What I am tempted to do is fly into EWR then stay overnight and get flight the next day. Transatlantic doesnt get into EWR until 9pm anyway so get hotel, then get flight next day lunchtime. Gives 15 hours slack then.

Coming home, flight out of EWR back home is late. Bit risky to leave MCO same day I think. So option again is to leave MCO late afternoon, hotel at EWR, maybe train over to manhattan for the day (if we can leave bags somewhere) and then back for late evening flight home. So 24 hours slack here.

I think missing the outbound flight connection would be less grief than missing the return. It may mean the cost of another internal flight booking granted but who knows. and of course there are plenty of flights EWR to MCO.

Missing the transatlantic home would be bad news indeed. Very expensive. But surely theres no way Im going to be delayed 24 hours in getting from MCO to EWR?

Pity its not close enough to drive from EWR!

Its about 800 miles I think - same as the entire length of our small island so we're not used to long distances here in the UK :-)