Flying vs driving

[Gina Starr]

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this. My husband and I always drive to Disney. It’s a 14 1/2 hour drive so it takes two whole days of driving (for both ways) which is more time we could be in Disney. I don’t really like driving but my husband enjoys it. He listens to audiobooks and enjoys the scenery. We recently leased a new vehicle and are limited to our yearly mileage.
With the news of the parking fees at resorts we are seriously considering flying. For our short trips it would add about $100 and long trips about $200. By the time we figure in gas and parking it’s not going to be much more to fly.
We haven’t flown in years, since we were teenagers, and I have some concerns. I have some general anxiety with flying and I know things are so different since I last flew. Small things I think about are not being able to pack whatever I want. We always like to bring our own pillows, I like to bring my full size toiletries, and I’m gluten free so like to pack a lot of snacks.
So if anyone has experiences with both driving and flying, what’s your opinion? Is there a dummies guide to flying anywhere? I need to know the very basics. Thanks in advance!!

 

[MikeNamez]

The only thing I can speak to is the leased car situation as that's all I've ever had. There's no worse feeling then getting to the end of the lease and seeing those additional miles you know you have to pay for... Or coming up on it and knowing your limited on where you can go, so you don't go over. The miles add up pretty quickly so I would say save them. My vote is for flying.

 

[Mrsbird1129]

I’d rent a car before taking a lease. I’d fly though if it’s only a few hundred dollars more. You can still bring snacks.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We prefer to drive for several reasons. I hate to fly (have only flown twice, that was plenty for me). We are a family of 4, so the cost is a factor. Also, we live 3 hours from the airport, which makes it a very long day, even though the flight is only 2-1/2 hours IF we could get a direct flight.. We prefer to be on our own schedule and timeline, which is the big one for us. We don't have unlimited vacation time, but my DH works only 2 days a week (24 hour shifts, but 2 a week)., so when we plan trips, we can allow extra time easily. We can arrange it so that we arrive when we want to, and we can spend as much or as little time in the parks on the day we check out. I like to be able to bring whatever we want to, whether it makes sense or not. All that said, I wouldn't drive a leased car to WDW, it just puts too many miles on the car. If the leased car was our only vehicle, we would probably rent a car to drive down.

 

[mousehockey37]

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this. My husband and I always drive to Disney. It’s a 14 1/2 hour drive so it takes two whole days of driving (for both ways) which is more time we could be in Disney. I don’t really like driving but my husband enjoys it. He listens to audiobooks and enjoys the scenery. We recently leased a new vehicle and are limited to our yearly mileage.
With the news of the parking fees at resorts we are seriously considering flying. For our short trips it would add about $100 and long trips about $200. By the time we figure in gas and parking it’s not going to be much more to fly.
We haven’t flown in years, since we were teenagers, and I have some concerns. I have some general anxiety with flying and I know things are so different since I last flew. Small things I think about are not being able to pack whatever I want. We always like to bring our own pillows, I like to bring my full size toiletries, and I’m gluten free so like to pack a lot of snacks.
So if anyone has experiences with both driving and flying, what’s your opinion? Is there a dummies guide to flying anywhere? I need to know the very basics. Thanks in advance!!

We fly and take our full size toiletries. It's a bit of a pain, but, here's how we do it. I put scotch tape over top of all of the caps (yes, we take a dispenser with us as well so we can re-tape for the return trip) and then put them in ziploc bags and put the ziplocs in our toiletry bags. The scotch tape worked like a dream in making sure that as our checked bag got banged around at the airport and during the flights, that the contents didn't get squished out all over our other things. We also brought our own snacks as well in our checked bag. We had goldfish crackers and some little debbie snack cakes. Now, we stayed DVC, had a car service and did a grocery stop, so the small food items we brought along were things we got for cheaper at home than if we were to buy them at a tourist grocery store, err I mean, the Publix, lol.

If I would ever be forced to drive, I would, but if I can get on a plane and be in the parks in about 4 hours total (airport, grocery stop, check-in at resort, change, etc), I'll gladly take that over traffic, weather and lots of miles on the ground.

 

[Shanti]

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this. My husband and I always drive to Disney. It’s a 14 1/2 hour drive so it takes two whole days of driving (for both ways) which is more time we could be in Disney. I don’t really like driving but my husband enjoys it. He listens to audiobooks and enjoys the scenery. We recently leased a new vehicle and are limited to our yearly mileage.
With the news of the parking fees at resorts we are seriously considering flying. For our short trips it would add about $100 and long trips about $200. By the time we figure in gas and parking it’s not going to be much more to fly.
We haven’t flown in years, since we were teenagers, and I have some concerns. I have some general anxiety with flying and I know things are so different since I last flew. Small things I think about are not being able to pack whatever I want. We always like to bring our own pillows, I like to bring my full size toiletries, and I’m gluten free so like to pack a lot of snacks.
So if anyone has experiences with both driving and flying, what’s your opinion? Is there a dummies guide to flying anywhere? I need to know the very basics. Thanks in advance!!

