Save $$$$ on your Flight!

[MrsIneedavacation]

If you are planning on Renting a car (or even if your not, but want to) then you might consider flying into Tampa International Airport. Airflight into Orlando was going to cost us 326.00 per ticket on our chosen dates in October. We decided to check out the Tampa Airport and found it would only cost us 247.00 to fly into there. The drive from Tampa to Orlando is only 77 miles, about an hour and a half drive. There are three of us so we're saving 225.00 by taking this drive, enough to almost pay for the car for our whole stay (we got a full size car on hotwire.com for 245.00 for 9 days, less then we could get it anywhere else, even with our triple A discount). So we are flying into Tampa, picking up our car, driving to the Doubletree Club Hotel(which we also booked through Hotwire.com saving 20.00 a night from where we were going to stay) and then will drive back to Tampa and drop the car off and fly home after a glorious 8 days!

Hope this post helps someone!

 

[safetymom]

Just keep in mind that I-4 is undergoing a lot of construction. It will take longer than usual to reach WDW and allow extra when returning to Tampa in case of traffic tieups so you don't miss your flight.

 

[seashoreCM]

I haven't tried Tampa airport yet, but I have surveyed airfares over Thanksgiving for a few years now (succeeded in getting good BOS-MCO fares ca. USD 220. a few times too). The best Thanksgiving fares to MCO go fast and the best fares to TPA go soon therafter.

Drove to Tampa from Orlando and back last November, sure enough there is lots of construction. Fortunately did it during non-rush hours.

Stayed at the Doubletree Club location (then the World Inn) back in 1975, for my first WDW trip. There is a back way to Magic Kingdom, left out of the Doubletree Club, not sure whether it existed back in 1975 or whether anybody can use it today. The normal way is right out of the Doubletree and right onto Hotel Plaza, takes you past Downtown Disney. I think that skipping Hotel Plaza and getting back onto I-4 will get you to the parks faster, far fewer traffic lights. Back in 1975 there was no Epcot exit and no Osceola exit so I had to go all the way down to 192 and go in the main entrance to WDW.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Familyof14]

No offense, but IMHO, I think I would rather pay the extra $75 pp ($225.00 total) and fly straight to MCO. I hate Florida traffic!

 

[MrsIneedavacation]

Thanks for the tip on the construction on I-4. Fortunatly our flight in will be around 10:00 at night and we will have to be at the airport at 7 AM when we leave, so we'll be on the road really early. That should help us miss the bulk of the traffic both ways. We'll be sure to time the trip from Tulsa to the park so we'll allow plenty of time when we leave so we arrive at the airport plenty early. We all took two an extra day of vacation so we could not count our travel days as part of the fun...they are just for travel so that will help. We'll be enjoying the fun for 8 full days, so hopefully we'll be tired enough to crash early on our last day so we will be able to get up at 4 AM without a hitch.

While at the Doubletree we'll be taking advantage of their free shuttle to the Parks, but we're really going to need the car for our two days at Universal (dying to experience Fright Night), One day at Sea World and the Two Days we set aside just to enjoy visiting International Drive attractions and the Florida Mall.

Is it October yet?

 

[MrsIneedavacation]

If I were driving, I'm with you, I'd probably rather do the extra money then to drive in Florida, but it's my Son In Law driving. He's the most patient person I know and the driving won't bother him in the least. He'll love the challenge. He wanted to drive to drive all the way and save all the airfair completely, but I definitely wouldn't go that far. That's what they did on their first trip to Orlando. It meant two less days to enjoy the parks...Definitely a bad idea. However, driving from Tampa to Orlando won't bother me a bit as long as he's doing the driving! My daughter and I will do the sleeping!

 

[ducklite]

I agree--I-4 is a mess right now. I saw a TEN PLUS MILE backup on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago.

I'd drive out the night before the flight home. The Hilton out there is nice and about a four minute, easy drive from the airport. You wo'nt lose any WDW time--you can leave after the parks close--and you'll be there. if you miss your flight it will cost more than you saved to get home.

Anne

 

[safetymom]

Most of the lane closures are at night. Daughter gets caught in backups in the early hours when she is coming home from work. Believe or not there are slowdowns in the wee hours of the morning.

 

[rlduvall]

mrsineedavacation:

Noticed your freudian slip about timing the drive from "Tulsa to the park" instead of from "Tampa to the park" and you're from the Midwest. Ah ha, you are from Tulsa; just like me, lol. My husband and I have taken the Tampa route many times because of the cost savings. We just did it last October and the construction did slow us down a little, but I think it's worth it. I thought about doing it this summer (trying to talk my husband into a Universal on-site trip for July) Boy, airfare is high. Tampa is quite a bit farther for the Universal aspect of a trip versus WDW. Hope you have alot of fun.

 

[Lady Cluck]

Another Tulsan...

Hoping for better airfares TUL > MCO for Oct. $300+ right now is just too much $$$

 

[seashoreCM]

Especially since your flight home is so early, at 7 AM, you are better off checking out of the Doubletree the day before and staying your last night down in Tampa. Less strain on your sleep pattern (jet lag). Also less anxiety if there are traffic problems.

I'm not sure of the quality of the shuttle service from off site hotels to the parks, it may vary depending on the hotel. Some hotels share shuttles. Shared shuttles usually mean more frequent service but you may still end up waiting an hour for the ride back at park closing. (Not that hour waits for buses are unheard of for on site guests either.)