I have a choice between 7 AM or 6:30 PM. DS3 and DS2 Usually sleep from 7 PM until 6:30 AM. This has been the hardest decision of my trip planning so far. It is only a two hour flight. I do not like the idea of losing a day in Disney but I also do not like the idea of waking up my kids at four in the morning.
Do you take morning or night flights with toddlers
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set1208
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2008
I have four kids and we always fly early in the morning. They adjust. Our October flight is for 7 am so we are leaving the house at like 3 am. Ugh! We are renting a house so they can veg out when we get in, maybe nap while I run to the store and get things set up. I'd rather go early and have tired kids than trying to get in and get settled in the middle of the night. This way we can start the next day fresh and ready.
I would take the early flight too! We always take the 7am flight (with little ones). We land at 9:30am, take Magical Express, check-in and have lunch. By then everone is ready for a swim. That first swim relieves all the stress of your travel day and you really feel like you're on vacation. We have the most success when we take it easy that first day and get to bed early. Have fun!
drinkme
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
We usually go when the kids are in school so we wait until school is out for the day to go. We almost always take a later flight (we live very close to the airport). If we get to our resort too late then we just get a snack and go to sleep and make rope drop the next day. However, we have been known to go to a park for the last few hours. My kids are a lot older than yours.
Happyjen27
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2012
I would go early if possible. At my airport there are rarely delays on the first flight, but often there are delays later in the day. I can't imagine trying to keep the littles happy at 7PM in public when that is ordinarily their bedtime.
Kristibo42
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
I like morning. The sooner we get down there the better.
We always take morning flights with the kids. It is sort of a pain to wake them so early, but you will be so excited (and if they know about the trip so will they!) that it really won't matter. And everyone is in a much better mood in the morning.
When my kids were "little" little, like yours, I would literally put them in the car in their pjs for the drive to the airport and change them there after we checked in and got rid of the big luggage. At that early hour most travelers thought seeing the kids in their jammies were cute.
Not to mention you do gain precious time once you get to WDW. Even if you don't hit the parks on Day One, you can always hang at the pool and get unpacked. We did this on our first-ever WDW trip out of necessity, and it has become our tradition. DH thinks I'm crazy for wanting time to get "set up" in the room, but it just makes me feel more settled. And after traveling, the kids love to stretch their legs, swim and play. Not to mention they like to get the lay of the land, too! They play hard and then get to sleep on time for an early morning start the next day. For us, it works well.
At best, a 6:30 pm flight will land around 9:00 p.m. Then you still have to deal with luggage and/or Magical Express. That ride is about 30 minutes once the bus actually leaves. Then you still need to check in, get to your room, etc. I think getting up early is much more fun than dealing with cranky family syndrome at 10 or 11 o'clock at night. You'll pay for that the next day! Lol.
Good luck with your decision!
When my kids were "little" little, like yours, I would literally put them in the car in their pjs for the drive to the airport and change them there after we checked in and got rid of the big luggage. At that early hour most travelers thought seeing the kids in their jammies were cute.
Not to mention you do gain precious time once you get to WDW. Even if you don't hit the parks on Day One, you can always hang at the pool and get unpacked. We did this on our first-ever WDW trip out of necessity, and it has become our tradition. DH thinks I'm crazy for wanting time to get "set up" in the room, but it just makes me feel more settled. And after traveling, the kids love to stretch their legs, swim and play. Not to mention they like to get the lay of the land, too! They play hard and then get to sleep on time for an early morning start the next day. For us, it works well.
At best, a 6:30 pm flight will land around 9:00 p.m. Then you still have to deal with luggage and/or Magical Express. That ride is about 30 minutes once the bus actually leaves. Then you still need to check in, get to your room, etc. I think getting up early is much more fun than dealing with cranky family syndrome at 10 or 11 o'clock at night. You'll pay for that the next day! Lol.
Good luck with your decision!
Angel Ariel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
I hate to say it (i am so not a morning person), but I'd probably do the early morning flight. You won't have to worry about traffic getting ot the airport at that time, and hopefully the child coudl fall asleep while you're getting to the airport, and then maybe nap on the plane?
Autumnslight
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2013
I feel like flying with kids is going to be enough of an ordeal, that I don't really want to do anything else that day. So, we're taking a flight that leaves around 3pm and gets to Orlando around 6pm. We're not counting that day as a "real" vacation day. We're just going to get settled in, go to the store for whatever we need, maybe take a swim, and make it an early night, so we can be up and ready to hit the parks in the morning!
