Anyone flown into Sanford Airport?

[LuvGoofy6]

Plane fares are not going down in the midwest for Christmas travel to DW. I am thinking about driving 5 hours to an airport that has Allegiant. The difference to fly out of my city or drive to fly out with Allegiant is $1694 (4 passengers). I would need to figure in the cost of gas to drive the 5 hours and hotel/food the night before we fly out and the night we land to see the true savings. Before I do that I was wondering if anyone can tell me what it was like to fly in and out of Sanford. I did figure in the shuttle bus to get us to Disney when I calculated costs ($61.99 per person round trip). Is there a better way to get to our Disney hotel or is the shuttle bus the best way? Any advice or experiences with this airport would be appreciated. TIA.

 

[ccudmore]

Given the price of the shuttle x 4 people, a rental car is probably the way to go. All of the major rental companies are at Sanford and the drive to Disney is an easy one. Check mousesavers.com for their Orlando car rental discount codes

 

[Dwight]

Our family has flown Allegiant one time into Sanford. Would not hesitate to do it again. Direct flight Is a nice bonus and Sanford is a lot less hassle compared to Orlando's airport. I agree with pp, renting a car is the way to go. Not a bad drive to WDW at all.

 

[LuvGoofy6]

Thank you for the replies. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. Is there a place to drop the car off and then rent again to get back to the airport? I can't imagine that it would be less that $248 (cost of bus shuttle) to keep the car the week we are there. Or would it? I never rent cars so I guess I'm not sure of the prices for 7 days. I punched numbers at National to keep the car the entire trip and it was between $550-$700. for the week.

 

[Siriusblack]

Sometimes car rental prices go down when it's closer to your dates, but Christmas might keep them higher than usual. Try checking out prices for town cars. Even if it's the same price as the shuttle, it's way more comfortable.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

There are other car services from Sanford. I don't use them, I've always been able to find a rental. Typically the best price is 3-4 weeks out.

 

[ccudmore]

I did a quick search on Hotwire and found prices around $40/day around Christmas from Sanford. Renting for a week is usually cheaper than renting for just a few days but keep in mind that if you rent for a week but return it in fewer days you'll be charged the non weekly (higher) rate. Plus you'll find that having a car is sooooo convenient. Faster getting to parks (other than MK). Ability to get to other attractions. Grocery runs for snacks. Off-site dining.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have really enjoyed the times I flew in, and out of, Sanford! It's a wonderful airport...small and very user friendly.
Getting to WDW from there can be expensive though. A car service will cost you about $200 r/t, plus tip. But, it's a nice way to go. If you don't mind driving, and can find a decent rate, the drive is easy and fairly straightforward..takes about 50 mins.
If you find a good rate with either Alamo or National, you can return the car to the Car Care Center...not far from WL. They will shuttle you back to the resort, and then come get you to get the new rental when it's time to leave. Or, you can rent from Alamo/National at the Dolphin. There are other off site options in the DTD hotels. Or....drive to MCO, return the car and take DME to WL. Then, DME back to MCO and rent a car to get back to Sanford. But that's a lot of work unless it's a substantial savings.

 

[Mickeygolf]

We're flying into Sanford in November. We've flown into Sanford on two other trips and had no problems either time. It's a great little airport as others have stated and so easy to get in and out of. The drive from Sanford to WDW is a breeze.

We will rent a car at Budget and return when we get to WDW. You can return and rent from the Double Tree one of the DTD hotels. You will use M03 for the location code on Budget. They will shuttle you to your resort when you take the car back and they will come pick you up the day you pick your car up for the return to Sanford.

We have two families and I've already been able to get a full size van for way less than a town car service or the shuttle service from Sanford. Budget has the Fastbreak program but you probably won't need it at Sanford since it's such a small airport.

Good luck!!!

 

[LuvGoofy6]

We will rent a car at Budget and return when we get to WDW. You can return and rent from the Double Tree one of the DTD hotels. You will use M03 for the location code on Budget. They will shuttle you to your resort when you take the car back and they will come pick you up the day you pick your car up for the return to Sanford.

Good luck!!!

Thank you for the information everyone. Mickeygolf, this is something I will look into~thank you for the location code.