Need flying tips

[WishMom09]

We always drive...so what tips do you have for flying to WDW? (Or anywhere)

 

[Phoenixrising]

Here are my tips. Avoid caffene as it messes with your internal clock. Make sure to drink lots of juice, and water during the flight to avoid dehydration, as the air in the planes is very dry. Take gum, make sure decongestants are in your carryon, and if you've never flown before, make sure the kids are aware of how to equalize their ears. With this method, all you have to do is pinch you nose close, then GENTLY blow until you feel a popping sensation in your ears. It's good to do this frequently on take offs and landings to help your ears equalize. For my kids Earplanes are mandatory, as both of them have had severe problems with their ears equalizing on take offs and landing. I've tried everything, and they are the only thing that works. If it hadn't been for the Earplanes, on our last trip flying, both kids would have blown their eardrums. The Earplanes are disposable and are good for 2 take offs and landings. Something to keep in mind. Hope this helps.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Remember any liquids going through security have to be in containers that are 3 oz or less. Even if your 8 oz bottle is only a 1/4 full they will make you through it out.

All liquids must fit into a 1 quart ziplock bag. One ziplock per person.

Allow plenty to catch your flight. Just saw last month a family that came to the gate at 12:55 for a 1:00 p.m. flight only to be told that flight left. Guy said how could if have left the flight was suppose to leave for another 5 minutes. So they explained how things work. Then proceeded to inform him that they next flight they could fit his family of 6 on would be in two days! So be at your gate at least 30 minutes before departure time.

 

[Miss Whimsy]

Seconding the stay hydrated part. Airplane air is DRY. Either take an empty water bottle through security and fill at a drinking fountain or suck it up and buy expensive water inside security.

Make sure you have a plan for keeping your kids (and yourself) entertained--books or download games/movies on a computer or ipad (don't forget headphones!), or whatever activities are likely to keep your kids engaged for the length of the trip.

See if you can combine people's stuff into fewer bags (though stay under 50 lbs per bag) to avoid so many checked bag fees.

If you're staying onsite, you can take the Disney magical whatsit bus from Orlando airport to Disney and not have to rent a car/take a taxi.

 

[gules]

I used to fly a lot as a kid (still do as an adult!), so here are my tips!

1) If your kids are prone to motion sickness at all, watch out! Don't let them eat eggs or orange juice before the trip, don't fill them up, and DO get some Children's Dramamine! Planes hit everyone differently, but the last thing you want is a really sick kid on the plane. It ruins everyone's day.

2) All liquids, including make up, on carry-on luggage need to be put in their own see-through bag (max 1 qt) and MUST be 100ml or under. Put this somewhere you can get it quickly to make the security line go smoothly. Places like Walmart, Target, and Walgreens sell TSA-compliant kits you can transfer liquids into.

3) Some airports ask you to take your shoes off at the security gate. Prep your kids for this eventuality and if you see others removing shoes, get started ASAP. Take off all coats, belts, and empty pockets as you approach. Trust me when I say that this takes off some stress, as no one wants to be the family holding up the security line while everyone glares.

4) I see you have a child with special needs. You might want to call your airport ahead of time to get an idea of how your security check will need to be altered for him. Knowledge of the procedure helps keep stress down on the day.

5) Popping ears on take-off or landing is hard for most kids. If yours can dive really far underwater, they'll have an idea of how to make this happen. If not, then Earplanes, as someone suggested, might help. Also, gum, eating foods, or drinking something can help, as swallowing enough often aids in ears popping (weirdly enough). Anyone particularly young might need to be prepped in the idea that their ears will need to pop.

6) You're allowed 1 "personal" luggage and one carry-on. I'd maximize this unless you plan on checking something in. Let each kid bring something to do on the plane, plus one change of clothes. Pack this in a backpack of their size to keep under the chair in front of them during the trip. Get as much as you can into carry-ons, even if it means mixing up some clothes. Keep to the size and weight restrictions, though.

7) Get to the airport early if you can. At least 2 hours should suffice. There's nothing worse than watching your flight take off without you, and the stress if that's a real possibility is HUGE. You really don't want to be angry and rushing your kids or snapping at everyone (had a lot of this when I was younger!).

