Sydney to Orlando travel advice

[PlutoDisney]

Hi guys,
This is the first time I have visited this section as my family and I emigrated from the UK to Sydney in November 2012. While we are well used to flying from the UK to Orlando we are not familiar with flying from Sydney to Orlando.

I would appreciate any help or advice you can give me on the best way to make this trip, best airlines, stop overs etc. Thanks in advance, Catherine x

 

[mickeyd78]

I'm in Melbourne, but the same routine getting to Orlando from Sydney.

Basically, I always look for a direct flight from Australia to LAX. I know it can be cheaper flying through NZ, but this adds to an already long journey. I find Qantas and Virgin offer good service and amenities. If flying Qantas, try booking a flight on an A380 - much quieter and better pressurisation, so you feel better at the other end. It really does make a difference.

Once at LAX, you can either transfer to a US domestic flight to Orlando or stop the night in LA. We have done both and by far I prefer an overnight stop in LA. I don't love LA, but it's a mighty long journy to do in one go. We find that we arrive in much better shape if we stop for a night. There are plenty of cheap airport hotels - we prefer the Westin LAX, which is really nice and can usually be booked for $120 - $190 a night, depending on when you are booking and travelling.

On Qantas, you land at LAX around 7am, so you can go check into the hotel and then spend the day shopping etc - there is a $5 shuttle bus that will take you to Manhatten Beach and Mall. Keep you awake and helps adjust to the new time zone.

The next day we usually fly direct LAX to MCO - usually on Virgin America. They are a great airline, reasonably priced. Great staff and new planes. They also have a direct flight that leaves at 8am and arrives at Orlando around 4pm, which is a good time to arrive to get to Disney and check in.

The problem with flying all the way through, apart from the length of the trip and exhaustion is trying to connect flights at LAX. You never know how long it will take to clear customs (it has taken me 15 min on one trip - over an hour on anther), and check in at LAX is crazy too. I'd be stressing I'd miss my flight - particularly if the flight from Australia is late (which has happened to me numerous times). The only way to avoid that is to book a connecting flight in the afternoon, which leads to a looong wait at LAX when all you want is a shower and a lay down Also makes for a very late arrival at MCO.

So my advice -

-Fly direct Syd to LAX on Virgin Australia or Qantas.
-Stay the night at an LAX hotel - relax and recover
-Continue your journey the next morning - and check out Virgin America. I highly recommend them

 

[AussieNSW]

There are 2 alternative ways that I can think of to go to Orlando from Sydney both offer a different stop over than the traditional routes. Sydney to Dallas/Fortworth flying Qantas you could have a stop over there and have a look around and then a short flight to Orlando. Sydney to NewYork a few days there and then domestic to Orlando. We actually did a combination of these. We flew Sydney NewYork with Qantas. Then to Orlando with JetBlue spent some time in Orlando took a Disney cruise then drove back up to Washington DC. Caught a train back then to NewYork. Flew NewYork to Lax with JetBlue so that could also go to Carsland in Anaheim. We then flew home to Sydney from LAX. We had what they call an open jaw ticket you fly into one place and leave from another. This gave us the opportunity to see a lot of the east coast of the USA which is what we wanted to do.

 

[australiankaren]

normally they are quicker than this...so I'll start

you need to hunt the airfare (work out school hol dates)....we hunt and stalk for about 3-6 months as airfares from oz arent as good as from the UK....

i like delta & Qantas for economy, Air new zealand and virgin for prem econ & business.

If you chase frequent flyer points, sign up for all the major airlines for your entire family.

we do syd-lax (onight lax) then early flight to orlando MCO on either delta or virgin america

coming back try and have a lay over of a few days in LA then home (surprising the 15 hrs lax-syd seems longer than LHR-Syd trip)

lax hotels range around $100 for the hilton, westin etc with free shuttle to/from airport

but key is...HUNT, make excel spread sheets and check the sites twice daily...oh and check on here too........this is a full time job so be prepared.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hi guys,
This is the first time I have visited this section as my family and I emigrated from the UK to Sydney in November 2012. While we are well used to flying from the UK to Orlando we are not familiar with flying from Sydney to Orlando.

I would appreciate any help or advice you can give me on the best way to make this trip, best airlines, stop overs etc. Thanks in advance, Catherine x

Welcome to the ANZAC section of the boards....and welcome to Oz. Hope you and the family are enjoying Sydney.


