driving vs flying

We are a 12 hour drive away and have done it that way more than our 1:50 minute flight. I choose to fly over driving any day, provided the airfare is reasonable. There is nothing better than grabbing ME and arriving WAY sooner than if we had driven. :mickey:

I'm trying to make the same decision right now for our trip in December altho we also have a 2 and 4 year old to tote along on what would be our 17 hour drive. But it still makes packing so much easier. I go back and forth in my head almost everyday just can't come to a decision. Thank god I still have a lot of time! Just waiting till
It's closer and I can decide what the airfare us and what our savings will actually be and if it's worth the time and energy!

They both have their advantages and disadvantages.

we live about the same distance as you (ohio) and i have driven twice, flown 5 other times.

Driving is cheaper, especially if you find the right price ticket. it is cheaper if you have to pay for multiple people (if you have kids), but may not be much cheaper if you just have to pay for two tickets or something.

pros of driving

-you don't have to deal with an airport and shuffling around a plane, worrying about losing luggage
-You don't have to deal with other people (which is an advantage for me because i have small kids)
-You don't have to wait for a bus and you can usually park super close to where your room is.
- you can bring more things and you don't have to worry about bringing back too much
-we stayed at pop century and we parked incredibly close to our room
-traffic is usually pretty light around the resort and with gps you can get to each park in 10 minutes or so (we stayed at pop, again). and the drive to each place was so easy (besides downtown disney which traffic around there with the construction was a hot mess).

pros of flying

-you get there a lot quicker.
-you don't end up bringing too much just because you can and get overwhelmed by all the stuff you brought (happened to me last time).
-even if the trip is bothersome (you have a bad seat on the plane) it is over before you know it.
-you have more energy saved up for your trip from not driving long and exhausting hours.
-nowadays more airlines are providing free checked bags to compete.
-disney magical express is rarely slow (in our experience) and you get to watch that awesome video on the bus and sit back and relax.
-your luggage will show up on its own when you fly.

this last trip I was determined to drive bc we had two small kids and this was our first trip with both, and I wasn't sure how it would go. we also had the free dining and were trying to go a super cheap route for our 1st trip w/the kids bc again, we didn't have our expectations too high.

in the future we will fly. it was not worth the exhaustion of driving in a car. I was sick the whole way back and it was late and my husband was tired. when i look back on it, it was probably way more unsafe to drive all that distance especially with kids.

also, we didn't need all that extra stuff we packed. we just didn't. and i ended up spending more time unpacking it and reloading it than i needed to. next time we are keeping it simple for sure. the only thing i worry about this next trip is them crying on a plane and someone else getting mad at us.

DH and I have been driving from NE PA for the past 7-8 years or so. We love having our own schedule, and have made it a tradition to head down a day early and stay either offsite or at a value resort for our first "pre-night". That way we get to our vacation resort bright and early the official first morning to check in, which over the years has gotten us pretty much our pick of room locations.

Total driving time is about 16.5 hours, but we stop for meals (no rushing... we love to hit Cracker Barrels on the way and enjoy a relaxed meal). We stop around Savannah, GA, and stay overnight. We usually get in around 7-8pm, grab dinner, relax in the room, and get a great night's sleep before getting back on the road by 5:30-6am. We are refreshed and ready to hit the road!! We actually find that we are more energized and feel more energetic than after sitting in an airport for several hours before our flight, then crammed into a plane for a couple/few more hours, then grabbing a DME bus.

Like someone else mentioned, we pack an overnight/day bag so we don't have to dig through luggage. No fighting with carry-ons!

We then get to the WDW are by about 11am, and like to hit the outlets for some last minute vaca shopping (I love White House Black Market and always get some great things to wear). We then check in at our "pre-night" resort and then hit Epcot for dinner.

Cost? Well, including gas, food, hotels.... we don't pay any more than if we flew Southwest out of Philly. I've crunched the numbers EVERY year, and we always spend the same or less driving. PLUS, we have our car in WDW, which saves a ton of time when we dine at the resorts. And, we can stay an extra day if we decide, or leave earlier/later on our last day based on how we feel, or how the weather is.

Don't have to pay to ship any purchases home, either... just pack it in the car!!! More savings!

Of course, the drive down is much more exciting than the drive home, but being able to pack how we want, bring food/beer/wine without needing to do a grocery run in Florida, and having flexibility and freedom to come and go as we please... driving is our preference.

Oh yeah... I've also found that since we started driving, I don't get sick anymore!! I almost always caught a cold or a virus on the flights home (not on the way down for some reason), and felt horrible a couple days after we got home... not anymore!

Driving takes its toll on me, and I'm not in bad shape physically. I'm always a day recovering.

Flying can be an inconvenience, but with ME, that's done once you're on the plane.

We have about a 10 hour drive and I don't know if I would ever fly. I like the convenience of my own car, being able to come and go when I want, and pack as much luggage as I want. One trip we were having so much fun we added 2 more nights. You could never do that with a plane to catch. But we almost always stay 8 to 10 nights. I dont know if I would want to drive all the way there for a quick 4 or 5 day trip. I agree with others that the drive is part of the experience. As a child we drove everywhere and some of our families favorite stories come from the car ride to and from Disney. :mickey: