Should we fly instead of driving......?

[Dbktmc]

For $800 I would try and find the money to fly. Are there any other airports within a few hours of your house that are cheaper? We used to drive from PA but started to fly 3 years ago. I will never go back to driving again. I can't believe how relaxed and refreshed we are when we arrive at MCO as well as when we arrive back home. That feeling of no stress is priceless to me.

Edit: Also, don't forget to add in the cost of parking at your resort. At $20+/day (depending on your resort category) that will lower the cost of flying significantly.

 

[Carly2]

We drove once from PA for a 2 week trip. It was definitely worth it because we were staying off site and needed a car anyway. I would not drive for a trip less than 10 days.

Another poster suggested the auto train. Have you looked into this? We did it once because 6 of us were going & we needed a car anyway. It was significantly less expensive for that situation. I wasn't a big fan of the train but my husband said that he would do it again.

 

[Arielfan98]

Will my family have a better trip/experience by flying down to Orlando instead of driving??

My family drove down to Orlando from NJ during the past two summers, mainly to save $$$ and we like the flexibility of having our own car on site... But long driving is tiring. DH does most of the driving and he would be in a very bad mood especially on the way home.

With flying, I am concerned about the stress of catching the flight, having to wait for shuttles and buses etc.... BTW, there are 4 of us. my kids are 6 and 10. We will be there for 6 days.

Would love to hear from others who have done both, driving and flying. TIA!

With all due respect, it seems to me driving is far more stressful. Your kids are certainly old enough that it seems they will handle a plane ride and behave themselves (but you know your kids better than me). My family has always flown out of NY. You can find many tips and tricks for having stress free flights. Always arrive to the airport 2 hours before your flight and bring gum to avoid having your ears pop on the plane. I'm sure if you made a separate thread asking for flying tips, Disers would be happy to help Good luck!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For me it's 2 days of driving (18+hrs) to get to Orlando or 2 hrs 45mins.....flying will outbeat driving any day for me personally but if it had no other choice I could drive.

I've done the driving when I was a kid but I was down in FL for weeks at a time. It's hard to justify 4 days extra for travel for me personally. For us we would be much more likely rent a car to drive down (don't want to put the wear and tear on personal vehicle) and even if flying we would rent a car (I wouldn't be using DME at all but that's me). Honestly we'd probably end up saving money on that end because we can get rental cars cheaper in my area than having to pick up in Orlando at the airport (then again I had a really good deal in September booking through Costco).

For me it wouldn't be a cost analysis in terms of gas vs flying. Because of the distance that's an extra hotel room, vacation time used, food and drink along the way, etc.

Flying may not come out financially cheaper depending on your particular dates, market, etc vs driving expenses (since we would likely rent a car that would bridge the gap for us a bit but it appears you would drive your own) but for me, even as money conscioius as I am, it's not always about getting the rock bottom price. Other things come into play and sometimes things like vacation time may not have a specific dollar amount attached but can affect other things (like having vacation time for the future).

 

[Dis703]

We live in NJ and did the drive with our 3 kids once for our first trip a few years ago. We've flown every time since because it's just not worth the hassle when you can get such cheap flights to Orlando from here. We fly the entire family of five for at most $500. Now if you absolutely must have a car you have to figure that cost difference as well. At least with only 2 kids you can manage a smaller car which can be done relatively cheap. But parking fees add up too. If only doing Disney we don't ever rent a car as we just stay on property.

 

[yaya74]

We live in NJ and did the drive with our 3 kids once for our first trip a few years ago. We've flown every time since because it's just not worth the hassle when you can get such cheap flights to Orlando from here. We fly the entire family of five for at most $500. Now if you absolutely must have a car you have to figure that cost difference as well. At least with only 2 kids you can manage a smaller car which can be done relatively cheap. But parking fees add up too. If only doing Disney we don't ever rent a car as we just stay on property.

$500 for 5?? I could only find $1200 for four for the time I need!

 

[monorailsilver]

Flying is less stressful, the only part that has some stress is going thru security but if you are ready and do as you are told it is smooth. I have learned to pack everything in a zip lock bag in my carry on, especially on my return from Ft. Myers since they make you take everything out. The kids bring what they want to do for the plane..aka headphones to watch movies these days and we call it a day.

Driving, we did once, it was a 24 hr drive from CT to Ft. Myers (yawn). We were so tired from the drive that we just wanted to sleep (same with the auto train, only did that once). My kids have been flying yearly for the past years (minus one they did not) so they know what to do/expect. My oldest dd gets pre check for some reason and my son got it with her about 2 years ago. We let them both go thru it alone and they just waited for us-they were probably 12 & 14 the first time. But my oldest like I said has had it the past several years, she is 17 now and had it in April and I am sure will have it again in August. I just send her with my little liquid bag since I don't have much liquids I take.