Airlines - My preference is for direct flights to LA or SF. I fly out of Melbourne; so my options of direct flights are limited. Out of Sydney, you have more choice for direct flights.

Cost effective flights - Book early. If you know when you want to go, wait for the deals to come out and buy your long haul early.

To Stopover or not - That will depend on how you and the family travel. My family prefers to have a stopover in LA. Invariably, this means that we hit both DLR and WDW in the same trip. We don't love LA (we LOVE LOVE San Francisco); but if we stay at Anaheim and go to Disneyland, it's not that bad.
The others will have a different viewpoint, and some may recommend flying direct to MCO. This is a personal choice.


You may want to cram as much as possible into a trip to the US. It IS a long way to fly from Oz. I would recommend that you add extra time to your destinations; rather than having extra destinations and less time.

I also stalk the exchange rate - and convert money when the exchange hits a point that I like.

 

[Sugarglider]

my last two trips have been on Qantas / AA via DFW. I don't mind this route but I am not convinced it is the best way to go.

the flight doesn't leave Sydney until mid afternoon / overnight flight get into DFW in afternoon and land at MCO at 9pm.

When I travelled via LA, I got on a morning flight - during which you can stay awake the whole flight. Less layover time in LAX - then fly 6 hours or so to MCO and landed at 4:30pm - so you can get into to WDW in time for dinner. So I feel a bit like less time actually travelling and had some time in MK before bed.

i've only ever gone Qantas / AA but everyone here and online seems very keen on Virgin!

 

[zanzibar138]

I haven't actually been to WDW, but just have a couple of tips regarding airlines and connections.

I have flown long haul on both Virgin and Qantas, and both have been fine. If both were the same cost and frequent flyer programs weren't coming into it, I'd probably choose Virgin. Don't know if you've done any research on airfares yet, but expect sticker shock compared to airfares from the UK. Start looking early and book when there's a sale that works for you. It can also help to be a bit flexible on dates and be able to leave the day before/after if it will save $500 on airfares.

If you want to get there in one go (which is personally what I am planning to do when I eventually do go), make sure that you book all the way through to Orlando on the same ticket. Then if you don't make your connection due to a problem out of your control which has caused delays, it's up to them to get you on another flight at no additional cost. If you book flights to LA, then book domestic flights to Orlando at another time/with another airline, it is up to you and you alone to be on time for that connecting flight, and you are at risk of having to purchase more airfares for your whole family if there are problems (even beyond your control) that cause delays.

I would add a stopover in LA (to check out Disneyland of course!) on the way home to break up the flights. Coming home is never fun anyway, may as well draw it out as long as possible

 

[Melbourne5]

Only done the trip to mco once but was pleased with the route from Sydney to Dallas ( long flight) and overnight in Dfw airport Hyatt and then a quick morning flight (around 1.5 hrs) the next day to orlando. Made it much easier with 3 kids to hit the parks I think with the shorter 2nd flight rather than a 5 hr one ( lax-mco)

 

[Twilight Terror]

PlutoDisney's sister here, just adding to all the possibilities!

We are DVC members, so could stay a couple of nights (space permitting!) at The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on points and negate any additional money for a hotel room. I also have two entry tickets, so we would just have to pay for one adult ticket and we could do a day at DLC!

So, has anyone done this, or similar, and what do you all think about this option:

- Arrive at LAX and head to Grand Californian Hotel, chill for the afternoon/evening (depending on time we arrive in LAX) / have an explore
- Spend whole day in Disneyland / California Adventure park
- Get up early next morning and take early morning flight to Orlando and hit WDW with vengeance!

