Ok - short note regarding subject.
We flew Delta into Tampa (from Burlington, VT) to save $550.00 and get dates we wanted. Left BTV at 5:15 p.m. - arrived TPA at 11:00 p.m. Caught the Alamo/National Shuttle at baggage claim to the station to rent a minivan. This was a snap, about 20 minutes. Caught 275 South to I4 East to the HJ Maingate East; traffic light to moderate - travel time 1 hour 10 min. HJ Maingate East cost $92.00 for two rooms; (not a deluxe or even moderate hotel by far, but cheap sleep for 6 hours)
Make sure to bring a car seat or pay $6.00 a day for one. I could have bought a car seat and left it at WDW for cheaper than I paid to rent one throughout our stay. DOPE!
Next day I brought the Minivan to car care center at MK entrance then shuttle back to POR all within 30 minutes. Minivan $114.00 (shuttle driver tip $5.00).
During the trip I rented a car for the remainder and brought my oldest son and his friend back to TPA as they had to get back home early. The check in line was a mob scene. No way were they going to make it in 1.5 hours. I then noticed a very small line to the right. Delta offers a service called express check in. Enter any credit card for identification or a skymiles card and enter in your flight number. Answer a few short questions regarding baggage and out pops your boarding passes and baggage stickers which are put on by Delta personnel. We were out of there in 10 minutes! - the mob scene had probably been reduced by three people. SEE YA! This is the way to go.
P.S. Don't forget to remember where you park your car or else you will look like a jerk walking around the parking garage pressing the panic button on the key chain. Whoops did I say that! They have tickets by the elevator when you get on with station site numbers, but they only tell you what deck your car is on, not what row or slip you parked in. This is only the beginning!
I will be posting trip reports later in the week.
We flew Delta into Tampa (from Burlington, VT) to save $550.00 and get dates we wanted. Left BTV at 5:15 p.m. - arrived TPA at 11:00 p.m. Caught the Alamo/National Shuttle at baggage claim to the station to rent a minivan. This was a snap, about 20 minutes. Caught 275 South to I4 East to the HJ Maingate East; traffic light to moderate - travel time 1 hour 10 min. HJ Maingate East cost $92.00 for two rooms; (not a deluxe or even moderate hotel by far, but cheap sleep for 6 hours)
Make sure to bring a car seat or pay $6.00 a day for one. I could have bought a car seat and left it at WDW for cheaper than I paid to rent one throughout our stay. DOPE!
Next day I brought the Minivan to car care center at MK entrance then shuttle back to POR all within 30 minutes. Minivan $114.00 (shuttle driver tip $5.00).
During the trip I rented a car for the remainder and brought my oldest son and his friend back to TPA as they had to get back home early. The check in line was a mob scene. No way were they going to make it in 1.5 hours. I then noticed a very small line to the right. Delta offers a service called express check in. Enter any credit card for identification or a skymiles card and enter in your flight number. Answer a few short questions regarding baggage and out pops your boarding passes and baggage stickers which are put on by Delta personnel. We were out of there in 10 minutes! - the mob scene had probably been reduced by three people. SEE YA! This is the way to go.
P.S. Don't forget to remember where you park your car or else you will look like a jerk walking around the parking garage pressing the panic button on the key chain. Whoops did I say that! They have tickets by the elevator when you get on with station site numbers, but they only tell you what deck your car is on, not what row or slip you parked in. This is only the beginning!
I will be posting trip reports later in the week.
