Single Parent - Fly or Drive?

[MommyMK]

Single Parent traveling to WDW from DC area - fly or drive? We have APs this year and I'm taking my girls on a "bonus" summer trip. I was set on driving, but now am entertaining the idea of flying.....

We've taken plenty of road trips on our own, but this would be the first overnight one and I'm getting cold feet on how it all will go. I did a 13 hour drive in one day a couple of years ago and it was rough by the end, I was in a lot of pain in my neck, back and arms. It's about a 14 hour drive with no stops, so I'm guessing about 18-20 hours with stops and summer traffic.

Gas would be about $200 roundtrip and I'm figuring $150 a night for a hotel room and I'd need one each way, so $300 in hotel costs. $500 total

I can fly us there for $712 all in including all fees. Catch is on the way home we'd have to fly Spirit. I'm a Southwest loyalist, so this is tough for me, but I can't beat $64 flights. How terrible is Spirit really for a 2 hour flight? We're all on summer break, so nothing to rush home to if our flight got canceled.

Having our car would be nice, we are planning on hitting up water parks and also visiting my family near Tampa, but they will come and pick us up if we need.

WWYD? Is the convenience of flying worth the extra $200?

 

[anneboleyn]

My daughter and I fly out of Latrobe, PA to MCO and have for the past few years. We drove to Disney World the first two times I took her, but then the third time we flew and I will never drive there again. Not gonna lie, flying is terrifying to me, but so is driving...so I would rather be scared for 2.5 hours than 20 hours lol

Spirit Airlines is the only airline that flies out of Latrobe, but I have always had great experiences with them. I know they have bad reviews and people on this board aren’t a fan of them, but I have zero complaints and will be flying with them again in September

 

[MinnieMSue]

My daughter and I fly. Disney is so easy when you fly (if you don’t really want to go anywhere else but uber and Lyft make that pretty easy now too). So quick and way more relaxing than driving for us.

 

[PerfessorZ]

Fly. For that little savings to get a big chunk of extra time AND not be miserable from being in a car for so long makes it a no-brainer.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Auto Train

 

[mco65]

for an extra $200 vs a 13/14 hour drive or more. i would fly. my rule of thumb is, <8 hours i drive.. more than that, i fly... fortunately we are 6 hours from WDW and drive often... but have flown as well. our last couple of trips my wife and daughter have flown down while me and the boys drive... We never seem to win that race but if i didn't have to drop them off at the airport, i think it would be a heck of alot closer...

 

[shocker]

You've thought through everything, I don't think you need any help. You can make your final decision based on all this good info. Good job Mommy.

BTW, Happy Mother's Day!

 

[OKW Lover]

The OP has done a pretty good job on the cost analysis. I'd just add one other factor, the amount of time in the car vs actually being at WDW. Basically, on a 7 day trip, driving would consume 4 of those days leaving only 3 for WDW. Flying would take perhaps one day out of the week giving double the time in the parks.

 

[Anchored]

Fly. Add in all of the meals you eat on the road too.
I drove my kids to atlanta and back for spring break (7 hour trip) and I will not even do that again. And this is coming from someone who once took her kids on a 6 week road trip as a single mom seeing the country. The drive down will be exciting because you are looking forward to disney. The drive home would be hell
Fly.

 

[smiths02]

Are you staying onsite? If yes, then you also have to consider the parking fees vs. MDE (which is incuded).

If offiste, I would want a car

 

[Eeyore daily]

Fly, I don't have kids but I live in Tampa and our drive from DC for our vacation was 20 hours one way because of traffic. It was miserable and not worth it. We could've flown and used Lyft for cheaper than driving. I'd take the convenience of flying over driving ever again.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with PPs that I would also fly. For $200, you'll be gaining several hours of vacation time you can be enjoying. We always prefer to maximize our time, even if its at a cost.

Also, not sure if it was factored in, but its my understanding Spirit has bag fees and seat assignment fees as well. I would still opt to fly even if this adds to the cost, but thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Darcy03231]

I would fly, unless you're staying offsite. If offsite I would want a car.

 

[snoopy5386]

Thanks All. We are dvc so no parking fees. And we’re all off in the summer so our time in Florida would be the same - we’d just add two extra days for driving. For food I figure I have to feed them no matter what haha.

The car allows us to pack more food and snacks, more stuff for trip - beach towels, cooler, etc. Plus I had planned to bring a bunch of stuff down to relatives in Florida.

If we fly we have to pack light.

I agree that driving down would be fun and exciting (at least at first), but driving home would be horrible.

My kids would be thrilled to fly, I’ve been telling my kids for a year that we are going to drive and they have been dreading it!

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks All. We are dvc so no parking fees. And we’re all off in the summer so our time in Florida would be the same - we’d just add two extra days for driving. For food I figure I have to feed them no matter what haha.

The car allows us to pack more food and snacks, more stuff for trip - beach towels, cooler, etc. Plus I had planned to bring a bunch of stuff down to relatives in Florida.

With this additional info, I'd suggest going ahead with the drive. Make it a fun trip. Maybe even stop for an extra day in Savannah?

 

[bumbershoot]

If we fly we have to pack light.

Not if you stick with southwest.

Be sure to figure out getting to the airport from home in your calculations.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree that driving down would be fun and exciting (at least at first), but driving home would be horrible.

Okay, then, drive down, Auto Train home

 

[Mikey15]

13hr drive time vs. 3+hrs airport+flight. For the ~10hr savings each way, I'm kind of on the fence. I agree AutoTrain on the way back may be a good compromise.

Having a car while down there is handy, especially with no parking fees to worry about. Flying+renting would be an extra expense. It seems to me that being able to avoid the airport, having more packing flexibility, etc., would make it worthwhile to drive. Everyone has their own driving limit though.

 

[MrKnight]

IMO flying is the best option hands down! You have TONS of competitively priced direct non-stop flight options between DC and MCO:

American Airlines (via DCA)
Southwest (via DCA or BWI)
JetBlue (via DCA)
United (via IAD)
Frontier (via IAD)

Also, if you stay on-site at a WDW resort you can take advantage of Disney's Magic Express (DME) which provides complimentary transportation between MCO and your WDW resort.

 

[bcuinohio]

If flying Spirit of Frontier, I would go on their site and price out the tickets. They have add-ons that the traditional airlines don't charge for. I have priced out Spirit and Frontier out of a couple local airports. By the time I add on my luggage, carry on and seat selection, it costs about the same as United.