Cheapest Flights JFK/LGA to Orlando area ?
 

Hi all,

Hoped that someone could help me here:-

There are 4 of us who are spending a weekend in New York (Hilton Millenium) in early April before heading to Orlando on Sunday mid-morning for 6 days.

We then need to return to New York on Sat midday or so to link up with a flight from JFK around 7pm back to Ireland.

Can anyone advise on which NYC airports to use - LGA / JFK seem to be best option, particularly for the return trip to Ireland on the Sat - didn't particularly want to be trekking across NYC that day.

Also, we will be hiring a 4x4 in Orlando area - any suggestions on which airport within about 1.5 hours drive would be best for our trip ?

Also (I'm on a roll here ! :) ), which car rental companies generally have the best rates in Fl ?

Any other comments on the best place to purchase tickets for Disney / Universal - we will probably only spend one or 2 days max for each.

Thanks in advance,

John P.

OK glad to help a little.
About the flights: Delta's Song is a great product. I've looked and the flights can be found for as low as $134 from JFK to MCO. DL makes for a great connection in JFK. If you fly from LGA, Spirit and AA can go for the same price with Song pricing out a little more at $145. But LGA is not the airport for international connections, so I recommend Song to JFK.
(oh yeah, this is all to MCO, Orlando International Airport. THE major airport in Central Florida, and closest to Disney. You could fly to the small DAB-Daytona Beach Regional-but that would require a stop on Delta in Atlanta and is slightly more expensive. DAB is on the east coast and probably 100 minutes away from Disney, but close to the beaches. There's also SFB-Orlando Sanford, but there's no daily commercial flights on major airlines there.)
Not sure about car rentals, as I've never needed one. I'm sure there's some great deal out there. Most major companies are next MCO.
You can always purchase Disney/Univ tix at the door for close to a whopping $60 daily. There's also some multi-day multi-park passes which will save a little. I'm sorry I can't help much as don't buy tickets regularly.
Good luck and have fun in Orlando! :)

Another option to consider is JetBlue, which offers tickets as low as $49 one-way from JFK to MCO. The very low fares tend to be for the less convenient flights, but for $69 or $79 you should be able to snag a more convenient time. The flights have always been pleasant enough, with a snack and a drink served, as well as 30 or so channels of live TV in every seat.

You may also want to consider flying to TPA (Tampa), which is west of Orlando. There's a lot of construction along I-4 from Tampa to Disney, and it is a bit of a longer drive than MCO, but probably closer than DAB. It also depends a bit on where you're staying I guess.

As for finding low rental rates, go to Orbitz and run a check there. If you don't have a US credit card, you can't book with Orbitz, but it's a great tool to compare rates. I usually end up renting with Alamo or National. If you rent from MCO, you can save some time by renting from one of the in-terminal agencies. When you go down to retrieve your bags, go down another level to the car rental counters to take care of the formalities while the rest of the family waits upstairs for the bags. At busy times this can save you even an hour.

As for the Disney and Universal passes, I've not kept up with those lately, but you should look around a bit on the web. If that fails, get a guidebook at your local bookstore, which often have many tips.

Enjoy your stay in central Florida! I always do, and coming back is getting harder every time...

If you haven't booked yet, I think that Aer Lingus flies into MCO now. You may not need to backtrack to NY to return. DAB is closer than TPA to Orlando, about the same to Disney. There are non-stops on Continential from Newark into DAB, but the other suggestions for travel from NY to MCO give better fares and better times.
Hiring a car in MCO is very competitive and some searching will give good comparisons on price. All the majors and some minors are there. Be carefull with the add ons such as insurance, which can double the price of the car. If your credit card covers the waivers, just decline it on hiring. If you will eating out, you may want to pick up an entertainment book in Orlando ( sold on net and at Walgreens drug stores) which has lots of 2 for 1 dining vouchers.
Keep in mind the 4x4 will be much more to hire than a full size car, which may be big enough for several people.
If you need accomodations look at www.betterbidding.com for information on using Priceline for NY and Florida.

Don't fly to TPA. MCO is a better airport and MUCH closer. It's not worth the 2 hour drive (traffic!) for a possible few bucks savings.
And going to JFK, I'd choose Song as DL/Skyteam will let your international connection be easier even if you fly AerLingus/Oneworld. Song has probably the best coach domestic product and its fares are consistent low to JFK, the same as B6.

I have taken the plunge and booked return Delta flights JFK - MLB !!

