Is a 6am flight a bad idea w a 3-yr old?

[AllieV]

We have the 6:30 am flight with a 2.5 hr flight to orlando in early december. It will be winter here in the northeast, so delays should be fewer at that hour (and we'll get out first if there are). Security lines shorter.

I figured I'd dress my then-3 yr-10 mo old son in sweatpants for bed and just transfer him to the car at 4am. At the airport, he'll have to walk through security and probably won't go back to sleep.

We land at 9:05, have a towncar waiting, and should be at the boardwalk at 10. Drop luggage, hit a park by 11 for a bite to eat and a few rides (probably epcot). I booked a 12:45 at Napoli for brick oven pizza. Nap at hotel when room is ready.

Anyone take an early flight and find it's easier with young one? Or worse?

 

[Miss Ang]

I don't think the early flight is a bad idea if you don't think it will cause behavior issues with your child due to lack of sleep. My kids are older now and my oldest wouldn't have had any trouble with the interrupted sleep but it would have ruined everyone's day for my youngest to start his day like that. So it just depends on your child.

However, I would suggest a nap or resting once you arrive to Orlando, not touring a park.

 

[ospopo5]

Havent flown with a 3 year old yet but when we were flying with our 5 month old I found some great tips.

Was to take an earlier flight. Usually kids are not as tired from a long day, especially of travel and also flights are running usually on time, pending any bad weather. Flights later in the day tend to run delayed thus causing longer times in the airport.

 

[lgjjp]

We flew in feb from Pittsburgh with a 2.5yo and a 1.5yo on a 705a flight. We had no problems and they were both fine. I think the excitement helped with our 2yo and our little one likes to get up before the sun anyways. We did make sure they got a nap that afternoon tho

 

[scrapquitler]

We have the 6:30 am flight with a 2.5 hr flight to orlando in early december. It will be winter here in the northeast, so delays should be fewer at that hour (and we'll get out first if there are). Security lines shorter.

I figured I'd dress my then-3 yr-10 mo old son in sweatpants for bed and just transfer him to the car at 4am. At the airport, he'll have to walk through security and probably won't go back to sleep.

We land at 9:05, have a towncar waiting, and should be at the boardwalk at 10. Drop luggage, hit a park by 11 for a bite to eat and a few rides (probably epcot). I'll book a 12 or 12:30 lunch at san angel.

Anyone take an early flight and find it's easier with young one? Or worse?

Sounds like a good plan to me. If there is bad weather, you'll be more likely to make it out that day at some point.

I'd probably plan to make it an early afternoon and be back in the room to swim and relax for the rest of the day.

One suggestion: you don't mention how close you live to the airport. Unless it is local, I would probably book a cancellable room reservation at a hotel very close to (or at) the airport for the night before, just in case the weather turns out to be bad that night/morning. Then if need be, you could stay at the airport hotel the night before without the added stress of driving to the airport in a storm. Then if the flight ends up later in the day, you can wait at least part of the time somewhere more comfortable than the airport.
If the weather isn't going to be a problem, you can cancel the room with no penalty.

 

[AllieV]

you don't mention how close you live to the airport.

I live about 8-10 miles from the airport. uber close.

 

[Fall1]

We live about 9 miles from Logan and we fly the 6:30 am flight each time, our kids have been 2.4 and 3.4 on those trips and they did great. We just got them up really early and they did great on the flight.

It was perfect because we got to the hotel so early that they could take an afternoon nap and we still had the night! We don't do a park that first day and I think that really helps not to drain them that first day.

 

[HFC1969]

YES...

We tried the 6am flight from STL to MCO several times....

I don't know who was worse... DS/DD or DW

We have since switched to the late night flight 10pm the evening before and it is MUCH better... DW is happy so that makes everyone

It costs another night stay of the hotel... but its been worth it for us!

 

[AllieV]

We have since switched to the late night flight

I'd love a redeye but I haven't seen one in YEARS. Never saw one to Orlando from Newark. I'm surprised they're still around.

 

[KelnRon]

Last year our flight left at 6am out of DTW. My dd turned 3 during the trip and the youngest was 10 months old. (+ a 11 & 12 yr old) We live 1 hour from the airport. It was a tad stressful just because we had to get them up at 2:30am. I left them in their pajama's. We landed in Tampa right before 9am and headed over to the Tampa zoo b/c we were able to use our zoo membership there. I just changed them in the parking lot to shorts. (We went in Feb. and it was freezing in Ohio, which is why I left them in pj's. The older two of course were dressed.). By the time were done we drove to Orlando and checked in.

