Early Flight - Advice Needed

[DisneyGuess]

Taking an early flight TO WDW is easy. Taking one HOME is torture! One trip the only flight we could get home was at 7:00 AM. We had to meet the Magical Express bus at 4:30 or something awful like that. Talk about depressing! Everyone waiting with us looked so downtrodden!

Totally agree! This is why I booked our return flight at 1:30pm, lol.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Take the early flight

Tips--
--have as many bags as possible packed an in the car before you go to bed
--have the kids arrive at the airport in their jammies. Pack their clothes in gallon zip lock bags, one bag per child.
change either in the car before entering the aiport or once through security in the bathroom
--pack breakfast to eat at the airport (bagles, granola bars, buy a juice/coffee). dont worry about trying to eat in the car
--bring a hair brush and toothbrush for the kids and utilize the airport bathrooms for grooming
--enjoy your day once you arrive with LOTS of time still left in the day

 

[Evi]

I almost always take a 6:30 am flight because it means an entire day to unwind. I never arrive at the airport before 5:30am and I've never missed a flight. (but you know your airport best) Personally I would dress the children before bed you can have them change once you arrive at the resort. This way you can carry them to the car in the morning. Depending on what you do for breakfast you can have kids bring it (disposable bowls with cereal and a fruit they have milk on flights) or buy something for them to take onboard. If the children are tired they can nap on the flight and when you arrive to Disney you'll have an entire day to go to the park or just relax.

 

[natnelliesmom]

When we fly, we always take an extra early flight- gives us more time in Disney!!
We always stay over the night before our flight at hotel near the airport. This way we get free parking. Most hotels will give you a week or more of free parking if you stay overnight before your flight.
Usually the hotel room is close to the price of the airport parking anyway.
No morning rush for us! We just get up and head to the airport with a hotel shuttle.

 

[butterfly71076]

Need advice. United cancelled our 9am flight to Orlando for Friday, Dec. 9th. The flight is now at 6:25am. Yes - that is right, 6:25am. We have a 7 year old and almost 5 year old. We will have to leave the house at 4:30 to 4:45am to make the flight. My plan is to get the kids up at 4:15, dress them, and eat bfast in the car to the airport. I can bring snacks, etc for the plane. Our flight arrives in Orlando at 10am. I don't even know if we can change flights, but the next flight arrives in Orlando at 5:30pm.

So....would you:

1. Keep the 6:25am flight?
2. Try to change flights and arrive at the end of the day?
3. If you would keep the 6:25am flight what would be your plan for the day? We will start out at MK the day of arrival. How much time do you think we would get in before the kids (or us) loose their marbles ?

Thanks so much for your advice.

Miriam

United cancelled my flights also, we are going Nov 12-21. I ended up canceling the United flights, with a full refund, and booking American, early to arrive, late to leave. We always try to get the early flight, depart 7:10am arrive 10:35am. That means we too, will have to be at the airport by 5am. Since we are about 45 mins from the airport, I leave DS in his jammies and just load him in the car after we have it all packed. Then after we get through security, I change him and grab a quick breakfast to eat at the gate. Makes for a much easier morning, and he thinks it's cool to be in the car in his jammies! Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[butterfly71076]

Taking an early flight TO WDW is easy. Taking one HOME is torture! One trip the only flight we could get home was at 7:00 AM. We had to meet the Magical Express bus at 4:30 or something awful like that. Talk about depressing! Everyone waiting with us looked so downtrodden!

Totally agree! The first time we took DS, we got the early flight home. ME picking us up at 4:30 in the morning was awful! Never again, now I opt for early to arrive, late to leave, gives us 2 "extra" days in the parks!

 

[chirogrrl]

You should be fine with an early flight. We have taken the 7 AM twice with our kids and the first time, they were only 6 and 4. We actually bathed them the night before and dressed them in comfy travel clothes (stretchy pants, tshirts) to sleep. That way, we didn't have to even get them dressed

The first time, they were exhausted by the time we got to our 7 PM Chef Mickey's reservation that night. It was a rough meal. I would recommend a really early dinner reservation

That being said...we now much prefer the late flight the night before. Even if we get to the hotel at 1 AM, we wake up ready to tackle a full day the next morning!

 

[alliejay]

I would agree with most posters here in taking the early flight. We routinely are airborne a 6am or earlier. It's tough, but worth it to get more time in the day...you're just tired.

I'm more interested in why United just flat-out cancelled your flight. What city are you flying out of? Was it a direct flight or connecting though a hub?

We are flying out of O'Hare. I was actually pretty perturbed with United. We did not receive a phone call or email telling us of the change. They simply canceled that flight (not just that day, but cancelled that flight time going forward) and moved us to the 6:25am flight. I'm a very loyal United flyer, but the way the handled it without contacting us was strange. I will say that I was able to get a partial refund. When I made the original flight time I noticed the 9:00am flight was more expensive that the 6:25am flight. I paid more for the 9:00am flight so we would not need to get up at the crack of dawn, yet still get in a good amount of time at the parks. So, United did give us some money back which did make me feel better.

I think everyone is right though, this change just gives us extra time at the parks .

