Late (REALLLLLY Late) Arrival in TPA...WWYD???

[kristenrice]

I am in the process of weighing all of our options for flights for our trip in October. One possibility may be to fly out after work (late afternoon) which would have us landing in TPA after midnight. I am looking at SWA's current schedule and the last flight of the night is currently scheduled to land at 1:45am. We would be coming in on a Tuesday night, driving to Orlando and staying in a WDW-adjacent hotel on that night and Wednesday night, as our WDW stay does not start until Thursday.

I know that the traffic from TPA to WDW can be difficult at times (we have made that trip one time, in 2015 and it was fine....did it in just over an hour, IIRC) so I am wondering if coming in around 2am will make it easier? The only concern I would have is the rental car situation...are there even rental car counters open at that hour? I plan to book through UndercoverTourist since they have always had the best prices for me in the past. It would be just me and DD18, unless my friend and her family decide to fly in with us to Tampa at that hour as well.

Our other option will be to fly in on Wednesday, leaving early in the morning and arriving in the early afternoon. Currently, SWA shows our "preferred" flight landing at 1:15pm. I would assume that the traffic situation is heavier than at 2am, but how bad would it be at 2pm? We are hoping to attend the DVC Member event at Splitsville at Disney Springs at 6pm. The hotel we are planning to stay at is approximately 1 mile from DS so I would hope that 4 hours would be ample time to get the rental car, drive to the hotel, check in, change clothes and then get to DS.

Obviously, these are both hypotheticals at this point since SWA has not released their schedule yet. It is not coming out until March 30. I'd love to fly into Orlando but typically, the flights from my airport are TERRIBLE itineraries. Right now, I can't get to Orlando before 2:45pm (and that is with a 6:25am departure!) and to get home, there is ONE option that leaves after noon...and that one has a FOUR-HOUR layover in Chicago...which is only a 3-hour drive from my house! On top of that, those options are more expensive than the itineraries to/from TPA. So unless there are some surprises, I think we will be exploring our options out of TPA. Now that DME is no longer an option, there is nothing that is really tying us to MCO anymore.

 

[Lewisc]

At 2a I'd be looking to stay at a Tampa Airport area hotel. Either pick up your rental car when you land or the next morning. You're scheduled to land at. Get luggage maybe 230. Flight delays accumulate during the day. Check the history of your flight. Are hour delays common

 

[Akck]

We’ve taken a flight into MCO, arriving at midnight. I figured that by the time we got our luggage, transportation to a resort and settling down to sleep, it would be after 2 am and the next day we’d be wiped out and totally useless. We opted to stay at the airport hotel, getting to sleep before 1 am, somewhat rested. I agree you should consider staying at an airport hotel and plan a leisurely next day. Alternatively, since it sounds like you have to fly into a hub city, consider overnighting near that airport and catching an early morning flight the next day.

 

[sam_gordon]

My first thought is I don't think rental car desks at Tampa will still be open that late (early). But, I would at least put a 2:30am pickup time in on the online form and see if an option shows up.

On the other hand, I don't know how cognizant I would be to drive an hour at 2:30am after being up all day and I'd be totally wiped out the next. Heck, even if we got an airport area hotel, by the time we'd shuttle to the hotel, get checked in, and get situated in the room, it would probably be at least close to 3am. Get seven hours of sleep, pack up, grab some breakfast, check out, shuttle (somehow) to rental car pickup, and should be getting rental car around 11a-12p.

What's the cost difference (if any) between the after work flight and the one the next morning? How early would you have to get up the next morning to make that flight?

 

[k5xs]

I would be leery of any airline “last flight of the night.”

As reliable as SWA is, stuff happens, and with no other flights to rebook you on, you could end up stranded until the next day.

 

[_19disnA]

Think you need to decide what your preferences are to reduce the number of variables you are juggling. Low price, convenient arrival/departure times, shorter layover, etc. If you live someplace that has limited air service, you may have fewer choices and have to make some trade-offs. Are there any other airports you can depart from and does that simplify things? I would certainly not prefer to arrive at 2 AM regardless of where I was traveling from. Traffic in the middle of the day isn't a reason I would choose one option over another.

