Airplanes, Orlando

Although public transport in Orlando is provided by the local transportation authority, I find it necessary to rent a car for the duration of your stay. It will also be comfortable if shopping is part of your itinerary. It will be easy for you to move between shopping malls, boutiques, as well as the flea markets.

We've flown this route a couple of times now. It's a quick flight from New York to Orlando. We have always been treated well and have gotten some nice upgrades. The airport is well laid out and it was very easy to find our transportation and our luggage.

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When Richie and I first started planning our trip to Disney, he had the bright idea that he was going to drive from New York to Disney with 4 children under the age of 10 in a minivan. I quickly squashed that idea and said, we're flying, I'll find some cheap tickets. Lucky for me I found some really cheap tickets flying out of a local small airport in Westchester County. This was the first flight for Richie's boys and frankly we were a little worried that they wouldn't want to fly back. Lucky for us they loved flying and on the return trip made sure that they all visited the airplane bathroom. Seems kids think the woosh of the airplane toilet is hysterical.

If you have never been through Orlando International Airport, this blurb might interest you.

When you get off the plane and follow the signs toward Baggage Claim, you will board a monorail and take a short ride to the Main Terminal. Make sure you are standing steady and help your young ones stand steady as well, as it is a bit lurchy of a ride.

Once you exit the tram in the Main Terminal, you will enter into a large open lobby. On the walls are neat photo opp backgrounds advertising Walt Disney World. The major Orlando attractions have theme park gift shops in the lobby, and a food court is nearby. For the exact listing of restaurants visit the Orlando International Website. For currency exchange for international arrivals, you'll see the TravelEx currency exchange desk in the lobby.

The airport also houses one of the Hyatt hotels in town, so while walking through the lobby you'll be looking up at hotel room windows.

You'll be taking an escalator down to the Baggage Claim area. Once you have your mountain of luggage together off the baggage claim belts, you'll go down another level or two to go to the transportation area. Large elevators are available to take to the ground transportation area because I'm sure you'd be unhappy watching your mountain of luggage falling down the escalators to those levels. The ground transportation area is well marked, especially if you are taking Disney transportation. Happy travels.

We flew via Continental Airlines for the first time during our recent trip to Orlando. Travel time was brief and ok. The only is that their aircraft is not well maintained. Sloggy seats and not so clean lavatory.
The refreshment was not good either with their hard to chew sandwhich. Flight attendants were too old but nevertheless they rendered their utmosst service to the passengers.

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We flew from Minneapolis Lindbergh Airport to Orlando on a non-stop flight. At the Lindbergh Airport we found sculptures of Snoopy in the terminal near our gate. Kevin Rosso says that this terminal is more for vacationers to Florida and the Caribbean Islands than it is for business travelers. It was not as busy as the other terminal at the airport.

We flew from Gatwick Airport into Orlando International Airport, the flight took approximately eight long mind numbing hours. Having said that though, the flight was made a lot easier to stand by Virgin Atlantics superb staff. On arrival we picked up our pre-booked hire car which didn`t take too long once we had filled some forms out, and drove to our house.

Taxis and Buses are available, some hotels offer free buses to some of the attractions. However a hire car is almost certainly a must to give you the freedom to come and go as you please.

You might want to be a bit choosy about the airline you select when flying from the UK. It's a long long way.

It never seems as bad going but on our return flight last year it was very uncomfortable - bordering on downright painful.

In future I'm going to be a lot more selective about the seat pitch. It may cost a few pounds more but since you spend the best part of 2 days of your "holiday" on the plane you need to make it a serious consideration - unless you're all under 5 foot!

For many children, the airplane is the first thrill ride that they will take on their way to this entertainment capital of the US. Sometimes, the trip here can be their first plane ride ever. Orlando is well served from the rest of the United States as well as several foreign destinations. The airport lies to the south of the city proper.

There are several ways to get from the airport to the parks. Many people rent cars. The advantage is that you can go wherever you like. The disadvantage is having to pay the highway tolls and the expense of parking at the theme parks.

There are also shuttle services to the parks/and or nearby hotels, which could save you money in the long run. Of course, the disadvantage is that you are confined to whichever park you are brought to.

Walt Disney World now offers a service to those who are staying on a Disney property. Included in the price of the lodging is round trip transportation between the airport and your hotel. They will even pick your bags up for you at the claim. This means you check your luggage in at your home airport and do not see it again until you get to your hotel room.

Taxis will be expensive due to tolls and distances. Therefore, they should probably be avoided here.

To get to Orlando, we flew over. We had a stopover in Boston before arriving in Orlando.

Tip for those who have never been in big-city airports - The airport in Orlando is huge, and you might have to take a shuttle to get from one part to the other. I know now that this is normal, but remember that when my family and I went to Disney World, I was 10 years old and from a small city in Atlantic Canada. I was quite amazed!