 

[GenGen22]

Definately keep the early flight. Just make your first night a low key night. Take your time and relax or go to MK as you said and just be leasurly and go to the hotel earlier than usual have a nice dinner and off to bed early so you can enjoy your next day all rested. Which like many others said you and your family probably won't sleep well at home anyways because everyone's too excited and going to the hotel early after already spending some time at MK you will have a better nights rest. I also chose the early flight at 6:20 to arrive at 5:30. My plans are to take it easy the first night. We're going to the late Cirque show and dinner and browse around DTD a little. Although my dd is 15 and we both can handle late nights. Actaully, it has a lot to do with the individual child because when I took her to DL when she was 8 she was fine and not cranky spending an entire day from 10am-midnight and we did 8 days like this.

 

[Silver Queen]

I definitely agree with the majority who favor taking the early flight. As one poster said, if you can have everything "staged" in the morning and most of the luggage already in the car it will be a lot easier. As far as the children are concerned only you can assess how difficult it will be to dress them in the morning. I do not agree with the idea of getting them dressed at the airport--too much of a hassle for me and maybe not the most conducive (or sanitary) conditions for doing so.
Our pattern is now to take the earliest flight to Orlando (for our next trip our flight is 6:25 am and the last flight back home). I totally agree with kymom99. On two occasions I was at WDW for a combination conference/pleasure trip and had to take an early morning flight home. It was AWFUL! Leaving the magic was bad enough, but doing it in the dark at 4:30 made it much worse.
Good luck with your new travel plan!

 

[averill94]

We always take the early flight too!!!

DD8 is not a morning person at all. Last time I put her to bed in clean day clothes: stretchy pants and t shirt and just woke her up and off we went! Cant believe I never did that before.

I pack the bathing suits and a 3oz sunscreen in our carry on and we all head right to the pool! So she isnt even wearing those origianl clothes for very long.

We hang by the pool, lunch check out resort and then an early dinner at downton disney then bed. Refreshed and renewedfor a full day the following day.

Works out great. We also opt for a later flight coming home and spend that day poolside too!

 

[lmbcdb]

We leave next Tuesday on a 7:00 a.m. flight. We are:

• dressing the kids the night before
• brushing teeth at the airport
• eating breakfast at an airport restaurant
• packing the van the night before with eveything
• DH and I are getting up, quick rinse off shower to wake up, getting dressed, and putting the kids in the van

I looked in to getting a room near the hotel (we are 45 minutes from the airport) but the cheapest I found was $100 and I didn't think it was worth the hassle.

Our plans once we get there:

• lunch at Pop
• 1/2 day at AK
• early dinner at AKL
• everyone early to bed (7 or 8)
• rope drop at HS the next day

 

[winterman]

Our flight arrives in Orlando at 10am.

Lucky you.

 

[alliejay]

Lucky you.

Yes! Just want to say thank you to everyone for the great advice. I feel like this change will work out very nicely. I like the idea of having them sleep in the clothes they will wear on the plane.

 

[alliejay]

One last question: if our flight gets in around 10am, what time do you think we would arrive at our hotel? We will have checked luggage. Thanks. I was thinking no later than 11:30, but I could be dreaming.

 

[adamshalliwell]

I'd vote for the early flight too. That's what we're doing (6:35AM flight) this year. I remember when I was younger, I went to Disney every year with my grandparents. We drove, but my grandfather always wanted to leave around 4:00AM. I was always so excited that I had trouble going to sleep. You won't have a problem getting your kids up early.

 

[HuskerFaninIL]

One last question: if our flight gets in around 10am, what time do you think we would arrive at our hotel? We will have checked luggage. Thanks. I was thinking no later than 11:30, but I could be dreaming.

From what I've gathered people say to block out 2 hours to get from MCO to resort. It can be less though, for whatever reason the stars aligned for my In laws and they landed at 4 and were at OKW by 5, that was a whole lot of luck though.

 

[KandD]

Another vote for the early flight! The only thing that I would suggest is to NOT make an ADR for dinner that night. That way if everyone is ready to crash you aren't tied into anything.

 

[LoveKermit]

I could have written your same exact post this past June. Are you flying out of O'Hare?

We didn't sleep in our clothes and we had to get up the same way for a Mexico flight so DD (4.5) knew what to expect. They snap out of their issues once you get food in them.

Didn't read all of the posts but.....we bought our tix through UC Tourist. We needed 3 day park hoppers. They offer a 4th day free. This allowed us to visit a park guilt free on that first day. We would not have bought 4 day tix because of the change. We would have visited monorail resorts and swam. But with the 4th day free......

we landed and were out of the airport around 10, Publix at 10:30, lunch at 11, BLT around noon, Epcot before 1. We had ADRs just after 5. Text came at 2 for room ready, back at BLT after 6. Got unpacked and tired DD (and my dad) to bed reasonably and were ready to go the next morning.

It made our trip feel a day longer!

 

[kaligal]

I'd take a later flight. Other than being sick, the biggest way to screw up a WDW vacation is to start it off dead tired.

If you must get up that early, get to bed early - even if they nap or sleep on the plane.