I'm really glad I did this...

[Horace Horsecollar]

Instead of booking our air travel through DVC, I made our own travel arranagements for our March 23 cruise on the Magic.

We're flying nonstop on Friday morning, the day before the cruise. If there are weather or mechanical flight delays or cancellations (yes, we're leaving from Chicago-O'Hare), we have almost a 24 hour cushion compared to flying in on Saturday morning.

I have a one-way Hertz car reserved.

We'll stay one night in a 2-bedroom condo at Marriott's Cypress Harbour
timeshare resort (at a great AAA rate). The resort offers all sorts of recreation, so we'll probably only leave the resort for dinner. We've stayed there before, and we like it. It's not quite as good as Disney's Old Key West, but it's 80% as good for a fraction of the price. And because we're not planning to go to WDW, the location near Sea World is actually better than being on-site at WDW.

If this is like our other vacations, the days before we leave home will be hectic as we wrap up things at our jobs, at school, at home, and for the trip. The spacious suite, the pools, and the recreation center at Marriott's Cypress Harbour will give us a fine opportunity to relax, unwind, and get a good night's sleep before the cruise. We'll even have three televisions in our suite if we feel like watching different shows.

The next day, we have all morning to have breakfast, drive to Cocoa Beach, return our Hertz car, and take the Hertz shuttle to the dock.

A week later, when our cruise is over, I have us booked on an evening flight out of Orlando. Instead of rushing to the airport, we'll get another one-way Hertz car, and we'll spend the day at the Space Center. So we'll have another day of vacation activities, but we'll still be home on Easter Sunday.

 

[Mjasp]

Where do u return Hertz cars to? I know Avis is in the Radisson but where is Hertz? AHHH Another thing to contemplate Avis or Hertz. LOL

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

From http://www.hertz.com

LOCATION INFORMATION:
Address: Cape Royal Office Center
1980 North Atlantic Avenue
City: Cocoa Beach
State/Province: Florida
Country: United States
Telephone: 321-783-7771
Alt. Telephone:
Hours of Operation: Mo-Fr 0730-1730, Sa-Su 0800-1600

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
All reservations require a minimum 2 hours advance notice. If less than 2 hours is available, call location directly for possible early pickup, which may also effect the rate applied.
Shuttle service available to and from the pier, or up to USD 20.00 taxi fare will be reimburse. A receipt from the cab driver must be presented at the counter. Please include the name of the arriving ship in the reservation.
After hours returns are permitted. Park the vehicle in the Hertz area. Place the keys and rental agreement in the slot, located at the window of the office building.

It's further away than Avis, but I get Gold service, excellent rates, and no one-way fees or drop charge from Hertz because I'm allowed to use my employer's negotiated Hertz rates for personal use. Throughout the USA, we've always had clean, well maintained cars from Hertz (which I can't say for Avis).

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

The Cape Royal Office Center is one of the tallest buildings in Cocoa Beach. It's an aging office tower (maybe ten stories tall) on the left just after the Doubletree as you drive south on A1A.

 

[plutospup]

Flight delays...Cancellations...at O'Hare...No...Couldn't happen! I'm shocked!
(Former Chicagoan & Freq Flyer @ ORD)
We're flying to Orlando on Friday 3/8 for the same reasons.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I should also add that I'm glad I booked our March 2002 nonstop American Airlines flights way back in May of 2001. We have a decent airfare ($211.50 RT per person). I've checked back a fair number of times to see if the prices have gone down. Nope. They just kept going up, even after September 11.

By now, both flights are completely sold out, except in first class. The RT fare on the same flights would now be $2,333.50 per person -- more than ten times what we're paying.

The cheapest flights on our travel dates on American Airlines now are $800.50 RT per person -- and these involve three flight segments each way (two connections each way). According to Expedia, the cheapest flights on any airline on our travel dates are $493 RT per person on NW, which would involve connecting in Detroit each way.

 

[inkkognito]

You definitely did it the BEST way!!
Prior to 9/11, we always flew out the morning of our flight, from either O'Hare or Midway, and incredibly, we never had a major problem. But I think that is probably why we never win the lottery...we used up all our luck that way. Now we fly out the night before whenever possible. We have had great luck getting cheap hotel rooms near MCO through Hotwire and Priceline, typically paying between $28 and $33. We've been fortunate enough to get properties with a free shuttle, and then we take Happy Limo to the port the next morning. But I'm happy to report that for our Jan. and Feb. trips, the security lines at O'Hare were not bad at all. Only delay is that my bags always end up getting searched because I bring lots of gift bags for crew members in my carry-on. Since I know they will do that, we build that time into our travel plans.
The Chicago to Orlando fares are obnoxious right now...I am getting worried about our Memorial Day weekend Magic cruise! I'm getting tempted to just buy AT for $215, even tho' we got them for $166 for our March and April flights.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Kimber1963]

Barb-

Have you ever used Spirit Airlines between O'Hare and MCO? Their fares seem a lot cheaper.

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

We've used Spirit between Detriot and Tampa. Sometimes if booking ahead, a real steal, we got $80 each way!

 

[CRB#33]

We're doing the same thing for our June cruise. There was supposed to be a shuttle take-off on disembarktion day, but it was moved to July

 

[inkkognito]

We have not used Spirit due to hubby's paranoia. One of his co-workers has had really bad luck with them. I am lobbying him to try them for our Thanksgiving trip, as they are significantly cheaper than ATA on that date. But he is concerned because we would have to fly out the day of the cruise (I have to work on Weds., and their flights are too early to do after work), plus they only have two flights going out. We'll see if I can convince him before November. We just bought the flights for our May and July trips on ATA yesterday, and wouldn't you know it...the rates droppped today!!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Mjasp]

Barb, Have u ever tried Southwest out of Midway. If you use the internet to book, you get a free flight with every 4 trips you take.

So for every 4 trips you take, You and Tony would fly FREE. Would be worth the trip to Midway if its far from you, may want to stay at a hotel by Midway.

 

[amy1007]

CRB#33:

We are doing the same thing in June. .... Going to the Space Center after we get off the cruise. Which June cruise are your taking? We are doing the June 8 Western cruise.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Just like Southwest, ATA also flies out of Midway. And ATA has a "Buy 3, Fly Free" promotion going on.

I'll never know how Spirit's service is in the air. That's because my wife and I were so disgusted with Spirit's customer service over the phone that we'll never do business with Spirit Airlines again. I won't give you the whole story here, but it had to do with very poor handling of the consequences of a major schedule change.

American Airlines used to match the discount carrier's pricing between Chicago and Florida, at least some of the time. But American seldom does so any more.