We leave in 4 days for our next trip and we again picked a 6am flight (so it couldn't have been that bad, right?! LOL). I wasn't looking forward to it. Nice thing the airline actually changed our flight departure time to 9:45am about a month ago! So it worked out in the long run.

Have fun ... you will all do fine on the early flight! I look at it as getting to Disney faster.

 

[crisi]

We often take a flight out that leaves at that time.

But it isn't a guarantee of short security lines. A lot of flights to a lot of places leave that early. Business travelers anxious to get home. Vacationers anxious to start their vacations.

And we've discovered that day one with an early flight is a "hang at the hotel and use the pool day" - even with older kids, park time is a bust for us. EVERYONE needs a nap the moment we arrive, and if the room isn't ready, it happens in pool chairs in the shade.

 

[cassandrap83]

I say "who cares". Flights are at weird times sometimes. Your son will probably sleep on the plane since it's so early - so that's a bonus!

I would probably relax at the hotel for the afternoon though & not go into the parks until around Dinner time-ish.

 

[maxiesmom]

When my younger niece was 8yrs old, we did somethng similiar. Let me say first she is something of a drama queen. However, at first it did not go well at all. Her daddy carried her down to the car. She wouldn't fall back asleep, and she started crying. She also complained of shaking and being cold. She had that melt down all the way to the airport. My sister had to tell her that she had to try and pull herself together, or she wouldn't be allowed to fly. It is kind of hard to make a 8yr old get that. Once we checked our bags in, she was fine. But to begin with, I was worried. And I'm not sure I would do the same thing again. In fact, she has reqeusted that we not!

 

[antree]

We have been taking the first flights since my son was 2 years old. He loved the excitement of getting up early to go to Disney.{at age 9 he still asking to get the first first so I can wake him when it still dark} He always did get, I took him in his pj's after we go to the airport and settled down then I changed him in to his clothes. He would fall asleep on the plane, wake up feeling good and was a happy child the rest of the day. The good thing at that age was had a stroller and he could nap whenever he wanted.

Have Fun!

 

[nealsmith]

We have a 6a flight with DS 4 and DD 8. Like someone else mentioned, we are counting on the excitement to get them to wake up and go. I don't know if they will be able to relax or take a nap later in the day though, but we do plan to go to a park, but get back early so we can make our Tusker House breakfast early the next morning.

 

[CanuckTraveller]

It wasn't fun for our family
We were up at 3am, in the airport at 4am, flight at 6:30am, and at the hotel by about noon. DS2 was way too excited to nap, so we ended up with a very overtired child who had a hard time going to sleep that night.
The things I did right (!) were to pack dry cereal in my carry on, then ask the flight attendants for milk so the kids could eat breakfast as soon as we were in the air. This was Air Canada, and I know not all airlines have milk, but it's the general idea of feeding them breakfast at their usual time that worked. I also had my Ergo carrier with me, so that when we landed and had to go through customs I could carry him, which tends to work better for us.
Hey, if it doesn't work this time, you'll know to change it for the next trip!

 

[dzorn]

Getting the flight early is not a problem. Planning on it being a park day is. Whenever we have had an early morning it is a relaxing pool day. I would never expect to hit a park with a 3 year old that has been up since 4am.

Denise in MI

 

[maxiesmom]

Getting the flight early is not a problem. Planning on it being a park day is. Whenever we have had an early morning it is a relaxing pool day. I would never expect to hit a park with a 3 year old that has been up since 4am.

Denise in MI

For us (with an 8yr old) the day of was not the problem. It was expecting her to wake up, ready to go, the next day. Excitement got us thru the first day. But the next day, not so much.

 

[deezeealum]

Totally agree with PP. We took our DD for her 1st trip when she was 2.5 and left at the respectable 11:00 from Newark. We loved being able to wake up leisurely and get to the airport. we used ME that trip and had no lines and got right on the bus and taken right to our resort. Fast forward a year and we decided to take the first flight out I tihnk it was close to 7AM. Meaning being at the airport for ~5-5:30 getting up at 4 and waking our daughter at 4:45. Arrived at MCO and waited in line for ME for over 1.5 hours. Everyone had the same idea to get the first flight. We don;t do commando type trips and had a hard time reccoperating both DD/DH and myself. WE have decided to either fly out later the night before or take the later in the AM flight. Makes for a much more relaxing and enjoyable trip. BTW both trip were the last week in January so Value season with low crowd levels.

 

[dntd]

My 3 year old did great with the early morning. Just be prepared to entertain him as for some reason ALL of the kids that were at the airport seemed wired LOL.