 

[alicia1506]

i think your options sound great, and spending time at dvc at gch sounds like a great plan... also, i'm with aussiekaren, direct flights only... it may sound unbearable for a 14 or 15 hour direct flight, but it actually makes the overall journey (ie, hassle) shorter than breaking it up via nz or hawaii etc.

we love virgin australia to fly with, we fly from brisbane but your choices for syd-lax are probably more numerous we also choose virgin america for the lax-mco leg of the journey. if you do want to fly direct, vaustralia syd-lax then delta lax-mco is a good combination as they codeshare and you can get the 2 flights on the same ticket, meaning if you miss your connection, it's their responsibility to get you to your destination, not yours

if you wanted to do syd-lax, then dvc at gch for 2 nights/1day at dlr/dca then lax-mco, that would be a really great way to break up your trip and help adjust to the timezones.

aussie flights from syd tend to get into lax around early morning (7-8.30 depending on carrier) so heading straight to dlr sounds like a great plan (and exactly what we did last time). just ensure that you use a private shuttle or cab or car service for getting from anaheim to lax for an early morning flight. an 8am lax flight will only get you to mco at 4pm or so, so not much of your day left in mco, and the dlr express won't get you to lax in time for your early morning flight. we have gone with karmel shuttle for our early morning dlr-lax transport. the dlr express can only get you there by 7am, and that is with no guarantees.

good luck with your planning and i also recommend.. stalk those airline websites

 

[PrincessInOz]

PlutoDisney's sister here, just adding to all the possibilities!

We are DVC members, so could stay a couple of nights (space permitting!) at The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on points and negate any additional money for a hotel room. I also have two entry tickets, so we would just have to pay for one adult ticket and we could do a day at DLC!

So, has anyone done this, or similar, and what do you all think about this option:

- Arrive at LAX and head to Grand Californian Hotel, chill for the afternoon/evening (depending on time we arrive in LAX) / have an explore
- Spend whole day in Disneyland / California Adventure park
- Get up early next morning and take early morning flight to Orlando and hit WDW with vengeance!

That's me. I've done that a number of times where we've spent 2 nights in Anaheim just to have a day at Disney before heading out elsewhere. It is completely doable; especially if you stay up and crash at night, LA time. We normally wake up and in the right time zone; no jet lag.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

There are 2 alternative ways that I can think of to go to Orlando from Sydney both offer a different stop over than the traditional routes. Sydney to Dallas/Fortworth flying Qantas you could have a stop over there and have a look around and then a short flight to Orlando. Sydney to NewYork a few days there and then domestic to Orlando. We actually did a combination of these. We flew Sydney NewYork with Qantas. Then to Orlando with JetBlue spent some time in Orlando took a Disney cruise then drove back up to Washington DC. Caught a train back then to NewYork. Flew NewYork to Lax with JetBlue so that could also go to Carsland in Anaheim. We then flew home to Sydney from LAX. We had what they call an open jaw ticket you fly into one place and leave from another. This gave us the opportunity to see a lot of the east coast of the USA which is what we wanted to do.

Just out of curiosity, is there a direct flight from Sydney to New York?
If so, I'm going to file this information to the back of my brain for future trips to the U.S.

 

[cola]

All flights stop on the west coast before going to the east coast, just because of the fuel issue and crew turnover, but there are flights ticketed from AUstralia east coast to NY.



I like getting to the US west coast as quickly as possible and just recover from the time zone change in the one place. If you break the trip in LA/San Fran, you end up losing another day travelling, an early morning flight from LA will get you in late afternoon in Orlando because of the time differences, add all the extra time getting to and from the airport/through security/etc it adds up quickly. I'm not much of a morning person, so going US east coast to US west coast allows me to be a morning person for a couple of days with the time zone difference. Going from Australia to either US coast you just feel out of sorts with the lack of sleep, dehydration and time zone difference that makes you wake up at totally the wrong time on either coast.

 

[AussieNSW]

Hi yes there is a direct flight from Sydney to NewYork with Qantas. We caught it September 2012. They call it direct but what actually happens is you arrive in LAX and go to customs/immigration enter the United States and then reboarded another Qantas plane after a short wait. I thought that I would not like this idea but it was really nice to have a walk and use facilities that weren't on a plane. I was then able to settle down for the next Approx 5/6 hours to NewYork. We arrived in NewYork early evening, we then went to our hotel in Times Square put our luggage in, had dinner and went for a long walk. The shops were open quite late. Our family found this to be perfect for us. We then went to bed and woke up ready to hit NewYork.

 

[Minniemum]

Hi guys,
This is the first time I have visited this section as my family and I emigrated from the UK to Sydney in November 2012. While we are well used to flying from the UK to Orlando we are not familiar with flying from Sydney to Orlando.

