Would driving from NY to Florida be cheaper than flying??? (cost, rent)
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We'll I've made the drive from FL-NY and FL-NH and back and forth. I'll be driving from NH to Fl in 2 weeks. We've found it cheaper to drive for two people let alone 3 adults and 2 children. When we made the drive from Fla to NH we left our house (btw I lived 4 hours south of orlando so you can cut time off your trip) anyways we left our house in Naples at about 3 am and drove till about 8 at night, we made it to Baltimore MD. Then only a couple hours drive after that to where we needed to go. Cost wise we fill up about 5 or 6 times on the way down so $30 a tank for us x's 6 fill ups thats about $200 (cheaper than a plane ticket for us at this short of notice).. We pack food and drinks and only stop as needed but try to limit it to max 3 stops a day, morn noon and night. Good luck with your trip and whatever you decide
Buffalo to Orlando is a tad less than 1200 miles. It can be easily done with two long days of driving or 18-20 hours +/- straight shot. Tarastomsgirl is on target with gas expense -- gas for my vehicle (oversized Ford stationwagon) would be about $275 round trip. Part of your route would be on toll roads, but not a ton of money for that. If you wanted to hotel it, you could probably squish into one room, but if you preferred to splurge and do two rooms, that would be perhaps $300 round trip (2 rooms 1 night south, 2 rooms 1 night north). If the five of you ate one large meal in a restaurant and picnicked the other meals, that might cost $50-75 or $100-150 round trip.
So totalling it, driving round trip could cost about $700 or less depending on your preferences. Compare that to airline tickets, transport from the airport to your hotel, rental car(?) and see how the numbers look.
Off the top, it's definitely cheaper to drive. Also, it's a big plus having a car in Orlando. Even if you stay on property, Disney transport can sometimes be slow and crowded. We found having our own car to be so much better. It also allows flexibility if you want to check out the other attractions in town.
You don't mention the age of your kids, or what type of vehicle you're driving. I've done NY to FL in a small car, and that's a trip best done when you are young! Some tips from our road trips:
1. Pack snacks from home to eat. It cuts down on buying snacks along the way, which tends to get pricey. Pretzels, raisins, granola bars, peanut butter crackers (if no allergies), goldfish always work for us. Everyone has a bottle of water, and we refill when we stop. On our first day out, we also pack sandwiches for the first meal on the road.
2. Not sure of the age of the 2 kids. Mine are small, and our current vehicle has a DVD player in it w/wireless headsets - a blessing on a long journey. If you don't have this, you may want to consider getting one. You can buy a portable one that plugs into the lighter. We did this, as our old car didn't have it built in. Even older kids will probably appreciate this.
oh yes good I forgot once you get there you need to rent a car, that can get pricey also.. I'd drive it if at all possible! With 3 adults you can alternate driving and might not even have to do a hotel (of course it might be wise for the children to stop depending on age)
At the time of our drive (November 08) the ages will be 19,17 and 7. The furthest we've driven before is Tennessee and North Carolina. We have a Chrysler 300. I was thinking about renting a van instead but who knows. My fears are legitimate: accidents, fule prices, unknown/unfamilar areas that we may need to stop in and get gas or food or bathrooms. From what I understand:::if we can get to DC we can grab 195 and its a straight shot from there. I'm "assuming" that because people do this drive --they cater to the travelers along the way. We have slept in truck stops before ;;;when we had the mobile home. I refuse to drive that:::it cost us 600 in gas last time just to go to Nashville.
Map quest pegs it at 18 hours...I've always heard its 24 hours. We can switch drivers...our 19 year old, hubby and I...maybe even the 17 year old...
Many people do rent a minivan for the ride. If you do, get one with a DVD player inside - trust me! Our player also plays games. As to driving I-95, it is a well travelled road to FL. There are a lot of rest areas along the way. VA has nice rest areas, where I feel comfortable taking a nighttime nap. However, once you get into the Carolinas, there are fewer places late at night, except for South of the Border. It's really hard to get lost on the major highways. Even driving around Orlando is pretty easy to do, since most sites are off the interstate.
18 hours seems optimistic. My best time was 22 hours from LI to Daytona, driving pretty much straight thru. I'm sure other's have done it faster. However, as I've posted before, watch out for nighttime speed traps
Yes - definitely cheaper for 5 people.
However, the down side is you spend 4 days total traveling with 3 kids . That is a big hunk of your time.
We drove from Hampton Roads Virginia last Aug to Ft Lauderdale (3 of us).
The main reason we drove is so we could stop and see places along the way that we have always flown over.
We made it to St Augustine on day 1, spent the night and did a quick tour of the city - saw all the hot spots. Day 2,3,4, 5 in Ft Lauderdale. Day 6 drove to Savannah, spent the night and did a quick tour around the city. Day 7,8,9 put us in Myrtle Beach for a long weekend and then home. We also stopped at various places along the way like - Daytona, Paris Island, the Navy Seal Museum.
Now that I have done the driving trip once, I will probably fly again the next time. We had a GREAT time, but I really tried to break it up with fun overnights and stops along the way.
definitely cheaper to drive. I would rent that minivan! we have a minivan, and have made the drive from illinois to florida without problem. it is great having that teen who can share some of the drive. if you don't mind sitting in the car that long, with that many drivers, you can definitely drive straight through. we always pack sandwiches and snacks and drinks. we change drivers at around the 3 hour mark. that makes a good bathroom break time too. if we are stopping to eat, we only eat at fast food places. not because of the quick factor, but the "we know what we will be eating factor". sometimes going to some unknown diner, may lead to upset stomachs in the car later!
having a dvd player built in or at least the portable dvd player is great. also, if kids have their own music player that helps too! you can get all of the directions you need from the internet. that always helps too. drive safely and have a great vacation!!!
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the kids:::ages 19,17 and 7
