WWYD - Super Late Arrival? Mods - please move if this should be elsewhere!

[Minnesota!]

So, our SW flight gets us into MCO at 130am. We are not starting the WDW portion of our trip until later in the week. Our options are:

1) rent our car and drive to our destination - Cocoa Beach. Plusses - we will be there, get to sleep in, be settled, little to no traffic to deal with. Minuses - we won't get there until at least 3am. And that will be after a full day of work the day prior. Hotel is more expensive.

2) stay at Hyatt at MCO. Plusses - RIGHT THERE! Minuses - we would be paying $300 for, what amounts to, about 5 hours of sleep (plan to be on the road by 7-730). Granted, check out is noon, so we COULD stay later.

3) find a cheap hotel with a shuttle. Plusses - cheaper. Minuses - so much time wasted compared to the Hyatt. Still would need to go back to MCO in the AM to get a car, etc.

4) DME to a Value for the night. Plusses - no driving, can rent a car on property the next morning and then return it there when our WDW portion starts a few days later, cheaper than Hyatt. Minuses - still about $200 a night (going over Easter), who knows how long DME will take at that time of day, etc.

So many options. I am leaning towards 1 or 2 of them, DH is no help...he is just happy to be going anywhere.

So, if you were in my position, what would you do?

Thanks!!!!

FWIW - time wasted is just as (and sometimes more...) important to us as money "wasted". I am not looking for the cheapest option. I am looking for the option that makes the most of my time and money and sanity!

 

[kj2mom]

Unless you are able to catch some zzzz's on the plane I would definitely not lean towards driving to Cocoa right away. The combination of working all day then traveling all night then having to drive in a place I am not comfortable (not sure how comfortable you are driving but it would be a first for me) would be a recipe for disaster. For me it would be too much risk for little reward. Did you price out Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn? The Holiday Inn is only a mile away which shouldn't add tooo much time. But in the end if money is not the driving force I would just stay at the Hyatt and drive after getting some rest!

 

[JessM]

I would stay at the Hyatt. SW has a tendency to hold their last flights of the night for people with late incoming connections. You could easily land around 2am or later.