I would appreciate any help or advice you can give me on the best way to make this trip, best airlines, stop overs etc. Thanks in advance, Catherine x

Welcome Catherine

Having emigrated from the UK you will be no stranger to long haul travel. How much of it you are able to cope with will be personal.

The facts of plane travel from SYD - MCO:

SYD - LAX = 14 hour flight.
Minimum connection time in LAX = 1 1/2 hours
LAX - MCO = 5.5 hours
Total Travel time = 21 hours

This would be the best case scenario.

Most flights will go via LAX. SFO and DFW are other options. If you go via DFW, your return leg will also go via BNE before stopping in SYD.

You burn 2 days (1 day to get there and 1 day to get back) before you've even started your holiday so the more direct flights you can take the better.

If you leave SYD at 11am and arrive at LAX at 8.30am, it will be 12.30am in Syd. Do you sleep on planes? Note this is mainly a daytime flight. How will you cope with a day at DLR without much sleep? Will your adrenaline get you through? How quickly does your body clock adjust?

If you fly all the way through to MCO and arrive at 6pm it will be akin to 8am Syd time. The flight from LAX to MCO is also a daytime flight making it much harder to sleep.

Flying home from MCO - LAX. Leave MCO at 7pm arrive at LAX at 9pm
Leave LAX 11.30pm. This is an evening flight so the lights will be dimmed making it much easier to sleep.

Airlines: You really can't go wrong with Qantas and Virgin. Virgin has the better Frequent Flyer program if you have a family (read up on their Family Pooling option). Delta only has 1 bag per person in economy. United are in the process of updating their planes so you will need to check if they have inflight entertainment (IFE). All reports are that Air New Zealand are fantastic but you will need to make an extra stop in NZ.

Now for our personal preferences. We are conditioned to long haul travel so flying all the way through is not a big issue for us. We stopped in LAX once on the way over but our preference is to fly all the way through. This has probably more to do with the fact that we have done a lot of the west coast and that we just can't wait to get to WDW!

We also love our late return flight from MCO - LAX. On our final day we get a good half day at one of WDW parks before heading back to our hotel in time for our 3pm ME pickup.

As others have mentioned, we prefer to buy an all in one ticket. It allows us international baggage limits - 2 per person for all our flights, as well as the security of knowing if we miss our connection due to a late flight arrival it's the onus of the airlines to find us alternative flight/s at no cost.

PlutoDisney's sister here, just adding to all the possibilities!

We are DVC members, so could stay a couple of nights (space permitting!) at The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on points and negate any additional money for a hotel room. I also have two entry tickets, so we would just have to pay for one adult ticket and we could do a day at DLC!

So, has anyone done this, or similar, and what do you all think about this option:

- Arrive at LAX and head to Grand Californian Hotel, chill for the afternoon/evening (depending on time we arrive in LAX) / have an explore
- Spend whole day in Disneyland / California Adventure park
- Get up early next morning and take early morning flight to Orlando and hit WDW with vengeance!

Don't delay it, head straight to the parks on Day 1! With Aussie flight arrivals so early, you will find that you can be in the parks by midday. There are quite a few different rides and shows compared to WDW so make the most of it. .

 

[Busy Busy]

There are so many ways to do it!!

We flew Sydney to LAX and the took the Magical Express to the Paradise Pier, we were in our room by 12.30pm. We hit Disneyland straight away and lasted until about 4.00pm, (the kids were 5 & 11), back to the room, had a sleep until 7.00pm, dinner and a wander around DTD, then bed. By morning we were up and at it with no problems at all.

Then we flew on the "red-eye" to NYC. This was great as it gave us a whole last day in the park and then saved us on a night of accommodation. Arrival into NYC was a bit rough at 5.30am (Times Square was so quiet - amazing!), $20 to the guy on the desk at the Doubletree and we were in our room by 6.30am!! A shower and another quick sleep and we were out on the streets by 11.am.

This time, just like in 2011, we are flying through LAX straight on to NYC, I don't usually sleep much from Sydney to LAX, but I am so tired that I crash on the LAX to NYC leg. We will arrive in NYC at about 5.00pm, into Manhattan, pizza for dinner and a wander around Times Square, then off to bed. Things are usually just fine in the morning (although we find ourselves awake at about 5.30am!)

Obviously this info is only of interest if you are going to New York - but why wouldn't you??!! ** N Y C **

We are definitely fans of the most direct and time efficient route.