SWS flights - what would you do?

[Bobo912]

I found two pretty good choices but don't know which to choose. The first Delta choice from Nashville leaves really early, but we usually handle early fights and long days pretty well. We've often taken a 6:00AMish flight to Orlando and then stayed at Magic Kingdom until midnight or later without dropping from exhaustion, but this is even earlier than that! The second Delta choice arrive in Phoenix at 11:47, so that's cutting it close to the 12:00 recommended arrival time. What time does the tour actually leave the Phoenix airport? I am a person who likes to arrive early, so this option makes me a little nervous. The American flight leaves from Grand Junction a lot later than the Delta flight, and I'm concerned how long we'll have to hang out at the airport, where I know from previous posts that there's nothing to do. What time does ABD drop you off at GJT? Is there a place to charge up the iPod? As long as DS can play video games, he will be okay. The AA flight is only $15 per person higher, so price difference is insignificant. We already have some miles on AA and our flight to Ecuador in March is on AA, so adding to our miles total is a plus. TIA for any advice. Here are the flight details:

American
BNA 07:10 AM PHX 10:10 AM with 40 minute layover in Dallas

GJT 04:40PM BNA 11:05 PM with 1:30 layover in Dallas

Delta choice #1
BNA 5:30am PHX 9:43am 44 minute layover in Altanta

GJT 1:15pm BNA 9:15pm 2:34 layover in Salt Lake City

Delta choice #2
BNA 7:45am PHX 11:47am 52 minute layover in Salt Lake City

GJT 1:15pm BNA 9:15pm 2:34 layover in Salt Lake City

 

[sayhello]

I'm having a hard time answering this, because I would never fly in the day the tour starts. Remember that this tour is all one transfer, from Phoenix to Sedona via Montezuma's Castle. If your connection in Dallas or wherever goes south, either you're going to have 38 people waiting for you, possibly missing out on Montezuma's Castle, or they're going to have to arrange other transport for you, and you'll miss out on Montezuma's castle. I think it's one thing when the tour starts in your city of arrival, but this one does not. I'm sure you have reasons for arriving the day of, but that's just my opinion.

That said, I would not pick the flight that arrived at 11:47am. Again, with the problems I've had flying over the last couple of years, I'd never count on making that (especially with only a 52 minute layover).

The Grand Junction airport is really small & really dead. I'm pretty sure they dropped us off at the airport at around 10am. That's a LONG time in a dead airport. I cannot recall if there were electrical plugs available (since we couldn't even get to the boarding area for like an hour or so, and sat in a pretty empty room until then). So I'd recommend the earlier flight. I was ready to kill someone by 1pm. But then again, we weren't given the option of a boxed lunch (and didn't know to ask) so I hadn't had anything but junk to eat.

I hate to recommend leaving at 5:30 am. I know a lot of people who arrived the day of were seriously pooped by the end of the day. Remember you're going the opposite direction as Orlando, so "the end of the day" is going to be a few hours later than at WDW. But if you think you can handle it, that's the one I'd recommend. I wouldn't be able to handle it (I forget things when I leave really, really early) but if you can, go for it.

Obviously just my opinion! I'm sure others will chime in!

Sayhello

 

[lb4747694]

If this were my trip, i would just come in the day before. 40 minutes may be the acceptable Minimum Connect Time with these carriers, but if your inbound is delayed and you miss your connection, there probably isn't another flight to get you to PHX by noon. Not to mention if you're checking bags, there's a good chance they might not show up.

I'm no fan of Southwest, but I'd probably just take their evening non-stop and save yourself the aggravation and worry.

That being said, I think Delta #1 is your best outbound option.

 

[Pakey]

Since I fly west to east a lot, I've changed in these airports with these airlines often.

I'm not sure how far out you are from actually going but Delta changes their flights a lot. That arrival time could change by several hours between now and 6 months from now. The SLC airport is very small and you can change planes quickly but I've had Delta change my flights to where I was arriving in SLC AFTER my connecting flight has left.

I'd probably go AA through Dallas but that's a long wait at Grand Junction on your return.

 

[sayhello]

Since I fly west to east a lot, I've changed in these airports with these airlines often.

I'm not sure how far out you are from actually going but Delta changes their flights a lot. That arrival time could change by several hours between now and 6 months from now. The SLC airport is very small and you can change planes quickly but I've had Delta change my flights to where I was arriving in SLC AFTER my connecting flight has left.