Seems like a nice, small airport; not too far from Orlando - we're staying in Davenport, so could probably either go to the beach for a while on the Sunday before we get to Orlando, or maybe even Cape Canaveral ...

Hope I haven't made a big boo-boo by booking these flights !! :cool:

Your thoughts ?

It's perfectly fine if you are near MLB. If you're on the nonstop, you'll be in a long regional jet flight, but it's really not that bad.
Wait, did you say DAVENPORT, FL? Umm....if I remember correctly that's on the southwestern side of Orlando, near Polk and Winter Haven. It's much closer to MCO (or even TPA) than to MLB, which is on the east coast. Hope you like driving! Enjoy your visit.

Thanks for the comments bursa.

I see that the driving directions from MLB to Davenport show the 95 to the 528 to the 4 as being the best driving, and 1.5 hours or so on mapquest. It will be a Sun morning or lunchtime, so hopefully not too bad.

I might try taking the 192 to Davenport which seems shorter, but could be a much smaller road & take almost as long.

In any case, we are in no hurry - we're on holidays !! :D And we will be happy just to see the countryside etc.

Regards,

John P.

My base camp in Florida is in Haines City, just a few miles south on 27 from Davenport, and I wouldn't have chosen MLB myself. But it's not a problem, especially if you're not in a hurry. I always enjoy driving when I'm in FL, but that's perhaps because I'm there on vacation too. :)

I haven't taken 192 from Melbourne yet, but going on 192 through Kissimmee is a bit of a mess, and I try to avoid it as much as I can. It will be the more scenic route, but there's no avoiding at least part of the Kissimmee section. If you do take 192, make a left onto S. Orange Blossom Trail (17 South/92 West), as this'll take you down towards Davenport. Depending on where exactly in Davenport you have to, you can either make a right after Intercession City onto the Osceola-Polk Line Rd towards I-4 and Champion's Gate and then the Ronald Reagan Pkwy to 27 (you'll pass under I-4 to get there). If you need to be further south, make a right onto CR-547 which'll take you to 27. Many of the homes in Davenport are actually north of I-4 on 27, so the former option might be more appropriate.

Taking OBT (17/92) is the faster way to some parts of 192 if you want to go back there. In that case, coming out of Davenport, get on OBT but make a left at Poinciana onto Poinciana Blvd, and then possibly a right onto Oren Brown Rd, depending on where on 192 you want to be. This is usually faster than taking I-4.

Note that if you take the faster road as per mapquest, the 528 Beeline is a toll road. If possible, have some quarters handy for the toll booths to speed your progress.

Thanks for the info WearyBizTrvlr,

I am sure that we will enjoy our vacation anyway ... ^

Rgds,

John P.

www.mousesavers.com and www.wdwinfo.com for tons of Disney info. Also various Yahoogroups.com you can join and ask questions.

Would advise you to spend more time at Disney and less at Universal; at least that's our strong opinion.

Get a Disney travel book from the library or bookstore and study beforehand; it's an immense and complicated place.

Make sure now with the car rental company that whatever credit card you have is usable to rent a car. We had friends from Sweden visit and they were able to RESERVE a car with their card, but not RENT it. Major problem.

John,

MLB is a great little airport but is still torn up from all the hurricanes. It is getting a new ceiling inside right now.

I would take 95N to 528W (Beeline) to 417S (Greeneway toward Tampa) to I4W before I'd take 192. 192 is under construction in areas and its mostly a 2 lane very slow road. If you want a scenic way to get to 95 by driving along the Atlantic, please let me know and I'll post it here.

I don't know any cheap way to get Disney tickets, you might ask at the tourist counter near the rental cars at MLB.

Have a great holiday. When do you get here?

Traveller

Re Disney Tics, check other threads in this forum for suggestions. www.allears.net seems to list some slightly discounted tics. I also seem to remember hearing that one of the AAA offices near the entrance to WDW used to have discounted tics; I cannot confirm or deny. AAA offices nationwide used to have discounted Universal tics. If you are a member of the AA (which may be loosely affiliated with AAA), you might want to check with them also, especially as to whether you would be able to partake of AAA member benefits while travelling in the States.

Thanks for all the info people ! ^

We arrive in MLB on Sun 10th Apr and depart on Sat 16th ...

Looking fwd to it !!!

John P

I just booked 8 tickets on Song for $171 a pop including taxes in Mid August.