Early am arrival after redeye flight

[Marwood819]

We are booked on the February 10 Eastern Carribean cruise. We are traveling with small children and an infant from the West Coast. Work and school issues are forcing us to take a redeye out of San Francisco. We will land in Orlando at 7 am (4 am our time) the day we embark. I know the children will be exhausted. There are 14 of us travelling. It is hardly worth to book hotel rooms for a few hours. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[DCLDVC1]

Good luck, that's going to be a very long day.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

You could do a day room at the Hyatt inside the airport and rest for a few hours then hop on a bus btwn 12-2 or so.
Alternatively, the buses start leaving for the port at 9ish. If you were to go there you wouldn't get any rest though. It is pretty loud and crowded waiting to board the ship.

As a mama of 4, I think I'd bite the bullet and get the room. Otherwise it will be a really long time until anyone rests. You probably don't want to start vacation all cranky and overtired.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are booked on the February 10 Eastern Carribean cruise. We are traveling with small children and an infant from the West Coast. Work and school issues are forcing us to take a redeye out of San Francisco. We will land in Orlando at 7 am (4 am our time) the day we embark. I know the children will be exhausted. There are 14 of us travelling. It is hardly worth to book hotel rooms for a few hours. Any suggestions?

Thanks

We typically fly the red eye (out of LA), arriving somewhere around 6:00-6:30. We just camp out in the lobby area at the DCL transfer counter, as we take the DCL bus as soon as it opens. But we're only 2 adults and we can do that. With kids - not an attractive option.

For me, traveling with an infant makes it worth it to look into a motel room for a few hours. In my experience, kids don't sleep all that well on a plane (even if it's the middle of the night).

How are you getting from MCO to port?

 

[Weedy]

Another vote for a hotel room.
Even if you get to the ship early you won’t be able to get to your cabin until 1:30. Then the lifeboat drill is at 4:00.
Everyone will be so tired you will miss the first night of your cruise.
I think it would be nice to sleep for a few hours and get to the ship a little later but rested.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I would skip the hotel room and get to the port as soon as you can. Your kids are probably going to be too excited to sleep anyway. I know my kids would be.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would skip the hotel room and get to the port as soon as you can. Your kids are probably going to be too excited to sleep anyway. I know my kids would be.

As OP said they were "small" and an "infant" I'm more inclined to think they're going to be cranky after having to head for the airport at night, fly 6 hours, and then get to the ship (an hour away).

If they land at 7am, they won't have their luggage until 7:30 at best, and then, they can't "get to the port" before 10:30 anyway. And can't board until (at the earliest) 11:30.

A few hours resting/cleaning up enroute at a motel/hotel would be more beneficial.

 

[Shanti]

I don't recommend taking that flight, personally. Nothing could make me do a red-eye with a baby & small kids the morning of my cruise departure.

Renting a room for a nap for myself would make me fear oversleeping and missing the cruise, while if I just let the kids take a nap while I stayed awake, then the kids would get their second wind on the boat while I would be about to collapse from exhaustion. The option of just pushing everyone through the morning & getting to the cruise early seems unhelpful, as well, as staterooms & beds are out of reach until 1pm.

Uh uh. I'd find a way to make a night-before flight work, or change my vacation plans before putting myself through any of those scenarios after a red-eye with small kids & baby.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I don't recommend taking that flight, personally. Nothing could make me do a red-eye with a baby & small kids the morning of my cruise departure.

It seems in OP's case, that's not do-able. He/she says "work and school issues" won't allow them to leave earlier.

 

[Shanti]

It seems in OP's case, that's not do-able. He/she says "work and school issues" won't allow them to leave earlier.

Yes, I already read the OP's post. And as I said, nothing could make me take that flight in that situation. There is always a choice.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Yes, I already read the OP's post. And as I said, nothing could make me take that flight in that situation. There is always a choice.

Since OP has already had to made that hard choice, there's no sense in making them feel badly about it. I was trying to give options for the situation they are now in.

 

[SteveMP]

I've done similar with various trips. Just let everyone know the sacrafice for the trip, that they will be tired so they know what to expect. Sleep as much on the plane as you can(noise canceling headphones) Go for it, and as soon as you get your state room, put on the DND sign and take about a 3 hour nap. Wake up for muster and then go to show and dinner and call it an early night, sleep in a bit the next day. Easy breezy

 

[FigmentSpark]

Does the infant have a seat or are one of you holding your baby? If there's a seat, then the infant should sleep in the car seat you'll have to bring. The other two might sleep, if you bring small travel pillows, a blanket and a stuffie they like. They'll probably have an easier time than you, as they can curl up in the small seat. As for you, neck pillows, sleep sounds on the phone and you should be able to get a little sleep.

I'd be worried about sleeping too long and being out of routine if I rented a hotel room for the morning. Also, there's a chance that even a redeye will arrive late and you'll be stuck with a reservation you don't need.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't recommend taking that flight, personally. Nothing could make me do a red-eye with a baby & small kids the morning of my cruise departure.

One million percent that. If that flight hasn't been booked, do everything in your power to not book it.

Make sure the infant has a ticket so adults don't have to hold baby all night.

If you rent a hotel room it won't be the daytime room. Those start after normal checkout time. You'll have to rent it from the day before, at the typical nightly rates, so it's sitting there ready for you. Then it's yours until checkout time of 11 or noon depending on the hotel. Because of that checkout time, and housekeeping coming in, and the possibility of wakeup calls etc, sleeping through embarkation is a low possibility.

