A couple questions...May Trip

[luvthatdisney]

Hi guys,

I am trying to expand my thinking since we are new DVC owners (SSR). I am so used to planning big week long or more trips and since our resort is not a big issue now I was thinking about breaking that down into smaller 4-5 days trips and going several times a year. Wrapping my head around planning 2 trips has been a little bit of a challenge!

We are looking at trips in May (not Memorial Day) and September (end of the month). We have been in September many times, but never in May. Want to avoid Memorial Day, but the rest of the month is open. Probably do Thursday - Sunday, but that is not set in stone yet either. Can anyone provide me with their experiences with going in May.

Also, has anyone used some of the low cost airlines, like Allegiant or Frontier. I have never flown with that type of airline and I am a bit hesitant. Would be flying out of Charlotte (or surrounding areas). Are there any you would recommend?

 

[disneynutz]

We have found that longer less per year stays save us money. Airfare, dealing with airports, travel to and from the airports, all takes away from Disney time. A longer vacation can be broken up as a split stay allowing you to experience different resorts.

Bill

 

[BillPA]

May is a great time to go. You will have the Flower Show at EPCOT, the heat isn't too bad yet, not excessive crowds, but more than Sept. Never used Allegiant or Frontier. We fly from Philly, usually Southwest or American.
The down side of 2 short trips is 2x the airfare and passes can be expensive, unless you go enough to make APs worth it.

 

[luvthatdisney]

Thank you for the responses!!

We are looking at the DVC AP's and would probably try to sneak in a trip Spring of 2020 to get 3 trips out of them. Our drive is about 10 hours and for long weekend trip it did not seem worth it. The 3 of us can fly with Allegiant for around $350 as we would have minimal luggage. That airline flies into Daytona/Sanford so we would need a rental car or Uber. Frontier will fly into Orlando so we could use Magical Express. Lots to think about on that end, but we want to experience different times of year along with different resorts that we have never stayed at.

I went ahead and booked ALK - Kidani Savanna Studio for next May and I am so excited!!!

 

[kboo]

I generally agree with Bill, however (look at my sig), since buying into DVC we have gone from 9-day stays once a year to ... multiple stays a year, more total days, and some not even on DVC points! (This year, 17 days total, 2019 is looking like the same)

Our April 2016 trip was in late April, almost May, after Easter, and the weather was heavenly. Crowds weren't bad. Not as light as September weekdays (this last September was our first time at F&W, and the crowds at Epcot on weekends were pretty heavy) It was warm enough to go to the pool any day and every day, but not so hot that we were wilting. I love Flower & Garden, and may like it more than Food and Wine (I know, blasphemy) - but part of it may be about the crowds.

For our short bonus trip last month, we flew Spirit Airlines and I was very pleasantly surprised. We paid an extra $22 per person for the big front seats, and it was well worth it. We traveled with carry ons only.

 

[pixieprincess925]

We've been many times in May for 4 day weekends. It's my favorite time of the year (even with the increased crowds over September). I'll warn you though, it can rain a LOT in May. This year it rained most of the weekend we were there! of course, everybody said it was unusually heavy...Nevertheless, it's still warm and nice.

I have rented cars with discounts for a long weekend like that for about $100-150 from MCO in May. In September it's usually cheaper. Might be cheaper than an Uber from Daytona - especially since you aren't paying for parking anyway.

 

[kniquy]

Probably do Thursday - Sunday,

If you can swing a Sunday - Wednesday then you might see slightly lower crowds in the parks during the week than you would during the weekend. For example - we went in April - hit Epcot on a Saturday -of course busy with the locals and resort guests (and those drinking around the world) went back on Wednesday and found it to be much more manageable crowd level.

If you are looking to save a little on flights, sometimes flights on Tuesday are a little cheaper. I would pick early May if you could because at that point - most schools are not on vacation, FL schools are probably still in session, so crowds would probably be pretty good. Flower and Garden is something to definitely check out.

 

[CraigInPA]

May isn't sweltering heat, although it can be quite warm then.

If you start your trip on a Sunday and end on Thursday, you'd have lower point costs and lower crowds.

I've flown Frontier from Philadelphia several times. The positive is that it is very cheap if you can stuff everything into one carry on. The negative is that everyone else tries that, too, so it's a bit of a zoo (more so than American or United, which we also fly) in trying to board and de-plane because of all the bags. My wife and I buy the upgrade to business (or whatever they call it) class. The upgrade gives you the larger seats, a checked bag each, and you'll sit in the first few rows of the plane. Even with the upgrade, it is usually cheaper than regular seats on American or United.

I do not fly Frontier back to Philadelphia. I fly American (formerly USAir) back, since that gives me resort check-in. The one time we flew Frontier back, we spent what seemed like forever in line to check bags. That was *not fun*. By the end of the vacation, I'm normally wiped out, and just cannot deal with that.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you choose to fly Frontier, just don't plan on bringing along your comfort squirrel with you. It won't be allowed. We flew Frontier from Dallas to Montana a few times and it was good. But that was a long time ago.

 

[bwvBound]

Frontier doesn't participate in baggage check-in from the resort to the airline if using Magical Express. That is, you'll have to lug any checked bags yourself from the Magical Express bus to either skycaps or baggage check at the airline ticketing desk. Not a big deal ... just 'know in advance.' Otherwise, our January visit on Frontier went smoothly!

 

[Henwen88]

Thank you for the responses!!

We are looking at the DVC AP's and would probably try to sneak in a trip Spring of 2020 to get 3 trips out of them. Our drive is about 10 hours and for long weekend trip it did not seem worth it. The 3 of us can fly with Allegiant for around $350 as we would have minimal luggage. That airline flies into Daytona/Sanford so we would need a rental car or Uber. Frontier will fly into Orlando so we could use Magical Express. Lots to think about on that end, but we want to experience different times of year along with different resorts that we have never stayed at.

I went ahead and booked ALK - Kidani Savanna Studio for next May and I am so excited!!!

Our very first DVC trip as owners was also to AKL (but Jambo side) for a nice, long 8 night trip in early/middle May! It was absolutely lovely... not 100% summer humidity yet - especially in the mornings - and we really enjoyed watching the animals and doing the kids activities at the Lodge. The afternoon thunderstorms can def start popping up... but that tends to get worse later in the month/closer to summertime. Plan on some resort time if you haven't had a chance to experience that yet... at least a day!

I have read horror stories from people that fly the smaller carriers who only have one or two flights per week... if your flight gets cancelled then they just have to accommodate you on the next flight out, which could be tomorrow, or next week. I would have massive anxiety - not worth the fare savings .

 

[luvthatdisney]

Our very first DVC trip as owners was also to AKL (but Jambo side) for a nice, long 8 night trip in early/middle May! It was absolutely lovely... not 100% summer humidity yet - especially in the mornings - and we really enjoyed watching the animals and doing the kids activities at the Lodge. The afternoon thunderstorms can def start popping up... but that tends to get worse later in the month/closer to summertime. Plan on some resort time if you haven't had a chance to experience that yet... at least a day!

I have read horror stories from people that fly the smaller carriers who only have one or two flights per week... if your flight gets cancelled then they just have to accommodate you on the next flight out, which could be tomorrow, or next week. I would have massive anxiety - not worth the fare savings .

The smaller airlines are worrisome for me too. Cancellation is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to try them. DH may be flying to Germany for work and we do have a air miles card so he does earn points. Just trying to figure out the most cost effective way to fly without losing my sanity!!