Late flight - stay at airport or go straight to Disney resort?

[Ashley Marie]

Looking for insight from those who have done this, as this is the first time we have an evening flight with kids (they will be almost 6 and almost 3).

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO around 10:30 p.m. Would you stay at the airport hotel that night & take ME in the morning, or just book the night at your Disney resort?

Staying at airport would be cheaper (we are staying at GF at Disney), but it'd be nice to already be there that night. On the other hand, we will have two kids up waaay past their bedtimes, and I know ME can take quite a while. They'll be excited, but very overtired, so I'm not sure how they'll act.

Opinions welcome!

 

[chicklet2]

Can totally relate to this question.Have done it both ways and still prefer just to get to the resort and get settled.At same time you have some valid concerns.Here are a few things to keep in mind.Arrive at 10:30 get off plane, get down to bus pick up and to resort would range from 1 1/2 -2 hours.All depending on how busy they are.Coming in so late and wanting to go to bed when you arrive at GF you would want to not tag your bags and get your luggage yourself and bring it down to the bus and they will load it on for you.Otherwise the bag process can take up to 2-3 hours.Or just make sure you have a carry on bag with kids pjs and anything else needed straight away.So yes late night indeed.Staying at airport and leaving next morning will give you less hassle late at night but you will need to unpack and airports aren't the quietest areas.On plus side you usually have more options room location wise the earlier you check in the day.Chedking in late you will get what we room in your category is left.Just from experience and having issues with room, early gives more options for rooming to rearrange to your preferences if at all possible.
Those are just my thoughts, I'm sure you will get many, it you know what your kiddos can handle best.Have a great vacation.

 

[G719]

Looking for insight from those who have done this, as this is the first time we have an evening flight with kids (they will be almost 6 and almost 3).

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO around 10:30 p.m. Would you stay at the airport hotel that night & take ME in the morning, or just book the night at your Disney resort?

Staying at airport would be cheaper (we are staying at GF at Disney), but it'd be nice to already be there that night. On the other hand, we will have two kids up waaay past their bedtimes, and I know ME can take quite a while. They'll be excited, but very overtired, so I'm not sure how they'll act.

Opinions welcome!

My kids are older so it's not a big deal to arrive late for us. I like going straight to disney even if we get there late. I figure if we arrive late Friday night, we still have the room for the entire next day. If we stay at the airport and then go to disney the next morning, the room may not be ready until later in the afternoon. We arrive at disney, go to bed, and get up the next morning and go to the parks.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Coming in so late and wanting to go to bed when you arrive at GF you would want to not tag your bags and get your luggage yourself and bring it down to the bus and they will load it on for you.Otherwise the bag process can take up to 2-3 hours.Or just make sure you have a carry on bag with kids pjs and anything else needed straight away.

Because she is arriving after 10PM she doesn't have a choice. OP you must collect your own luggage either way.
I would only opt to stay at the airport if the cost of the GF was a concern, which is completely understandable. I'd prefer to settle into my resort ASAP.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Looking for insight from those who have done this, as this is the first time we have an evening flight with kids (they will be almost 6 and almost 3).

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO around 10:30 p.m. Would you stay at the airport hotel that night & take ME in the morning, or just book the night at your Disney resort?

Staying at airport would be cheaper (we are staying at GF at Disney), but it'd be nice to already be there that night. On the other hand, we will have two kids up waaay past their bedtimes, and I know ME can take quite a while. They'll be excited, but very overtired, so I'm not sure how they'll act.

Opinions welcome!

Go straight to your Disney Resort for SO MANY reasons.

 

[Eastern]

With young kids I would stay at the airport hotel. You will be exhausted and carrying sleeping kids. Much easier to just check in at the airport and crash. Wake up early the next morning and go to your hotel.

Cost is not a 'concern' for me, but I still wouldn't want to pay $600 for a few hours of sleep. Also, having a late flight like that, you cannot be assured of your arrival time. Late day flights typically experience more delays and you could arrive even later than you expect.

Pack an overnight bag with everyone's stuff in it so you do not have to unpack all your clothes from different suitcases.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

We are in a very similar situation this November. My kids are 9 and 6, and our flight arrives at 10:15pm. We are staying at the airport hotel. If the flight is late, or if the kids fall asleep on the plane, one adult can take the kids to the room and the other can go retrieve the bags from baggage claim. There is also a service that the Hyatt offers to retrieve the bags for you, but I have not looked into the cost.

We always seem to be staying at the last resort dropped off by magic express, so the thought of not getting to a bed until midnight or later is really unappealing. Plus, as someone else mentioned, you have to get your own bags before heading to ME when you arrive that late.

