Earlier flight or extra 5 hours in WDW?

[Coconuts]

Do you have to be back at work the next morning? If yes, I would want the earlier flight to get home and settled a bit. If no work the next day, I may do the late flight.

For me, our day of departure we are mentally coming out of vacation mode anyway, so I would probably spend all day thinking of getting to the airport and what time it was instead of really enjoying the last day.

I guess I am leaning towards the earlier flight.

Have anawesome trip!

No one has school or work the next day; our flight is on Friday so we get the whole weekend to regroup before work and school.

Darn it I should have put a poll on this thread! But it seems like opinions are pretty even.

 

[Dizneydaz]

We will be there the first week of November so BB is the only water park open. DS is 12, DD is 10, and DD is 5. I have never been in DQ so I didn't know what to expect. We would get the water park option on the tickets.

Hopefully the weather will still be good in Nov. I 'm thinking it will but then we went to BB one Jan. when it was about 68. Brrr! It was a little cold but we still had fun.


Blizzard Beach

My DD is now 13, almost 14, and we have been doing the WP since she was about 4. She has always loved them. One of her favorite places in a WP is The Ski Patrol Training Camp at BB. She still loves it though she's really getting too old to go there. Luckily, for her, she's small for her age.

from allears

Ski Patrol Training Camp is the place for pre-teenagers. Here they can balance on the floating icebergs, ride the T-bar drop and enjoy their own water slides.

Tike's Peak is a kid-sized version of Blizzard Beach. Here children 4 feet tall and under (parents are allowed) can play in their own pools, ride their own slides, play in the pop jets and fountains, and much more. Just remember that children under 10 are not allowed admission into the BB unless accompanied by an adult.

For the younger set Tike's Peak is fun too. I think the kid's areas at BB are better than the one at TL. DD could play at the Training Camp all day.

She loves going across the icebergs and then playing with other kids on them. The zip line looks great-too bad I'm too tall for it! And parents, as well as kids, are allowed on the slides in that area. BB has the longest family raft ride, in the world, Teamboat Springs, that is really fun. If you go make sure you do it!


Zipline fun!



Icebergs!




Here's a pix of her last year when an afternoon storm came rolling in and she and the lifeguards, and a couple more kids, played "rainy day" games. They made her an honorary jr. lifeguard! I'm sure she'll remember playing with the lifeguards (for over an hour until the park closed) as one of that trip's highlights.


What's a little water?


I think this was the most rain we ever saw. And we go during hurricane season!


An unofficial Jr. Lifeguard!

I wasn't too sure what to expect at DQ either, the first time we went. But think of all the arcade games you can imagine, and you can play them for free! That's basically what you'll find at DQ. I enjoy DQ when it's not too busy, but when it's crowded, it's not as fun (obviously) We go during off season most of the time so it's really only crowded when it rains! Then, look out!

Besides the arcade games there are games a bunch of Disney games and things to do. There are 5 floors, with 2 food areas (the participate in the DDP).

What we will do when we go to DQ (using a Waterparks and more option) is we will get there when it opens at 11:30. They close at 11:30 F,S,S and 10 M-Th. We will play for a few hours and then take a break for lunch at one of the DTD Counter Service locations. Then we will, usually return for more play at DQ. Sometimes we will go back to the resort for pool time and then back to DQ to finish the evening.

We head to Cyberspace Mountain which is great! You design your own coaster ride and then ride it (2 people max each ride) Really fun. Can get busy so go there when they open and close to closing. We also enjoy the Pirate game.

DQ is enjoyable. Even my DM73 likes it. She enjoys riding the motorcycle rides, for one thing. However, the noise level does get to her after awhile but you can take a break in the Wonderland Cafe.

Last year it was just DD and myself at DQ (first time my DM didn't go to WDW with us) and she played one game for at least an hour, of and one It's the Speed of Light game and she had so much fun playing it.

Here's some photos...















Since you are going in Nov. BB will close early, 5:00. With the WP and more option you could go to BB during the day and DQ at night. (It would take 2 options)

 

[bigbabyblues]

No one has school or work the next day; our flight is on Friday so we get the whole weekend to regroup before work and school.

Well, in that case, I would fly home the earlier flight on Sunday! But, I'm not one to ask, we drive so we can arrive and depart when we're good and ready.

The two times we did fly, we had earlier flights. I would be stressed about getting out of the parks/transportation issues to take a later flight.

 

[lvillotta1]

My kids are 5&9. We take the earlier flight around 3pm out. We sleep in and get breakfast as we have most of our packing done the night before. I am more than ready to leave Orlando. I have taken later flights and they just do not work for us.

 

[Pembo]

Our last trip, we had the choice of flying out at 2 or at 6. My kids picked 2. We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, stopped at Dtd, and headed for the airport. It was all very relaxed and we got home before we were all too tired.

