Tips needed for first time flyer!

[disneymom99]

Hi All!
My family has been to Disney many times, but we always drive down from the Cleveland area. We are planning another trip for July of 2005 and are planning to fly . I haven't flown since the mid 80's and my DH hasn't flown since the early 90's My 2 DD's ages 12 and 8 have never flown.

I really don't know where to begin when it comes to airlines, when to purchase plane tickets, rental cars etc. We are DVC members, so we will be staying on property, but would like to have a rental car. We are also open to the option of driving an hour or so to airports other than MCO if it means a lower airfare.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

There's a few airlines that fly into Orlando Sanford (SFB), which MAY be cheaper, and is, from what I understand, only about a 30 minute drive. There's also Tampa (TPA) and St Petersburg/Clearwater (PIE), which are more like a 2 hour drive from MCO. I don't know if there's any airports nearby to Cleveland, but you may want to check that in search of a lower airfare.

Cleveland is a hub for Continental Airlines, so most of the direct flights you'll find will probably be on Continental, however, other carriers may have nonstops to Orlando, as it's a vacation destination.

As far as booking airfare, I generally use expedia or orbitz to see what options are available, as these 2 sites will check with multiple airlines. If you find any at a price you like, I'd then go to your airline's own website to book the fare.

Other people on this board are far more knowledgable about rental cars, but the big companies, National, Avis, Hertz, Budget, and Dollar are all roughly equivalent in terms of car options, but some are much more likely to give discounts than others are.

As far as the actual flying, you'll want to make sure that you wear comfortable clothes for your flight, and try to minimize metal, both in your clothes, and in your pockets. Generally, each passenger is allowed one carry on item, and one "personal item" (which can include laptop case, small purse, etc). You'll want to have most of your stuff (and ALL "pointy objects") in your checked luggage, but I like to keep a change of clothes in my carry on, just in case the airline happens to lose your luggage.