Drive or fly to DW? Need advice!

[Dumbomom]

Staying at Poly for a week in June. Should we drive for 20 hours and have our car to get places, or fly (3 hours) and worry about bus times? Thoughts?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Pedro says " you've never seen sausage place ". NC/SC infamous south of the border rest stop ... .. In SC around exit 21 there are signs on a tree off of I-95 southbound advertising illegal moonshine, and the high flying Confederate flags in NC, SC and GA off the interstate.

never go to that hell hole...for any reason.

and I bet there are tons of “loser pendants” flying high these days.

 

[ppete1975]

I think it also depends on schedule. How much time can you be away, vacation time at work and/or school. IF you have unlimited time id say drive, its more relaxing usually you get to see the country side, stop at little road side attractions. And if there are many people in your party, driving will prob be cheaper. For me i usually fly just due to the fact that even though i get 4 weeks off per year (vaca not pba) id rather use that time on other vacations or longer time at disney.

 

[ppete1975]

This is a couple of weeks old, so hopefully the problem has been resolved ;

Car rental prices are sky high, experts warn the trend is here to stay

Car rental companies sold off large portions of their fleet when travel stopped at the start of the pandemic. Now travelers are back, and demand is outweighing supply.

www.abcactionnews.com

Just something to keep in minds if you plan on flying and renting a car. But people who drove during the past week may have had difficulty getting any gas.

Sometimes it just feels like the world is out to get us.

i love the sensationalism in journalism. "ITS HERE TO STAY!!!!!".... No. Once the semiconductor shortage is resolved and rental car companies get their fleets back to normal (after panic selling too many of their fleet during covid) it will be back to normal.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

i love the sensationalism in journalism. "ITS HERE TO STAY!!!!!".... No. Once the semiconductor shortage is resolved and rental car companies get their fleets back to normal (after panic selling too many of their fleet during covid) it will be back to normal.

Every “shortage” is permanent....

it’s a sales tactic and it works.

we got some other doozies around here...but I don’t want to Jack the thread

 

[Goofyernmost]

Speaking for me, I absolutely do. The 2 day drive down and the 2 day drive back home are great facets of my vacation. Now, if I had to be cooped up in the car with a rowdy family, it might not be as fun. But as a single guy, just gimme some Dr. Pepper and my tunes and I'm King of the Road!

My tunes consist of almost 7 hours of just the Beatles and that is all I need, with the others. My complete playlist finishes just about the time that I get to Kissimmee. Iced Tea is my medicine though along with a few peanut butter crackers and the only thing I need to do is empty the prostate influenced bladder regularly.

If it’s cheap to fly...you fly.

unless your planning on leaving the bubble specifically...don’t bother with cars

The one time that I stayed onsite, I flew from Vermont and rented a car. I have this thing about feeling boxed in. Not claustrophobic though, just need to know I can up and leave whenever I want to. And I do. I always need at least a day away from the corporate mouse and it is a simple thing with wheels. I hate depending on others, being limited as to going and coming. I know that is me but I don't think I am the only one.

"Here today, gone tamale"... that's the only other one I can remember.

Yup, for a northern kid riding with his family through the south on the I-95 corridor, this seemed more like entering a foreign country than a trip to Canada.

"Our bridal suites are heir conditioned".

 

[Goofyernmost]

never go to that hell hole...for any reason.

and I bet there are tons of “loser pendants” flying high these days.

In the 38 years that I have been traveling down I-95, I have stopped only once and that was because the females in the car needed to use the facilities. BTW, it cost 25 cents to get the stall doors to open. (at least back then which was quite a few years ago) That was the first and last time I ever stopped. I've also driven right through it going to Myrtle Beach and haven't stopped.

 

[Figgy1]

never go to that hell hole...for any reason.

and I bet there are tons of “loser pendants” flying high these days.

I can't even count how many times we got out of going there by telling the kids it's too early or late. One time we got the timing wrong and even they said one and done

 

[Goofyernmost]

i love the sensationalism in journalism. "ITS HERE TO STAY!!!!!".... No. Once the semiconductor shortage is resolved and rental car companies get their fleets back to normal (after panic selling too many of their fleet during covid) it will be back to normal.

