return home :(..flight times? what works best?

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

So I'm looking into flights for my upcoming trip and wondering what times would work best? On our last day we will be out of park passes...so I guess our only option is to swim at the pool or DTD??...but the flight times are either 7:30 in the evening (ME pick us up at 4:30) or 11:00 in the morning (ME pick us up at 8:00a.m.). Not sure what to do...would love a time in between of course...but I'm worried about the later flight not being able to rest in our room all day? any experience?

 

[Robo]

So I'm looking into flights for my upcoming trip and wondering what times would work best? On our last day we will be out of park passes...so I guess our only option is to swim at the pool or DTD??...but the flight times are either 7:30 in the evening (ME pick us up at 4:30) or 11:00 in the morning (ME pick us up at 8:00a.m.). Not sure what to do...would love a time in between of course...but I'm worried about the later flight not being able to rest in our room all day? any experience?

We always take the latest non-stop available.

We like to spend as much time at WDW on the last day as we can.

You can add a day to anything over a 4-day ticket for just $2 per ticket.

 

[PatsMom]

We also take the latest non-stop available now that DD is older and try to have a full day in the parks pretty much. But with 3 four year olds that might be a bit more difficult. But the cost of tickets may not be as big an issue as you think - we do AP's but if you check the price of the regular tickets, once you get past three days, adding a fourth or fifth (or more) day is really very little money.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Another vote for the latest nonstop I can get. We get almost a full day at the parks before we leave. In your situation, I would take the 7pm flight. Stay in the room until the 11am check out time (or ask if late check out is possible) then maybe go to DTD for lunch and some last minute shopping. You would be surprised how quickly 4pm will come. Or you could use the time to go explore another resort you are considering for the next trip!

 

[rosiejo]

I think I'd vote for the later flight - relax in your room until check out and then explore at DTD and have a nice leisurely lunch.

8am sounds like a nightmare early pick up - think what time you'd have to get up to be ready and check out!

 

[Luvin*Livvy]

We usually get an extra day ticket..when we but our tickets. Then we ALSO take the latest flight availble. Last time it was a 7:40pm this time it's a 7:30pm flight. Getting us home around 10:30pm. We go into Magic Kingdom for one last horrah! This is the day we watch any shows/parades we missed and do some shopping..also take a quick ride on a ride or two!

You can also go to DTD for the day.

 

[karibritt01]

WDW resorts will extend your check-out time if no one is waiting for the room... we have done this twice. We got noon check-out once, and 1 PM the other time. Get up, enjoy the resort pool, then change and check-out. You can still leave your car at the resort and use buses to get around, so go to MK and hop the monorail to go have lunch at a resort (Chef Mickey's is fun to end a trip.) My kids love riding the monorails and ferry, so this is a great thing for them to do. Make it extra special by riding with the driver. Or you could go to DTD and shop a while, take the boat to the resorts and back. There is plenty of magic to be found without entering the parks!

 

[Br'er Soap]

We always fly out between 6PM & 830PM - and get back into NY late. We have to spend our last day at Magic Kingdom or Epcot. (this year, MK)

So I vote for 730

 

[luvmy3]

Our flight leaves at 6:30, it was the latest non-stop. Its our first trip and I wanted to spend as much time there as I could. We are taking an early flight in also, so our travel days would almost be full days at WDW.
We don't have park passes for that day but I am planning character breakfast at ohana and then DTD. If dh and the kids want to spend one last day in one of the parks instead, we'll just add a day to our tickets. It doesn't cost much to add a day

 

[pezheadmeg]

Also, the main resort pools all have locker rooms with showers.
It's perfectly feasible to grab a breakfast then go back hang-out at the pool and simply get dressed for the plane an hour or so before ME picks you up.

I've done it traveling with no kids, where we hit EPCOT for a few minutes early in the morning, then returned to POFQ and hung around the pool with lunch until our 4:30 DME pick-up. Sometimes you just need that last minute afternoon unwind.

 

[georgemoe]

Another here with the latest nonstop possible. Ours leaves at 9pm and gets us back to NH around midnight. We have a pass for the final day so it is not an issue. As others have said, there's plenty to do without even going into the parks.

 

[disneyfan2]

we just returned last night had a evening flight. We wished we had booked the afternoon flight but did not. The kids were really tired, and we packed up in the morning so it was rushed. We did a late BF at CRT but i don't think i would book a BF on the last day as i wish we could have just relaxed in the hotel and swam. We did get back to the hotel by 2pm and relaxed in the dining area. I wish there was some better lounge areas(ASMu) as it was very hot and i did not want to sit by the pool.

 

[clareita]

I think it depends on what you are doing the day after you get home. For our April trip we could take a 7:30pm flight home on Saturday or a 10:15 am one on Sunday morning or the 7:30pm Sunday night flight. Since we have school and work on Monday, it doesn't make much sense to get home late on Sunday night. As we all know, a Disney trip is a ton of fun, but it isn't relaxing the way a week at the beach is. Getting home in the early afternoon on Sunday will make the work week much more pleasant.

 

[mouseman41]

You are not going to leave!!!!! Take the later flight, add a day to your passes and enjoy the parks one more time. You are going to want to do something you didn't get to do!!! We have even added a couple of days to our trip and changed our flight at the last minute!!!

 

[Cool-Beans]

If you aren't even going to a park, I'd leave at 8:00.

But, I'd leave at 8:00 anyway, as I wouldn't want to hang around all day long with nowhere to relax/stretch out in the air conditioning and then get on a plane. That's just too long a day for me.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[WaltD4Me]

I always go for the latest flight possible and I always request late check out. Sometimes we get it sometimes we don't. You might have a better chance though if you mention "the tripletts are still sleeping" when you make the request.

 

[MissMichelle]

We always try to get the latest flight possible..My last trip that wasn't an option and we got picked up at 9:30 am...but it wasn't bad...this trip we have a 6:30 flight out so we are going to request a late checkout and see how that goes--and use the time to swim and shop and just have that last day at Disney that we'd lose otherwise.

 

[dougsmom98]

I will go against the tide here and suggest that you take the early flight. I hate feeling like I am waiting around for something. I like to go to bed the night before and have everything pretty much packed. We wake up in the morning, and we leave. I can't relax and have fun knowing that I have to catch a flight home. The kids love getting home mid-late afternoon and so they have time to play with their stuff at home. I like to unpack and unwind before bed too.

 

[stephgles]

We take a 6 or 7 p.m. flight. We start our last day eating at Crystal Place and walk around MK so dd could enjoy her favorite rides one more time.

 

[seashoreCM]

I always try to get the latest non-stop I can, to go home.

But if I had kids, I would have to arrange things to suit their needs.

Now I would not go buy an extra day's theme park ticket(s) if my other tickets were maxed out or were no longer eligible for upgrading.

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