So I would fly over driving especially since your trip is only 6 days. You don't want to be tired for the first day or two since driving does that to you.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We are in SEPA and fly or take the AutoTrain. We had to drive back once because the AT was cancelled due to a huge storm, and we hated it.

The secret to an affordable AT trip is to book early (6+ months out), and don't opt for the separate rooms. When we do this the cost is comparable or lower than flying from Philly to MCO.

The regular train seats on the AT are nice, similar to first class airplane seats. They are roomy, have a flip up footrest, and there are multiple electric outlets along the window.

We drive to Lorton, VA (under 3hrs for us), check in by 2pm, and the train leaves around 4ish. Dinner and breakfast in the Dining Car is included, as well light snacks in the Lounge Car where they play a family movie. My kids love the AT!

Just over three weeks until our next trip!

 

[piccolopat]

For a 6 day trip, I would fly and get an early flight down with a late flight back. If you are doing 6 days there with 2 days on either end for travel, driving makes some sense with the savings.

 

[rdevine10]

We have done both, but much prefer flying. Especially if its only 6 days. Driving is just so exhausting. In regards to prices of flights, you may want to consider a few airports (IE if in NJ- Newark or Philadelphia) flying into Orlando or Tampa. Also, sometimes its much cheaper to leave a day earlier (last flight of the day) and stay in a hotel overnight than catch the first flight of the morning. Just think outside of the box. Our next trip we are leaving on a late flight to Orlando with a hotel stay, and it saved us literally almost 500 even after paying for hotel by the airport the first night. Good luck and safe travels!

 

[themommy]

I’ve driven and flown to Orlando many many times. I used to drive every time because that’s all I could afford. Now I fly every time because I can afford it. Drive 22 hours? No thank you! It’s so much less stressful to fly. Put your husband on a plane, give him some earbuds and he (not to mention the rest of you) will be a happy camper when you get to Orlando instead of being all stressed out.

 

[NatalieCat]

Will my family have a better trip/experience by flying down to Orlando instead of driving??

My family drove down to Orlando from NJ during the past two summers, mainly to save $$$ and we like the flexibility of having our own car on site... But long driving is tiring. DH does most of the driving and he would be in a very bad mood especially on the way home.

With flying, I am concerned about the stress of catching the flight, having to wait for shuttles and buses etc.... BTW, there are 4 of us. my kids are 6 and 10. We will be there for 6 days.

Would love to hear from others who have done both, driving and flying. TIA!

I have done both from kentucky (which is a bit closer than NJ obviously, but still about a 12 hour drive) and although driving is much cheaper, it is EXHAUSTING. I love being able to take a 2 hour flight (possibly 4 hours in your case) rather than having to drive and drive and drive and drive home after wearing ourselves out in the park for days. I also have children a few years younger than yours (3 and 5) but I'm sure your 6 year old gets just as restless in a car for hours as a 5 year old.
If you can afford the flight. I say ABSOLUTELY fly. But if driving is your only way to do Disney. I say drive. Disneyworld is worth the long long drive. I would say that about few things. but 6 days in WDW will be worth that drive

 

[NH-to-FL]

If it were me I would fly. Especially for a stay of only 6 days.

I am not a fan of long distance driving. I know that there are many people who can drive long distances with ease. I find high speed interstate driving, especially in moderate to high traffic, to be very stressful.

We drove once from NH, stopping in southern New Jersey along the way to visit family. From there we drove 8 hours, stayed overnight in Lumberton, NC, and then drove another 8 hours the next day. For me that was a long drive. It took me a couple of days to recover.

While flying has it own stressors I find it much less stressful overall than driving. I plan for plenty of time to get to the airport and get through security. I would rather sit a while at the gate then be rushing through the airport. I try and only fly nonstop to eliminate the worry of making the connection.

When we vacationed at Disney we would always rent a car but understand that is another expense of not driving. I generally didn't mind waiting for buses to get to a park but always chafed at waiting for one to get back to the resort.

 

[nacho113]

Will my family have a better trip/experience by flying down to Orlando instead of driving??

My family drove down to Orlando from NJ during the past two summers, mainly to save $$$ and we like the flexibility of having our own car on site... But long driving is tiring. DH does most of the driving and he would be in a very bad mood especially on the way home.

With flying, I am concerned about the stress of catching the flight, having to wait for shuttles and buses etc.... BTW, there are 4 of us. my kids are 6 and 10. We will be there for 6 days.

Would love to hear from others who have done both, driving and flying. TIA!

Coming down from Canada, we drove only ONCE as an adventure/challenge/couldn't afford the flights.
It's a long haul, but the trip down seems to go by quickly...I'm sure it's the anticipation of the vacation.
After a 10 days of vacationing hard, I was ready for a "vacation from the vacation"
BUT unfortunately we had 2 days on the road with cranky kids who didn't want to leave the "magic"...it felt like an eternity.

