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With a family of five and living within a days drive of WDW, flying is cost prohibitive for us. But my daughter and I are going on a girls only trip and she found a great deal on tickets so we're flying to Disney!
The last time I flew to Disney was chaperoning a school trip over 20 years ago. I'm looking for tips and tricks from all you seasoned Disney flyers out there!
Thank you! :mickey:
Flying hasn't changed much. Takeoff, "float" for a while, then land...
My motto is you carry what you pack. Tends to cut down on unnecessaries... Heed carry on bag sizes, and check everything you can. There are now fees on some airlines for checked bags. Plan accordingly, which doesn't mean pack everything in your carry on. Many airlines are cracking down on checked bags too. Almost as much fun watching those arguments than people watching at Disney.
Flying gives you an opportunity to sit back and make your trip as relaxed as possible. Have Disney take your baggage to your room. Pack the minimum, but bring a small bag on board with you including your bathing suits or whatever you might want when you get to the room. Enjoy the DME trip to the resort!
Bring earbuds to listen to music, pack gum to chew on so your ears don't pop, buy your own snacks ahead of time at your local grocery store, but buy a water bottle after you go through security at the airport. You may also wish to bring other forms of entertainment such as an ipad, playing cards, etc. My family typically flies JetBlue so we just use our earbuds to watch tv. Good luck! :thumbsup:
Arrive early! I am always amazed at how long the security lines are at most airports.
There are some good tips on the TSA tip page
Will you be taking Disney's Magical Express from the airport?
Enjoy the flight!
I second the get to the airport early - even at a very small airport, I have breezed through security in 2 minutes, or it has taken me 45 minutes, at the SAME airport at the SAME exact time only different days. Also, check in online and print your boarding passes or save paper and send them to your smartphone).. Bring a phone charger you can get to easily in case you want to charge your phone while you wait for the plane. Most airports have free wifi now, so look for that.
For me, if I am flying southwest - I purchase the early bird package. That way I do not have to worry about checking in right at the 24 hour mark to get a good chance at getting a good seat. Yes, its a few dollars more, but to me, very worth it, others may disagree.
Thanks, everyone, for the tips so far. I really appreciate the general flying tip reminders. It HAS been awhile.
But I guess I should have been more specific with my question......I'm more unfamiliar with traveling by plane to Disney.
So Magical Express tips? Do you pack snacks in your checked bag or buy with a grocery delivery service when you arrive (we like to eat breakfast in the room)? Do you tip the Magical Express driver? And what about packing? I'm concerned, too, with getting souvenirs home. Because we typically drive, I never give a second thought to what I'm buying (type of item) or how much room it will take to get home? Any packing and souvenir tips? Anything else you can think of would be appreciated! Thanks everyone!
We've used a delivery service to provide needed groceries but have packed things like sugar, coffee and creamer in our checked luggage - it depends on what we can fit (along with clothing etc) and stay within the weight limits of the airline. We do tip the Magical Express driver - more if we have more baggage than our carry-ones. You can arrange to have items shipped home. I usually don't buy enough to need to do that and, because my bags are typically underweight on the way down, I can tuck purchases in on the way home. Usually, I put most/all my purchases in the carry-on to travel home and transfer more of what I had in the carry-on on the way to Disney into the checked luggage.
Pack some snacks in your checked luggage. Then, you will have extra room for souvenirs since you will eat the snacks!
Without knowing what the grocery delivery costs...we've used a Towncar service that includes a Publix stop, and LOVE it. Usually about $120 for just two people, for both legs of the trip.
As such, we've never used ME...we're now super spoiled.
We usually fly (with 2 small kids). I have done Garden Grocer before when we've stayed at DVC villas with kitchens (and it was right on time and our order was perfect), ...we tend to do breakfast in the room as well. We do tip the ME driver, usually about $10, or $20 if its all 6 of us and lots of bags. Last time, I went ahead and took our 2 biggest suitcases and put oatmeal, cereal bars, cereals, and snacks in bubble wrap along with disposable bowls and plates. So we had breakfast taken care of (we got milk and OJ from the resort shop). I just held on to the bubble wrap, and wrapped our ornaments and other souvenirs in that to get back home! I also tend to always take those lightweight reusable bags that fold up and just stick a couple extra in the suitcase. I usually end up with more stuff than we started with, and when the suitcases get tight, its nice to be able to throw a pair of shoes or whatever extra in the bag and just use as a carry on.
I always keep my ME documents and magic bands (and essential medications) in my purse with me. We always just get our luggage ourselves at the baggage claim then proceed to ME. I don't usually use the ME luggage labels, just bc our flights are usually early, and I want to get my baggage myself so we'll have it right away at the resort (but I'm travelling with small kids so we usually need access to our bags right away).