SW/Tampa question

[Liltx]

Is it a BIG hassle to fly to Tampa and drive to WDW? SW cost $78 more per flight from our city to MCO which adds up to over $700 round trip savings.

I will book each flight separately and hope for a DING for MCO. I have never used one before how does it work if you already have tickets purchased? DO you have to cancell your first flight then purchase with a voucher? I'm all confused.

Also will the rental car companies allow you to drop off at a different airport on the return or do they chardge an extra fee for that? Maybe we could fly into one and out of another?

Thanks for all of your help!

Monica

 

[camdensmom]

I've often returned FL rentals to different airports (usually pick up in Tampa and return to Ft. Myers).

It's not a HUGE hassle to travel between Orlando and Tampa...for the most part. However, I4 can be VERY unpredictable. I've made it between the two in as little as 50 minutes, but it has also taken me just shy of 4 hours because of accidents / construction.

Some things to consider are:

-day of the week and time of day (both can still vary though)

-what the time/hassle is worth to you. I am all about cost savings, but somewtimes (esp. when precious vacation time is concerned it is worth it to me to pay for the convienance if I think it will make my trip more enjoyable, but that's just me)

-will you rent a car anyway? If you are on the fence then the cost of the car vs riding Magical Express for free could balance out the flight difference

-do you have any other reason to go to Tampa? If you wanted to work in a beach day or trip to Busch Gardens then it might be worth it.

-to me (and this probably is just silly) MCO is part of the trip. It goes back to when I was a kid I think, but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE getting off the plane, feeling the warm air, taking the people mover, seeing all the themed gift shops and the people with the Mickey gloves. Again, silly, but sets the tone. Of course the flip side is the sun-burned families screaming at each other because they are all sick of being together, waiting in lines and sharing a bathroom waiting for their return flights LOL)

-of you are renting a car...did you look into picking the car up in Disney? We wanted a car on our last trip because our son was 8 months old. We ended up taking ME to Disney and then picked our car rental up in Downtown Disney. It saved us over $200.00 doing that and we were able to get an SUV instead of a midsize.

-Did you check into Sanford Airport? It is also about 45 minutes from there to Disney (again traffic/construction not included in that time), but they have decent car rental rates, it's an "easy airport" and discounted airlines like Allegiant fly in there.

Just a few options. That's my long answer. The short answer is if you need to save the money then no it is not "too" bad to drive between Tampa and Orlando. Either way, have a fabulous vacation!

 

[Liltx]

Yes, we will rent a car anyway. I have 2 preschoolers and just will not be without a car. And we can't use ME even if I was willing to do that because we are staying at the dolphin. We will arrive in Tampa around 3:00 on a Wed. and leave in the evening on a Thursday.

I think for $700 I am willing to deal with traffic. We can afford it but if it's only an hour or 2 difference then to us it's worth the time. The flights are nonstop and have better times anyway.

Thank you for your times est. it makes it easier to decide.

We wanted to try the beach but will probably just make a day trip to Cocoa Beach. We live only a 2 1/2 hour drive from the Gulf so probably won't waste Disney days doing that. We spend a week in a condo each summer.

Thanks again,

Monica

 

[mareed]

We flew into Tampa last Sept because SW had a great fare - it was actually the reason we booked the quick trip! It was no trouble at all, and I think it was about a 1 1/2 hour drive - might have been a bit less.

Definitely book one-way fares on SW and continue to check for a lower price for MCO. Be sure to check regular fares as well as Ding specials. If a lower price comes up for MCO on their regular fares, you can just go into "Change itinerary" and change it from there and then you'll have a credit remaining with your confirmation #. If a lower price comes up for MCO on a Ding special, you'll have to cancel the current reservation and then book the Ding special with the funds under the original confirmation #. To do this, have 2 SW screens up - one to book the Ding and one to cancel the original tickets. As long as you booked your first set of tickets yourself online, then you can do all of the rebooking yourself online also. If you called in to make the original reservation, then you have to call to make any changes.

You can pick up and drop off a car at different airports. Just enter different places for pick-up and drop-off when you make your reservation. Some companies charge a surcharge and others don't, so definitely check around for prices.

Good luck!

 

[4MCMICKEY]

We fly into Tampa half of the time. The airport is extremely easy to navigate. We normally will do 2 one day rentals from Alamo/National and return and pick up at the dolphin. The rentals normally do not charge a one-way surcharge. The drive is very easy. For $700 I would fly into Tampa.

 

[Robert P]

Just FYI - Tampa airport to WDW exit 64B is 72 miles. We drove it last April.
Previous posters have done a great job explaining the unpredictable traffic situation on I-4, though.

 

[disneymarathoner07]

Our flight arrived at 10:00 pm and the drive took about an hour. We rented from the Alamo/National located off of the airport premises. The shuttle was excellent and the check out line there was very minimal. Our flight out was at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday and traffic was fine then too. We would do it again in a heartbeat if there was a big price difference in the 2. I think our price difference at the time was like 80.00 but the little extra drive was much better than the 80.00 and fighting the large Orlando airport IMHO. I'd go for Tampa but like others said I would book 2 one way tickets instead of doing round trip so you could swap one way to Orlando if you found cheap tickets either direction. Good luck