I'd probably go AA through Dallas but that's a long wait at Grand Junction on your return.

You have a REALLY good point there. That would be why I hate Delta passionately. I guess I was trying to be objective.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

I don't have any reason for flying on the day the tour starts other than I don't want to be responsible for anything other than calling Disney and giving them my credit card number. Since this tour commences at the airport, I'm assuming ABD isn't going to provide transportation for any pre-nights. Is that right? Does everyone who takes this trip fly in early? Another day-of option would be to fly Southwest leaving at 6:50 arriving in Phoenix at 10:55 with a 1:25 layover in Denver. Southwest has direct flights but the earliest arrives at 12:15. One reason I didn't consider Southwest was because they don't fly to Grand Junction, so I'd have to fly home on another airline. And the round-trip fare on both AA and Delta was less than the one way return fare from GJT on either airline. But at least with Soutwest I could be sure the schedule wouldn't change.

 

[sayhello]

I don't have any reason for flying on the day the tour starts other than I don't want to be responsible for anything other than calling Disney and giving them my credit card number. Since this tour commences at the airport, I'm assuming ABD isn't going to provide transportation for any pre-nights. Is that right? Does everyone who takes this trip fly in early? Another day-of option would be to fly Southwest leaving at 6:50 arriving in Phoenix at 10:55 with a 1:25 layover in Denver. Southwest has direct flights but the earliest arrives at 12:15. One reason I didn't consider Southwest was because they don't fly to Grand Junction, so I'd have to fly home on another airline. And the round-trip fare on both AA and Delta was less than the one way return fare from GJT on either airline. But at least with Soutwest I could be sure the schedule wouldn't change.

I don't remember for sure if they had pre-nights in Phoenix. I don't believe they did, but I just can't say for sure. If they *DO* offer pre-nights, the pre-nights I've seen have always included transfers.

I really urge you to fly in the day before. There are a lot of hotels near the Phoenix airport, and all you need to do is get back to the airport in time for the pickup.

Sayhello

 

[JPWDW]

American Airlines have a great service and hospiality.

 

[lb4747694]

Having (expecting) everyone to be at an airport by noon is not really a well designed tour. It's fine if you live near a major hub, but makes it just about impossible if you don't.

 

[Bobo912]

Having (expecting) everyone to be at an airport by noon is not really a well designed tour. It's fine if you live near a major hub, but makes it just about impossible if you don't.

That's the one thing I don't like about this itinerary. With the other ABD trips we've taken it didn't matter what time we arrived, because the tour didn't officially kick off until the next morning. I want to take a trip for my son's birthday, which would be the 7/5 SWS. So if we fly in a day early, we would be flying on the 4th of July, which isn't very appealing to me. I had made up my mind that I was going to book this trip as soon as I decided on a flight, and before the Visa gift card offer expires, but I think I will see how the Tauck Bridges trip timeline compares. They have a trip starting on July 2, and I'm pretty sure it will be easier to find flights since the trip starts in Phoenix and ends in Las Vegas. And all you have to do is arrive at the airport in time to be tranported to the hotel before the welcome dinner at 5:30. And even if you're late, all you'll miss is the dinner, since the real tour starts the next morning.

 

[Aunt Cawa]

When we took the SWS in 2007, we came in the day before. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Tempe. They have a van which picks you up at the airport. The next day their airport van took us back to the airport. We found that worked out for us very well. The hotel is not very far from the airport. Since we were flying from the East Coast, we liked being able to get a nice dinner and some sleep before the trip started. We liked the Embassy Suites so much that we went back to the area last year and stayed there again.

If you have any questions, please let me know! The trip is really great!

 

[Bobo912]

When we took the SWS in 2007, we came in the day before. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Tempe. They have a van which picks you up at the airport. The next day their airport van took us back to the airport. We found that worked out for us very well. The hotel is not very far from the airport. Since we were flying from the East Coast, we liked being able to get a nice dinner and some sleep before the trip started. We liked the Embassy Suites so much that we went back to the area last year and stayed there again.

If you have any questions, please let me know! The trip is really great!

Thanks for the info. Do you think there would be anything interesting to do in the area around the hotel on the 4th of July?

 

[Aunt Cawa]

Sorry I really don't know about July4th doings. We spent almost 2 weeks there last spring for Cactus League. Tempe is a great town and I am sure they have at least fireworks going on. You will be limited without a car. The hotel is not really very close to the light rail. They do have a nice Garcia's restaurant and the hotel hosts a manager's reception every night with drinks and snacks. They also have a nice pool.

