How late a flight do you usually take home?

[sarha]

I have a choice between a 3pm and an 8 pm flight home.
We're only going for 5 days and I'll have 4 teenagers (13-16 yo's) with me.
Originally I thought the 8pm would be better but I'm starting to wonder if we'd have a lot of extra time on our hands. We'll be staying at the Poly GVC so we'd have the CL lounge to hang out in but I just can't decide.
How late do people usually fly home?

 

[mommiechewie]

i would have to say it depends on if you have to work the day after you get home or if you have down time between when you get home and getting on with life after Disney (if there is one hehe) i would probably leave at 3:00 if i had to work the next day to give me some time. but i like to unwind before I get on with life. I dont know if this helps but I hope it does.

 

[ciera123]

We always take the latest flight available, this time that's 6:30pm. We've left as late as 8 pm and it gives us that much longer in the parks the last day!!

 

[Harambe]

I try for the lastest flight home. Before we leave, I make sure I have an outfit (right down to the socks!) washed and ready to wear the next day for everyone. We hit the sheets as soon as we walk in the door!

 

[Kitty 34]

We always try to get a later afternoon/evening flight home.

 

[Traveliz]

I vote for the 8pm flight...use every minute that you can at Disney. And being in concierge makes it even easier!

Liz

 

[honeymo78]

We always opt for a later flight. We always have the UPH so it's nice to get as much out of that last day as possible. We're taking the 8:30 flight this time.

 

[mep319]

We did the late flight once...it was bad b/c of delays....I think you have a better chance of being delayed on a later flight and sitting there....you know they delays add up over the course of a day. Our flight was for 8:40...by the time we boarded it was 10:30...needless to say it was very late when we got home and we had a 3 tyr old. It was really dumb. Now we usually go w/ the 4:40 (a daily flight on US Air to Philly). We still get a good amout of time to enjoy the parks that day...It puts us in at about 7:00pm...we miss rush hour traffic which is brutal around here...zip on home and usually have enough energy to unload the car!

 

[Aisling]

We do the latest flight out, and spend the day at Disney Quest and Downtown Disney, while the resort holds our luggage. I carry a day bag with me with our bathing suits in case we want to swim before we leave.

 

[helenk]

I opt for the later flight. For our trip Airtran had an 8:05pm flight out, but then they changed it to 5:45. I changed my flight to the next morning @ 8:00 am, just to get on last full day in at WDW.

 

[SB in KY]

Just remember that with a 3PM flight you would have to leave the hotel by 12:30 or so....doesn't leave too much day. If you don't have to be at work at the crack of dawn the day after you get back home...I would go later.

 

[firefawnkimmy]

Definately go for the 8 o'clock flight home! ECSPECIALLY if you are getting ultimate park hoppers with your package. If you are you can play at the parks after the checkout time in your hotel. Every time we have went we have done this (though we did drive ourselves or have a rental car to keep our luggage in) and we put our luggage in our trunk and went to the parks. BUT, we have also learned from that nice ALl Star CM that they can hold your luggage for you until you get back even if you just checked out, since your pass is good until midnight that night. I wasn't aware of that and am not sure if that is Disney policy or what but they offered which was really accomodating, but we didn't need to take advantage of it. Either way anyone I have ever met who took the "early flight home" really regretted cutting their vacation just though few hours shorter. SO I would go for the 8 o'clock flight home. We have actually left on the 1 am flight before and I swear that was the ideal one for us! Too bad if we fly this time we can't find an available midnight one!

 

[debden]

We prefer to take the earlier flights out.Usually between 6am and
11am. I figure if we have to be out of our vacation home by 10am that morning we might as well head to the airport. It was tuff though getting up to catch a 6am flight.I think the transfer picked us up at 4am (eeeK!!).This time we have chosen the 10am flight out of Orlando on Southwest.It'll be a little easier to take than that super early flight. I like arriving home in the early afternoon.It gives me the rest of the day to catch up on everything.
Debbie

 

[sarha]

I see most people opt for the 8pm flight and that's what I'm leaning towards.
My worry is that it will rain on our checkout day and we'll be stuck w/o a room.
What would you do if it rains? The kids might be tired of the parks by then. What is Downtown Disney like in the rain, or do you have other suggestions for rainy day activities?
If it's sunny it would be a great day to do a waterpark or hang around the Poly pool.

 

[helenk]

If it is rainy, make sure you have ponchos and keep on going. You can still tour the parks or shop in DTD, I have never let rain stop me. We have been lucky, only once did we have showers on our last day, but it was not a heavy rain.
Generally what I do is put an extra pair of sneakers and socks in the carry on bag, so that if we do get wet, we can change. There is nothing worse than having soggy shoes and socks for the plane ride home.

 

[clkelley]

Before we had the direct flight, we would leave on the last flight out which was about 8:30 or 9:00.

Now since we have a direct commuter flight we always take that one which leaves Orlando at 6:15 during the summer and 5:15 during the winter.

When we drive, we check out a day early and stay at the parks and Pleasure Island as late as we can stand and then drive a couple hours north and spend the night there, then finish the drive home.

Carol

 

[bigbabyblues]

We are going on a package deal also, so we'll have the UPH. Our checkout day for our resort will be May 9 (next year of course), so we'll checkout in the morning, go to the parks, have the towncar service pick us up late in the evening (around 8:30 or 9), then we're going to an airport hotel and spend the night and fly home the next morning. This was DH idea, I had planned to fly home on the last flight on the 9th, but it was around 4 in the afternoon, so he thought it would be better to have a full last day and fly home around 10 or so the next morning.

Steph