive.
I have miles I can use and a buy one get one free voucher, but the flights are horrible times and I don't know if I can get the same flight for both the miles and the voucher.
There will be four of us, so we can easily fit in my Honda Accord. We drove in Dec 2010 and I had a Dodge Durango and from Oklahoma to Orlando and back we spent $500 which we split and gas was outrageous then. Looking at airfares for later in the year to get an idea, I would spend 1000-1300 for the three of us.
I will have from Jan 1-12 off so I have plenty of time to drive and still get in the time I want at WDW. Plus my parents live in Pensacola, FL so I have a stopping point to rest and stay the night and finish the 6-7 hours the next day.

Please help with opinions, a push, anything to get me to decide so I can adjust my budget soon!
Thanks

[Nova]

The cost of flying sure has skyrocketed that is for sure, but we did 5 drive trips back in the 90's . It was always an exciting time going my Dad made each trip down a mini vacation with stops and pool time for the kids, but the trips home were tough. Everyone was tired, and it was just not fun heading back. Flying at least you dont have all thoes hours to look forward to. You get there with lots of energy, and home isnt so bad just driving from the airport.

[dwonderz]

I would lean toward driving in this case - because:

1- It's cheaper than flying (and you don't sound too excited about the flight times).
2- You have the time.
3- You've done it before.
4- You have a stopping off point (and don't have to worry about a hotel).

The only pro for flying (I think) in this case is that it's a shorter trip.

[Fortissimo]

As you are a year out before your trip, I would not make any decisions at this point. Flight prices are at their highest when the dates are released by most airlines. Flight times also change drastically this far out. This is one reason Southwest doesn't post flights more than 6 months out - the schedule is set by then and not as likely to change for them.

At this point I would keep an eye on flights. If flights open up at a good price and at a time you want to fly, I would then make a decision to either fly or drive.

Good luck!

[GingerJ]

Originally Posted by Fortissimo

As you are a year out before your trip, I would not make any decisions at this point. Flight prices are at their highest when the dates are released by most airlines. Flight times also change drastically this far out. This is one reason Southwest doesn't post flights more than 6 months out - the schedule is set by then and not as likely to change for them.

At this point I would keep an eye on flights. If flights open up at a good price and at a time you want to fly, I would then make a decision to either fly or drive.

Good luck!

Plus, a Honda Accord isn't the roomiest of vehicles for a trip this long!
Good luck with your decision.

[jimmymac]

You have plenty of time. Keep checking flight times and availability; they change quite often

[cdnmickeyfan]

We drive all the time so my vote is drive!!!!

[Sue M.]

It depends on how much time you'd be spending in wdw. For us, it would cut into our wdw time as most of our trips are at least 10 night in Disney.

I agree with watching flights. We use Kayak.com and put in a trip alert. From Seattle I can get RT flights as cheap as $300. Sometimes even less! On a major airline, usually United.

[koalamom]

I have been working on making this decision myself. I spent the last half of this past year watching the flight prices. My times are good - the prices varied greatly. I now have a general idea of when to book, but will be watching the prices as soon as the dates are released. Unless something drastic occurs, looks like I can get 3 tickets under $1000.

I also agree - the drive home is tough and so very long, even with a stopping point.

[oldmom]

we drive anymore and won't go back to flying anytime soon. I'd save the money and drive. We enjoy the time together and the scenery. You also have family to visit along the way. .

[MichaelF]

We are from Michigan and about 1200 miles to WDW. I would never consider driving that. Even though I have to buy plane tickets for six people its worth the expense. We are there in a couple hours . We use Disney Transportation so we don't have to rent a car so that does save us some money. Beside I hate driving long distances and I would hate to waste my vacation time driving.

[disneydreamer33]

Originally Posted by Sue M.

It depends on how much time you'd be spending in wdw. For us, it would cut into our wdw time as most of our trips are at least 10 night in Disney.

I agree with watching flights. We use Kayak.com and put in a trip alert. From Seattle I can get RT flights as cheap as $300. Sometimes even less! On a major airline, usually United.

My original dates are Jan 2-10 or Jan 3-11, but I will have off from Jan 1-12. So I have the extra days to drive and not cut into my WDW time. Which watching people post wait times on FB yesterday, I don't know that I want to arrive on the 2nd or if we do, don't plan on doing a park if it will be like yesterday.

[yalibrarian]

I would lean toward driving in this case - because:

1- It's cheaper than flying (and you don't sound too excited about the flight times).
2- You have the time.
3- You've done it before.
4- You have a stopping off point (and don't have to worry about a hotel).

The only pro for flying (I think) in this case is that it's a shorter trip.

I totally agree with the above. We don't fly at all anymore; our son has autism and I can just imagine the fun at security and on the plane. We regard the drive as part of the vacation and like you, we have a stopping point before we get there, visiting my FIL who lives in Northern FL. We like the convenience and flexibility of having our own vehicle, of being able to come and go as we please, and not having to wait for buses or planes. We can also stop on a whim if we see something interesting, and we do a beach day on the way home. It is cheaper too. On our recent trip last month, we cashed in credit card points for a gasoline card that more than paid for our fuel on the trip. So we definitely come down on the "drive" side of things.

[soccermomof2]

Although my family likes the idea of getting from Philly to Orlando in just over 2 hours by plane, we save a lot of money by driving, even when gas prices were high. We have our favorite stops along the way and each time we go, we try to pick a different place to dine.