Is it possible? Flying question..

[bumbershoot]

I just wanted to reiterate that it is possible to do it as carry ons.

Of course it can! I can, you can. pjacobi, I live for Rick Steves' tips, and love going up to Edmonds to visit his travel center. We packed for our honeymoon cruise in his bags, took them on Seattle transit, took Amtrak to Vancouver, and used those bags (official carryon size for all but the tiniest planes and, it turns out, Qantas flights) for our week-long cruise. I've been flying alone since I was 17; DH was a world traveler as a small child.


The OP has flown ONCE. She is afraid of flying. She is scared/nervous of/in airports. She has a small child who might have not flown before.

This is an appropriate time to say "budget for the convenience fee of letting someone else move your stuff".

 

[Happyjen27]

This isn't correct. When you gate check a bag, you pick it up at the regular luggage carousel. The exception would be if you are flying on a small plane with tiny overheads where everyone must gate check everything except small items.

There are 2 kinds of gate checking. One kind is when someone brings something that ends up being too big or bulky. It is absolutely within their right to charge you the regular baggage fee at this time, but YMMV. At the gate, the airline personnel will tag the offending bag with a proper luggage tag with a preprinted desination and have it loaded with the checked baggage.

The second kind of gate checking (far more common) is when you roll your bag to the plane, and leave it just outside the plane door. The crew will tag it with a bright orange or green temporary tag (not a proper luggage tag with a desintation prepreinted on it) and pack this in the belly of the plane in an area separate from the checked baggage. The crew will unload this at the end of your flight, and you NEED to pick it up just outside the plane door. If you don't pick it up immediately after your flight, it will not arrive to your final destination.

It is certainly possible to use carry-on only for a 5 day trip. When I travel alone, I only do carry-on so I don't have to wait at the luggage carousel, or risk losing my stuff. I also hate to pay the fee.

When travelling with my kids however, I would rather focus on enjoying the journey and be free and flexible. 2 adults and 1 child lugging 6 bags through ATL airport will have a very difficult time relaxing and enjoying. It's like another poster said: You'll have to get it out of your car, into the airport, through the airport, THROUGH SECURITY, to the plane, onto the plane, off the plane, through ATL airport, onto that plane, off of that plane, through MCO.

I put "through security" in capitals because you will need to pull any liquids out of your packed bags and set them aside. They need to be smaller than 3 ounces each, and fit into 1 quart sized ziplock per person. Not per bag, but per person. That, on top of taking your shoes and jackets off. Taking cell phones and coins and keys out of pockets and putting it all into the trays for the scanner. All while trying to keep an eye on one child and 6 bags. Sounds like a nightmare to me.

 

[North of Mouse]

OP, I feel your pain I, too, hate to fly and get from point A to B in airports. Atlanta is probably one of the worse for me, along with Dallas.

The main thing is that you have plenty of time between flights. And that, I found out, cannot always be planned. My flight was late arriving in Atlanta, so had to really get around fast - was going to meet my husband, so was alone with a small child. You will have your husband with you so will do just fine.

 

[jodifla]

In your situation I'd definitely check the luggage. You don't want to be handling all that carryon through Atlanta. Atlanta is a huge airport. You check your luggage once at the beginning of your trip, then you can navigate the airport with just a purse or small carryon of essentials. You'll pick up your suitcase either at the luggage carousel or back in your room, if you are doing Magical Express.

There's quite a list of things you can't bring in your carryon; the liquid restrictions would prevent you from taking many toiletries, for example.

 

[kalimom6]

I have to jump in and say, when I read THROUGH SECURITY in all caps, it made me shudder. Taking 2 small strollers, 2 backpacks, 6 kids and 2 adults was enough but to add luggage too (for us) **shudder** We only had 2 things for the liquid...benadryl and tylenol for my baby (benadryl because of his flare up of exzema, which got worse in FL). We actually breezed through security, it was the long lines waiting to get through that was the worst! Especially if you have a lot of stuff to move with you every minute or so, and only move a couple inches or feet (MCO).

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There are 2 kinds of gate checking. One kind is when someone brings something that ends up being too big or bulky. It is absolutely within their right to charge you the regular baggage fee at this time, but YMMV. At the gate, the airline personnel will tag the offending bag with a proper luggage tag with a preprinted desination and have it loaded with the checked baggage.

The second kind of gate checking (far more common) is when you roll your bag to the plane, and leave it just outside the plane door. The crew will tag it with a bright orange or green temporary tag (not a proper luggage tag with a desintation prepreinted on it) and pack this in the belly of the plane in an area separate from the checked baggage. The crew will unload this at the end of your flight, and you NEED to pick it up just outside the plane door. If you don't pick it up immediately after your flight, it will not arrive to your final destination.....

I put "through security" in capitals because you will need to pull any liquids out of your packed bags and set them aside. They need to be smaller than 3 ounces each, and fit into 1 quart sized ziplock per person...

1. Liquids do not need to be smaller than 3 ounces. They may actually be 3.4 ounces (100 ml).

2. My previous post about how gate checking works was correct.

 

[Happyjen27]

1. Liquids do not need to be smaller than 3 ounces. They may actually be 3.4 ounces (100 ml).

2. My previous post about how gate checking works was correct.

Agreed on both counts.

I should have said they need to be equal to 3 ounces. 3.4 = 3 in the significant figure world of mathematics. I should have been more clear.

