Getting There - Drive or Fly?

Well! Your pros and cons certainly cover the bases. I'm not sure how critical it is to you for Olivia to be in school on Thursday (for some, this would be a deal-breaker; for others, not a big deal at all), and the added cost of losing $900 on the flights, paying for 40 hours worth of gas, and possibly paying for extra hotel nights on the road is a pretty significant cost. (BTW, the fuel cost calculator [http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/]calculates your fuel at about $215).

I think I would go ahead and fly, mostly because you already have the tickets and the plans made. Even though there have been so many plane accidents making the news, you really are still safer in a plane than in a car (statistically).

I hate decisions like that. The ones where there are too many variables and you'll never know how they'll turn out until you've alread chosen the fork in the road and can't turn back!

Or picked up the fork in the road. If the road was made of rubber, wouldn't it have popped?

Flying is generally more expensive than driving, and will get you there more quickly. Because I cannot drive, the decision is easy. If you already have the plane tickets, then use them. If not, the decision is yours.

Jim

Did I miss the information about where you are coming from?

That might have a great deal of influence on the answer.

I suspect that the less time of pent-up children, the better. The people on the flight may not agree, but generally the less time the kiddos have to store up energy, the better.

Aside from the fact that flying is SO much quicker and easier, there's no way I'd eat $900 in nonrefundable plane tickets. For me, there would be no choice here at all. I'd fly. Sure you have to drive 3 hours round trip to the airport, but that's nothing compared to 20 hours round trip in a car!

It's perfectly natural to have panicky second thoughts after making a big decision. That doesn't mean you made the wrong decision. At this point, you have nonrefundable airfare for $900. Unless you're super rich with money to burn, that's not chump change. I can't believe you're even considering not flying at this point.

If the experience winds up being terrible, then you know for sure not to do it again. But you admit yourself you've never flown with the kids before. You don't know that it will be awful. You're just afraid it will be. It might be a million times better than driving. And even if the travel to and from Disney is horrid, it's not going to ruin your actual Disney vacation (unless you let it). It will just be something tedious you have to get through. Think of it as fodder for your blog.

But here's the thing: If you're going to fly, you have to do it with a positive attitude. Not with the attitude of "Oh no, this is going to be awful, and we're only doing it because otherwise we'd lose the money." If you go into it with a negative attitude, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Kids pick up on our emotions, no matter how well we think we're hiding them. If you're nervous, scared, and unhappy about it, they'll feel the same way, too and it will manifest in their behavior (hyper or cranky meltdowns).

If you want this to go smoothly, you need to start brainwashing yourself right now to believe this is going to be FUN and AWESOME. Have you seen the movie the Secret? If not, go rent it right now and start learning how to visualize positive outcomes. And if your anxiety about flying is really FEAR, check this site out:

http://fearofflying.com/

It offers a free online video course to help you overcome your fear of flying.

I have flown over a dozen times since 9/11 without so much as turbulence. There are thousands more fatal car accidents every year than plane crashes. It's just that the occasional plane crash gets a lot more media attention. If that helps you put things in perspective at all.

There have been many months where I've flown over a dozen times and whatever your gut says, you will be dramatically safer flying than driving. Based on some quick research, 110ish people die in car crashes every day. It's not on the news because it's so common. When an airplane crashes, it's a big deal because it happens so infrequently.

Now flying with children has it's downsides, to be sure, but I suspect in total stress you will come out better with the flight.

Well if you enjoy road trips that's fine. I think however I'd look at the $900 investment as an opportunity to see how traveling with the kids via air goes. If it's miserable, then don't do it again.

So you'd probably have to grab the Magical Express bus to the airport around 12:30, right? (Assuming you're staying on site?) That still gives you an entire morning to hit a park one last time to ride your favorite rides, or visit DTD or a water park, or go resort hopping, or lounge around the pool. It's not at all a waste of time, it's actually an extra half day at Disney!

I vote for flying too. Seems to be a pretty good argument for getting the most out of the money you've spent. You get more out of what you've spent for WDW and you get more out of the money you've spent for the flight.

Oh dear! I can't believe I missed this thread!

UL--That's a tough decision! I think I'd go with everyone else and say fly, but only you know your family and what the various obstacles would be.

Good thoughts and energy still going out for your MIL. <3

That's horrible. I'm so sorry to hear that story, Libra. That's one of those times when you start calling around to find the doctor's cell phone number... grr...

I guess, however, you could think "no news is good news." Maybe if it was cancer, the doc would have found time to call on Friday.

Re: Drive/Fly--I'm agreed that only you know what's best for your family. But $900 is pretty compelling. That's another Disney Trip (or at least another few days)