Late flights on departure day

[elvispursley]

We fly home to the west coast and usually are on a flight 4pm or later. This year the flight leaves at 7pm so we plan to have breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, head to MK for any last minute rides or shopping. Thankfully in all our years of coming to WDW, at all times of the year, we’ve only had one flight delay and that was due to a mechanical issue with the plane (and we were flying southwest—have been crossed of the list permanently for other reasons). We’ve also hung out at the pool and headed to DS.

 

[disneyfreak202]

We typically do late flights (either 4pm or 7pm). We get up, pack up, leave bags at bell services and check out around 10ish then head to Disney Springs to get lunch and stock up on our Gideon's to bring home. Sometimes we do some last minute shopping as well. It honestly works out perfect timing wise for us most of the time as we get back to the resort about 1pm to get picked up.

 

[brockash]

Typically on our last day we have a morning flight. This last trip was the latest flight we’ve had at 11:20. That still meant we were picked up at 8:15. It’s a real bummer to be scurrying around that last morning and be stressed about getting downstairs in time (mostly my husband who gets VERY stressed.)

I’m thinking for our next trip I will book an evening flight home. For those of you that do this, what is that day like? Do you do Disney Springs? A park day? Hang at the resort? We are DVC and stay almost exclusively at our home resort which is CCV. We could do MK easily enough with a quick boat ride over. Not sure if it would be worth it or if we would be just looking at the time and worried about getting home. Maybe a rope drop to l2:00 or 2:00 or so? What have others done after checking out?

We always take latest flight out possible and generally have to catch the bus sometime between 430-730pm.

We've never done a park on departure day. We used to go to Dsprings, but stopped several yrs ago due to bus transportation to/from there is not as consistent for us. We now do an 11am lunch somewhere and then go back to the resort to swim. I will say give yourself a decent amount more time than you think you'll need to get changed/luggage together etc. I will say that hr leading up to catching the bus for us can be stressful, but I think that's mainly because we try to squeeze in every min. possible lol.

I will say if there's any way for you to book a nonstop or at least give yourself a good amount of time during your layover I would. We are OFTEN delayed leaving that late out of MCO. Only once has it been completely terrible (had to drive home 7.5 hrs. from our layover at like 1 in the morning after being delayed hrs in MCO.) Def. rough, but I can't see us ever not booking the latest poss flight.

 

[princesslover]

What time of year are you talking?
Because if its summer then any time between 1pm-4pm could very likely be delayed.
And remember that even if Orland is fine, if there is bad weather where the plane is coming from that could delay the flight as well.

If you're going during the winter then less likely for rain storms at least but still could be delayed due to snow somewhere else.

I just personally feel way more stressed and anxious with the flight "hanging over me" ya know?

We have been in early December twice, Christmas time twice, April vacation three times, June once, and this last trip was July. The next one will be New Years and the first week In January (January is low tier for points with DVC). So we’ve been lots of different times.

I guess I’m thinking if we got a flight between 2:00-4:00 (leaning more toward the later end of that - probably 4:00) that would have us leaving the resort between 11:00-1:00. That’s enough time to sleep in and enjoy a brunch but not hanging around all day.

 

[zdad59]

We almost always take a late flight on departure day. For each individual though it depends on what time of year you are there, where you're staying, and where you're going. We almost never do WDW in the heat of summer, so storms are less of an issue. Late flights during heat of summer have the highest chance of disruption.

For our upcoming mid-September trip we have a flight out at 5:15pm. We are flying back to Baltimore. (Even though we live in Philly. BWI is only 45 minutes further away than Philly's airport time wise. We HATE PHL and drive the extra hour for a better airport and more flight options.) Our last day at Beach Club is set up as a TBD...

• Wake up time is dependent on when we get to bed the night before.
• Choice 1 is a morning at EPCOT, which is very walkable from the hotel. Pack up and leave luggage with the valet. Have a change of clothes in the front pocket of the luggage. Get back to the hotel by 1ish. Uber to airport and be there by 2:30-3:00. Relax and read some until flight time.
• Choice 2 is a lazy day at the hotel. Late breakfast. Maybe a little pool time. Works perfect if we can get a late check out. If not, we pack up and leave our luggage at the valet. Head for the airport around 2. Always want to not be rushed at the airport. Especially MCO where things can bog down and get slow very quickly.

