disney air travel About This Page:

[deanna23]

AS OF RIGHT NOW I HAVE BOOKED DISNEY AIR TRAVEL FOR OUR CRUISE IN JUNE 2009. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY DISNEY THAT I CAN CANCELL IT LATER, BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH DISNEY AIR? THANKS, VERYMUCH

[becka]

I think there are several issues with Disney Air:

• DCL controls your flight times so you may not arrive until late on embarkation afternoon and/or you may not leave Orlando until that late the evening after finishing your cruise
• DCL always flies you in the day of the cruise so bad weather, mechanical delays, etc.. could mean missing the beginning of your cruise
• Price - Disney Air is almost always more expensive than booking it on your own

I would keep looking at airfare and if you find times that work well for you that are cheaper than DCL Air then I would book on my own and cancel the Disney Air. JMHO....

[dmpyron]

deanna23, where are you flying from. I had a Seattle client who INSISTED on using Carnival's air dept for their air. So they flew out at 2 am and got into Orlando around 11:30, totally shot. Their return flight left at 6 pm with a 2 hour connection at O'Hare.

And yes, more expensive.

[deanna23]

WE ARE FLYING OUT OF LITTLE ROCK,AR. THANKS

[HeatherD]

That's a pretty short flight (as opposed to from LV, where I am). We are proponents of "do it yourself" since you have more flexibility that way. DCL only deals with certain airlines, so you are limiting your options by going with them. It makes it less "work" on the outset, but ultimately, I don't think you're saving any "stress" by going through them - and possibly adding to it if you don't like their times or anything!

[Donald_Quackers]

I would agree with everyone here, make your flight arrangements on your own.

Also, typing in all caps is considered shouting on boards, in case you haven't posted on any before. (And I apologize in advance if there's a legitimate reason for you to type upper case).

In addition, I would, as the passporter recommends, schedule your flight for the night before. It makes for a less stressful first day.

For example, I'm flying in the night before, staying at the airport hyatt, and taking the DCL bus in the morning (picks me up right at the hotel and they'll take care of my luggage overnight).

[deanna23]

sorry, i have never posted a board before and does the disney cruiseline shuttle bus pick up at the door of the hyatt or do you have to walk to there area. We have also drove to disneyworld. This will be our first trip flying. thanks

[Donald_Quackers]

From what I understand, they pick up at the Hyatt, you shouldn't need to go down to the DCL/DME desk.

Just make sure you tell the clerk at hyatt on check in that you're on a Disney Cruise and they'll get you set up.

[deanna23]

Thanks, I think I will keep watching the airline prices and try to get my plane tickets and try to fly in on friday , thanks, again

[HeatherD]

FYI - there is a hotel within the airport - but it's pretty pricey. We used Priceline and got a different "high end" hotel at a really good price, that was only about 5 minutes from the airport. We simply used the hotel's shuttle to get back to the airport in the morning to catch our scheduled (for $$) DCL busride (they even dropped us off at Disney's Welcome Center, rather than the departure section of the airport).

Make sure that if you come in the night before, DO NOT use the DCL luggage tags (the ones that have your stateroom on them) until after you are at your hotel. If they are on for your flight, your luggage will be transported directly to the port. So, keep them safe and when you get to the hotel, put them on prior to going back for your bus.

[Camille87]

We are taking our first Disney cruise in Sept 2008 and we're very excited. I'm considering cancelling the arrangement to have Disney book the flights for us. Has anyone paid the "deviation fee" to have Disney fly you in the night before the cruise?

If you choose to book your own flights and not rely on Disney to do it then do you pay a ground transportation fee or not? If so, how much? Is that per person?

Is handling all the travel arrangements yourself really a big savings?

[dmpyron]

Once you toss in the deviation fee, the price is usually significantly higher.

By "ground transportation fee", do you mean the shuttle from the airport to the pier? That's an added cost to begin with, so you'd pay that regardless of how you did your air. The price is per person. Some people enjoy the idea of "toss 'em the bags and sit back" whereas others like the idea of being on their own schedule and saving a few bucks for <name your poison> by either driving or taking a private transfer.

For something like this, you will frequently find that booking your own air saves enough money to warrant the additional time. At the very least, the pain of an inconvenient air schedule is worth it.

[Camille87]

I did my internet research and discovered my family can save about $800 by booking our own flights and ground transportation to the port! That's even including a modest hotel expense! Wow! It's a bit more work on my part but I'm more than willing to do it for a savings like that!

[luv2sail]

FYI - I booked the Hyatt through Hotwire and got a rate of $95. The price through the Hyatt directly was over $200!!!

[deanna23]

thanks everyone for your help.