Since then, I would rather pay more to fly and if I had to save a some money I'd shorten the vacation a couple of days
I figure if we had driven, our 14 day vacation would have about 4 days of driving roundtrip = net 10 days at destination.
A 10 days vacation (flying) would actually give us the same amount of time in the magic and save us the cost of 4 resort days (help balance out the cost of flights vs driving/fuel/aggrevation/etc)

 

[drwadadli]

Will my family have a better trip/experience by flying down to Orlando instead of driving??

My family drove down to Orlando from NJ during the past two summers, mainly to save $$$ and we like the flexibility of having our own car on site... But long driving is tiring. DH does most of the driving and he would be in a very bad mood especially on the way home.

With flying, I am concerned about the stress of catching the flight, having to wait for shuttles and buses etc.... BTW, there are 4 of us. my kids are 6 and 10. We will be there for 6 days.

Would love to hear from others who have done both, driving and flying. TIA!

If you can do a direct flight (Like say Newark to Orlando), then I would fly for sure. You would be there in 3 hour (say 4 hours....getting to the airport hour prior to flight). When we lived in VA, if we had a direct flight we took it. If no direct flight, then drive it was our plan. Now that we live near Charlotte, direct flights to MCO are about every 2 hours so from now on we will most likely be flying unless we are also making it a business trip (there is a conference in Orlando every year for our work and driving would allow us to bring home show specials).

 

[bigbabyblues]

We drive from Ohio for several reasons:

Flying is a hassle (IMO)
We want to take what we want and not worry about how much our bags weigh or if we are going to have to pay extra
I prefer to be in our car with just us, not have to deal with annoying/drunk/loud/obnoxious/entitled people in a confined space--the last time we flew, our plane was FULL of middle school cheerleading teams. That was fun.
We live 2.5-3 hours from the airport
We are fortunate to have plenty of time off work, so no time crunch to get home--day and a half drive on each end, 9 nights at WDW and a couple days off still when we got back home to unwind
I don't want to have to worry about missing my ride to the airport, worry about traffic, or leaving enough time to return a rental car
We prefer to be on our own schedule, arrive whatever time of day we want to, stay as long as we want to on the last day.
Flying is expensive

You can make the same arguments either way. It comes down to personal preference. We have flown twice, and both times it made the trip so much more stressful. For several years, we left at the end of the school day and drove straight through the night, arriving about 6:00 a.m., checking in, eating breakfast and going to the park in time for opening. Now we're old and we just do the drive over 2 days. We don't make a hotel reservation ahead of time, we just drive until we feel like stopping and start checking to see what is available.

 

[rdaky]

I would really crunch numbers to decide. We are also a family of 5. We usually fly, but this past trip (we got home yesterday) we drove about 14 hours. Yes, it was hard, and we drove straight through with only bathroom and gas stops. But we couldn't find a reasonably priced flight for all of us. Driving was cheaper. And we saved additional money by packing some food and stopping at Publix, as well as a couple of meals off-site. We also ate at another resort once and visited water parks a few times, and I liked the convenience of not having to switch multiple buses and just drive instead.

When we fly, I choose the start day of our vacation based on the flight price. If one day is $100 cheaper per person, then we shift our vacation a bit.

We've done it both ways and there are so many factors.

 

[Huff]

For me the difference is 22 hours in the car or 2 1/2 in a plane. I know which I'd much rather do.

Well its not really 2 1/2 hours in a plane. Thats the time from the plane leaving the gate until it arrives at the gate. You have to get to the airport 1-3 hours prior, check your luggage, get thru TSA then board the plane...both ways. Once at MCO you'll wait for DME, 30-60 minutes to resort. For you and most others, you'll still save many hours!

I once did this driving from my house to DLR while a friend flew. About a 5 hour drive vs 1 hour flight. Both left our house at same time. He headed for airport, 30 minute drive for a flight leaving in 2 1/2 hours. I started driving to DLR. He got to our hotel about an hour before I did.

 

[kandb]

We live in NJ as well. We have driven years ago since I don't like to fly but now I suck it up and fly. It is so much quicker and less stressful. Driving is exhausting and takes 4 days round trip. If you check flights early out, you can get good deals. I got flights for around $225 round trip because I check early/daily and know when to lock in. There are a lot of deals on flying and getting to Florida in 2 hours is so much better than 17 hours on the road.

 

[mrcase77]

The one time I rode a train, it didn't really save time but it was considerably less stressful than driving. You can get up and walk around, sleep, play games, etc. Being able to walk around was huge. It might be a middle ground if flying is too expensive. I know when I drive, any stress I lost on the vacation I re-acquire on the drive home.