8) Stay hydrated! You can get water whenever they offer drinks on the plane. If you're already feeling thirsty, ask for more than one cup the first time. They don't usually mind. Otherwise I'd bring empty water bottles to fill at a water fountain after security check.

9) If your flight is long enough to have lunch (or overlap a normal snack time), I'd include some dry snacks in my carry-on. Things that your kids like and are easy to eat and keep down are best.

10) If you're doing Magical Express, only pack in carry-ons the things that you'll need in the next 4 hours or so of landing. Place the yellow tags Disney sends on your check-in luggage prior to checking them in and go straight to the bus. Disney picks them up and delivers them for you.

And those are my two cents!

 

[ZoZo]

Great advice here! One thing you might try is to spread each person's stuff between two suitcases (i.e. put some of your clothes in your husband's suitcase and vice versa). That way, if the airline "misplaces" one of your bags temporarily, you'll have enough stuff to get by until they find it.

And always pack valuables/prescription meds in your carry-on.

 

[Kiwini]

Don't get sick. Avoid sitting next to sneezers and coughers. Take some saline spray and use it - it helps your nose not get dried out - dry noses are more susceptible to germs. Take a packet of Wet Ones and wipe down the seat belt, arm rests, tray tables, etc.

We're not a germophobes in daily life, but we make an exception for airplanes. My wife can remember the exact sneeze that came her way on the flight to Florida that did her in for over half of our WDW stay a few years back.

 

[hsmamato2]

my tips include.... get to airport 2 hours ahead of flight, it makes for a lot less stress,and then you can relax and wait by the gate-
always always bring along snack foods in each person's carryon bag, even if it doesn't get touched, just in case.I like nuts,dried fruits,small snack packs of crackers,etc.
If you end up sitting in a different part of the plane than you planned, don't panic. The ENTIRE plane gets to the destination at the same time.
I always buy a drink bottle after we go through security, it is sort of a 'start the vacation' for us. And I like to have my food with me.
Prepare your kids in a calm way for security, the lines, the shoes,etc. Even the occasional pat down or standing and being wanded, it happens sometimes for a wrinkle in your sock,and it's usually no biggie. If you prepare everyone with the attitude of 'it will just take an extra minute to check this' then no reason to panic.... I have always stepped thru first,then my kids, then my DH just so if that happens one of us is nearby to watch and reassure from the side. (it's usually my DH that gets the wand since he forgets stuff in his pockets that aren't allowed LOL)

 

[LJSquishy]

Flying is not a big ordeal. At least, it doesn't have to be. Flying to WDW is no different than flying anywhere else.

The only other real tip I have is to wear earbuds or small headphones if you don't want the stranger next to you striking up a conversation. It happens to me every time...even on the red-eye flight I took to WDW. Sometimes I don't mind chatting with people, but most of the time I just want to read my book, nap, or play on my iPad and keep to myself.

Bring some gum to chew if you have trouble popping your ears on your own. I don't find the air unusually dry on flights or anything. I don't bring my own water since beverages are complimentary on flights.

 

[gdrj]

With one of the carry-ons we will have our clothes, bathing suits etc. that we need for the first day. This way we do not need to worry about when our luggage shows up from ME.

 

[MikeTaylor]

Fly nonstop if it is available. It costs less than a connecting and it is definitely worth it, especially if it is your first time flying.

Here's a horror story for you: One time we flew standby with a changeover and a second leg. There was bad weather at MCO, so we had to turn around and refuel in SC, and then when we had to circle in the air to wait our turn to land. After we finally landed at MCO, we waited another 40 minutes to taxi into our gate. The total time was the same as driving (13 hours). It should have been a 4 hour journey. Nonstop would have been 2 hours.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Some repeating and in addition to pp's:

1. Allow plenty of extra time for driving to the airport/parking & getting through security. (Unless you're getting RT transfers from friends/family or a private transportation company.
We're only around 20-25 mins but I allow an hour just in case of a flat tire, an accident causing traffic delays, etc. This is in addition to the 2 hr arrival time.
We were always rushing at the last minute when we first started traveling and it was always so stressful when it didn't need to be. A dh used to say, "It's always a white-knuckle ride with you." lol. Now I allow plenty of extra time and we stroll along. I try to make every aspect of vacation as stress-free as possible now.

