Have you ever flown into Sanford instread of MCO?

[crazyboutdisny]

We are planning a Disney trip in late 2013. Our local airport only has a direct flight into Sanford via Allegiant. Other airlines would require a connecting flight through OHare and get really pricey. Earlier this spring when we went to Disney we drove 2 1/2hrs to Midway in Chicago and flew SW. That was ok but the drive home after 8 days at Disney was a bummer.
So we are wondering if it would save us money all around just to fly into Sanford and take a shuttle or something to Disney..anyone ever do this? And if so did it work well? What was the cost?
Really like the benefit of the ME but if we can save some money on our flights...I'd rather spend that on my Disney stay!!
Thanks!!!

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I only use Tiffany Towncar from MCO. However, in the years of planning, I too have checked into flying into Sanford. Typically our round trip ticket with Tiffany is about $110 and I think Sanford adds about $100 more. Tiffany has a website and Renatta and Waseem are great drivers and very pleasant. They are alwasy on time and you get a 30 minute grocery stop for free. Fly in to Tampa and it was even more. Have you checked flights into Tampa? That might be another option as well. It is a little further away so I would check into renting a car for the day and stopping along the way for groceries if that would be cheaper. I just trust Tiffany and DH has a thing about wanting to get to a store then directly to our resort--so ME does not work for us.

 

[becalubob]

Ive flown into Sanford many, many times. Small airport, easy to navigate. Usually had friends pick me up, so not sure about shuttle options. One time I did rent a car (this was several years ago, so can't remember the price), but the drive from Sanford to Disney is VERY easy!!!

I'm not really crazy about Allegiant, but the flights are nonstop which is a nice plus, and the rates are usually too good to pass up.... I would do a little comparison shopping... if you're really going to come up ahead flying into Sanford money and convenience-wise, I say go for it!

 

[crazyboutdisny]

I dont have much experience renting a car. If you just rent for the day, will they come and pick it up?

 

[Donna M]

We flew into Sanford years ago because the price was good and it was nonstop. We rented a car for the whole trip at the airport so we returned it to Sanford. The only complaint we had and it's the reason we don't fly into there anymore is because the traffic driving through Orlando was bumper to bumper; it was a horrible way to begin a vacation. Now, if you have good arrival and departure times it won't be as much of an issue. There are some places on or near WDW to drop off your rental. I don't know all of them, so I'm not much help there.


If the price is right and it's convenient, then go for it.

 

[scubadiver]

I flew out of Rockford to Sanford a few years ago. we rented a car for the week. I looked into getting transportation to WDW and back and it was easier to rent a car and have it for a week. You may as well figure you will be driving over an hour to WDW. You will have to decide drive in Illinois or drive in Florida.

 

[Checkers]

Years ago we flew into Sanford and rented a car for the week. Don't remember how much the rental was but the drive to WDW was very easy and I think it took about an hour. The Sanford airport is small and renting a car there is very easy and convenient. There is a car drop-off at the Dolphin (we rented from National) if you feel you wouldn't need the car for the entire week but you will need transportation back to the airport. It is a matter of choice if you want to add the return time at the beginning or end of your flight home.

 

[TomD]

We've flown into Sanford a few times. It's a small airport and easy to navigate. As others have stated it is about an hours drive to Disney. My cheapest car rental was 2 years ago. $68 for a full size for a week.

The one thing I really like about Sanford is the small crowds. There is no need to get there 2 hours early.

 

[goofy4tink]

I love flying into Sanford...but, you do have to weigh transportation costs into the final equation!!! Sure, you can most likely get a cheaper fare flying into Sanford. But it will also cost you close to $200 to get to, and from, WDW from Sanford. There are really no shuttles per se. You can get a car service, but it is about double the cost of the MCO-WDW fare. It's also almost twice as far.
The drive is an easy one. I would recommend renting a car. Should be cheaper than a car service and you would have it at WDW if needed.