Profile says you live in Michigan and you mentioned being 3 hrs from Chicago. What is your departure airport? Wouldn't DTW provide more options and many into MCO at a reasonable hour?

 

[kristenrice]

Think you need to decide what your preferences are to reduce the number of variables you are juggling. Low price, convenient arrival/departure times, shorter layover, etc. If you live someplace that has limited air service, you may have fewer choices and have to make some trade-offs. Are there any other airports you can depart from and does that simplify things? I would certainly not prefer to arrive at 2 AM regardless of where I was traveling from. Traffic in the middle of the day isn't a reason I would choose one option over another.

Profile says you live in Michigan and you mentioned being 3 hrs from Chicago. What is your departure airport? Wouldn't DTW provide more options and many into MCO at a reasonable hour?

Oh, we have options....LOTS of options...the issue is that none of them are all that great.

We live in the metro GR area, about 10 minutes from the Grand Rapids airport...4.5 miles away, to be exact...so GRR is by far the most convenient airport for us to use. SWA is my airline of choice because I have about 40K RR points earned up right now to use for myself and my daughter. We also have Delta, American and United for our main choices, along with Frontier and Allegiant...so we have options. Frontier has some non-stop options to MCO, but they are only on certain days of the week. If the route is not a non-stop, they route us through DENVER and it involves an overnight stay . So I am not too keen on Frontier. Allegiant is only slightly better...they are non-stop, but not every day so if something goes wrong, we are stuck until the next flight which could be several days away.

I have driven to DTW several times to fly non-stop on AirTran before they were bought out by SW. If we opt to fly out of a "non-local" airport, we will typically book a one-way rental car so that we can fly home to GRR. Typically, the cost of the one-way rental car is the same (or less) than what the cost of long-term parking would be if we flew round-trip. Detroit is not an airport we consider anymore, unless I am out of points on SWA and I am paying cash. There are no more non-stops on SWA from DTW anymore, so unless we can fly non-stop on Delta, there is no good reason to make the drive to Detroit. The prices are typically almost the same, unless the non-stop option is available, as that is usually quite a bit cheaper. If the prices on SWA this fall are too much for me to cover all (4) legs with points, I may have to consider Delta as an option which will open up DTW as an option too.

Driving to MDW (a SW hub) is not something I have done yet, but it is another option we have to consider. There are several morning non-stops out of MDW to MCO and because they are non-stop, they are typically cheaper. The biggest problem with Chicago is that the one-way rental cars are quite a bit more AND the local hotels (for the night before the flight) are also a bit pricier, and they do not include parking. I do have enough Marriott points to cover the cost of a hotel that is about 10 miles from the airport (a 30 minute drive) so that would offset part of the cost.

Those are just the options of the airports I have to fly OUT of...we still have the options of airports to fly IN to...MCO or TPA. Since DME is no longer an option, I have decided to use a towncar service when we fly into MCO. We used Mears last time and it was perfect. It will cost about $210 which is the amount that I use to base my "ground transportation" budget on when I consider TPA as an alternative destination. When we arrive, we are actually arriving at least a day before our WDW reservation starts. We will be staying at an off-property location that is yet to be determined. I can book a rental car through UCT for about $275 from TPA for our entire length of stay. So, if we opt to fly in to TPA (and this is assuming that we are flying in from GRR), I would have an extra $65 or so in "ground transportation" expenses (plus the cost of fuel) but I would also have a rental car for the 5 day trip.

There are so many things to consider...
1) Hotel cost BEFORE our flight...if we fly out of Chicago, we will need to stay overnight before we leave. The hotel could be free, but I would need to pay for the parking fee
2) One-way rental car...if we fly out of Chicago, our flights might be free (if we fly in to MCO), but I would need to pay for a one-way rental car to get us to Chicago.
3) ...and if we fly OUT of Chicago, we are NOT going to fly back IN to Chicago, because I do not want to drive 3 hours home after a 3 hour flight (Not when I live 10 minutes from the airport in Grand Rapids!)
4) Flying IN and OUT of TPA (from GRR) might be doable entirely with points which means that I would not need to spend any money OOP. MCO is probably going to require me to purchase at least (1) one-way ticket OOP, or purchase a few additional points to "top off" my account.
5) GRR to/from MCO is the optimal choice, but probably the least likely to happen, simply because the flight TIMES are always so bad. The only way I see this happening is if we fly out a day (or 2) early and take a late night flight on arrival and hoping for a decent return. I don't know why the routes are SO bad right now....6-12 hour itineraries with multiple stops or 3-4 hour layovers....not ideal at all. If I have to drive to Chicago, or fly in/out of TPA to avoid those scenarios, I will do it.

