Redeye vs. Early Flight

[AvaNellMouse]

With the vast travel experience of our I-cot community, I am requesting your advice on a benign yet consuming quandry.

I normally fly SWA but JetBlue has come to town and they are now a viable option for WDW travel for me.

SWA option:
-flight leaves at 6am, arrives MCO at 2pm
-I would have to leave my house at 4am to get to the airport to make the 6am flight.

JetBlue option:
-flight leaves at 11:45pm, arrives MCO at 9:30am
-I would work all day before flying out that evening.

To consider:
-I always sleep from the time I get on any plane until landing - always.
-Both flights have about 6 hours of flight time.
-Both have one connection with about an hour between flights.
-They are about the same price.

My concern is having never taken the redeye to WDW, will I be too exhausted to go to the parks and have fun?

[wildernesslady]

I would pick the red eye. You will be able to pace yourself the first day. Otherwise, with a 2:00 arrival you probably won't get to the resort until close to 4:00and may not want to do to much. I would always vote for more Disney time.

[MargaretMessler]

For myself, I would probably choose the early option. (But then, being on the east coast, a 6am flight for me means arriveal by 9am)

Since you are pretty confidant in your ability to sleep on the plane, for you I would choose the redeye and just make my first day at WDW a leisurely one. Maybe spend some time at the resort and maybe head to the parks for half a day

[SBETigg]

I think the excitement will keep you going for a little while, but then the fatigue will kick in and set you back. I would go with the SWA option. Getting up early for a flight is no problem for me. But maybe you work better the other way, so it really depends on if you think you'll be up for a flight after a day of working and then rested enough to enjoy park time. Even if I sleep on a plane, being on a plane exhausts me.

[dtootsie42]

I would take the red-eye. Our family always takes the red eye and so far we have never had a problem with exhaustion. We usually have a lighter day and head to bed early and then the next day we are off and running.

[BrerGnat]

Can you sleep on planes? If yes, take the red eye.

I can NOT sleep on planes. I've tried so many times, because sometimes, the red eye was the only option for me. Every time I book a red eye, I say "never again", and then I do it again.

Where and when is the layover on the Jet Blue flight? Getting into MCO at 9:30am is LATE for a red eye. I am used to arriving around 6am. Consider whether you'll be able to stay awake during the layover that late at night...I've seen people out cold in airport chairs at their gates that come very close to missing their flights.

The worst thing about taking Red Eyes to WDW is that if you don't sleep on the plane, and you arrive dead tired, and your room isn't ready until 4pm, your whole first day will be a waste. You might feel like a zombie walking around in the parks and your patience level will be zero.

[VWL Mom]

I was going to give a nod to the red eye but looking at your times the red eye is almost 10 hours compared to the early am which is 8. Since you said they were the same I thought maybe JB was just a typo but when I looked, it's not. To make matters worse IMO the connection is JFK during morning rush hour. I would seriously avoid that!

[AvaNellMouse]

The JetBlue flight leaves Albuquerque at 11:45pm and arrives at JFK at 5:45am. Flight to MCO is 7:15am, arriving 9:40am.
I thank ALL of you for your feedback. I am still on the fence but leaning toward the redeye.

[PopPhan]

If you sleep on the planes, then I would suggest the red eye flight(s)....That way you can get to the parks early, come back to your room for a bit of a mid-day break, then return for the evening refreshed.

I, personally, take the early morning flights, but I am only a 2 hour flight away.I can drive to BWI (takes about an hour to drive down, park in long term parking and get the shuttle to the airport proper) for a 7:00 flight and be in a park by 10am. By 2pm, it would be back to the room for a quick break - pool time, shower, change clothes, etc. - then back to the parks for a full evening.

[E-OR]

We are taking a red eye this time from Washington state. We usually take an early morning flight getting in in around dinner time. This time we thought that we would take this flight that leaves at 11:30 pm and gets in the next day at 9:30 am. It gives us an extra day in WDW. I don't sleep on the plane, can never get comfortable. Does anyone have any good ideas for sleeping on a plane? But thought that we would hopefully get in and beg for a room at our resort and sleep a few hours before heading to a park. The next day we leave for a Disney Cruise.

[AvaNellMouse]

My secrets to getting great sleep on the plane:
If possible, get the window seat. That way no one has to climb over you to go to the bathroom or get items from the overhead.
Once I find my seat, I put all of my carryon bags under the seat in front of me. I have a small bag that contains my sleep kit that I keep out. Also, I buy water at the airport and keep it in the seat pocket in front of me.
My sleep kit contains soft earplugs, a good quality sleep mask, an inflatable u-shaped travel pillow and a light jacket or travel blanket.
When I get settled into my seat I immediately put on my earplugs and inflate my pillow. Once I am sure the pillow is just right I cover myself up and then put on the sleep mask.
Make sure that your seatbelt shows so the flight attendants can see that you are buckled in. Also, make sure that the air vent above you is the way you like it - I have had the over abundance of air wake me up before. I don't recline my seat, btw.
I don't wait for seat mates to arrive before snuggling in. Rarely am I awake for take off. I can hear announcements through the earplugs. They basically deaden the engine noise and passenger chat.
I wake up when the landing announcement is made. It is at that point that I meet my seat mates.
If you don't use the sleep mask the flight attendants may wake you to see if you want a beverage. I find that the whole kit sends a clear "sleeping!" signal.

[DisneyDINK]

Thanks for the red-eye tips!

I like the red-eye because mine gets to MCO at about 6:00am. At that time Magical Express is totally empty and they get me moving right away. I have had my own bus twice.

If you are not using ME please disregard.

[VWL Mom]

I was going to give a nod to the red eye but looking at your times the red eye is almost 10 hours compared to the early am which is 8. Since you said they were the same I thought maybe JB was just a typo but when I looked, it's not. To make matters worse IMO the connection is JFK during morning rush hour. I would seriously avoid that!

Just realized I forgot about the time change

The JetBlue flight leaves Albuquerque at 11:45pm and arrives at JFK at 5:45am. Flight to MCO is 7:15am, arriving 9:40am.
I thank ALL of you for your feedback. I am still on the fence but leaning toward the redeye.

And is the SW leaving ABQ at 625A through Houston arriving MCO 110P?

The JB travel time is almost 8 hours as opposed to less than 5 on SW

[#1donaldfan]

Jet Blue is great !! Comfortable seats, they give a snack and drink (FREE), Free 1st checked bag, carry on and backpack free.....plus you get there a little earlier and who knows, you may get lucky and get your room and if not, go to the park, albeit, a little tired !!

[TheHD]

We have taken the red eye once for our 09-10 New Year's trip and I couldn't sleep at all on the plane (too excited plus crying baby the entire trip). We had a layover in Houston, which is pretty much in route without much deviation in direction to MCO. We arrived at MCO around 11am versus normally arriving around 5pm with a 6am flight out. When I arrive that late, I usually just stay at the resort the rest of the day. When arriving around mid-day, I head to the parks.

Even though I did not get any sleep on the plane, I didn't feel really tired at all the entire trip; I think mostly because the weather was cool and I think got into the 70s only one of those days.

At any rate, we are going the red eye route again this summer. We are going through Houston and will arrive around 11am, leaving California at 1150pm. I plan on sleeping in as much as possible the day of the flight to account for possibly not being able to sleep on the plane again.

However, as in your case, I try not to book any flights that take me out of the normal flight direction, such as JFK. To me, its just too far away if flights get delayed or cancelled.