DME, split stays and car rentals

[jendej]

We are going on our first WDW trip in Sept, arriving at AoA on Sept. 19 (taking DME) and checking out Sept. 25. Our return flight is at 9 am on Sept. 27. The plan is to rent a car and drive to the beach Sept. 25, stay one night and then drive back to Orlando Sept. 26 and stay another night in a hotel to make our morning flight on the 27th.

We're using cc/loyalty points for this second "beach portion" of our trip. Looking at what points can get me, I think these are our two most logical options:

25th: Check out of AoA, rent from National @ Car Care Center, stay night at beach hotel
26th: Beach hotel check out, spend day at beach, drive back to WDW, return car, stay night at POR (points stay)
27th: Take DME to airport

OR

25th: Check out of AoA, have DH take DME to airport to pick up car from National and return to pick us up, stay night at beach hotel
26th: Beach hotel check out, spend day at beach, drive back to airport, return car, stay night at airport hotel

What are the pros/cons to these two options? Anything I'm missing? Am I correct that we could take DME after staying at POR?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sam_gordon]

I think you have another option...

25th: Check out, rent from National @ CCC, stay night at beach.
26th: Spend day at beach, stay night at beach (or airport hotel)
27th: Take rental car to airport & return.

This way may be more expensive, but I think you get more bang for your buck. Here's the downsides I see with your options...
Option 1) Too much driving and you're back in the WDW "bubble" (not always a bad thing, but food is more expensive). Also means unpacking and packing an additional time.
Option 2) Too much time lost going from WDW to airport then back to WDW.

Of your two options, I like #2 best, but again, it's another set of unpacking and packing.

 

[jendej]

I think you have another option...

25th: Check out, rent from National @ CCC, stay night at beach.
26th: Spend day at beach, stay night at beach (or airport hotel)
27th: Take rental car to airport & return.

This way may be more expensive, but I think you get more bang for your buck. Here's the downsides I see with your options...
Option 1) Too much driving and you're back in the WDW "bubble" (not always a bad thing, but food is more expensive). Also means unpacking and packing an additional time.
Option 2) Too much time lost going from WDW to airport then back to WDW.

Of your two options, I like #2 best, but again, it's another set of unpacking and packing.

Hmm... I see what you're saying about all the driving with option #2, but we're using National free rental days for the beach trip and I just can't see spending the extra $ to drop off at a different location. Besides, DH is used to travelling (driving) alone for work and after all that family togetherness I imagine he'll welcome a few hours alone on a shuttle/in a car.

Thanks for the feedback on not staying at POR. I thought it might be fun, but now that you mention it, it might be a little much for the last day. Staying at the same hotel on the beach the 25th & 26th might be an option, but it depends on how my fellow adult travelers feel about getting up and driving an hour in time to get through security and make it to our flight.

Speaking of making our flight, do you really need to get to MCO three hours before your flight leaves (as DME seems to do), or are they just being conservative? It will be my first time at that airport, and while I know some are like small cities (DIA) I know others are like ours (MCI) where 1.5-2 hrs is plenty.

 

[sam_gordon]

My opinions...

The drive from Cocoa Beach to MCO is ~45 minutes (ok, budget an hour). The drive from WDW to MCO is ~30 minutes. Not a huge time difference IMO.

DME picks up ~3 hours before your flight. They should drop you at MCO ~2 hours before your flight. When I fly out of MCO, I try to get there 2 hours before. That allows time to check luggage, get through security (not always quick) and usually grab a bite to eat.

 

[jendej]

Gotcha. So I assume if we factor in dropping off a vehicle and taking an airport shuttle we need to plan for an extra 30 mins or so.

We're actually going to Daytona Beach. BIL lives in Palm Coast and hasn't seen DD2 (4) since she was 6 months old so he's taking some time off work to hang out with us and go to the beach. Google maps says the drive from Daytona Beach to MCO is about 1 hr and 15. Still not completely out of the question, just need to see how everyone feels about driving early AM vs having to move hotels a second time.

Thanks for your input!

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry, I lost you for a moment... the rental car drop offs are at the airport itself, no shuttle needed. It's been a couple years, but when I last returned a rental car to MCO, I dropped it off about 2 hours before the flight and didn't have a problem getting to the gate on time (security was a little crazy).

 

[scrapquitler]

I think you have another option...

25th: Check out, rent from National @ CCC, stay night at beach.
26th: Spend day at beach, stay night at beach (or airport hotel)
27th: Take rental car to airport & return.

This way may be more expensive, but I think you get more bang for your buck. Here's the downsides I see with your options...
Option 1) Too much driving and you're back in the WDW "bubble" (not always a bad thing, but food is more expensive). Also means unpacking and packing an additional time.
Option 2) Too much time lost going from WDW to airport then back to WDW.

Of your two options, I like #2 best, but again, it's another set of unpacking and packing.

I would do this because it seems the most straightforward and least complicated.

 

[bumbershoot]

My opinions...

The drive from Cocoa Beach to MCO is ~45 minutes (ok, budget an hour). The drive from WDW to MCO is ~30 minutes. Not a huge time difference IMO.

DME picks up ~3 hours before your flight. They should drop you at MCO ~2 hours before your flight. When I fly out of MCO, I try to get there 2 hours before. That allows time to check luggage, get through security (not always quick) and usually grab a bite to eat.

I see that I am not needed here.

The drive to/from Daytona can be a slog, that's for sure. IMO it depends on what you really want to do while there (sounds like this might be a really fun visit that you don't want to cut short) and how early that flight is.