In your case, I think it depends on what your plans are for your first day. If you take the early flight, your kids may be tired out at the park, and you'll probably have to make it an early night.
If you take the late flight, you might not get a super early start the next day. Although, if the kids will likely sleep on the flight and the drive from the airport, that might work out pretty well.
I'd take the later flight myself, mostly because I'm NOT a morning person. I'd rather poke myself in the eye with something sharp than have to deal with my kids on an airplane at some horrendous hour of the morning. And then going to one of the parks right after that actually sounds like absolute torture to me. For morning people though, it might work out just fine.
In your case, I think it depends on what your plans are for your first day. If you take the early flight, your kids may be tired out at the park, and you'll probably have to make it an early night.
If you take the late flight, you might not get a super early start the next day. Although, if the kids will likely sleep on the flight and the drive from the airport, that might work out pretty well.
I'd take the later flight myself, mostly because I'm NOT a morning person. I'd rather poke myself in the eye with something sharp than have to deal with my kids on an airplane at some horrendous hour of the morning. And then going to one of the parks right after that actually sounds like absolute torture to me. For morning people though, it might work out just fine.
DJWMom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2013
We had the same choice, and chose the 6:40 am flight. I'll probably be so excited that even if we were taking an evening flight I'd be up super early anyway haha.
The hubs and I are going to get up and get everything settled in the house, get everything in the van and then at the last minute wake up the older two and carry our youngest down to the van and go. We have to leave around 4am, so I'm hoping they go back to sleep for the 30 min drive to the airport. We're planning pool/nap time in the afternoon and dtd for dinner that day.
The hubs and I are going to get up and get everything settled in the house, get everything in the van and then at the last minute wake up the older two and carry our youngest down to the van and go. We have to leave around 4am, so I'm hoping they go back to sleep for the 30 min drive to the airport. We're planning pool/nap time in the afternoon and dtd for dinner that day.
Frankiemack
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2011
I normally would fly early but this time, I chose to fly later for our next trip and book an extra night as a room only stay. (It actually saved us money and my DD is not fun to wake up early in the am!)
Leaving Newark at 7pm, arriving into Orlando at 9:50pm and taking ME. I know we'll get to the hotel late but I'd rather wake up in Disney refreshed and relaxed and ready to move on with the next day. My DD 4 1/2 will sleep for some of the plane/bus so that when we get to the hotel, she can continue to sleep. We just made sure to not plan anything in the morning the next day so that we aren't stressed to get up and run. We have a "free park day" that day so that whatever we do is considered extra.
Leaving Newark at 7pm, arriving into Orlando at 9:50pm and taking ME. I know we'll get to the hotel late but I'd rather wake up in Disney refreshed and relaxed and ready to move on with the next day. My DD 4 1/2 will sleep for some of the plane/bus so that when we get to the hotel, she can continue to sleep. We just made sure to not plan anything in the morning the next day so that we aren't stressed to get up and run. We have a "free park day" that day so that whatever we do is considered extra.
luvmy2babies
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2010
Do you have to change planes?
Either one is going to mess with their routine, so when I'm faced with messing with either or both of my children's routines I look back and try to choose the lesser of the two evils for lack of a better term.
I guess you have to look back at the times you have had to vary their schedule, and conclude if you feel they will handle better going to bed later than usual or getting up earlier than usual? I would lean towards the early flight because the one concern I have reading your post is I see a possibility they could fall asleep during the trip and end up waking during the time they would normally be in their heaviest sleep. That might not be pretty for you.
My daughter flew 4 times between age 18 mo and 4 years. My son has flown 3 times, age 10 months, 21 months and 2.5 years old. We have generally done early mornings, especially when my daughter was my only child and little. My daughter was the one who was on the 6am and 7am flights with us. She was pretty transferrable. Once she didnt wake up until we were at the gate. Now, Im on my own with them and shes older so I try to schedule outbound flights between 8am and 10am usually and returning flights between 2 and 4.
I did one late afternoon flight. It was my daughters fall break and we flew out the last school day she had before it. I got her an hour before dismissal and our flight was at 5:20. The only problem with that was my son, also known as Mr. Regular, usually uses the bathroom between the hours of 5 and 7pm.
All that being said, we are less than a 2 hour flight from Orlando and that is where we have gone most of the time. We have also had non-stop flights since I had my son. When we took that late flight, we landed by 7:15 and we were in our hotel room by 8:30, which is about 30 minutes past his bedtime then. I put him down just before 8, so it was kind of stretching it for my son, by the time we got settled and I got him down, but he isnt generally going to get upset about going to bed an hour late, but if hed gone to sleep for what his body thought was "for the night" on the plane and woken up in transition&YIKES!
