Which airport to leave VB???

[goofy4tink]

HI guys....I'm thinking about adding a few days at VB after a cruise, and 3 night stay at BWV. My question for those of you that fly in and out of the VB area...if you were flying back to Boston, would you drive back to MCO or use a different airport? I'm not sure how close W. Palm is from VB and I think my dh will have a hissy if he has to drive too far that last day. Thanks.

 

[spiceycat]

mco is generally cheaper to fly out of - so it gets my vote....

 

[goofy4tink]

Cheaper works for me!!!

 

[pumpkinboy]

MCO is always a good bet, and is generally the preferred airport for our family. But when my parents join us, they swear by PBI in West Palm. It is a bit shorter, easier to find your way around, and much smaller and less crowded than MCO. For the return flight it is especially nice bcs there is a dedicated exit off of 95 just for PBI, which deposits you right there. Both Delta and JetBlue serve PBI directly from Boston, which makes it handy; I believe it's a connecting flight on SouthWest into Providence, but I haven't checked recently.

The flights are a little bit more most of the time out of PBI, but my parents are willing to pony up this premium for the sanity of a smaller airport. We keep thinking about trying it some time again, but the schedule is less convenient for us; we prefer the 3 o'clock return to Boston from MCO, while PBI only has 11AM and 8PM. We're still deciding for our February trip, but both are on the table still.

 

[goofy4tink]

MCO is always a good bet, and is generally the preferred airport for our family. But when my parents join us, they swear by PBI in West Palm. It is a bit shorter, easier to find your way around, and much smaller and less crowded than MCO. For the return flight it is especially nice bcs there is a dedicated exit off of 95 just for PBI, which deposits you right there. Both Delta and JetBlue serve PBI directly from Boston, which makes it handy; I believe it's a connecting flight on SouthWest into Providence, but I haven't checked recently.

The flights are a little bit more most of the time out of PBI, but my parents are willing to pony up this premium for the sanity of a smaller airport. We keep thinking about trying it some time again, but the schedule is less convenient for us; we prefer the 3 o'clock return to Boston from MCO, while PBI only has 11AM and 8PM. We're still deciding for our February trip, but both are on the table still.

Good stuff to know. I know my dad uses PBI when he goes to Pompano Beach from Logan. But, I don't think my dh is going to be happy with an 8:00 flight time, and I don't like having to get ready to leave for an 11:00 flight time. Looks like we may just stick with MCO.

 

[Lenc324]

We flew in PBI and had a great deal on the airfare. Just keep watching. 1hr and 45min straight drive no problems, but I would fly into where ever I get the best deal.

 

[goofy4tink]

So, it looks like the two airports are really close to the same drive from VB. Guess I won't be able to make a choice based on length of drive.

 

[beachblanket]

PBI is an easier drive to Vero than MCO (less traffic, fewer cops looking to ticket tourists and generally nicer drivers), and per Pumpkinboy is definitely the more user friendly airport (seasoned travelers know that bigger is not always better). I'm also with Lenc324 - if one knows how to shop airfares, you can often get just as good a rate to/from PBI as you can from MCO. For all these reasons, this is why we are flying in and out of PBI for our upcoming August visit to Vero.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Yes, it is definately an easier drive, in addition to being an easier airport to get thru.

We are seriously considering returning thru PBI in February, since the flight is currently scheduled for 11:40, which is almost noon after all. It still means an early-ish departure from VB, and we usually like to say a slow and easy good-bye to Vero. Still, the 3:00 out of MCO gets in at almost 6:00 which makes for a tough return to reality.

Good luck with the planning.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I did check JetBlue for this August and the flights were derfinately doable. Not a bad price...about $250 pp, arriving at MCO and departing PBI, non-stop. So, it may work out okay for us next year. I do have the entire year to obsess over it. Now, to figure out if we should add those extra 3 nights on the end of the trip...have to think that VB would be a very relaxing way to end this trip.

 

[dvc guy]

PBI is an easier drive to Vero than MCO (less traffic, fewer cops looking to ticket tourists and generally nicer drivers), and per Pumpkinboy is definitely the more user friendly airport (seasoned travelers know that bigger is not always better). I'm also with Lenc324 - if one knows how to shop airfares, you can often get just as good a rate to/from PBI as you can from MCO. For all these reasons, this is why we are flying in and out of PBI for our upcoming August visit to Vero.

Traffic tends to be just as heavy from PBI as from MCO we have done both many times. As posted PBI is a little closer, and a little easier to get around. As far a fewer cops looking to tickets tourist, I can tell you from 1st hand experience, that is NOT correct. I am the proud owner of one speeding tickets that was isssued on I-95 on the way to VB.

 

[tlotgg]

The prices will not be a good as flying out of MCO but in terms of easy access you might look into Melbourne Airport (MLB). I believe it's the closest to VB.

 

[Disney Doll]

DSIL lives about 15 minutes from VB.

They tend to fly in and out of Melbourne or West Palm airports, depending on the pricing.

 

[lisareniff]

Delta is the only carrier out of MLB. I don't think they fly direct to Boston but do to Atlanta and Washington. It is an option to keep in mind.

 

[Lenc324]

If you have access to Southwest, keep watching their Ding Fares. They are great.

 

[patsfan]

We are going to VB the end of Aug and I checked non-stop flights out of Providence and Boston into MCO and PBI. Found the best prices on JetBlue into PBI from Logan. Now, this was before the Big Dig fiasco so who knows what getting into Logan will be like in August. I did see better fares just last week on Southwest into MCO - $135 roundtrip non-stop! Oh well, never thought I would get lower than the JetBLue fares into PBI.

 

[schwenksvillemouse]

We just used West Palm Beach for the first time this spring for our trip to Vero and liked it. Less crowded than MCO, and we found it actually to be cheaper with Southwest out of Baltimore. The drive to Vero from WPB is about the same as it is from MCO so that's about even. The only negative about WPB was you have to take a bus to get your rental. I love MCO because you can wheel your luggage cart right out to your car.