 

[crazyboutdisny]

I did find one company that runs a shuttle and the cost was $70 per person round trip. We will just have to weigh the cost I guess and see what is best. We are planning on coming Nov/Dec so a 1 hr drive from Sanford to Disney will be alot better than a 2 1/2 hr drive here in Illinois. And if we drive to fly out of Midway, we have to factor in gas cost and parking for a week. Either way we are driving at some point.
I just wish a better airline would fly out of our local airport! Would make things alot easier. We used to have Airtran but they are no longer.

 

[NotUrsula]

We flew into Sanford years ago because the price was good and it was nonstop. We rented a car for the whole trip at the airport so we returned it to Sanford. The only complaint we had and it's the reason we don't fly into there anymore is because the traffic driving through Orlando was bumper to bumper; it was a horrible way to begin a vacation. Now, if you have good arrival and departure times it won't be as much of an issue.

Traffic isn't an issue if you take the toll road, 417; the northern terminus is near Sanford and the road routes you around Orlando.

OP, in all of the calculations that I have seen, flying into Sanford without renting a car is an expensive proposition and usually cancels out any savings that one gets from flying in there. Renting a car is by far the cheapest way to transport a family from Sanford to WDW.

If your primary issue is the drive and not the money, why not take a connecting flight? A break in the middle of the trip is probably better than a long drive at the end of it.

PS: I would be VERY careful of booking an Allegiant flight from a minor airport too far in advance. The airline is on rather wobbly financial ground and has a tendency to enter and leave markets with little warning.

 

[msr709]

We flew into Sanford bc we got a good deal at our local airport at the time and we were staying at USO first and then moving over to Disney. There was 11 of us so renting a car would have been expensive because we would need 2 cars and we were not interested in driving around so we used this car service MH Transportation http://www.transportation2disney.com/. It so happens that on the last day of our WDW stay we got hit by a hurricane and we were stuck for 2 additional days. I was worried about the car service not showing up but before I could call them, they contacted me and we arranged a different pick up day since the airport was closed for 2 days! John at MH was wonderful. We had a 15 passenger van and it was $120 but this was in 2004 so I'm sure the prices went up and with the gas the way it is ... Anyway, just giving you another alternative. Have a wonderful trip and good luck!

 

[goofy4tink]

Domestic flights will be greeted at the luggage claim. International flights, after you clear Customs go out through the sliding glass doors to the outside. Across the pedestrian crossing, on the opposite side of the street, your driver will be standing with a welcome sign and escort you to your vehicle.

Sanford's little History

Prices below are per vehicle up to 4 passengers

5-10 passengers will be an additional $10 per vehicle

Over 10 passengers will require 2 vehicles


From Orlando Sanford Airport One Way Round Trip
Magic Kingdom Resorts & Kissimmee 192 $115.00
$220.00

Animal Kingdom Resorts & All- Star Resorts $115.00 $220.00
All Other Disney Area Resorts $110.00 $210.00
Universal Studios $95.00 $180.00
Downtown Orlando $95.00 $180.00
International Drive $95.00 $180.00


I copied and pasted what I found for this company...looks fine. Their fares seem to be pretty comparable to other companies I've seen.

 

[crazyboutdisny]

Thank you for the info! That is something that would work for us! We will be traveling with my friend and her family and there will be a total of 7 of us and we will be spliting the cost of the van. It would have to be a really good deal to fly out of Midway to justify the cost of driving/gas/parking compared to spliting the cost of a van.

 

[lindsey]

We have flown Allegiant to Sanford four times. We have rented a vehicle each time. As others posted, the drive on the toll road is great. Just make sure to have cash for toll booths.

 

[wed100105]

Hello neighbor!

We flew out of Bloomington to Sanford this past summer. I paid $533 (including taxes and all fees) for three of us (DS was a lap infant so technically there were four of us, but we paid for three seats). I spent $234 on a car rental for 12 days.

We found it to be a great advantage. On a side note, we were personally PO'd that the flights on Allegiant were out of Bloomington and not Peoria.