When all the car rental companies that are located in MCO are sitting there staring at unrented cars you can bet that price will come down and fast. Supply and demand coupled with competition is a very strong influence on prices. Unless, of course, it is owned by Disney for some reason at that point they are teflon.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I can't even count how many times we got out of going there by telling the kids it's too early or late. One time we got the timing wrong and even they said one and done

I always looked forward to the big sombaro on the way down because it meant all I had left was SC, Georgia and half of Florida to go. Now it is more important on the way back because as soon as I pass the big ole hat, I'm in NC and practically home.

 

[Heppenheimer]

In the 38 years that I have been traveling down I-95, I have stopped only once and that was because the females in the car needed to use the facilities. BTW, it cost 25 cents to get the stall doors to open. (at least back then which was quite a few years ago) That was the first and last time I ever stopped. I've also driven right through it going to Myrtle Beach and haven't stopped.

My parents managed to avoid stopping there on all but one of my childhood Disney trips, despite all those billboards that are almost guaranteed to provoke a chorus of "Can we stop there, please?" from kids. We finally gave it a look when I was maybe 12... and even 12 year old me thought the place was cheap and tacky. I also remember the food being simply awful. For the next several years, every time I would see a South of the Border bumper sticker, I would wonder... why would you proudly advertise that you visited that place, much less enjoyed it enough to permanently deface your car with a souvenir of it?

 

[Figgy1]

My parents managed to avoid stopping there on all but one of my childhood Disney trips, despite all those billboards that are almost guaranteed to provoke a chorus of "Can we stop there, please?" from kids. We finally gave it a look when I was maybe 12... and even 12 year old me thought the place was cheap and tacky. I also remember the food being simply awful. For the next several year, every time I would see a South of the Border bumper sticker, I would wonder... why would you proudly advertise that you visited that place, much less enjoyed it enough to permanently deface your car with a souvenir of it?

I was smart enough to feed my kids before going in

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My parents managed to avoid stopping there on all but one of my childhood Disney trips, despite all those billboards that are almost guaranteed to provoke a chorus of "Can we stop there, please?" from kids. We finally gave it a look when I was maybe 12... and even 12 year old me thought the place was cheap and tacky. I also remember the food being simply awful. For the next several years, every time I would see a South of the Border bumper sticker, I would wonder... why would you proudly advertise that you visited that place, much less enjoyed it enough to permanently deface your car with a souvenir of it?

it was cute/cheesy in the 80s...

but they haven’t cleaned the windows since the 80s...and it’s just gross now.

we stopped to take a picture with the kids for corny purpose about 8 years ago. It felt unsafe. “Missing children” is the phrase I couldn’t get out of my head.

 

[Heppenheimer]

it was cute/cheesy in the 80s...

but they haven’t cleaned the windows since the 80s...and it’s just gross now.

we stopped to take a picture with the kids for corny purpose about 8 years ago. It felt unsafe. “Missing children” is the phrase I couldn’t get out of my head.

Now? Not sure if its still there (and I don't plan to stop to find out!), but one of the things that stuck out to me at age 12 was "The Dirty Old Man Shop", or something similarly named. It was tucked into the back corner of the T-shirt emporium (gross enough, they seem to have been purchased wholesale in Tijuana). Everything in that building just seemed to be the polar opposite of Disney World.

Ah, the I-95 memories! The cigarette tower and the insane number of toll booths in Richmond, the South of the Border billboards, the firework stores of South Carolina, the swamp stink that seems to permeate Georgia, the state welcome centers, including the free juice and animatronic Orange Bird at the Florida Welcome Center, Florida's gator farms, St. Augustine, Daytona, the Confederate flags. As I wrote before, for a northeast kid, driving to Disney World felt more like going to a foreign country than going to Canada.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Now? Not sure if its still there (and I don't plan to stop to find out!), but one of the things that stuck out to me at age 12 was "The Dirty Old Man Shop", or something similarly named. It was tucked into the back corner of the T-shirt emporium (gross enough, they seem to have been purchased wholesale in Tijuana). Everything in that building just seemed to be the polar opposite of Disney World.

