Has anyone ever flew in to Tampa to get to Disney

[antree]

So I have posted many times about SW flights prices. Our flight coming home, pushed one day later (to get cheaper price) has come down some. So we are coming home on Monday instead of Sunday.

Going is another story. Friday is just to high for me. So I checked and checked and came up with a back up plan.
If we fly in to Tampa the flight price is $100.00 cheaper!
Has anyone ever flew into Tampa?
How is their airport?
It is and hour and 15 mins to Disney from Tampa's airport.
Can I get a rental car for 2 hrs?
Total cost saved to fly in to Tampa would save us $700.00.
A rental car I would hope wouldn't be anywhere near that much.

So if our flight to Disney doesn't come down, Tampa is our back up plan.
Is that a good idea to even consider doing that?

Thanks

 

[Greysword]

TPA is a great alternative, and we use it frequently.

The drive to WDW is about one and a half hours, with light to moderate traffic. If you arrive during rush hour, it could take an extra 30 minutes or so (either in Tampa or Orlando), so plan on a two hour trip.

The drive is easy, as it is a simple transit from I-275 (from the airport) to I-4.

Rental car agencies generally do not rent by the hour, so you'll pay one day. In addition if you drop off the car on arrival, there may be a drop charge for the one-way service. I like to use http://www.carrentalsavers.com to check prices. You can not rent from here, so they have no incentive to push you toward a certain company. The site also has various search features that include applicable coupons in the rate (such as a Costco member search, AAA search, FL vacation search, and USAA search). Also, look at Mousesavers.com for rental car coupons and discount codes.

In all, we prefer TPA in many cases due to the airport. It is easy to navigate, and TSA screening is air side for each terminal. This reduces the congestion, since the only people being screened are those that just left the tram.

One important note, keep an eye on the arrival and departure time. You would likely prefer to have an earlier arrival and a later departure to account for the additional drive time to get from WDW to TPA. If you do find a late arrival the day before or an early departure is desired, then look into staying at an airport hotel instead of driving late/getting up way early.

TPA is definitely worth looking into for savings. Good luck!

 

[antree]

Thank You for the info. Now I am getting excited, it might not be costing me and arm and leg just to get to Disney..

 

[cluvsdisney]

We fly into Tampa quite a bit since my mother lives nearby. The airport is nice and easy to navigate. I think car rental companies charge by the day but I can't imagine it would be a problem to return the car early. I checked rates at alamo for a random Friday from Tampa to the car rental place at Shades of Green - it was $45 up to a midsize vehicle, then jumped to $65 for a full size, mini van and then $70 for a SUV. Plus gas and a couple of dollars in tolls. You'll definitely have a huge savings!

 

[antree]

We fly into Tampa quite a bit since my mother lives nearby. The airport is nice and easy to navigate. I think car rental companies charge by the day but I can't imagine it would be a problem to return the car early. I checked rates at alamo for a random Friday from Tampa to the car rental place at Shades of Green - it was $45 up to a midsize vehicle, then jumped to $65 for a full size, mini van and then $70 for a SUV. Plus gas and a couple of dollars in tolls. You'll definitely have a huge savings!

OMG, those prices would be great to get for a rental, I am sure it won't be too much a difference in price for Nov. I am just so glad I thought about it and searched until I found back up plans. So we are giving it 2 weeks the most, and if SW doesn't go down from Philly to Orlando, then Tampa it will be. Unless I start to panic about prices and book Tampa sooner.

 

[Greysword]

Plus gas and a couple of dollars in tolls.

Fortunately, there are no tolls between TPA and WDW, unless you make a wrong turn and end up on the Leroy Selmon expressway in Tampa.

Otherwise, toll free driving straight to the mouse

 

[DCTooTall]

I've flown into Tampa before and actually kind of like it.

Bonuses are that it's REALLY easy to swing by the beach for a day on arrival or departure since you are already on the coast.

I've also noticed tht the daily surcharges for renting a car (Facility fees, Airport surcharges, etc) are less at Tampa than they are at MCO.


Some other things you may want to look into and consider with your car rental:

1. If you plan on dropping the car off at another location than the place of origin, traditionally there is a drop-off surcharge for the one-way rental. HOWEVER... I've found in practice that it appears most of the major players tend to treat Florida differently and often don't include this surcharge when going from one Florida locatation to another.

2. It might be worth looking into a longer rental. As others mentioned, the shortest most rental companies charge for is a 24hr period. Often however you can get a cheaper car rate by keeping the car over a weekend or even a full week. While you may end up paying $45 for a day, you could find a rate of $150 for the entire week. Don't underestimate the advantages of having a car handy during your trip. Even if you are staying onsite, You may find times when you want to avoid the buses (On a tight schedule, crowds, etc), or find that the ability to resort hop or go from a park to DTD w/o having o make a transfer make having a car more than worth it.

3. Hey! If you have a car for the trip from the airport to Disney, Why not go ahead and plan a quick stop at the store on your way in. Picking up some bottled water.... or "tasty Adult Beverages"... offsite which you can then enjoy during your stay can end up saving you a bunch of money. You can easily get a case/6-pack/bottle of water/beer/wine/liquor at a walmart or Grocery store offsite for what you'd end up paying onsite at disney for just 2 or 3 drinks.

 

[antree]

I've flown into Tampa before and actually kind of like it.

Bonuses are that it's REALLY easy to swing by the beach for a day on arrival or departure since you are already on the coast.