 

[YensiD2017]

Looking for insight from those who have done this, as this is the first time we have an evening flight with kids (they will be almost 6 and almost 3).

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO around 10:30 p.m. Would you stay at the airport hotel that night & take ME in the morning, or just book the night at your Disney resort?

Staying at airport would be cheaper (we are staying at GF at Disney), but it'd be nice to already be there that night. On the other hand, we will have two kids up waaay past their bedtimes, and I know ME can take quite a while. They'll be excited, but very overtired, so I'm not sure how they'll act.

Opinions welcome!

Staying at Hyatt MCO is a win win in my opinion

It ll be a long day, and why push to get there with no benefit?
Go to Hyatt, get fully rested and if you so choose, arise a bit earlier, walk over to ME and go straight to the resort to begin your vacation day. The kids will love the ride and the little video to start the visit, if u did online check in you can just leave ur luggage at guest services and get them delivered when it's good for ur family.
That being said, pull ur luggage when u land and MEwill store them under the bus for ur ride to GF.
And consider bringing some snacks for nighttime munchies.. there is very limited open at MCO food area( tho hotel does have options)
We have stayed Hyatt before/after and even utilized there "few"hours room rate when we arrived early from a cruise but had a later flight. Great hotel!
Enjoy your visit whatever you decide.

 

[Tattylou]

This was us last Dec. I believe the plane landed at 10:30. My kids were 6 and 8. We were at Pop Century by midnight. We went right to our room and to bed. My 6 year old was good until the ME ride then he started to get whiney and testy from exhaustion. It was nice to just wake up already in the Disney bubble and hit the parks. (We were also only going from Weds night to Sunday and I wanted to maximize my park time.)

 

[ColoradoMom12]

I'd pick staying overnight at the airport. We stay overnight at our airport here when we have an early morning flight. I've found it helpful to not get the kids over-tired. Getting up early for Disney World sounds fun and exciting until everyone has been awake for nearly 20 consecutive hours. Then it starts to become very un-fun in my experience.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Stay at the airport. I've taken late flights and, because fewer people are landing at that time, it takes longer to load the buses and the buses typically make stops at more resorts. It took FOREVER to get to our resort. Plus, you'll have to retrieve your own luggage at that time. It could possibly take you 2+ hours to get from the airport to GF.

 

[Ashley Marie]

So, if we stay at the airport: adding Magical Express on MDE ... should I just find info for a random early flight for the morning after we arrive to put here?

 

[G719]

So, if we stay at the airport: adding Magical Express on MDE ... should I just find info for a random early flight for the morning after we arrive to put here?

Or just call and tell them you want to go the morning after your flight arrives. It's not a problem.

 

[ols386]

I love going directly to the WDW hotel, but arriving that late, I'd stay at the Hyatt AT the airport. Have done this before, and it worked out well.

Especially with your having two young children, I think it's a great idea.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Yes, just pick a random early morning flight. You would obviously have to bring your luggage to the bus yourself. It doesn't matter which flight it is or even if you arrive at the ME counter an hour or more after the flight you chose has arrived into MCO (for all Disney knows, you were shopping or getting something to eat or waiting in a line to talk to the airline about your return flight). Just pick a morning flight.

I think your entire family will feel better going into your vacation well-rested. Plus you'll save money. And you'll get to drive up to the beautiful GF in the daylight.

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

Book a hotel for 1 night stay on I Drive or Lake Buena Vista. Use Mears or one of the others etc. for transportation. Then you can check into GF in morning.

 

[goofy kc]

No way - go to Disney! Who wants to wake up at the airport? Check in isn't until 4pm so if you want to rest/nap during the day you can't. We are landing at 11:40 in November and plan to ME to Poly and have a nice relaxing morning at the resort then hit a park or two. I want my Disney time!

 

[goofy kc]

OR....book a hump night at a value or moderate.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If money wasn't an issue I would go straight to the GF and take a taxi/Uber to the GF instead of ME. That way you are saving time.

We had a bad flight delay and didn't land until 930. We went straight to the poly. It was nice being able to go straight to bed but we had to be woken up for our luggage to be delivered. If that happened again I would grab my own luggage.

 

[mickeynut1]

I like going straight to disney even if we get there late. I figure if we arrive late Friday night, we still have the room for the entire next day. If we stay at the airport and then go to disney the next morning, the room may not be ready until later in the afternoon. We arrive at disney, go to bed, and get up the next morning and go to the parks.

This ^^^. We always add an extra night and arrive late. It does add some cost to add that night just to sleep, but it's well worth it for us. Like the above poster, we like to check in and get settled so we're ready to go the next morning without having to worry about moving the next day (and have the possibility of our room not being ready until late afternoon).