When we stayed there before the SWS trip, we were so tired from flying all day we just ate and hit the sack.

By the way Happy Birthday to your son, that is my birthday too!

Hope this helps!

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks! Actually, sitting by the pool with a drink doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the 4th. Flying in early solves the flight dilemma for sure, because the Delta fare is the same, but American's fare is $150 per person more flying in on the 4th.

 

[Aunt Cawa]

Glad I could help! When we stayed there last spring there was a big baseball tournament going on and the pool was a big hit with the kids.

Someone who works with my husband grew up in Tempe and she recommended this hotel. We were really pleased with it.

I tried to post a link to the Tempe tourism page but I can't get it to work. Just google Tempe tourism. They have a nice website with all kinds of information. Also I forgot, the Embassy Suites provides free breakfast that includes cooked to order omelets. Can't beat that!

 

[Smuggs]

If you fly in early, where is a good place to stay? I know sayhello rented a car to go to Scottsdale, but for one night I don't want to do that. Anyplace other than Embassy Suites that is resort type good in the Tempe/Phoenix area that anyone has stayed at? I will take a cab.

 

[Bobo912]

If you fly in early, where is a good place to stay? I know sayhello rented a car to go to Scottsdale, but for one night I don't want to do that. Anyplace other than Embassy Suites that is resort type good in the Tempe/Phoenix area that anyone has stayed at? I will take a cab.

I don't have any personal experience, but I found this article:

http://phoenix.about.com/cs/stay/a/aaAAAresorts01.htm

 

[glassslipper2004]

I agree with the other posters that the fact that this tour leaves straight from the airport at noon is a flaw. We had a flight that morning but by the time we got there and found the group there were about 30 people already there waiting for us - our guides said "quick, go grab something really quick for lunch to eat on the bus." We ran to the fast food area and got lunch to go; this was not a relaxing way to begin. So I guess my first piece of advice is either try to get a flight that gets you in with lots of leeway (hard when the deadline is noon) or fly in the day before.

That said, the entire SWS Disney tour was wonderful. If you can manage to get in the day before, that would solve the above problem.

As far as the GJ airport, we had a lot of time to kill but it wasn't all that painful. We actually walked from the airport down to where the small restaurants/stores were, had some pizza, and walked back up, where we spent another few hours quietly killing time at the airport. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker by any means.

 

[Bobo912]

Delta has a lot of flights to choose from on 7/4. All the other airline's fares are considerably higher, so they are out of the running for now. I'm ruling out flights that arrive at night, since if we're going to fly in early we might as well have a nice relaxing evening before the tour starts. A lot of the options include a commuter jet leg, which I would like to avoid if possible. Those little planes kinda give me the creeps. So these are the best (and most inexpensive) choices:

8:35am BNA 1:47pm PHX 1 hr 11m Layover in Detroit

7:45am BNA 11:47am PHX 52 minutes layover in Salt Lake City

I don't know anything about the Detroit or Salt Lake City airports, so if anybody is familiar with them, can you give me an idea of whether the layover times look okay. Another option is this one which is about $30 per person more, so definitely doable.

6:30am BNA 11:58am PHX 1hr 45m layover in Atlanta

 

[Tozzie]

Delta has a lot of flights to choose from on 7/4. All the other airline's fares are considerably higher, so they are out of the running for now. I'm ruling out flights that arrive at night, since if we're going to fly in early we might as well have a nice relaxing evening before the tour starts. A lot of the options include a commuter jet leg, which I would like to avoid if possible. Those little planes kinda give me the creeps. So these are the best (and most inexpensive) choices:

8:35am BNA 1:47pm PHX 1 hr 11m Layover in Detroit

7:45am BNA 11:47am PHX 52 minutes layover in Salt Lake City

I don't know anything about the Detroit or Salt Lake City airports, so if anybody is familiar with them, can you give me an idea of whether the layover times look okay. Another option is this one which is about $30 per person more, so definitely doable.

6:30am BNA 11:58am PHX 1hr 45m layover in Atlanta

I know alot of people have issues with Delta but I fly them almost exclusively and am happy with them. I have changed planes a few times in SLC with delta and the gates were really close together, maybe 5 minutes to get from one to the other