Tampa airport instead of MCO, super cheap flights

[kandb]

We are flying home from TPA to Newark, NJ in March. The flights are half the price of leaving for Orlando. Just an FYI, to someone who might be looking for good cheap flights. Jetblue!

 

[tkd lisa]

Great tip! As someone who lives in tampa, I can say it's a pretty easy trip to wdw from here. Just expect traffic to back up at exit 55.

enjoy your trip!

 

[DJFan88]

It’s a bit of a ways though, how much will the rented ride to and from Disney cost though, but perhaps the savings more than covers that?

 

[FreeTime]

It’s a bit of a ways though, how much will the rented ride to and from Disney cost though, but perhaps the savings more than covers that?

I have never found the savings to be a deal enough to switch from MCO. The upcharge to drop the rental off elsewhere, the extra time involved, usually losing a night of vacation to drive to Tampa the night before (not a must), jus t it worth it.

 

[DJFan88]

I have never found the savings to be a deal enough to switch from MCO. The upcharge to drop the rental off elsewhere, the extra time involved, usually losing a night of vacation to drive to Tampa the night before (not a must), jus t it worth it.

agree

 

[AnnaS]

Many years ago a co-worker did this. I never priced it out to see if it was worth it. If you have a family (one, two or more kids), might be worth it.

 

[DisneyOma]

We are flying home from TPA to Newark, NJ in March. The flights are half the price of leaving for Orlando. Just an FYI, to someone who might be looking for good cheap flights. Jetblue!

How are you getting to WDW from Tampa, and how much does it cost?

 

[OKW Lover]

Before moving to central FL we regularly checked the cost of flights to MCO and TPA when planning a Disney trip. We always rented a car so the only real difference in convenience was the extra half hour or so driving.

 

[js]

Yes, my dh and I are flying into TPA in April the day before Easter from EWR on United.
Prices to MCO were insane. We are with two other couples and no kids and renting a car anyway so
it was an easy decision for us.

We are flying RT EWR-TPA and the car will be picked up and dropped off at TPA.

 

[AnnaS]

This will work only if you would have rented a car anyway.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

Before moving to central FL we regularly checked the cost of flights to MCO and TPA when planning a Disney trip. We always rented a car so the only real difference in convenience was the extra half hour or so driving.

TPA shows as roughly 90 minutes away from Disney World, while MCO is about 20. Did you mean to say the extra hour of driving?

 

[Mle8308]

We did this a few times when we visited family on the coast (usually at the end of the trip). One year WDW was at the end of the trip and we encountered the worse thunderstorm I have ever experienced (I lived in Orlando for 15 years) on the way back to Tampa. We were literally stopped on I-4 waiting for it to pass, and not on the side of the road. All cars were stopped in their lanes. There were multiple awful accidents, it was terrible. We would not have made our flight if it had not been delayed by the same storm. We will never do that again, there are too many variables that can happen between Orlando and Tampa on I-4. It's not worth the money we saved. If you happen to be flying out during a sports season, check the schedule (especially for football), this could impact your drive time, too. I guess if you have a family, it might be worth it financially. It's not for us.

 

[stinkpickle]

I'd do it. The drive from Tampa is nuthin'. Last month, we got good fares and flew into Miami and drove in.

 

[DTW2WDW]

Big fan of flying into Tampa here. Drive is maybe 40-50 minutes longer than MCO depending on where you're staying.

We fly into Tampa next week and saved about $800 for the five of us on flights and another $200 on our rental car. No brainer! We fly non-stop, and only on Delta.

 

[sam_gordon]

We did this a few times when we visited family on the coast (usually at the end of the trip). One year WDW was at the end of the trip and we encountered the worse thunderstorm I have ever experienced (I lived in Orlando for 15 years) on the way back to Tampa. We were literally stopped on I-4 waiting for it to pass, and not on the side of the road. All cars were stopped in their lanes. There were multiple awful accidents, it was terrible. We would not have made our flight if it had not been delayed by the same storm. We will never do that again, there are too many variables that can happen between Orlando and Tampa on I-4. It's not worth the money we saved. If you happen to be flying out during a sports season, check the schedule (especially for football), this could impact your drive time, too. I guess if you have a family, it might be worth it financially. It's not for us.

We regularly drive 90 minutes to get to our origin airport (our close one is too expensive normally). Leave extra time "normally" and if there's a storm coming, extra on top of that.

 

[Cheburashka]

Be aware that Tampa is a smaller airport, so if there is a flight cancellation or severe delay, it might be harder to find a replacement flight than at MCO.

 

[Cheburashka]

One year WDW was at the end of the trip and we encountered the worse thunderstorm I have ever experienced (I lived in Orlando for 15 years) on the way back to Tampa. We were literally stopped on I-4 waiting for it to pass, and not on the side of the road. All cars were stopped in their lanes. There were multiple awful accidents, it was terrible. We would not have made our flight if it had not been delayed by the same storm. We will never do that again

Yes, once in my home state I drove to another city for the sake of a cheaper flight & due to a severe thunderstorm, it was a nightmare getting home. I'm genuinely lucky I wasn't in an accident. I stick with the local airport now.

 

[SomePixiedust]

Make sure to factor in an extra 20-30 minutes for car drop off. You have take a "monorail" ride from the drop off to the terminal and it has taken us up to that amount of extra time.

 

[sam_gordon]

It may have changed in recent years, but I remember airline bag check desks at the rental car facility. At least there used to be for Delta.

 

[Southernswthrt]

I've flown in and out of TPA several times over the last 10 years. I'm not sure how the construction is currently, but for a while the 1 hr 15 minute drive was a bit longer. That said, I would do it again in a heartbeat if the flights were the right price.