We live 20+ hours away by car, so we always fly. I recommend using Southwest Airlines or Jet Blue, which are both less expensive and have better customer service (& fewer flight changes) than the legacy airlines (American, Delta & United).

If you want to bring full-sized toiletries, check your bags (Southwest allows 2 free check-in bags per person). You can also put snacks for the resort into your check-in bags without worrying about them. Use Disney's Magical Express service, which will take care of your check in bags for you. You'll drop the bags off at your home airport, and then they'll show up in your Disney resort room about 3 - 6 hours after you artive at the resort. The Magical Express bus will be waiting for you at the airport. All you have to do is get onboard, and then you'll be off to Disney World.

I have to drive every day of my life at home, so it's nice to relax and let Disney do the driving while we're on vacation.

 

[NashvilleMama]

I wouldn't risk the mileage on the lease....especially if flying isn't much more expensive, if at all. That said, if flying is going to add a ton of incremental stress for you leading up to the trip and during the travel itself, it's probably not worth it. That to me trumps any other factor so you can enjoy the anticipation of the vacation and not be worried about a factor you could have eliminated.

 

[tellemarie]

We also have a lease and we’re already over our miles (in the first year) because of a funeral we had to drive to out of state. Since then we’ve decided to fly as it’ll cost more in the long run if we continue to go over our miles. Plus it’s a lot faster to fly!

I’ve loved flying forever but my husband isn’t thrilled by it. He eventually got more used to flying after we had done it a few times and now, even though he doesn’t like it much, he prefers flying because of the time savings. Additionally, it would cost a very similar amount to rent a car and pay for gas. If you’re breaking up your drive you’re also saving money from not staying in a hotel, so I’d also take that into consideration when comparing costs.

 

[mdelano4]

We are a family of 5 and usually drive (a) because of cost and (b) I dont really like to fly. It's about 19 hours for us, always a two-day trip. I usually run the numbers to make sure flying is really much more expensive, because it's so much less wear and tear on the car and the body than driving. This year, it cost us about $100 more to fly than to drive, so that was a no-brainer. Yes, you have to take less, but that's not the end of the world. As long as you're checking bags, full size toiletries shouldn't be a problem, although it could mean that you need an extra suitcase, which would be an extra checked bag fee. As for snacks, first thing in the morning we just took an Uber (first time for us) to a local supermarket got what we needed for the week and we were fine.

Truthfully, if you have flying anxiety (mine came on suddenly after I had kids) then see your doctor for a little "happy medicine." I took that to fly for several years, but the anxiety eventually went away and I no longer need it.

Have a great trip!!

 

[KellyHonos]

I have always flown because driving takes up too much time. I can see how road tripping can be made into a vacation in itself by stopping in cities along the way and making a day out of them, but in terms of Disney, I just like to get there and begin the fun.

I would weigh out the costs as well as time. If you guys like to roadtrip and have a city or 2 youd like to see on your way to Disney, I'd take a look at car rental prices and gas prices. In my state currently, gas is running at $2.50/.60....in other states it could be higher or lower. If roadtripping and the cost of a rental (avoiding miles being put on your car) and the gas is cheaper or close to a plane ticket, I'd go that route. If roadtripping doesnt appeal to you and the cost is close or more than the plane ticket, I'd fly. Making a pros and cons list can really help.

As for food, there are online food services you can order from that will deliver food and water directly to your resort (or hotel). If you pack a checked bag, I'm fairly certain food is allowed in there, but I would check with your airline first. There are ways to meet your needs without driving, they just may come with a price tag.

 

[HappyMomma]

We drive down from Chicago. We have flown too. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. All things being equal bust out a pen and figure out if the savings from diving out weighs the convenience of flying. We are a family of 5 so driving wins hands down for us. But we will be only three by the next time we can afford to go and with the parking charges being added now we'll likely fly next time.

 

[MinnieMouse100]

We prefer to drive when it’s the whole family and fly when it’s just the hubby and I. When we travel with the kids it’s nice to be able to bring extras. However we are 9 hours away so we drive overnight and don’t really miss a day. So that is definitely a factor. Magical Express is easy transportation to and from the airport if you are staying on property.