Traveling from IL/MO to FL

[KrystenM93]

Anyone from the IL area...what's the best way to get to Orlando, FL?
I am about 30 minutes from St. Louis, MO.
We have been to Disney many times and it varies whether we drive or fly.
The last few times we have drove just because flying has been SO expensive.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks for finding cheaper flights?
Is it better to fly to a different airport, then drive the rest of the way?
I'm tired of putting all the miles on my own car when we drive.
Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Narnia_girl]

I'm about two hours from St. Louis and we have also taken various routes to Orlando. I prefer not to drive because of the traffic, especially between Nashville/Atlanta and on....

One option is to fly Allegiant to Sanford Airport. Not sure what direction you are from St. Louis, but we have flown Allegiant out of Belleville, Bloomington and Springfield, IL. They are all nice, clean airports with free parking. The flights can be much cheaper, but there are some drawbacks. You pay extra for bags (unlike Southwest) so when five of us fly, we only pay for bags for 2 and try to pack light. They do allow a small personal item and our teen son is able to pack enough clothes for a long weekend in that bag.
Also, you arrive at Sanford Airport and is a bit farther away. Finally, Allegiant sometimes cancels flights and if that happens it's inconvenient as their schedule is not full of flights like Southwest. Still, although I'd prefer Southwest from STL to MCO, if Allegiant is more affordable and it means I don't have to drive to Florida, I'd fly Allegiant.

 

[KrystenM93]

I looked into Allegiant for this year's trip. I just wasn't crazy about the times of the flights. We would end up getting to Disney much later in the evening than I had hoped for. I know I will probably have to just get over it and go with Southwest or drive again. The last time we drove, I went down to Oxford MS, then over to Montgomery, AL and then Valdosta, GA. Stayed the night in Valdosta and then headed to Disney the following morning. There wasn't much traffic at all and it wasn't a hard drive...just long!

 

[ajwolfe]

We are about an 1 1/2 hrs from St L and always drive to WDW. We've taken a couple different routes but the fastest and easiest is thru Nashville and Atlanta. Plus there are plenty of exits and places to eat along that route. The route thru Alabama and Mississippi is pretty scarce and a longer drive.

 

[iivye]

We've flown Frontier from STL to Orlando when they had $20 fares. In this case we saw the flights and then planned the trip.

Whenever I pick my dates first and then look for airfare I am usually paying $100-$150 each way on Southwest.

A lot of times I take the latest flight out of STL (cheapest) and then stay that night in a cheaper hotel around MCO and go to my onsite hotel in the morning. That will save me some money and I feel like I'm not wasting a night at the onsite hotel.

 

[kymom99]

If you drive and have to stop overnight somewhere, I'm not sure why a late flight that gets you there the same day is a negative for you.

 

[NotUrsula]

Sign up for emails from SWA and Frontier out of St. Louis. As a PP pointed out, planning dates set in stone before buying your airfare is a sure way to pay too much; the trick to traveling cheap is flexibility -- watch the fares and plan the trip when you find a deal. If driving is an option for you, go ahead and plan to drive, then watch the fares closely and switch to flying if you get a good last-minute deal. Be aware that flying in the middle of the week or on Saturday is normally cheaper than flying on Friday or Sunday, and plan your trips accordingly.

If you normally fly SWA, be sure to sign the entire family up for Rapid Rewards, and then get their credit card (that is, if you have the discipline to pay down the balance every month!) If you use the CC purchase points to supplement the points that you earn butt-in-seat, you should be able to buy at least two fares a year on points if you catch a good sale. (We often use points to pay for one leg of the trip and cash for the other, because it happens a lot that the fare in one direction will be much cheaper than the fare in the other direction.)

Frontier's sales are always short -- if you see a fare that works, grab it, because it won't be there tomorrow. (Frontier has a morning non-stop out of STL that arrives at MCO at 11 am; great way to get in a pretty full park day on day one of your trip.) Note that Frontier has very strict luggage limits, so if your family is travelling, pay for checked bags when you buy the tickets, and consolidate everyone's stuff in as few 62" bags as will stay under the weight liimit. (If you frequently fly Frontier, it actually pays to invest in luggage that optimally fits their limits. Read the fine print before flying them; they have a lot of small fees that can add up if you are not careful.)