 

[nervous1sttimer]

Oh no, now this thread is making me rethink our plans! Our flight out leaves at 7:30pm arriving around 10:30. The only other nonstop that day leaves at 12:45 in the afternoon. I had planned a final MK park day but maybe after 10 days (with DH, DS7, DD5, and my mother) we will want to leave earlier??

 

[dminnie]

No one has school or work the next day; our flight is on Friday so we get the whole weekend to regroup before work and school.

In that case, I'd do the later flight. I"m not sure what time of year you're talking about, but if it's winter...even more so I'd do the later flight so you don't have as long of a drive home.

We are doing a flight at 6:30 pm on our departure day. It's a really short trip, so it'll be nice to get in a little more time. I'm hoping to plan a nice breakfast someplace and maybe some pool time or DTD. But...we all have work/school the next day and we won't arrive home until probably 11 or 12. We'll probably be regretting it, especially since the kids are in HS and will have homework to make up fast. We wanted a mid afternoon flight, but there weren't any. The one we got is non-stop so that will help.

I would suggest that whenever you decide to take the flight, just do something relaxing that day. Don't try to fit in a bunch of stuff at a park. If you go to a park, only plan on doing a couple of things and anything else will feel like icing on the cake. If you plan a lot and don't get to all of it, it can be stressful and disappointing. It always takes longer to pack up than we expect too. We learned NOT to try for early morning EMH on check out day. It's just frustrating when you can't get to it on time or at all.

 

[StuckInKS]

Well, in that case, I would fly home the earlier flight on Sunday!

That was my first thought too!!

But, I'm not one to ask, we drive so we can arrive and depart when we're good and ready.

We do the same. The past two trips we decided we weren't good and ready until we had done 10 park days and a few DTD days. If our original reservations run out, we just book more rooms at an offsite hotel :

We tried booking extra days onsite like that once, but the reservation system wanted a 3 day notice

 

[Coconuts]

Thanks for all of the great replies, especially Disneydaz for the details about BB and DQ!

Of course now while we have been debating this over the last few days, airfare has been going up so now will have to wait until next week. But I'm still wavering between flights.

 

[ready123go]

No one has school or work the next day; our flight is on Friday so we get the whole weekend to regroup before work and school.

Darn it I should have put a poll on this thread! But it seems like opinions are pretty even.

For us it depends entirely on what we have going the next day. If we have to work, we take an earlier flight. If we're coming home on a Fri/Sat or it's during slow season for business, we take a later flight. We (I) usually pack our room in about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. That leaves us plenty of time for breakfast and parks.

How well do your kids/you function tired? I think that would sway me. If they don't function well or you don't want to have to find the wherewithal to deal with them, then an early flight is more livable. If they're OK, take the later one. Do what you can live with...

Have fun!

The 'being homeless' sensation pp mentioned used to bother me, but not anymore. I suspect it's because Disney feels like 'home'.

 

[serene56]

We will be there the first week of November so BB is the only water park open. DS is 12, DD is 10, and DD is 5. I have never been in DQ so I didn't know what to expect. We would get the water park option on the tickets.

If you booked a package you got 2 free passes to DQ. I know we did.
and if doing only one day in the water park it would be cheaper to pay at the gate then to add it on your ticket

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

I would definitely go with the second option. That is a pretty significant difference.

 

[Disney Princess]

NORMALLY I would say more time at WDW is worth the money. Since you don't have anywhere to be the next day, it shouldn't matter if you get home late. The airport is more convenient, and you get bonus time at Disney. If the flights were the same price, or near the same price, I would definitely do the later flight.

HOWEVER, $250 is a lot of money. That is enough money for us to have another round-trip ticket at a later date. I would probably lean towards the earlier flight. The early flight isn't "early" so you can still sleep in, leisurely pack, have a nice last breakfast, and be ready for ME. You'll enjoy a non-chaotic last morning.

Of course, my real opinion is to fly home on Sunday like a PP suggested. Enjoy 2.5 more days of Disney!

 

[antree]

We live in Bellmawr, and we always take the last flight out possible on SWA, so I vote for the later flight. We do MK on the day of departure, we make reservations at The Plaza for 12, and then stay as long as we can in the park. This will be the first time in years that we have the 9am flight home.
The only good thing is, the reason we have the 9am flight is because coming home on a Sunday was outrageous, so I convinced my DH to stay an extra day and leave first thing Monday so he can still make work Monday night.

We also are going the first week of Nov., the flights are jumping all over place and have been so high. We ended up buying tickets in to Tampa to get the cheaper price.
I keep watching the prices to see if I can change in to Orlando, but it is just not happening.