I did not disagree with your description of how one kind of gate checking works. What I wanted to do was also describe another, more common form of gate checking so a new traveller did not forget her bags at the plane in ATL, assuming they would be forwarded when they were sitting outside of the plane. Can you imagine? Yikes.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Of course it can! I can, you can. pjacobi, I live for Rick Steves' tips, and love going up to Edmonds to visit his travel center. We packed for our honeymoon cruise in his bags, took them on Seattle transit, took Amtrak to Vancouver, and used those bags (official carryon size for all but the tiniest planes and, it turns out, Qantas flights) for our week-long cruise. I've been flying alone since I was 17; DH was a world traveler as a small child.


The OP has flown ONCE. She is afraid of flying. She is scared/nervous of/in airports. She has a small child who might have not flown before.

This is an appropriate time to say "budget for the convenience fee of letting someone else move your stuff".

This. I agree that packing just in carry-ons is possible. However, the OP isn't a seasoned traveller, and doesn't seem to have a comfort level with flying in general, and doing so with a young child in particular. SO, I would say, budget for one piece of checked luggage for this trip. On future trips, when the child is older and the OP is more experienced (and, hopefully, more comfortable with flying procedures), then a carry-on only trip might be more feasible. For now, it seems like the mental stress wouldn't be worth it--can I fit everything? Did I forget something? Can I manage an excited child in the airport while wrestling with my bags?

That, or she could switch to Soutwest (2 piecees of checked luggage), or do the AMEX thing a PP described.

 

[Mokat76]

Many have addressed the luggage issue, so I'll pass. I'll give you some info about ATL. It's a great big airport but pretty user friendly. Delta is the flagship carrier and owns many gates across several concourses. When you get off your plane there, don't freak out if your connection is in another concourse. There are well-marked escalators down to a subway system that very efficiently takes you to the other concourses if that's necessary. It's a good system and costs you nothing to use. They're about midway down the concourse so it's usually not a terrible walk.

A word of warning. Delta is infamous for changing departure gates in ATL. When you get to your gate, DOUBLE CHECK to make sure it's really your gate. I've done a couple of back-and-forth trips through a couple of concourses, but even that's more an annoyance than a problem. Even if they do a last-minute gate change, they make allowances for travel time between gates. Just pay attention.

Good luck, have fun.

 

[pikaboo27]

DL and I are seasoned travelers and used to carry-on only all the time. Then DS came along. No way would I do it now. Just getting DH, DS and myself plus the diaper bag and the stroller through security and onto the plane is enough. I would never want to add 2 more carry ons plus an additional personal item. We check a bag or two, plus the car seat and call it good.

ATL is not a bad airport, really. We went through it once and I was all worried about it, but...it's just an airport. Yes, it's big, but just follow the signs and it's fine. No big deal. Now LAX...

Regarding the whole gate check a bag thing that a PP mentioned, I have never heard of or seen such a thing and I have gate checked our stroller over a dozen times now, so I'm always that person standing there just outside the plane waiting forever for my enormous stroller to show up. I've never seen a bag be treated that way. Wheelchairs? Yup. Strollers? Tons. But never suitcases. So I wouldn't rely on that idea. It may happen, but I've never seen it.

OP, enjoy your trip whatever you decide to do,

 

[MissManda]

I might be in the minority but I usually cough up the luggage fee and check a bag. I take a back pack that I pack a change of cloths in and any necessaties that I need. The rest gets checked. It usually just one large suitcase. I try to leave extra room for items that I buy on the trip and have to bring back home.

For me, it just easier to get through the airport without having to keep up with a whole lot of stuff. Its easier to get through security. I'm the one that always gets pulled for a random screening...its become a big joke in my family, so I prefer to not have a lot to keep up with. Also, I hate having to fight for the overhead storage. I'm the one who has a seat up front but ends up with having to find overhead storage at the back of the plane. Then I have to wait for everyone else to get off the plane so I can retrieve my bag from the back of the plane. Also, if I have to book it across the airport to make a connection, I prefer to not be weighted down with too much stuff. I have the worse luck in that regards so for me, paying a little extra to have my luggage checked is well worth it.

I've never been through ATL. I would suggest looking up the website and familiarizing yourself with the layout and how their internal transportatino system works. With a little research, you can usually figure out approximately where your flight will land and where the connecting flight will depart so you will know how far across the airport you will have to travel. As with any airport, as soon as you land it ATL, check the boards to verify where your gate it (if you check in the day before, it could possibly change). Airports are usually pretty well marked so as long as you pay attention to signs and directions you will be fine.

Have a great trip!

 

[bearloch]

I have done both ways and with a small child and by myself!! my advice is to pack 1 carryon with the most inportant items!! ( in my case bathing suits, medications, camera, and one complete change of clothes for everyone!.

then check rest of luggage.

personal items if u need a jacket to arrive at airport with that counts as a personal item if you cannot fit it in luggage! as do unmbellas etc so make roomin luggage for these items!! also when planning for flight with kids try to pick quiet / non sented toys ( the smell of playdough on a airplane is the worst!!!) as is talking books!

altanta.... is actually not so bad a airport!! you will be find just have a firm grip on kids hands!! andremember from there to mco is a hop skip and jump!

 

[Spunky946]

I personally would pay the money to check the bag when traveling with little kids.

Let me tell you a story. In 2009 we traveled to Disney from Pittsburgh with ds 4.5 and dd 8.5 months. We checked a bag, but still had carry on stuff. Well we had a stroller, plus bags. My dh's shoes got buzzed and there we were with one jumping up and down 4.5 year old excited boy, a baby who wanted to get down and all of our stuff on the machine and we could not touch it. Yes it only lasted a minute, but it was still stressful. I can't imagine what it would have been like with extra stuff.

We lived in Atlanta for 3 years and while it is easy to get around and well marked, it is a big airport with each concourse separated. Not to sound snotty, but you have spent all this money on a great vacation to Disney, why not want to spend a bit more to not to have to schlep all that stuff around the airport.