Help for a total flying newbie!!

[Befferk]

DH has said we can go to Disney in 2008 if we can do the Daytona 500 as well. I was originally hoping for May, so now I have to kick up the plans a little to get this trip planned,

Here's why I'm here: I have NEVER flown before. Ever. I wouldn't know what a good deal on a flight is if it bit me in the We will probably need to fly out of Minneapolis. I am insistant that it be a nonstop flight. It will be me, DH and DS (will be 5). How far in advance can we book flights? Do I go ahead and book our hotel, etc and get the flights later? Will I be able to get the days I need to coincide with our dates? What can I expect to pay (roughly, for budgeting purposes)? The Daytona 500 is the day before President's Day, and I think we will do the race at the end of our trip. Is it a bad idea to fly home on President's Day (price-wise or otherwise)?

Wow that's a lot of questions, sorry! Told you I was a newbie. Oh, and did I mention I am TERRIFIED to fly??? Especially when it will be winter time up here when we are going! Help me feel better When we went last year, we drove (hauling a camper) and DH said never again. So if I want to do Disney again, I have to get over this fear.

Beth

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

I know this has nothing to do with flying, but tickets for the Daytona 500 are not easy to come by. My parents go every year with hopes for scoring tickets and they fail every year. My dad is not cheap, he is willing to spend the bucks, but Daytona 500 tickets were completely out of his price range.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You might want to work with a travel agent for such a complex trip.

 

[Befferk]

I don't think it's really that complex, is it? It boils down to just needing a flight to Orlando and back. For the hotel, we are just staying at ASMo. We will rent a car and drive to the race and back. Unless I am missing something, it shouldn't be too complex. Last year we drove, but we did Disney, Daytona (non-race day) and Key West all in one trip without a problem and without an agent

 

[Befferk]

I know this has nothing to do with flying, but tickets for the Daytona 500 are not easy to come by. My parents go every year with hopes for scoring tickets and they fail every year. My dad is not cheap, he is willing to spend the bucks, but Daytona 500 tickets were completely out of his price range.

Thanks for the heads up. I am a little concerned about that. Do your parents wait until they get there to try to get tickets? I plan on watching for as soon as they are released to grab some. They aren't even available for purchase yet (I know some people are allowed to renew their tickets from year to year though.)

Edited to add: I may be dumb at this, but I just found 2 sites online for this year's 500 and there are still tickets available?

Thanks!

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

Do your parents wait until they get there to try to get tickets? I plan on watching for as soon as they are released to grab some. They aren't even available for purchase yet (I know some people are allowed to renew their tickets from year to year though.)

Thanks!

I have to be honest, I only know what they tell me when they call. They are RVer's so they were supposed to head to Daytona on Friday, but the tornadoes caused a change of plans. They decided to stay out of Daytona for a couple days. I would imagine they try to get tickets there, but I am not sure. I knwo that they would love tickets, my dad is a huge Nascar fan.

About your flight, you have nothing to worry about. Once you fly you will never want to drive again. My advice for the best deals are SW. I have flow with them 2 years in a row and I honestly love it. People make fun of them, but I don't see anything wrong with the way SW does business.

 

[Befferk]

About your flight, you have nothing to worry about. Once you fly you will never want to drive again. My advice for the best deals are SW. I have flow with them 2 years in a row and I honestly love it. People make fun of them, but I don't see anything wrong with the way SW does business.

Thank you so much for the encouragement! Unfortunately, I don't think SW flies out of Minneapolis Are there any other good/bad airlines I should look for?

Beth

 

[chrismom2005]

airtran flies out of minneapolis they useally have good rates but you cant buy them yet for next year i think they sell six months out.

 

[perd]

Thanks for the heads up. I am a little concerned about that. Do your parents wait until they get there to try to get tickets? I plan on watching for as soon as they are released to grab some. They aren't even available for purchase yet (I know some people are allowed to renew their tickets from year to year though.)

Edited to add: I may be dumb at this, but I just found 2 sites online for this year's 500 and there are still tickets available?

Thanks!

You could also look on ebay for people wanting to sell their tickets. Still may be way overpriced. We went to Talladega one year and we had extra tickets (two of our kids ended up not going) and we couldn't GIVE them away; no one wanted them. I know Daytona is different, but still...I would have thought we could GIVE away tickets we weren't going to use.

 

[iluveeyore]

Hi! We are doing exactly what you want to do next year in less than two weeks from now. Unfortunately, being from Canada, we did not realize it was also a holiday weekend as well as spring break for some southern states, so there were things we should have planned ahead for. We bought our Daytona 500 tickets last August, pd $100 each, but got pretty good seats near turn 4. We were going to drive down, but with the weather the way it is right now and the price of gas, we decided to fly just a week ago, and it's not cheap!! We were lucky to find a flight on Sat. Feb. 17th out of Buffalo and a return flight on Thurs. 22, paid $600 roundtrip on US Air for both of us. Trouble now is we can't find reservations for any of the restaurants we want - thought we were driving and could eat offsite a few times, but now that we're flying, not an option. We were fortunate to get a cheap car rental for the first two days from the airport so we can drive to the race on Sunday, but are returning it Monday - guess we'll do counter service and buy some groceries for our room (we're in a studo at Saratoga).
Anywhoo, my suggestion to you is buy your tickets for the race as soon as they're on sale for best choice of seats, book your flight as early as possible, and reserve your room and rental car as soon as you can! If you know where you might like to eat, make a reservation early - you can always cancel later if you change your mind.
I can give you some more tips when we get back if you like.

 

[Befferk]

Hi! We are doing exactly what you want to do next year in less than two weeks from now. Unfortunately, being from Canada, we did not realize it was also a holiday weekend as well as spring break for some southern states, so there were things we should have planned ahead for. We bought our Daytona 500 tickets last August, pd $100 each, but got pretty good seats near turn 4. We were going to drive down, but with the weather the way it is right now and the price of gas, we decided to fly just a week ago, and it's not cheap!! We were lucky to find a flight on Sat. Feb. 17th out of Buffalo and a return flight on Thurs. 22, paid $600 roundtrip on US Air for both of us. Trouble now is we can't find reservations for any of the restaurants we want - thought we were driving and could eat offsite a few times, but now that we're flying, not an option. We were fortunate to get a cheap car rental for the first two days from the airport so we can drive to the race on Sunday, but are returning it Monday - guess we'll do counter service and buy some groceries for our room (we're in a studo at Saratoga).
Anywhoo, my suggestion to you is buy your tickets for the race as soon as they're on sale for best choice of seats, book your flight as early as possible, and reserve your room and rental car as soon as you can! If you know where you might like to eat, make a reservation early - you can always cancel later if you change your mind.
I can give you some more tips when we get back if you like.

So the Daytona 500 tix are usually available around August sometime? I will be sure to grab everything I can as soon as it comes available. Would love to hear from you again when you get back.

Thanks!
Beth