We also originally bought tickets in to Baltimore for $125 to come home and to rent a car was still cheaper then what SWA had tickets for in to Philly. Then one day I happen to check and was able to get coming home at $156.00 in to Philly so I switched flights. I haven't seen that price again since we bought them.
We are getting close to our dates. Try and grab the tickets as soon as you can before they get too high.

Good luck hope you get a decent price you agree with.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

No one has school or work the next day; our flight is on Friday so we get the whole weekend to regroup before work and school.

Darn it I should have put a poll on this thread! But it seems like opinions are pretty even.

This is the decider for me. Initially I would have said no way to the later flight, but you have 2 days when you get home to recover. BUT I would make a plan for what we were doing that last day (I'm not a huge planner normally) so that it won't feel like you're just trying to fill the time before getting on ME.

 

[kiki02]

Go with whatever your budget allows (don't over extend). you'll be back...

I have a decision to make and need some input and I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right forum so I apologize if I'm wrong.

On the day we want to leave WDW, flying back into PHL is the easiest airport to get home from and the cheapest flight is at 7:50pm. This means we get an extra 5 hours in WDW and can actually do something or go to a park on our departure day, having to be on ME by @4:30pm.

There is another flight which leaves at 2:30pm and flies into Trenton, NJ, which is an additional 30-45 minute ride home, and we would have to be on ME by 11:30am. This means we wake up and eat breakfast on our departure day before leaving and no touring WDW.

The second option is $250 cheaper and could maybe pay for our meal tips or an addition of the water parks option to our MYW tickets. Our kids have never done a WDW water park or Disney Quest and I didn't know if it was worth it.

So what would you do? Another, but not full, day in WDW and more convenient commute home for an extra $250? Or an earlier departure to a less convenient airport with an extra $250 to use on our trip?

Thanks for the input!

 

[kiki02]

Go with whatever your budget allows (don't over extend). you'll be back...

I have a decision to make and need some input and I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right forum so I apologize if I'm wrong.

On the day we want to leave WDW, flying back into PHL is the easiest airport to get home from and the cheapest flight is at 7:50pm. This means we get an extra 5 hours in WDW and can actually do something or go to a park on our departure day, having to be on ME by @4:30pm.

There is another flight which leaves at 2:30pm and flies into Trenton, NJ, which is an additional 30-45 minute ride home, and we would have to be on ME by 11:30am. This means we wake up and eat breakfast on our departure day before leaving and no touring WDW.

The second option is $250 cheaper and could maybe pay for our meal tips or an addition of the water parks option to our MYW tickets. Our kids have never done a WDW water park or Disney Quest and I didn't know if it was worth it.

So what would you do? Another, but not full, day in WDW and more convenient commute home for an extra $250? Or an earlier departure to a less convenient airport with an extra $250 to use on our trip?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

USAir has a later flight to Phila after 7PM, but I couldn't get a connecting flight to Allentown. We get home the same time, but no one needs to travel Phila for us.

 

[Coconuts]

I have a decision to make and need some input and I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right forum so I apologize if I'm wrong.

On the day we want to leave WDW, flying back into PHL is the easiest airport to get home from and the cheapest flight is at 7:50pm. This means we get an extra 5 hours in WDW and can actually do something or go to a park on our departure day, having to be on ME by @4:30pm.

There is another flight which leaves at 2:30pm and flies into Trenton, NJ, which is an additional 30-45 minute ride home, and we would have to be on ME by 11:30am. This means we wake up and eat breakfast on our departure day before leaving and no touring WDW.

The second option is $250 cheaper and could maybe pay for our meal tips or an addition of the water parks option to our MYW tickets. Our kids have never done a WDW water park or Disney Quest and I didn't know if it was worth it.

So what would you do? Another, but not full, day in WDW and more convenient commute home for an extra $250? Or an earlier departure to a less convenient airport with an extra $250 to use on our trip?

Thanks for the input!

Ok update.

The late flight on Friday night went up in price so then I looked at the price for the first flight out on Saturday morning. The price difference would be $200 more than the early flight on Friday and we would get a whole extra day in WDW. But then DH reminded me that we would also need an extra hotel night which would be another $200 and that early Saturday morning flight is at 7:50, so ME pickup would be @ 5am!!!!

So choices are 1) 2:50 flight on Friday at less convenient airport or 2) 7:50am flight on Saturday, at a more convenient airport and earning more FF miles, but @ $400 more but another day in WDW?

 

[hsmamato2]

I'd do the extra night+ super early flight.... This way for the money you get a whole extra day, have a blast, pack all your stuff that night,and head home in the a.m.- Generally speaking I LOVE to leave late to go home.... when you leave depends on touring style- I like to stay an extra partial day to relax and hang out in WDW (resorts,eating,etc) some like to get home early!
IDK how long you're staying, but instead of adding WP to tix, why not just add an extra day in the parks? It's only a small amnt. to add after a few days anyway.....