Flights are booked! Yay! Advice please on how to handle our less than ideal flights

[mad hatter fan]

To save a chunk of money, we have booked less than ideal flights for our July trip. I hope I made the right choice.

I've been watching flights for some time now from Minn/St.Paul to LAX or SNA with most flights being $400 or more to LAX and higher to SNA. The other day I found 3 tickets available on a Frontier flight for only $245!!!! We purchased those and then had to wait 1.5 days for the same flight to be a reasonable price for the other 2 tickets. There were plenty of seats left but talk about a stressful wait, LOL. We got the 2nd two tickets for around 260 so averaging we paid $285 per ticket.

So anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on how to best to keep 3 kids (16,12, and 9) occupied during a 3 hour layover in Denver both coming and leaving? Preferably ideas not involving the iphones or the ipad as we will be sure to be using them on the flights.

Thanks

 

[sonnyjane]

What time is your layover?

I'd really look at a 3 hour layover as a two-hour layover, which isn't so bad. You have to think from the time you actually touch down, it still takes about 15 minutes to taxi to your gate and get off the plane, then your second flight will actually begin boarding about 40 minutes prior to take-off, so you really only need to "kill" two hours in the actual airport. If you're there during mealtime, that's the perfect time to grab some food, and if you really want to milk it, eat at one of the airport's sit-down restaurants. Denver airport is also not too shabby, so there will be little shops and things to duck into to kill some time

If you do plan on using your electronics during both flights, you will probably want to find a coveted wall plug to re-charge them during the downtime though. I usually find a spot by the wall, plug in my laptop or phone, and just play on it while it charges.

 

[Pesky]

Move around! Frontier is in Terminal A. Take the tram to Terminal B. Located upstairs is a Wolfgang Puck eatery and a Woody Creek (used to be Paradise bakery) that has AWESOME cookies. If you buy 6, you get 6 for free. You can break for a nice sandwich (love their turkey with cranberry sauce) or just cookies and milk. There are stores around there too to look in. I think there is a popcorn place in either Terminal B or A. You can go back to the main one where there are more stores but you'd have to go back through security so depends on how close you want to cut it. consider finding a deserted gate and playing catch with a small ball. Take time to go to the bathroom -- twice. Have a Disney trivia challenge game all ready to go by looking up facts on line and keeping score. Like "there are only 3 Mr.s in Disneyland -- who are they?" (Answer: Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Toad and Mr. Smee; Walt Disney was very big on everyone going by their first names, from the CEO to the janitor)

 

[3DisMunchkins]

Great ideas given so far...on another note, most Frontier flights have TV in the back of every seat with Directv service. It's an extra $5, but the best $5 I spend on my entire trip with three kiddos. Great to not have to worry about batteries and headphones(They'll give you a pair) and possibly leaving expensive equipment on the plane. Yes I know from experience...well not equipment, but a book of about 40 disney dvds!! Took a while to replace all those. That darn vault!!
Have a great trip!

 

[lizabu]

All we ever do is stuff our faces and browse the gift shops on layovers

 

[sweethannah]

I would save your Ipad/Iphone batteries and utilize the in-plane entertainment as much as possible. Between browsing, grabbing some snacks, leg stretching and a movie on your Ipad the time should go by fairly quickly.

 

[WaltsMartini]

Move around! Frontier is in Terminal A. Take the tram to Terminal B. Located upstairs is a Wolfgang Puck eatery and a Woody Creek (used to be Paradise bakery) that has AWESOME cookies. If you buy 6, you get 6 for free. You can break for a nice sandwich (love their turkey with cranberry sauce) or just cookies and milk. There are stores around there too to look in. I think there is a popcorn place in either Terminal B or A. You can go back to the main one where there are more stores but you'd have to go back through security so depends on how close you want to cut it. consider finding a deserted gate and playing catch with a small ball. Take time to go to the bathroom -- twice. Have a Disney trivia challenge game all ready to go by looking up facts on line and keeping score. Like "there are only 3 Mr.s in Disneyland -- who are they?" (Answer: Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Toad and Mr. Smee; Walt Disney was very big on everyone going by their first names, from the CEO to the janitor)

Pesky is right on - Denver is a large airport with lots of shops. You could also look up what shops are in the terminal on the airport's website and create a little scavenger hunt for them. Lot of work for you, but might be fun for them

The last time I was there, they had a Godiva shop - mmmm.....

 

[mad hatter fan]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think we will do a lot of walking around and exploring.

Now does anyone have any suggestions of a good hotel very close to SNA? We will be arriving late so I think we will just stay right there for the first night.

 

[Karenann*]

SNA is 15-20 min from DL. A cab to you DL hotel and checking in to only one place without taking the time to move again the next day will take much less time and effort than separate lodging near SNA.

We take cards and play games at the airport during layovers. There is usually out of the way floorspace in the waiting/boarding area. Yahtzee is just dice and scorecards in a zippie for us as a take along. We also take apples to apples cards in a zippie for sitting/waiting...these afr great for WOC waiting as well or parade and F! waiting.

 

[mad hatter fan]

SNA is 15-20 min from DL. A cab to you DL hotel and checking in to only one place without taking the time to move again the next day will take much less time and effort than separate lodging near SNA.

We take cards and play games at the airport during layovers. There is usually out of the way floorspace in the waiting/boarding area. Yahtzee is just dice and scorecards in a zippie for us as a take along. We also take apples to apples cards in a zippie for sitting/waiting...these afr great for WOC waiting as well or parade and F! waiting.

These game ideas are great! Thanks!

I will have to think on where to stay the first night. We will be getting into SNA at 1030 pm but it will seem to us like 1230! We are taking a long trip (2 weeks including time with family) and are planing our first day to be a relaxing sleep in day so we are not concerned about the time it takes to change hotels. Also, I'd prefer to not check into the park vue late as it may up our chance of getting a room with a problem and another room not being available to change to.

 

[Karenann*]

I see. I dont know sna area hotels but i see your point with PVI. We stayed there last year for 8 days and really enjoyed all the convenience and amenities.
Also consider crazy 8 skip-boe and uno for card game takealongs.
Have an awesme trip!!!

 

[jstbcuz]

I too had been watching flight costs to LAX and SNA for my family (DH, ME, DD19, DD16, DS6) for July. SNA seemed to always be cheaper for us. We fly out of Kansas City. I played around with dates to get the cheaper ones. When it was all said and done, I got them for 248 apiece. We will fly United into Denver and have a 3 1/2 hour layover as well. We arrive at 11:55AM so we will get something to eat. Flying home we will go thru Dallas and only have an hour and fifteen minute layover.