Either one is going to mess with their routine, so when I'm faced with messing with either or both of my children's routines I look back and try to choose the lesser of the two evils for lack of a better term.
I guess you have to look back at the times you have had to vary their schedule, and conclude if you feel they will handle better going to bed later than usual or getting up earlier than usual? I would lean towards the early flight because the one concern I have reading your post is I see a possibility they could fall asleep during the trip and end up waking during the time they would normally be in their heaviest sleep. That might not be pretty for you.
My daughter flew 4 times between age 18 mo and 4 years. My son has flown 3 times, age 10 months, 21 months and 2.5 years old. We have generally done early mornings, especially when my daughter was my only child and little. My daughter was the one who was on the 6am and 7am flights with us. She was pretty transferrable. Once she didnt wake up until we were at the gate. Now, Im on my own with them and shes older so I try to schedule outbound flights between 8am and 10am usually and returning flights between 2 and 4.
I did one late afternoon flight. It was my daughters fall break and we flew out the last school day she had before it. I got her an hour before dismissal and our flight was at 5:20. The only problem with that was my son, also known as Mr. Regular, usually uses the bathroom between the hours of 5 and 7pm.
All that being said, we are less than a 2 hour flight from Orlando and that is where we have gone most of the time. We have also had non-stop flights since I had my son. When we took that late flight, we landed by 7:15 and we were in our hotel room by 8:30, which is about 30 minutes past his bedtime then. I put him down just before 8, so it was kind of stretching it for my son, by the time we got settled and I got him down, but he isnt generally going to get upset about going to bed an hour late, but if hed gone to sleep for what his body thought was "for the night" on the plane and woken up in transition&YIKES!
dlove28
Missin' WDW
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2010
I agree with the majority. Early flight (I think we are all assuming you are talking about the flight TO WDW and not home). Early flight gives you more vacation time. My family likes to get there early enough to hit MK the first day. Even if just for an hour or two, the extra day's ticket is only an incremental $10 and gives us some time to soak in the magic, see a parade or show, maybe hit a ride. This way our first full day at MK we aren't 'slowed' down by stopping to smell the roses in the morning.
The alternative is a late flight, travelling when your kids want to be sleeping and, if they need 11.5hrs sleep normally, sleeping in your first day and not getting to the parks until noon.
So the Early flight gets you almost a full day of vacation extra!
The alternative is a late flight, travelling when your kids want to be sleeping and, if they need 11.5hrs sleep normally, sleeping in your first day and not getting to the parks until noon.
So the Early flight gets you almost a full day of vacation extra!
I completely forgot about flight delays. You are so right about the first flight, same at my airport.
I would opt for the early flight. My guys are early risers so not really a problem and there is always the chance they will fall back asleep in the car or on the plane ride. Just plan a lite first day.
Night flights can get delayed making them really late. Plus there is usually alot to do once you land making 'bedtime' even later then you think it will be.
The only time I elected the night flight was when it was direct versus having a layover. (We left at 6:30pm, arrived at 10:30pm, had to rent car, check into hotel and get settled = LATE.) It worked out 'just ok' for us. DS(1 at the time) fell asleep on the flight (great!) but then when we got to our destination he woke up and was wired (not great). Took quite a while for him to get back to sleep. However it was well worth it to avoid a layover and a full day of flying.
My DD(7) & DS(5) did fine with the later flight. But with the under 4 crowd later is tough.
Night flights can get delayed making them really late. Plus there is usually alot to do once you land making 'bedtime' even later then you think it will be.
The only time I elected the night flight was when it was direct versus having a layover. (We left at 6:30pm, arrived at 10:30pm, had to rent car, check into hotel and get settled = LATE.) It worked out 'just ok' for us. DS(1 at the time) fell asleep on the flight (great!) but then when we got to our destination he woke up and was wired (not great). Took quite a while for him to get back to sleep. However it was well worth it to avoid a layover and a full day of flying.
My DD(7) & DS(5) did fine with the later flight. But with the under 4 crowd later is tough.
NHTikiBeckie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2006
We have a mid day nonstop flight thank goodness, because both of those options have their cons for us! If I had to choose, I would pick the later flight only because my 2 and a half year old is a hot mess if we wake her up, and she acts like a hot mess all day from it. Part of me would say I wouldn't want to miss a day at disney either, but I know the day would be a wreck and filled with meltdowns from her sleep being screwed up.
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