Sanford Airport vs. MCO

[jhaig]

We are considering taking a direct flight into Sanford and not using Magical Express on or next trip. We have always flown into MCO and used Magical Express but had to rush to make connections etc. ...Anyway, I was hoping some of your could share your experiences of flying into Sanford instead. How long did it take you to get transportation to WDW? How many stops did you make? Did it save your time and/or money overall, or would we be better off flying into MCO as usual?

 

[Lewisc]

A car service will cost around $200 R/T. It will take you directly to your resort. There isn't shared shuttle service from Sanford. Do the math. Make sure you're saving enough money to pay for ground transportation.

You might save a few dollars if you rent a car, one way one day, for your arrival and departure.

 

[goofy4tink]

There is no 'shuttle transportation' between Sanford and WDW. I wish Disney would set up a shuttle that runs every hour between Sanford and MCO...then you could take the DME bus to WDW. But, that's not happening.
I love Sanford International. It's a terrific airport. But, getting to WDW is an issue. I have used a car service, but it runs about $200 r/t, in addition to gratuities. So, lately we have rented a car. Yes, there are tolls...have lots of quarters and dollar bills handy. The drive is pretty straightforward...takes about 50 or so mins. And it's nice to have that car to get any food or stuff you may need. And, it's useful if you are going between resorts.

 

[Lewisc]

Contractually Disney can only offer DME to/from MCO. There are maybe a dozen flights a day into Sanford. Many (most?) of those passengers won't be staying at a WDW resort and will be renting a car. If there were enough passengers to justify a shared ride service I'm sure Mears would be offering it.

At one time one of the airlines (European charter?) offered their passengers bus service to WDW.

 

[gmeh1]

There is no 'shuttle transportation' between Sanford and WDW. I wish Disney would set up a shuttle that runs every hour between Sanford and MCO...then you could take the DME bus to WDW. But, that's not happening.
I love Sanford International. It's a terrific airport. But, getting to WDW is an issue. I have used a car service, but it runs about $200 r/t, in addition to gratuities. So, lately we have rented a car. Yes, there are tolls...have lots of quarters and dollar bills handy. The drive is pretty straightforward...takes about 50 or so mins. And it's nice to have that car to get any food or stuff you may need. And, it's useful if you are going between resorts.

You can avoid the tolls by taking I4. It is actually shorter than taking 417 by about 6-8 miles and the trip is only about one minute longer. This is according to Map quest.

 

[goofy4tink]

Contractually Disney can only offer DME to/from MCO. There are maybe a dozen flights a day into Sanford. Many (most?) of those passengers won't be staying at a WDW resort and will be renting a car. If there were enough passengers to justify a shared ride service I'm sure Mears would be offering it.

At one time one of the airlines (European charter?) offered their passengers bus service to WDW.

Yeah, I know. It's just one of those things I would love to see. It won't happen. The funny thing is that when I was standing at the rental car counter, the woman next to us was talking about driving to WDW. We asked her where she was going....she was headed to BWV!! Same as us. Then, when we got checked in, I went out on my balcony...guess who came out on the balcony next to ours??? Yup, same woman!!

You can avoid the tolls by taking I4. It is actually shorter than taking 417 by about 6-8 miles and the trip is only about one minute longer. This is according to Map quest.

Well, now you tell me!!!!!

 

[TomD]

We are considering taking a direct flight into Sanford and not using Magical Express on or next trip. We have always flown into MCO and used Magical Express but had to rush to make connections etc. ...Anyway, I was hoping some of your could share your experiences of flying into Sanford instead. How long did it take you to get transportation to WDW? How many stops did you make? Did it save your time and/or money overall, or would we be better off flying into MCO as usual?

I have flown into Sanford a few times. Most recently last month. It is a small airport. There is no rushing around. We do carry-ons so there is no waiting for luggage. We used Alamo this last time for a car rental and with codes I got it down to $66.06 for a week full size. It takes @ 50 minutes to get from Sanford to BCV.

In April we are flying into Lakeland. Hoping for a nice easy drive to BWV.