Make the flight choice that is most comfortable for YOUR plan. You're going back to the real world so do what makes that transition easiest.

 

[princesslover]

For us, the ideal return flight would be around 2-3pm.

So you’d need to be picked up at 11:00-12:00? Or do you mean picked up at 2:00-3:00? I don’t see how you could accomplish all that before noon….

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

We are staying CL for our last night at WDW so that we can do a park visit and use the CL lounge during the departure day before heading off to MCO around 5:30 for a later evening flight.

 

[princesslover]

We almost always take a late flight on departure day. For each individual though it depends on what time of year you are there, where you're staying, and where you're going. We almost never do WDW in the heat of summer, so storms are less of an issue. Late flights during heat of summer have the highest chance of disruption.

For our upcoming mid-September trip we have a flight out at 5:15pm. We are flying back to Baltimore. (Even though we live in Philly. BWI is only 45 minutes further away than Philly's airport time wise. We HATE PHL and drive the extra hour for a better airport and more flight options.) Our last day at Beach Club is set up as a TBD...

• Wake up time is dependent on when we get to bed the night before.
• Choice 1 is a morning at EPCOT, which is very walkable from the hotel. Pack up and leave luggage with the valet. Have a change of clothes in the front pocket of the luggage. Get back to the hotel by 1ish. Uber to airport and be there by 2:30-3:00. Relax and read some until flight time.
• Choice 2 is a lazy day at the hotel. Late breakfast. Maybe a little pool time. Works perfect if we can get a late check out. If not, we pack up and leave our luggage at the valet. Head for the airport around 2. Always want to not be rushed at the airport. Especially MCO where things can bog down and get slow very quickly.

Make the flight choice that is most comfortable for YOUR plan. You're going back to the real world so do what makes that transition easiest.

That’s the issue. I feel like after being in the Disney bubble it is so suddenly disarming and jarring to be stressed and running around at 5:00 am you know? My husband was unnecessarily getting the girls up at 4:00!! (I was so livid!!). I want that smooth transition to real life. No yelling. No rushing.

We used the PHL airport this last time. Never again. It was terrible. I am not an airport snob but I felt like I needed a shower afterwards.

 

[zdad59]

That’s the issue. I feel like after being in the Disney bubble it is so suddenly disarming and jarring to be stressed and running around at 5:00 am you know? My husband was unnecessarily getting the girls up at 4:00!! (I was so livid!!). I want that smooth transition to real life. No yelling. No rushing.

We used the PHL airport this last time. Never again. It was terrible. I am not an airport snob but I felt like I needed a shower afterwards.

We have learned over the years that vacations are for relaxing and the travel to and from are a key element of that. So we PLAN our travel days to not make it all rush rush.

Not sure where you live relative to PHL but as I noted we spend a little extra drive time to get to BWI. We have also begun to head to BWI the night before we fly. Stay at a hotel near the airport with a plan where we can leave our car there for the duration of the vacation. We then use the hotel shuttle to and from the airport. We almost always take the first flight out the next morning. We've also found the that the price for the room and hotel parking privileges are only a few bucks more than parking at the airport.

 

[princesslover]

We have learned over the years that vacations are for relaxing and the travel to and from are a key element of that. So we PLAN our travel days to not make it all rush rush.

Not sure where you live relative to PHL but as I noted we spend a little extra drive time to get to BWI. We have also begun to head to BWI the night before we fly. Stay at a hotel near the airport with a plan where we can leave our car there for the duration of the vacation. We then use the hotel shuttle to and from the airport. We almost always take the first flight out the next morning. We've also found the that the price for the room and hotel parking privileges are only a few bucks more than parking at the airport.

We live in Maine. We used to fly SW airlines which always had a BWI layover but we haven’t flown SW in several years. I have recently learned that both Frontier and Breeze offer non-stop from PWM (Portland Maine) and the reviews are pretty positive overall. Thinking of that for our next trip (New years December 26/January’27. May be fewer flight options with non stop though.