Ah, the I-95 memories! The cigarette tower and the insane number of toll booths in Richmond, the South of the Border billboards, the firework stores of South Carolina, the swamp stink that seems to permeate Georgia, the state welcome centers, including the free juice and animatronic Orange Bird at the Florida Welcome Center, Florida's gator farms, St. Augustine, Daytona, the Confederate flags. As I wrote before, for a northeast kid, driving to Disney World felt more like going to a foreign country than going to Canada.

it was there the last time I drove...to be fair that was early 2018

 

[Raineman]

3 trips to WDW since 2016, and we drove 2 of them. The only reason we flew was because my wife's mother was not doing well health-wise, and we wanted to get down and back quickly. We drive from London, Ontario, straight down I-75, and we enjoy the scenery, especially the beautiful mountains in Tennessee. Plus, we like to stop somewhere for a day or two on the way home-we've been to Nashville and Savannah. I am not a huge fan of flying, mostly due to the fact that I don't like being cooped up in a small jet where the only place I can go other than my seat is the tiny bathroom (not to mention all of the airport security BS and the waiting in the departure lounge). We always stop overnight on the drive down, usually in southern Georgia or northern Florida, which ensures a short drive to WDW the next day. If you don't mind the airport/flying experience, and want to get there quick, flying would be the best option. If you have time, and want to have more freedom with your travel schedule, then driving is the best way to go.

 

[MMFanCipher]

I would drive, but we are pulling our hotel behind us. So ......

 

[Lilofan]

Now? Not sure if its still there (and I don't plan to stop to find out!), but one of the things that stuck out to me at age 12 was "The Dirty Old Man Shop", or something similarly named. It was tucked into the back corner of the T-shirt emporium (gross enough, they seem to have been purchased wholesale in Tijuana). Everything in that building just seemed to be the polar opposite of Disney World.

Ah, the I-95 memories! The cigarette tower and the insane number of toll booths in Richmond, the South of the Border billboards, the firework stores of South Carolina, the swamp stink that seems to permeate Georgia, the state welcome centers, including the free juice and animatronic Orange Bird at the Florida Welcome Center, Florida's gator farms, St. Augustine, Daytona, the Confederate flags. As I wrote before, for a northeast kid, driving to Disney World felt more like going to a foreign country than going to Canada.

I think all those chain link fences in FL, GA on I-95 deter the gators in the nearby swamps from crossing the interstate. In SC in 2018, a mother and her 2 kids were killed when a gator was crossing I-95 in the middle of the night and their car crashed into the gator and burst into flames when leaving the highway.

 

[Mr Mindcrime]

When we travel with our 20-something kids, we fly Allegiant, which has a non-stop from Knoxville to Sanford. Such an easy flight and easy airports to navigate (including TSA), on each end.

But when it's just me and my wife, we drive the 10 hour drive and it's enjoyable and relaxing (except driving through Atlanta ......).

In both cases, we Uber most of the time (yes, even when we have our own car) to the parks, other resorts, and Disney Springs. It's built into our budget. We don't want to drive on our Disney vacations.

We mix and match staying on property and off property but in either case, it's Uber or any Disney transportation other than buses. We've done the exclusive bus thing....never again.

 

[Goofyernmost]

it was cute/cheesy in the 80s...

but they haven’t cleaned the windows since the 80s...and it’s just gross now.

we stopped to take a picture with the kids for corny purpose about 8 years ago. It felt unsafe. “Missing children” is the phrase I couldn’t get out of my head.

Traditionally, we used to stop every trip at the Welcome to So. Carolina Tourist station just about 2 miles past SotB. Free bathrooms! We took pictures of us every trip in front of the Welcome to South Carolina sign and now have a useless comparison of times past. But, did I mention the bathrooms were free and if going the other way, about a mile or so north of SotB is the North Carolina Tourist service area. Also supplier of free restrooms. Very important for road trippers.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Now? Not sure if its still there (and I don't plan to stop to find out!), but one of the things that stuck out to me at age 12 was "The Dirty Old Man Shop", or something similarly named. It was tucked into the back corner of the T-shirt emporium (gross enough, they seem to have been purchased wholesale in Tijuana). Everything in that building just seemed to be the polar opposite of Disney World.

Ah, the I-95 memories! The cigarette tower and the insane number of toll booths in Richmond, the South of the Border billboards, the firework stores of South Carolina, the swamp stink that seems to permeate Georgia, the state welcome centers, including the free juice and animatronic Orange Bird at the Florida Welcome Center, Florida's gator farms, St. Augustine, Daytona, the Confederate flags. As I wrote before, for a northeast kid, driving to Disney World felt more like going to a foreign country than going to Canada.

I don't remember any toll booths in Richmond. The last toll booths I remember heading south were the ones on the Jersey Turnpike and perhaps some on the Deleware Bridge and the tunnel in Baltimore. But It has been years since I stopped going that way and bypassed it all by going through Pennsylvania.