Anyone Fly Into Sanford Instead of Orlando International???

vandy

Vacations are getaways from vacation planning!
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Does anyone fly into the Sanford airport instead of Orlando International? Our regional airline flies non-stop to Sanford, and can be a good savings but I wonder if the savings are negated by the extra cost to get to WDW.

If you do fly into Sanford, how do you get to WDW? Rental Car? Shuttle? Taxi? Any estimates of the cost of doing these? Any help will be appreciated.
 
I would also like to know other's experiences. Allegiant has also added flights in our area.
 
Friends of mine fly out of Lehigh Valley airport in PA on an airline which goes into Sanford. They rent a car which they said they prefer doing instead of using Disney buses since they own at SSR. The downside of Sanford in my opinion is probably the use of the magical express but if you were going to rent a car, my guess is the airport is probably easier to get in and out of then the International airport.
 
We flew Allegiant from Roanoke to Sanford on 11/21 - 11/28 and rented a car from Alamo (approx. $175 for the week). This was our first time flying to Sanford, after several trips flying into Orlando and either using a town car or ME. We were hesitant at first, due to the ease of transportation at Orlando. But, Sanford is small and we had our bags within minutes of deplaning, walked across to Alamo and had our car within minutes. Made a stop at Wal-Mart, before going to CB.

Past trips we have always used the Disney busses with no complaints, but only used the busses one time this trip, using the car every day. We found the car gave us much more freedom to go from park to park and other non-park places. And we also went off Disney a few times to shop a little.

We would probably go this route again, if Allegiant prices are a lot lower then flying to Orlando.
 


There is no downside to flying into Sanford. The airline rates are so much cheaper that you can afford to take a rental or the car service that operates out of Sanford and still have a huge savings on the trip. I have talked to families who have saved $1000.00 or more flying into Sanford and that savings would include using a rental car or using car service. Car Service is cheaper than taxi rates so although taxis service is available, best choice seems to be car service for service and better equipped vehicles. Missing the free transportation by the DME shouldn't even be considered in your decision.

The second biggest advantage is the direct flight to Sanford of the smaller airlines. If Allegiant or Direct Air is available close to your city consider the time you spend driving to the big airport compared to driving to the smaller airport. Flights are under 2 hours and there are no in-between stops. You land in Sanford and, if you choose car service possibly rental car, you can be at WDW in less than the average time, 70 minutes, it takes the DME to get you to WDW from the Orlando airport.

Passengers I have taken to Disney speak highly of the service and seem to love Allegiant Airlines. The only liability is trying to match up the return home as the airlines do not fly from the cities daily like the airlines in Orlando. Most smaller airports have only two or three flights in and out for the week.

So personally I wouldn't hesitate if you have a chance to fly into Sanford. Just do the numbers and you will agree.
 
I would rent a car. We fly into Sanford several times a year and the drive to Disney is very easy. Most everything about Sanford is easy. On the return flight I would be sure and be at the airport at least 2 hours ahead, check-in lines are long for Allegiant. Allegiant now has on-line check in in you pay for it and that may help the lines.
 
So glad to have found this thread. Allegiant just started flights locally on Monday and Friday only and I was curious as to how to get from Sanford to Disney. A rental car sounds more reasonable to me than hiring a driver.
 


My three children and I just recently flew into Sanford the week before Christmas, and it could not have been easier. As a previous poster said, it only took about 15 minutes total between deplaning and leaving the rental lot. Our car was $165 for 5 1/2 days which beats the $200 it would have cost for other transportation, and we had the car for the entire stay. It took us about 50 minutes to drive from Sanford to SSR.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I have compared Allegiant to the national carriers and for the most part, Allegiant to Sanford plus a rental car for 5 days is the same cost as a national carrier to Orlando International and using ME. This trip is just for the two of us and no kids. If there were kids going, then the savings would be much more. Plus, Allegiant is non-stop and the national carriers have at least one stop and double the travel time. Since we usually drive and are used to having a vehicle onsite, using Allegiant to Sanford looks like my best option. Thanks again.
 
We've been using Allegiant to Sanford for quite awhile now. Everything on this post is spot on and I'll add that their planes are nicer than the Delta, USAir, Northwest or AirTran that I have flown.
When we fly there and go to WDW, we always use Tiffany Towncar because neither DH nor I want to drive. We always use WDW transportation while there and if DH does not have to drive for a week, he loves it.
So, no matter which you choose, I think you'll like using Sanford.
 
Our friends use Sanford airport vs. MCO since it is the two of them and like the convenience. For us, we still prefer ME as we do not need to hassle with the kids car seats, but if we ever came w/o kids, would certainly consider Allegiant if the price were similar to SW.
 
If you use car service, most of the companies will provide the car seats you will need traveling back and forth from Disney. Car service prices are comparable to car rental prices. Depending on the family, maybe much cheaper.
 
We've flown into Sanford too and the price can be great. Just plan enough time for traffic on I-4 if you're departing around rush hour.
 

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