Red Eye Flight w/Kids

[SteveH]

We're looking at a red eye flight from the West Coast to Orlando. Price is about the same as non-red eye flights. But we'll be traveling with a 6 and 9 year old boys. Thought is to have them in sweats, the flight leaves 10PM PST and arrives 6AM EST, figured would could take it easy that day; pool, downtown disney, etc.

Curious if other families have done this and how things went for you and your kids or any other thoughts.

 

[Schmeck]

We drive to WDW, but we recently went via air to London (and then to Bergen, Norway). It was a difficult flight with an 8 yr old and 10 yr old, because they were so excited to fly - no sleeping on the long flight for them, nor for me. Of course, they both fell asleep on the shuttle bus ride to our London hotel, LOL!

If your kids are used to flying, and got some sleep on the airplane, I'd plan a half day at a park, a nap back at the room, and then head out for dinner at one of the parks, especially if you're staying on-site with UPH passes.

Enjoy the extra perk of the time zone difference - your kids should be able to stay up pretty late EST. (If the parks are open late during your trip, that is!) When we were in Norway that summer, it stayed light out until 11PM, and the wedding we attended went until 2AM - but because of the time zone differences, the girls were able to handle the late nights with ease.

Of course, when we returned home

Schmeck, hoping to have been of some help

 

[peanutzmom]

I would definitely not plan on doing much of anytihng the first day besides lounging around the pool, etc. because even if you & the kids manage to sleep on the flight, it won't be "good" sleep, and you will all be dragging. We currently live overseas, and when we return home from visiting family in Florida we take a 6 hour "red eye" flight that leaves 10PM ESt and arrives here in Iceland around 7:30 AM GMT the next morning. Even though we do this flight every six months or so, we are still always wiped out when we arrive. We usually go right back to bed and sleep till about noon, then get up for lunch and a low key day. It's definitely doable, but don't expect any of you (kids or grown-ups) to have much energy that first day.

 

[3princesses]

We have taken the red-eye from Vegas with our three girls all but the very first time. I will always take the red eye from now on. The girls were much too excited once we arrived in WDW on our first trip to sleep. With the time change we didn't arrive at the resort until after 9 p.m. The parks were closed, and they just couldn't understand that the would have to wait until morning to see what they had come to see. It was a very restless night (kind of like Christmas Eve)-- they all had a difficult time getting to sleep before a decent hour. With the four subsequent trips, one a girls only trip, we leave Vegas at midnight and arrive in the a.m. We check into the hotel, leave our luggage and hit the parks. By check-in time, they are ready for a break, back we go. We eat an early dinner at the resort, back to the park. We are all running on the excitement of being in our favorite place! Soon, we are all ready for a good night's sleep. The time change doesn't effect us, as now we are all ready to crash by 10 pm Florida time!