Sanford Airport - Where to stay?

[JJ&JSMOM]

Hi all,
We head to Disney in a few weeks. We are staying a week at the Beach Club. We are flying in and out of Sanford Airport so we don't have ME.

We have an early flight (8:15am) back home to Maine so I booked Comfort Inn near the Sanford Airport instead of staying an additional night at the Beach Club at a savings of $400! Thinking we would be a little be closer to the airport and less stressed about getting to the airport on time, traffic...etc.

I have a rental car ready for pick up the day before we leave so I was thinking we would spend our last day prior to coming home doing whatever we had wanted to do - visit the Magic Kingdom, watch the fireworks...etc. as we will still have 1 day left on our hopper pass. But when it came time to head to the hotel, we'd drive to Sanford and check in to the Comfort Inn.

Does this sound like a good plan? I'm thinking now we could stay somewhere else maybe a hotel we've always wanted to stay at and then just drive to the airport that next morning. Is the drive really that far? Maybe I should just stick with what I have planned.

Thanks for any advice.
Joanne

 

[grimley1968]

I'd go with the plan you have already. A $400 savings is huge, especially when you consider that your last night in BC might not be so great if you have to hit the sack early to get to the airport on time the next morning. As early as that flight is, you'd need to be at the airport even earlier, and any little bit of time you could save in getting there would be worth it, IMO.

I'd just make sure the logistics of the rental car are worked out already. Is it a one-way rental from somewhere on Disney property to Sanford? Also, will you drop off the car the night before the flight (and catch a shuttle to the airport) or the morning of? If the morning of, will that cause any delays getting to your gate? If you are comfortable with all this, then you should be set.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

I'd go with the plan you have already. A $400 savings is huge, especially when you consider that your last night in BC might not be so great if you have to hit the sack early to get to the airport on time the next morning. As early as that flight is, you'd need to be at the airport even earlier, and any little bit of time you could save in getting there would be worth it, IMO.

I'd just make sure the logistics of the rental car are worked out already. Is it a one-way rental from somewhere on Disney property to Sanford? Also, will you drop off the car the night before the flight (and catch a shuttle to the airport) or the morning of? If the morning of, will that cause any delays getting to your gate? If you are comfortable with all this, then you should be set.

We're renting from National at the Dolphin so it should be pretty easy picking it up. Depending on when we left the parks that Saturday night, I figured we'd drop off the car in the morning at the airport - figured it would be easier to do it that way. I'll check & see how late the car rental agency in the airport is open to that Saturday. If we leave earlier for Sanford then expected, I could probably drop off the rental that evening.

Thank you for advice.

 

[grimley1968]

We're renting from National at the Dolphin so it should be pretty easy picking it up. Depending on when we left the parks that Saturday night, I figured we'd drop off the car in the morning at the airport - figured it would be easier to do it that way. I'll check & see how late the car rental agency in the airport is open to that Saturday. If we leave earlier for Sanford then expected, I could probably drop off the rental that evening.

Thank you for advice.

I rented from the Dolphin once and it could not have been easier.

 

[goofy4tink]

I love Sanford!! It's just about an hour between WDW and Sanford, depending on time of day and traffic. For an 8:15am flight, you would want to be there by 6:30, latest. Which means, if you were at WDW, leaving no later than 5:15ish so you could get to Sanford, return the car and get checked in!

I like your idea of a Comfort Inn close to the airport. Makes sense. You will be much less harried when you get there, you'll get an addtl 60-90 mins sleep. Yep, good idea. And renting at the Dolphin is easy-peasy!!!

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

I love Sanford!! It's just about an hour between WDW and Sanford, depending on time of day and traffic. For an 8:15am flight, you would want to be there by 6:30, latest. Which means, if you were at WDW, leaving no later than 5:15ish so you could get to Sanford, return the car and get checked in!

I like your idea of a Comfort Inn close to the airport. Makes sense. You will be much less harried when you get there, you'll get an addtl 60-90 mins sleep. Yep, good idea. And renting at the Dolphin is easy-peasy!!!

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback...I guess I would feel much better being in Sanford the day of an early flight.

Joanne