I've also noticed tht the daily surcharges for renting a car (Facility fees, Airport surcharges, etc) are less at Tampa than they are at MCO.


Some other things you may want to look into and consider with your car rental:

1. If you plan on dropping the car off at another location than the place of origin, traditionally there is a drop-off surcharge for the one-way rental. HOWEVER... I've found in practice that it appears most of the major players tend to treat Florida differently and often don't include this surcharge when going from one Florida locatation to another.

2. It might be worth looking into a longer rental. As others mentioned, the shortest most rental companies charge for is a 24hr period. Often however you can get a cheaper car rate by keeping the car over a weekend or even a full week. While you may end up paying $45 for a day, you could find a rate of $150 for the entire week. Don't underestimate the advantages of having a car handy during your trip. Even if you are staying onsite, You may find times when you want to avoid the buses (On a tight schedule, crowds, etc), or find that the ability to resort hop or go from a park to DTD w/o having o make a transfer make having a car more than worth it.

3. Hey! If you have a car for the trip from the airport to Disney, Why not go ahead and plan a quick stop at the store on your way in. Picking up some bottled water.... or "tasty Adult Beverages"... offsite which you can then enjoy during your stay can end up saving you a bunch of money. You can easily get a case/6-pack/bottle of water/beer/wine/liquor at a walmart or Grocery store offsite for what you'd end up paying onsite at disney for just 2 or 3 drinks.

This is all great info, I am definitely looking in to it all

Thank you everyone, for helping me calm down and make this planning a lot easier

 

[JimboCh]

Book with Avis, no drop off fees.

 

[goofy4tink]

I"ve ne;ver been charged a drop off fee when doing a one way rental in Florida. And I frequently do just that.....arrive in MCO for a stay at WDW, then rent a car and drive to Tampa to visit my ds and fly out of TPA. Very nice and easy to do.

 

[LadyBeBop]

You may want to fly into Tampa, and immediately drive to Orlando.

But if I were you, I'd spend a few hours in the Tampa Bay area.

The beaches west of Tampa are nice...great if you want a dip into the Gulf. And I love Tarpon Springs, just north of Tampa Bay. Best Greek food outside of Athens.

If you insist on driving direct to Orlando, at least take your time getting there. There are fruit stands just off of I-4. We bought some delicious strawberries at a fruit stand in Plant City (Strawberry Capitol of the World).

 

[antree]

You may want to fly into Tampa, and immediately drive to Orlando.

But if I were you, I'd spend a few hours in the Tampa Bay area.

The beaches west of Tampa are nice...great if you want a dip into the Gulf. And I love Tarpon Springs, just north of Tampa Bay. Best Greek food outside of Athens.

If you insist on driving direct to Orlando, at least take your time getting there. There are fruit stands just off of I-4. We bought some delicious strawberries at a fruit stand in Plant City (Strawberry Capitol of the World).

This sounds great. We are taking the first flight out so we will get to Florida early


Yea no tolls!

I'll look in to Avis. too.


Thank You

 

[shopn24seven]

WOW-
Flying into Tampa would save us 200.00.
Glad I creeped this board.

 

[DanenRox]

We usually fly INTO Orlando and OUT of Tampa. 2 hour drive. Just be warned, MANY car rental agencies will charge more for that kind of rental. (different drop off/pick up locations). You may not be able to get the really good last minute deals that pop up in and out of MCO. I would look at the math and include gas/surcharges (if involved) etc. Just another opinion.

 

[greenclan67]

We did this for our upcoming trip in Dec. We usually fly Buffalo to Orlando. I had booked a flight on Southwest when released for Dec 23rd for $112 from Buf to Mco. BUt the return was high, so just booked one way, knowing we could change with southwest. We live a 7 hour drive from Buffalo and a 7.5 hour drive from Flint, Michigan. We are in Northern ON. We ended up booking from Flint, Mi to Tampa for $102 each way so it was $204.00 return. I was happy with that. But it was all new for us, Fnt to Tpa, Southwest. Looking forward to it.

 

[edbo77]

I will join the bandwagon of those that prefer the TPA airport. Very easy access to the highway and it is a straight shot to get to WDW.

 

[stormer]

We flew to Tampa in February and it was great. There are some rental car companies right in the terminal and others that you have to take a shuttle to. the ones with the shuttle were significantly cheaper because they do not have to charge the airport fees. Just something else to consider.

 

[las3888]

We have flown in and out of TPA on occasion to save some $$$. It isn't bad, but just make sure if your flights are during business rush hour AM or PM on M-F to allow plenty of extra time. Also, I honestly can't remember if there are rental car agencies ON SITE in TPA or not, but if so, just make sure that they are on site at both TPA and MCO (if that's a concern). Otherwise you take a shuttle.

 

[ain0004]

We are jumping on the TPA bandwagon this coming trip. We saved $$$ by flying into TPA. I am worried about the I4 traffic. I talked to locals the other week, who informed me to get out of Tampa quickly and not spend the night in Tampa as I wanted. (we have a late flight inn). I also am going to miss the transfer of baggage. And the short drive to the airport. Other than that. I am hoping for a more positive experience.

 

[Aliceacc]

My school, and the one where my husband teaches, both run Senior Trips to WDW. Since the schools are large (we have 600 + seniors, he has 400+), we book multiple flights. Each year, some of the flights go to Tampa.

It's a viable alternative.