Advice needed

[galaxygirl76]

My apologies if this is the wrong forum, but I couldn't figure out where else to put this

Right now, we are going to the World November 10th-November 15th. We have been researching flights there, and Allegiant is by far the cheapest option(at least $300). Unfortunately, they don't fly to Cedar Rapids on Saturdays, they only fly there on Mondays.

My question is

-Would you add on two more days at the hotel so we would be leaving on Monday instead of Saturday(we're at POP), and pretty much spend as much as we would have if we were flying with one of the other companies that fly to MCO, but have the added expense of renting a car both ways to get to Sanford(from what I can tell that would be about $88x2).

-Fly in using Allegiant and rent a car for one day to get to WDW and fly out using another company from MCO and stick to our original days.

-Keep on waiting for the prices to come down far enough in September and use MCO both ways.

Southwest is only an option if we use them both ways because they don't fly to Cedar Rapids(which we would depart from if using Allegiant), only to Des Moines(which is an hour and a half away).

How hard is it to add on those two extra days(there are rooms available, I checked), and we probably can't add those days onto our free dining, right?

We can add park tickets, if needed, on our magic bands while there, correct?

Thanks

 

[Clare Voince]

-Keep on waiting for the prices to come down far enough in September and use MCO both ways.

This is what I would do. I looked into Allegiant, but decided the drive from Sanford wasn't worth the savings. I still rent a car, but you can use ME if you fly into MCO and save money that way. Last time I went I flew out of Allentown instead of WB/Scranton, adding an hour drive to my trip, and ended up regretting it as I got sick in Disney and that hour drive home when sick was not fun.

 

[goofy4tink]

You need to figure out cost differences. What will it cost you, in terms of room, food, and park passes, to add those two days. Not to mention, Sanford is almost twice the distance from WDW than MCO. You most likely won't be able to extend the free dining for those two days. So, you'll end up with two different reservations.
I would be very tempted to stick with the original dates and fly in and out of MCO. No car costs, they take care of luggage,
Do you have any idea what the coat difference would be between flying into Sanford, renting a car, and adding two days to your trip vs staying with original dates, flying into MCO and no rental?

 

[galaxygirl76]

This is what I would do. I looked into Allegiant, but decided the drive from Sanford wasn't worth the savings. I still rent a car, but you can use ME if you fly into MCO and save money that way. Last time I went I flew out of Allentown instead of WB/Scranton, adding an hour drive to my trip, and ended up regretting it as I got sick in Disney and that hour drive home when sick was not fun.

We're leaning towards keeping things the way they are because mainly of the added hassle of getting from and to Sanford. The Magic Express sounds so much easier.

You need to figure out cost differences. What will it cost you, in terms of room, food, and park passes, to add those two days. Not to mention, Sanford is almost twice the distance from WDW than MCO. You most likely won't be able to extend the free dining for those two days. So, you'll end up with two different reservations.
I would be very tempted to stick with the original dates and fly in and out of MCO. No car costs, they take care of luggage,
Do you have any idea what the coat difference would be between flying into Sanford, renting a car, and adding two days to your trip vs staying with original dates, flying into MCO and no rental?

I think right now, it would add about $200 but we'd get to stay two extra days for that too. However, I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of changing plans, adding rooms, figuring out food for those two days, and renting a car.

Thanks for the input

 

[practicallyperfect77]

The flights are killing me too OP. It's insane. We would be renting a car anyway so I'm not concerned about that added cost. I searched awhile back on cars and found a place I could rent a van for $175 for 10 days. I hope I can find it again! Anyway, just my personal opinion but if I'm going to be spending more money, I'd rather get something out of it. You are correct that you will probably not be able to have free dining for the extra 2 days, but what if you went to the beach for a couple days instead. You'll have a car so would be able to do so. Also, I've read that driving to Epcot, HS and AK is actually quicker than taking a bus.

 

[monique5]

You should be able to extend free dining. Call! It's available November 9-20.

We drive 1.5 every yr for cheap airfares on SW. No problem with drive. We love ME & utilize Disney transportation during stay. No need for car rental this way.