But landing at 7 means being off the plane around 7:30, luggage around 8 but there will be bathroom stops to refresh, and if staying elsewhere beyond the mco hyatt you'll want to change into Orlando clothes most likely, then getting to the hotel, settling in for just a couple-few hours...

I'm not saying that's not worth it. But you're not going to end up well rested.

I have done the overnight from Seattle a few times and even as a solo traveler it's utterly miserable. Even with a 12 year old who you would think has a grip on traveling since he's been doing so since 17 months old...is miserable.


Annnnd. Having sat behind a group that took up four rows with multiple children and an infant...that dynamic is misery for those around them too. Please discuss appropriate sound levels with everyone agreed of time. There will be people with an expectation of sleeping on that flight.

The flight attendant gave me an extra vodka for free when I finally ordered a specialty drink they had on that flight, after watching me try to sleep and keep getting jolted awake by the sheer volume of the patriarch in front of me... Don't be the people who are so awful the FAs are giving free pity drinks to others nearby.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Two keys to me, attitude and sleeping on that plane. Keep the mood light, "we are all on this adventure together and we are going to make it and it will be fun!"And do everything possible to have all of you get some sleep on the plane. I know it can be difficult to do that, but try. Melatonin, bring neck pillows, whatever works for you and yours. With 14 people, that sounds like a lot of hotel rooms. Personally, I'd just get to the port ASAP (Disney Transfers as soon as the first bus leaves the airport) and target a nap in the room as soon as they open at 1:30. Lots of distractions too, and snacks.... You know your kids best and what works for them, but if you can get some sleep on the plane, and keep a positive attitude, you will make it, and once you get there and get some food and some sleep, you will have a great time!

 

[Dug720]

Two keys to me, attitude and sleeping on that plane. Keep the mood light, "we are all on this adventure together and we are going to make it and it will be fun!"And do everything possible to have all of you get some sleep on the plane. I know it can be difficult to do that, but try. Melatonin, bring neck pillows, whatever works for you and yours. With 14 people, that sounds like a lot of hotel rooms. Personally, I'd just get to the port ASAP (Disney Transfers as soon as the first bus leaves the airport) and target a nap in the room as soon as they open at 1:30. Lots of distractions too, and snacks.... You know your kids best and what works for them, but if you can get some sleep on the plane, and keep a positive attitude, you will make it, and once you get there and get some food and some sleep, you will have a great time!

Except for the people NOT in the group who did not sign up for this “adventure” and yet are going to have to deal with the “adventurers”. (And honestly most kids I know “adventure” means free-for-all and freedom to run around and make noise. Definitely better ways to phrase it than “we are on an adventure!”)

 

[oakleycat]

We always take that same flight from LA and get in around 6, but we do a couple of park days prior to acclimate. With no time for that, I don't think a hotel room would be worth it. If you're getting in at 7, by the time you deplane, get luggage, check into the hotel and get the kids to sleep (if possible) it will be a couple hours later and you'll have to wake them up after only an hour or two of sleep. If it were me with no other choice, I'd rent a car at the airport, make a leisurely drive to port and let the kids sleep in the car (even park somewhere to get them a longer nap if possible). But we always rent a car anyway because my husband hates the bus. Good luck!

 

[bumbershoot]

Except for the people NOT in the group who did not sign up for this “adventure” and yet are going to have to deal with the “adventurers”. (And honestly most kids I know “adventure” means free-for-all and freedom to run around and make noise. Definitely better ways to phrase it than “we are on an adventure!”)

I'm almost certain the family in front of me had talked about an overnight adventure. Can't be certain because they were speaking Russian. The lone teen in the family looked embarrassed because she was looking around and seeing reactions while her family wasn't, and even if none of the adults spoke English (they gave NO indication they did), she did.

The FAs gave up on them during boarding when the patriarch was the last on board and had a HUGE carryon and bins were full. He put it in front of him. And could not be convinced to hand it over.

They did show up later to put their foot down when the kid-swapping started, the baby was being passed across the aisle during takeoff, and at one point there were three toddlers and an infant sitting on laps in the grandparent row. The FAs found the words to let them know that only two lap kids per seat section were allowed. Thank goodness.

Yeah. That was an adventure. Made harder for me because I had taken my Tranquil Sleep supplement with melatonin, so being ripped from
pre-sleep doze was even worse than it would have been without the melatonin.

In the other hand the family was having a great time!! Lots of love slathered on the kids, and raucous laughter and what seemed to be jokes between the adults, and smiles the whole time. Made me wish I was with them. But I wasn't. And I was trying to sleep. Augh.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Except for the people NOT in the group who did not sign up for this “adventure” and yet are going to have to deal with the “adventurers”. (And honestly most kids I know “adventure” means free-for-all and freedom to run around and make noise. Definitely better ways to phrase it than “we are on an adventure!”)

Fair enough. What I was trying to say is that a positive attitude will help everyone, including surrounding passengers. Kids on a "adventure" or doing something positive, are likely to be better behaved then those carrying out a tiresome chore. Unless we are going to start deciding who else can go on our flights, or our ships, we can only help them make the best of it. That's what I was trying to do. Sorry if it sounded insensitive to others. That was not my intention. Helping this family cope is very thoughtful to others as well.

 

[jlemieu1]

Something to keep in mind if you chose the option to go directly to wait for DCL buses. You might not be allowed on the Bus if you have a later PAT(Port Arrival Time)