Tampa to WDW - Transportation Options - Suggestions

[cantwaitforwdw]

Flights to Tampa are much cheaper for our December 26th trip - what are some options if flying into Tampa to get to WDW? Looking for the least expensive option for 4, no small kids - so carseats are not required.

 

[Mikey15]

Not any time flexibility but Amtrak from Tampa to Kissimmee is about $14 per person, plus your Ubers at either end.



I checked a one way car rental from TPA to Car Care Center and that’s a touch under $200… I’d say that’s a good “ceiling” number to aim for, since even topping up the gas would be around that $200 point.

No idea what Uber or towncar the whole way would be for comparison.

 

[SteveH]

Made the Tampa to WDW run several times, get a rental and drop off at the Car Care Center, SwanDolphin or a few of the other hotels. Same thing going back.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Rental car will probably be your best bet. You may have to drop off at one of the Disney Springs hotels or off property, though, if you rent from a company other than Alamo/Enterprise/National.

 

[sam_gordon]

My mom lives in Poinciana (about 20 miles south of WDW) and we've flown into Tampa a couple of times. We've always opted for a rental car. The trips we've made have only been a couple of days, so we do RT. I would price out RT as well as two one ways.

BUT, the Tampa airport is smaller than MCO, and as you've noticed, cheaper. Whether the cost savings support a rental car is a different story. Don't forget to factor in how you'd get from MCO to WDW into your calculations.

 

[Mle8308]

We used to do this, but now with the traffic on 1-4 between Orlando and Tampa, it's not really worth it. Factoring in time and the additional cost of transportation, it is just not a good value for me. Plus, once we got caught in the worst rain storm ever (and I did live in Orlando for 15 years) on 1-4 when driving to the Tampa airport, never again. We almost missed our flight despite leaving 4.5 hours prior. Sometimes the savings aren't worth the additional aggravation.

 

[_19disnA]

What you think might be a savings in airfare usually means a higher cost for ground transportation + the extra travel time. A similar discussion takes place on here when someone buys 'cheaper' tickets to Sanford and only later realizes there will be added cost/time associated with ground transportation that eats up some/all of the supposed 'savings'. I would be sure to look at the TOTAL cost (and additional transit time) for the various options to see what makes the most sense.

Depending on how far you are traveling by air, does your party want to spend another 2 hrs or so driving to Disney once you land?

 

[Mouse Tracker]

There is a value on convenience, your time and any additional risks associated with driving are worth consideration.

 

[Lewisc]

You're going to have to save almost $100 pp in air to break even. JMO but I'd want air savings of at least $1000 total to consider it.

I fly into Tampa years ago. I was renting.a car for the trip, either Tampa or MCO. The drive was almost exactly an hour. Driving time is much longer. I don't rent a car. I don't check air fares to Tampa.