 

[gmeh1]

Yeah, I know. It's just one of those things I would love to see. It won't happen. The funny thing is that when I was standing at the rental car counter, the woman next to us was talking about driving to WDW. We asked her where she was going....she was headed to BWV!! Same as us. Then, when we got checked in, I went out on my balcony...guess who came out on the balcony next to ours??? Yup, same woman!!


Well, now you tell me!!!!!

LOL, well, we can thank Mapquest for that.

 

[gmeh1]

I have flown into Sanford a few times. Most recently last month. It is a small airport. There is no rushing around. We do carry-ons so there is no waiting for luggage. We used Alamo this last time for a car rental and with codes I got it down to $66.06 for a week full size. It takes @ 50 minutes to get from Sanford to BCV.

In April we are flying into Lakeland. Hoping for a nice easy drive to BWV.

what airline flies into that tiny little regional airport?

 

[cdnmomof2]

Allegiant

 

[gmeh1]

Allegiant

Thanks, good to know.

 

[TomD]

direct air does also

 

[sammielynn]

Sanford is a great airport, so much easier to get into and out of than MCO. The luggage pick-up is next to the rental counters, so picking up a car is super easy. The luggage is generally unloaded and almost waiting for you when you get to the pick up area. I have only waited more than 10 minutes once.
Rent a car and drive to Disney, cheaper than a car service. The drive is easy. Just remember to have some quarters for the toll roads.

 

[gmeh1]

Sanford is a great airport, so much easier to get into and out of than MCO. The luggage pick-up is next to the rental counters, so picking up a car is super easy. The luggage is generally unloaded and almost waiting for you when you get to the pick up area. I have only waited more than 10 minutes once.
Rent a car and drive to Disney, cheaper than a car service. The drive is easy. Just remember to have some quarters for the toll roads.

you don't need to take any toll roads from Sanford, you can get right on I4 and cut the mileage and it takes approx.. the same amount of time.

 

[sammielynn]

The drive down 417 is so worth the toll charges. There is little to no traffic any time of the day.

 

[gmeh1]

The drive down 417 is so worth the toll charges. There is little to no traffic any time of the day.

While this is quite true, there are many people that will go nuts to save .75 in tolls (IE: 417 vs 528) that I offered this as an alternative. Personally, since I use I4 daily, I would absolutely kill to have 417 or something like it near my home to get to work at OIA. As it is, it takes me 45 mins. to go 20 miles, totally NUTS!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

You can avoid the tolls by taking I4. It is actually shorter than taking 417 by about 6-8 miles and the trip is only about one minute longer. This is according to Map quest.

At 3 am, maybe.

IME if you are not driving it in the wee hours the trip is usually at least 30 minutes longer on I-4, and often a whole lot more than that if there is an accident on I-4 (and I-4 through Orlando is one of the most accident-prone stretches of interstate in the country. I-4 as a whole is the third-deadliest interstate in the US.)

On at least 3 occasions while visiting Orlando, I've been in situations where I've spent more than 2 hours moving less than a mile on I-4. These days I will move heaven and earth to avoid ever setting wheels on that stretch of highway. My vacation time is way too valuable for that.

 

[gmeh1]

At 3 am, maybe.

IME if you are not driving it in the wee hours the trip is usually at least 30 minutes longer on I-4, and often a whole lot more than that if there is an accident on I-4 (and I-4 through Orlando is one of the most accident-prone stretches of interstate in the country. I-4 as a whole is the third-deadliest interstate in the US.)

On at least 3 occasions while visiting Orlando, I've been in situations where I've spent more than 2 hours moving less than a mile on I-4. These days I will move heaven and earth to avoid ever setting wheels on that stretch of highway. My vacation time is way too valuable for that.

LOL, no, there are times during the day when it moves pretty well. But, you are correct, it can be a nasty road sometimes. I have been caught in nasty tie ups on my way to work and that is no fun either. It is obvious that I4 was never designed for the amount of traffic it sees on a daily basis.

 

[lindsey]

We have flown into Sanford four times and rented a car each time. Like others said, the airport is small and easy to nagivate. We have also always taken 417 (too many older memories of I-4 when we drove the whole trip). The ride from Sanford to WDW is not bad at all, and I like having a vehicle to pick up some extras supplies and hit the outlets. Unfortunately, Southwest had the better deal for my trip next week. I actually dread having to deal with MCO (we are not staying on-site).