Flying or Driving to the Disney College Program (How to Get There)

So I've been struggling trying to decide how to get down to Disney World for my program so I thought I'd make a blog post about it.

Last time I flew into the Orlando Airport (MCO), and took a shuttle to the Holiday Inn across from Vista Way, where we used to check in. This time I'm bringing my car, so I have lots of options to consider!!

1. This is Plan A: I will leave my car in Colorado (where I go to school), fly home for Christmas, then fly back to Colorado with Lindsey to pick up my car. We would then drive to Kansas City to stay with my family, then to Louisville, Kentucky to stay with my friends, then finally down to Orlando. We would stay in some cheap  resort then check in in the morning!
2. Same as Plan A, but if the weather is awful (because who wants to drive through Kansas in January), we will head south to Texas, stay in Texas for a night, then stay somewhere near New Orleans for the night, then stay with my friend in Pensacola, Florida for a night (Florida panhandle), then finally down to Orlando with the same plan.
3. Plan C: My family will actually be in Colorado for Christmas, so they would drive my car to Kansas City for me and Lindsey and I would fly into Kansas City to pick up my car (then the rest of Plan A). This is also dependant on weather - this is a possibility because winter has been SO mild in Colorado/Kansas thus far and we don't want to test our luck.
4. Plan D: Pay to have my car shipped down to Florida - this costs somewhere around $800 via semi-truck and I would pick up my car in Orlando after flying to Orlando. Since we wouldn't have a car right away we would probably take the Magical Express to a Disney resort (Pop Century and All Star are both $95/night for 2 people, or Fort Wilderness campground is $56/night for 2). It seems expensive but you have to think in terms of how much gas/food/mileage you're going to save. For me, it costs $80 to fly into Denver, roughly $300 in gas to drive to Orlando, 2,000 miles on my car (that already has 200,000 miles), and probably a good $100 in food. So it depends on whether or not we think it's worth it. 

Those are my options!! If you fly in, you can either book a Disney resort or local hotel/motel. We booked Holiday Inn last time and walked to Vista, but since you now check in at your apartment complex, this could be tougher for those not in Vista (they're not super close, especially if you're walking with luggage). You may need to pay for a shuttle/taxi/uber regardless but just food for thought!! Disney resorts are probably (if I remember correctly) about a 15 minute drive from the apartment complexes, so they are probably further away than other (cheaper) options. 

Hopefully this was helpful for you, or at least informative!