Am I expecting a DING! miracle??

[rcpae]

I have a family of 5 that would love to fly from Columbus, OH instead of driving for our upcoming trip. We are on a very strict WDW budget and had planned on driving to help with costs. When I looked at our driving budget it comes to about $500. This includes gas roundtrip, a hotel room for down and back, and food stops, not counting our car wear and tear.

How possible do you think it is to get a ding that might bring me within a $100 of this car trip budget to fly??? Do you think it's possible for a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids) to fly for no more than $600?

Thanks!

 

[C.Ann]

Only if they come out with a $99 RT fare.. They had it from Albany, NY last year, but who knows if they'll have those kinds of rates again..

When is your vacation planned for? The rates I'm quoting were for Nov. and early Dec. of last year..

 

[Lewisc]

The current Ding fare from Columbus is $88 or just under $200 with taxes and fees.

You need a Ding fare of $49-$55 to get the total fare you're looking for. Don't just look at DING pricing. You might see good fares just before SW extends their schedule. Get on the email lists and look carefully between now and the middle of July. Given the price of jet fuel I wouldn't count on it but you might get lucky.

 

[welovedis]

You also can't really put a price on the wear/tear/mileage you are putting on your car. And getting to your destination (& being able to stay longer) is really PRICELESS!

 

[TiggerificTigger]

Even the three-day Internet sale is $99 plus tax one-way. Unless your kids are small enough not to need a seat. I think alot of us keep hoping for a great DING! fare.

 

[Lewisc]

ISP (Long Island) to MCO is $126.40 with DING for your dates. Usually the DING from ISP is more. You might get lucky.

 

[meandtheguys2]

The drive isn't so bad! The best fare we got last January was $79 each way for the 6 of us. Plus we needed to rent a minivan, because my husband wouldslit his wrists before he would spen 2 weeks on disney property without one!

 

[MAGICX2]

The drive isn't so bad! The best fare we got last January was $79 each way for the 6 of us. Plus we needed to rent a minivan, because my husband wouldslit his wrists before he would spen 2 weeks on disney property without one!

We live in Chillicothe, Ohio about an hour south of Columbus. We drove from our house to Orlando in 16 hours with DS2. If your kids are older you should be able to make it in about 14. You really don't have to stop for the night if you can drive like my DH (he could drive for 20 hrs and not bat an eye.) You will be hard pressed to get a DING for lower than $79 one way.

 

[boston1029]

Yes, sign up for SW's emails. I haven't found a ding yet for us. But 2 weeks ago we rec'd an email for super cheap fares to & from Baltimore{we're in the Philly 'burbs}. So instead of $370 RT for 2 out of Philly, we're now paying only $233. Just keep your eye out.

 

[chniki88]

We got a fare from providence RI to Orlando for $44.00 each way --

No one thought that would ever happen -- so maybe you'll get lucky.

 

[hdecker]

I've seen several dings in the last month Indianapolis to Orlando for 59 ea way. Not too bad of a drive if you really want to fly.

 

[MyGoofy26]

Are you IN Columbus? Are there any other airports you'd be willing to fly from? And when are your dates?

Last year we flew from Pittsburgh to Orlando for $110 each including taxes by catching a fare sale. I know these sorts of fare sales happen quite a bit from Pittsburgh. I don't think we've ever paid more than $150 r/t since taking over vacation planning ourselves the past 7 or 8 years. We've never flown SW since they just started flying out of Pittsburgh last month, but the other airlines have always been very competitive for that PIT-MCO route, so don't rule out other airlines.

$600 for 5 people might really be pushing it. You'd have to be VERY persistant. I mean check a few times a week, if not daily, for those fare sales to hit. I wouldn't rely on JUST Ding fares. I would check every airline.

I've mentioned this many times on these boards, but it's worth repeating because it always works for me. Most fares bottom out (pretty much any fare I've ever checked) about 8 weeks before departure date. I start checking daily at about week 10. Some have taken til week 6. Most drops happen in the overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, but that's not always the case. I go to Travelocity and check the flexible dates for my month. It'll bring up a list of fares, cheapest first and by carrier. When prices appeal to me, I go down the line and see which ones have availibilty for my dates. When I find flights I like, I go to the airline's website and book there, saving that extra $5 or whatever Travelocity charges you to book. This method has never failed me. It's how I got the $110 fare to Orlando. And I managed to snag a R/T with just one layover (best you can do from Pittsburgh) flying into Rome just days before Easter (and consequently a week and a half before the Pope died. . . so you know they were charging top dollar for those seats by then) for $393 including taxes and fees!!!

 

[DonnaL]

If you get real lucky with SW it's possible, but, you need to check several times a day on the website. We went in January (6 of us from PHL) for a little over $800 and DH and I made an anniversary trip down in May for $255.00 rd
trip for both of us (that's the lowest I've ever gotten) I'm waiting for the December fares to come out now, but, even after I book I keep checking because SW will credit you for the difference for a future trip within 12 months time.

 

[party of 3]

We got a fare from providence RI to Orlando for $44.00 each way --

No one thought that would ever happen -- so maybe you'll get lucky.

that's a great fare? when is it for? maybe i could talk dh into going again with that sort of fare!!!!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We fly out of Portland, OR and I haven't seen a Ding fare yet that was much of a discount. I'm disappointed as I really thought we'd be able to take advantage of it.

 

[ceecee]

I've checked Dayton, Cincy and Columbus. This year's rates are higher. In 2001 we got tickets for $108.00 RT and that is the lowest I've been able to find. You probably won't get tickets for $600.00 for 5 people. I'm hoping to do $600.00 this year for the 3 of us. We tried driving and will not do it again.

 

[Princesa]

I second the Indianapolis suggestion. Especially if you are not right in Columbus, you'll be driving anyway to get to the airport. If it saves a considerable amount, consider driving a little further.

We always drive to Indy and we live in Michigan! Even though Chicago Midway is much closer to us, it's worth the extra hour and half drive to save that much--for some reason Indy is ALWAYS cheaper to MCO. Just last week, We had a Ding for IND to MCO for 37 each way plus taxes. So four of us could have gone for around $380 including taxes. For us, that's worth driving a little extra even if we add on a $35 hotel room the night before to catch that early flight! (That's what we did in Dec--pricelined the Baymont Inn right by the airport for $30)

We drove our first trip, and honestly didn't mind the drive even with little ones, but sometimes you just don't have that many days and don't want to spend them traveling! Not to mention the added miles on your car.

Keep trying, persistance really does pay off! Good luck!

 

[Jakesmom504]

Can someone tell me how far in advance should I start looking for airfair? Is there any good time to start looking and if you get tickets early, will they be more expensive? I have never booked airline tickets before.
Thanks!