tampa airport

[dragonye]

checking around I noticed that flying into Tampa would save me about 50 per ticket..We are renting a car regardless.. How far is Tampa vs Orlando?? Is it a easy trip or not worth the savings?

 

[Robo]

checking around I noticed that flying into Tampa would save me about 50 per ticket..We are renting a car regardless..


1- How far is Tampa vs Orlando??

2- Is it a easy trip or not worth the savings?

1- A bit over 85 miles by road.

2- It'll take over 90 minutes on the highway under the best conditions,
but if you encounter a "rush hour" on either end, that can slow you down on many days.

Up to you.

 

[ambertides]

checking around I noticed that flying into Tampa would save me about 50 per ticket..We are renting a car regardless.. How far is Tampa vs Orlando?? Is it a easy trip or not worth the savings?

We travel it all the time, so it doesn't seem like a big deal for us, but if you aren't used to it, it might seem like forever. Definitely try to avoid the Tampa I-275/I-4 bit during rush hour. It takes us about an hour to 90 minutes from Tampa itself (we're about 30 minutes from Tampa) depending on how fast DH decides to drive.

 

[mauigal]

I think it is worth it! I work for an airline and when I travel for pleasure I have to fly 'stand by' and have had to fly into or out of Tampa many times due to loads....it takes about an hour! 50 dollars a person is a big savings!

 

[Bdawg]

From the Tampa airport (not during rush hour 80-90min).. during rush hour... your guess is as good as mine! The drive (again not during rush hour) isn't bad at all, get on 275 which merges in to I-4 and straight down to Disney.

 

[CleoPahd]

We just did this on our trip last week and we thought it was completely worth the savings on the airline tickets. The ride took us about 1 hr 20 min to Disney. On the way back we hit a little traffic and it took us 1 hr 30 min. I would do it again in a heartbeat if the price was right. It was so much faster getting in and out of the airport, the luggage came so quickly and the route was pretty straight all the way.

 

[SharkBruce]

I have used the Tampa airport a few times and find it to be a non-issue. I like the fact that the Hertz lot is attached to the airport which saves time from boarding the bus and heading off of the airport entirely to pick up the car (as is the case with Orlando). I have waited 20+ minutes for a bus sometimes.

If you ae travelling on a weekend, rush-hour is not an issue.

The ride is easy and goes fast. Once you get past downtown Tampa, it is really just over an hour.

 

[disnut8]

We once had the second leg of our trip (from St. Louis to Orlando) canceled. The next flight was not until the next day. The only choices we had were to either sleep in the airport, check into a nearby hotel (we did not live in St. Louis), or find a flight into Tampa. We fly into Tampa. I thought the drive was very manageable.

I'd work out the savings and if it's going to be to your advantage, I'd do it. Just more $$$ for you at Disney World.

 

[knieriem]

It only takes us 50 minutes to drive from where we live in Tampa (Brandon) to WDW MainGate.

 

[rie'smom]

We've flown into TPA a bunch and it has seldom taken us 90 minutes to get to WDW. It is a very easy, very pleasant drive. I actually prefer it to MCO which is always crazy busy.

 

[kristinlynn]

We've done the Tampa to Orlando drive and never had a problem with it. Keep in mind you might not have to fly in and out of the same airport. We frequently fly Airtran into Tampa and out of MCO just because the flight times work out better.

Also, don't forget to factor in the rental car price ... it could end up being more expensive or even cheaper to rent in Tampa vs. Orlando.

 

[wmharley]

It only takes us 50 minutes to drive from where we live in Tampa (Brandon) to WDW MainGate.

same as me... and the bullet train want us to spend $30 on a one way trip in slightly less time. no thanks.

 

[safetymom]

I have used the Tampa airport a few times and find it to be a non-issue. I like the fact that the Hertz lot is attached to the airport which saves time from boarding the bus and heading off of the airport entirely to pick up the car (as is the case with Orlando). I have waited 20+ minutes for a bus sometimes.

If you ae travelling on a weekend, rush-hour is not an issue.

The ride is easy and goes fast. Once you get past downtown Tampa, it is really just over an hour.

Hertz is now on airport property now. No shuttle needed.

 

[pixarmom]

We flew into Tampa last month, but only because my husband had a conference in Clearwater before we went to Disney. (If it was just WDW, we love Magical Express and would fly into Orlando.)

But if OP is renting a car anyway, I'd agree that it's worth the savings. We thought it was an easy and quick drive - one way was in the early morning (6:30am) and the return to the airport was for a 7:30pm flight. No problems either way. We allowed plenty of time for the return, but the drive was so quick that we ended up having lots of extra time at the airport!

 

[FluffedMojo]

Just to echo everybody's sentiments...I go to University of South Florida in Tampa and my girlfriend goes to University of Central Florida, so I make the Tampa to Orlando drive back and forth all the time. Disney's even closer than Orlando. Not a bad drive at all, 90 minutes with no traffic...you get to see some cool things on the way, like the "Hidden Mickey" Power Line, the plane from Fantasy of Flights, and Dinosaur World!

As a kid...I always considered this drive to be synonymous with Disney. It's actually really hard when I drive to see the GF and I pass by Disney, knowing we won't be going that weekend!

 

[nytimez]

I fly to and from Tampa all the time... and drive to and from WDW from Tampa all the time. If I was just going to WDW, though, for $50 I'd fly to Orlando. If you have 5 or 6 people and you're going to save $250-$300 total, though, then consider Tampa.

As others have pointed out, the traffic can be awful. I-4 at Himes is actually considered the central point in America's Worst Commute, according to Fortune or some other magazine earlier this year. But you can hit bad traffic anywhere along the route. Doesn't mean you will -- but you certainly could.

Without traffic, I can make it from Tampa airport to WDW in about 70 minutes without breaking too many laws. If you've got a leadfoot (and no traffic), you could do it quicker.

 

[POB14]

you get to see some cool things on the way, like the "Hidden Mickey" Power Line, the plane from Fantasy of Flights, and Dinosaur World!

That "hidden Mickey" power line is my "official sign" that I'm in the World! We usually do a couple of days with my inlaws (Sun City Center), a couple Disney days, and a couple days back in SCC, so we make that drive every year. We fly into St Pete/Clearwater, though, not Tampa.

Generally we get up early, drive up to Orlando, check into the hotel, then go to a park. They text you when your room is ready now.

 

[ambertides]

...you get to see some cool things on the way, like the "Hidden Mickey" Power Line, the plane from Fantasy of Flights, and Dinosaur World!

Don't forget the metal trailers sticking up out of the ground.

 

[FluffedMojo]

Don't forget the metal trailers sticking up out of the ground.

Ack! How could I forget!

 

[joe1946]

I think you'll find that a rental car is much cheaper if you pick it up at TPA instead of MCO.