Now, all I have to do is wait until March 30....then, I will have to start making some decisions.

 

[John De Young]

I know that the traffic from TPA to WDW can be difficult at times (we have made that trip one time, in 2015 and it was fine....did it in just over an hour, IIRC) so I am wondering if coming in around 2am will make it easier? The only concern I would have is the rental car situation...are there even rental car counters open at that hour?

I'm pretty sure your Dad wouldn't like the idea of you and DD18 driving from Tampa to Orlando at that hour.

Actually, it will be DD19 by then.

 

[LadyBeBop]

The Splitsville event put a change in my original plans. I originally had you staying in an airport hotel Tuesday night, make Wednesday a beach day at Clearwater or St. Pete, then drive to Orlando on Thursday. Now, I see you want to make Orlando by late Wednesday afternoon.

I'd still stay at the airport hotel Tuesday night. Make sure you tell them you aren't checking in before 2 AM. You probably can't get a hotel shuttle, so you'll probably have to stay at the TPA Marriott, or get a cab to the hotel. Get a good night's sleep, and check out fairly late...about 10 or 11 AM (Marriott's checkout is noon, but that may be too late for your purposes). Rent your car, and explore the Tampa area. Eat lunch at a Cuban Restuarant. Enjoy the short time you have in Tampa.

About 2 PM, make your way to Orlando, with your estimated arrival about 4. You don't have to rush it. It's a nice, peachful drive on the back roads. Arrive about 4-4:30, freshen up and leave for Splitsville about 5:30-5:45.

Tampa Bay is such a nice area. I wish more would spend time exploring it.

 

[ilikecarrentals]

Budget and Avis are open 24 hours at TPA as are Enterprise locations. I would prefer avoiding the crowds and don't mind driving at that time.

 

[jkelly86]

There are so many things to consider...
1) Hotel cost BEFORE our flight...if we fly out of Chicago, we will need to stay overnight before we leave. The hotel could be free, but I would need to pay for the parking fee
2) One-way rental car...if we fly out of Chicago, our flights might be free (if we fly in to MCO), but I would need to pay for a one-way rental car to get us to Chicago.
3) ...and if we fly OUT of Chicago, we are NOT going to fly back IN to Chicago, because I do not want to drive 3 hours home after a 3 hour flight (Not when I live 10 minutes from the airport in Grand Rapids!)
4) Flying IN and OUT of TPA (from GRR) might be doable entirely with points which means that I would not need to spend any money OOP. MCO is probably going to require me to purchase at least (1) one-way ticket OOP, or purchase a few additional points to "top off" my account.
5) GRR to/from MCO is the optimal choice, but probably the least likely to happen, simply because the flight TIMES are always so bad. The only way I see this happening is if we fly out a day (or 2) early and take a late night flight on arrival and hoping for a decent return. I don't know why the routes are SO bad right now....6-12 hour itineraries with multiple stops or 3-4 hour layovers....not ideal at all. If I have to drive to Chicago, or fly in/out of TPA to avoid those scenarios, I will do it.

Have you considered Allegiant from GRR to Sanford? My husband and daughter flew them last October to Sanford and had a great experience (with direct, cheap, refundable flights that arrived early). They only had one carry-on, though.

Edited to say: sorry for the late reply, you have probably already booked with SWA.

 

[Poohs Pal]

I’ve driven the Disney to Tampa/Clearwater area plenty of times while at Disney. We will visit The Hard Rock Casino at least once per trip. The afternoon traffic is horrendous. We had an incident where the traffic was at a complete stop and we were rear ended at full force. Luckily no one was hurt. Anyway rush hour traffic will add a lot of time onto your travel time. I have also done the trip from Tampa to Disney after midnight. 60 minutes or less from the Hard Rock to boardwalk villas. If you do the afternoon flight I’d be concerned about making Splitsville in time. We are flying out of Detroit in October and the $160 difference on delta flying into Tampa is tempting. I just don’t want to rent a car. My nearest airport is Bishop but no nonstops and the pricing is currently double.