 

[PetePanMan]

So you’d need to be picked up at 11:00-12:00? Or do you mean picked up at 2:00-3:00? I don’t see how you could accomplish all that before noon….

Leave for airport at noon for 3 pm flight would be perfect for us (as it is just less exhausting). We never do this however as non stop flight times are always later for us. We therefore make best of day doing the other things we mentioned

 

[_19disnA]

Partly depends on how far you are flying and how many choices of flights you have. Are you planning to go to work/school the next day after you return? We prefer to get up on our departure day, eat breakfast, check-out and then head to the airport. Also prefer non-stop flights since it reduces your total travel time. If you plan to take a later flight or perhaps the last one of the day, you might get stuck at the airport if that flight happens to get cancelled for any number of reasons. We rather not get home at midnight and then have to race off to work/school the next day. That is a bigger factor for us vs. having a couple of extra hours to do something @ Disney.

 

[princesslover]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the replies. I am mainly looking for ideas of what people do on departure days with late flights. I’m not looking for pros and cons of having a late flight. We are frequent enough travelers to be aware of some of the risks. The point is, we don’t want early flights home anymore on departure days, regardless.

 

[Amy11401]

We often do a late flight home, usually late afternoon. We usually go out to a table service breakfast either at a resort or Disney Springs. Sometimes we shop also at the resorts or the Springs. We have also explored and hung out at other resorts too.

 

[ellbell]

I almost always take the last flight home on departure day. I sleep iand take my time getting ready in the morning. Then I'll head to Disney springs and pick up treats for my partner since he doesn't come with me. Have some lunch. If it's a short trip I might go to a park instead. I usually head back to my resort for 1 or 2 and just chill in the lobby until it's time to head to the airport. I am Canadian and always take mears connect as a solo traveller so it's usually about 4 hours before my flight.

Example of my last day:
I'm going in 4 weeks for 7 day trip. My flight on the last day is at 8pm. I'll leave my room around 10:30 and leave my bags with luggage services. I'll be in DS for 11:30 at the latest and grab some lunch and mosey and browse for a couple hours. Grab any perishables last minute and leave around 2/2:30. This will usually get me back to the resort between 3 and 4 depending on buses and such. That then gives me a chance to grab my luggage and pack any last minute purchases and fill up my refillable mug.

It's pretty chill and relaxing. But that's how I like my trips. It also gives me a chance to pick up any merch I missed grabbing through the week.

 

[PetePanMan]

One other thing we have done on departure day with late flight out is drive to Daytona Beach for stop at Buc-ees and a bit of beach time. We made it back to resort we were staying at for quick swim and clean up. It was a fun day but some may find all that driving stressful

 

[Sweettears]

We book a late flight. We get up early, pack up, leave bags at the hotel and head for the park. It beats the heck out of moping around knowing we have to go home.

Same

 

[RivGirl]

We like to fly home around 4PM. We have a good breakfast, either TS or bring something to the room, then stroll around the resort, do some final shopping, or use the pool and head to the airport around 1.

 

[Rory607]

I typically try for a mid-morning or early afternoon flight, but we have a 4:00 flight on our upcoming trip. My husband isn’t thrilled because he hates getting home in the evening when we all have work/school the next morning. But it was either 6:30 a.m. or 4 p.m. and I refuse to do an early morning flight on the way home.

So I’ve been debating the same issue and have vetoed Disney springs because I feel like I’d be anxious to get back to the resort in time. We’ve done a few hours at MK before in the same situation and it just felt like too much. We’ll be at Poly, so I think we’ll either plan to eat lunch at Wailulu or maybe look into a reservation at GF or WL. If we go that route, we can look at gift shops, see another resort, etc. and still be close by to get back quickly. I feel like it’s just the right amount of activity that won’t stress everyone out. This will also allow the kids to sleep in a bit at the end of a busy vacation and before we re-enter the real world.

 

[Rory607]

One other thing we have done on departure day with late flight out is drive to Daytona Beach for stop at Buc-ees and a bit of beach time. We made it back to resort we were staying at for quick swim and clean up. It was a fun day but some may find all that driving stressful

The thought of this on departure day makes me feel so anxious