Flying in to Tampa for Orlando vac.

[drewc]

I've heard that can be cheaper to fly into Tampa and then drive to Orlando.

Has anyone done this? What were the savings? How long is the drive (it looks like it should take about an hour).

Just wondering if it is worth it.

Thanks.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Hi,
I have done this a few times. The drive is very easy, about 60-75 minutes, no tolls and all highway.
It can be less expensive to fly into Tampa and sometimes the cars are less expensive. Often, the cars are a bit higher, but, that is offset by the savings gained by flying in.
My rule of thumb, for me, is: if I am saving 50.00 or more total, I will fly into Tampa, anything less than that is not worth my time.
You will have to do the math for your trip and compare the totals.
Hope this helps.

 

[higgin704]

We are going to try it in April. When looking for airfare the best we could come up with was 79 each way with Southwest into Orlando. On a whim last night I checked BWI-TPA and got a rate of 39 each way for four tickets. I bought them and within the hour, that rate was no longer available. We just saved over 300.00 from flying into Orlando and will gladly drive an hour to do so.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by higgin704
We are going to try it in April. When looking for airfare the best we could come up with was 79 each way with Southwest into Orlando. On a whim last night I checked BWI-TPA and got a rate of 39 each way for four tickets. I bought them and within the hour, that rate was no longer available. We just saved over 300.00 from flying into Orlando and will gladly drive an hour to do so.

that is a significant savings, good for you. Have a great trip.

 

[zurgswife]

We did it during our Dec trip. Got cheaper fare out of Allentown into St. Pete...to was about 70mins and just fine...

 

[DVC-Don]

Someone posted recently there is a lot of contruction on I-4 between Tampa & Orlando now. I think they said the trip was quite a bit longer than usual.

 

[scottygirl]

We did the I-4 Tampa to Orlando and back over the MLK weekend. The construction was significant but I wouldn't let it deter me if I had great airfare. We got a full size car from Alamo through Priceline for $148.00 total for a week. Not to shabby!