 

[StarSeven7]

I’m from GR. I don’t live there anymore but my entire family does still. My family almost always flies from DTW when we go to Florida (and we meet them there and usually fly down together). We most often fly with Spirit because they have several nonstop flights every day from DTW-MCO and we have never had any major issues with them. Yes there are a lot of fees but even when we add on the fees they’re still cheaper. We much prefer to fly from DTW vs. Chicago. I think my parents have flown with Frontier once or twice from GRR but like you said, there aren’t a lot of options so they almost always drive to Detroit (in fact, they’re doing just that today to fly to MCO!)

 

[kristenrice]

Well, SWA released their flights and flying out of GR is out and flying in to TPA is out too. The price difference to fly in to TPA is negligible and the schedule is almost identical. Looks like we will probably do like we have in the past and drive to Detroit. My friend has family in Chicago so I am going to talk to her and see what option she prefers. The cost is about the same for me whether we opt for Chicago or Detroit. It’s just a non-stop from MDW vs a 2hr layover at BWI if we leave from DTW. The cost is almost identical and the itineraries are both fine with us.

 

[sam_gordon]

It’s just a non-stop from MDW vs a 2hr layover at BWI if we leave from DTW.

Delta should have non stop from Detroit.

 

[kristenrice]

Delta should have non stop from Detroit.

They do.....but I still have 20K points with SWA which will get me 1 of my 2 tickets that I still need. I have SO many options to consider right now, my head is racing. Delta from GRR is about $30-$50/pp more than it is from DTW and I would need to buy (2) tickets AND I would be connecting through DTW anyways....so, I could drive to DTW (but pay for a one-way rental car since I am already flying HOME to GRR), get a hotel overnight (which would be at no cost since I have enough Marriott points)....and basically fly non-stop for almost the same COST as flying from GRR, but with the added TIME of driving to Detroit. The cost would be significant since a single, one-way ticket on SWA is currently running about $200-$225 and Delta is about the same, but I would need (2), and possibly an upgraded seat selection fee (high-anxiety if I am behind the wings.

 

[sam_gordon]

They do.....but I still have 20K points with SWA which will get me 1 of my 2 tickets that I still need. I have SO many options to consider right now, my head is racing. Delta from GRR is about $30-$50/pp more than it is from DTW and I would need to buy (2) tickets AND I would be connecting through DTW anyways....so, I could drive to DTW (but pay for a one-way rental car since I am already flying HOME to GRR), get a hotel overnight (which would be at no cost since I have enough Marriott points)....and basically fly non-stop for almost the same COST as flying from GRR, but with the added TIME of driving to Detroit. The cost would be significant since a single, one-way ticket on SWA is currently running about $200-$225 and Delta is about the same, but I would need (2), and possibly an upgraded seat selection fee (high-anxiety if I am behind the wings.

Isn't planning travel fun? LOL

 

[Disturbia]

Be wary of flights-last min cancellations/delays. It was a mess on April 2nd.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/southwest-cancelled-our-flight-with-less-than-12-hours-.3878174/page-5#post-63989253

 

[kristenrice]

Our decision was made! It was VERY easy...the flights from GRR to MCO were cheaper and more convenient so TPA is off the table. We actually added 2 days on to the beginning of our trip, just in case there are cancellations so in case of a worst-case scenario, we can hop in the car and drive from Michigan and still make it without ruining the whole trip. We now have 7 days at WDW with 5-day park tickets so we have some breathing room. Of course, we don't want the airlines to mess with our vacation, but we built in a cushion should something go awry.

 

[MrKnight]

IMHO not worth it, I always recommend flying directly into MCO even if there is an price variance.. Any savings flying into TPA is offset by the cost of getting from TPA to Orlando area, not to mention the hassle of having to deal with a 1.5+ hour drive, traffic, etc. after flying..