Getting There is Half the Fun

Between baggage fees and rising gas prices, traveling to WDW feels more expensive than ever. So once you've made the decision to go, picked out your hotel, and mentally made your ADRs, you're left with the all-important task of deciding HOW you'll get there. If you don't live in Florida or on the West coast, odds are you're left with deciding whether to fly or drive. I've done both:

By Land: There is one important criteria for traveling by vehicle: everyone in the car must get along. Otherwise, this will be the most unpleasant experience of your life. The nice thing about driving, however, is that it becomes a trip all on its own. When my family drove to WDW (from New England), we stopped in Hershey, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the seventh circle of hell known as South of the Border. The car broke down, we stayed in cheap hotels, and it was definitely a memorable experience, for better or worse. Of course, unless you can take the extra vacation days required to make a road trip happen, this may not be the best option for you. And there's something very depressing about driving home - you've had a nice trip down while everyone anticipates visiting WDW, you have a great time in WDW, and then you're stuck in a tin can for two days with nothing but the interstate ahead of you and a pile of unread emails waiting at home.

By Air: If given the option, I'd prefer to travel by air. I'm not a huge fan of flying or airports, but it's so much easier to get to your destination in a few hours rather than a few days. And as far as airports go, MCO is pretty nice. It's cleaner than most, and I like to think of the shuttle between the terminals as the first of many monorail rides I'll be experiencing. From there, we usually rent a car and drive to our resort hotel, where we'll use the shuttle buses for most of the trip, but having a car allows for extra mobility when you're visting another resort for dinner or pool-hopping. And then when it's time to leave (boo), you don't have to worry about catching a shuttle or whether the taxi will be on time. You can just pack up the car and head back to reality.

How do you usually travel to WDW?
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Related Links:
* Golden Oak: My House is Better Than Yours
* Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA
* Two Hotels, Five Rooms