2. Eat in the airport terminal.
I find that if we leave home 3 hrs before our flight, plus a 2.5 hr flight, that's a minimum of 5-6 hours without a real meal. Sure snacks take the edge off but why stress? We still pack snacks in case we end up with little time at the gate but that's rare. It's nice to get through security, find our gate, then chill out with a leisurely lunch or dinner. (We usually fly after school or with early dismissal.) If the place you eat allows free drink refills, fill up to take on the plane.

3. If you plan to park at your home airport, research parking options well in advance. We used to just use the economy lot at Philly's airport assuming that was cheapest option possible. It wasn't bad going to the airport but coming home we would certainly get a grand tour of what felt like a square mile of parking lot. The bus only came every 20 mins and the drivers weren't very nice. Not only acting like they did us a favor but no help with bags despite traveling with 2 preschoolers.
We started looking at other options and found there are lots of off-site parking facilities that are grateful for our business and show it. We like PreFlight and found them by their coupon in the Val-Pak mailings.
They drop us off right at our car with only a minor ride around the lot. Their shuttle bus is much smaller & nicer and has seat belts. It comes every 5-8 minutes which makes 20 mins feel like an eternity. The driver always helps with our bags and some have even put them in our trunk. They are truly deserving of a tip. They even have a frequent parker plan to give us free days of parking for every $70 or so spent. They also allow us to reserve parking in advance so I already booked the indoor parking garage for our Jan trip. Just in case of snow, I don't want to return to see my car plowed in. I will never, ever go back to the airport's economy lot.

4. Only 1 pp mentioned traveling with decongestants. This is important if you have allergies or sinus problems. I used to get a sinus infection post vacation during peak allergy seasons. I finally saw an ENT and he suggested the decongestants and it really helps with the sinus pressure in any time of year.

Have a great time!
If you're staying onsite:
be sure to take advantage of DME by putting the yellow luggage tags on the bags that you'll be checking at the airport. If you're flying SWA going home, I would consider Early Bird check in. It's nice to not have to think about it at the 24 hr mark before going home. Disney will deliver your boarding passes and luggage tags to your room and you can check them right at the resort. It's so convenient & makes it stress-free.
I'm all about reducing stress while on vacation!!

 

[nighttowll]

All these tips have been really good so far.

Something no one has mentioned yet is how to figure out how much time everything will take.

In general, planes board 15-30 minutes before the flight time. So, if your plane is scheduled to depart at 3:00. It will board between 2:30-2:45. Then the plane will leave the ground at 3:00. The flight times listed on a ticket are the take off and landing times, not the boarding and deplaning times. Hence the example earlier of the person arriving right before their flight time, but still missing the plane. It would have hit the runway way before the time on their ticket unless there was a delay.

Now for landing.

The time on the ticket is the estimated ETA for when the wheels on the plane will touch down, not the time you yourself will be in the airport. This time will vary somewhat depending on how the trip goes, if there are delays or if the plane catches a good wind, you may arrive later or earlier than the printed time. The captain will make announcements to let you know the new updated times as the flight proceeds.

Once the plane has landed, it will take a good 15-30 minutes, not counting delays or issues (I've landed and not made it inside the airport until over an hour later, rare, but can happen), to get the plane to the gate and everyone off. The closer you are to the back, the longer it will take you to get off.

After that expect the following approximate times:

Walking through the airport to the exit or baggage claim: 15min-1hr

Baggage Claim: 5-30 mins (If taking ME, you can skip this step.)

Magical Express/ Car Rental/ Taxi to destination: 1-2 hours

The lesson is give yourself plenty of time, I'd say at least a good 3 hours, maybe more, before making plans to do anything. Personally, I wouldn't commit to anything earlier than about 5 hours after my flight arrival time if a credit card was involved to give me some breathing room in case of delays, since the above doesn't even take into account extra waiting due to flight delays or other issues.

Because of time factors, I second flying non-stop of possible. If you have to change planes make sure you have at least an hour layover. I prefer 2 hours. Especially, if we need to get lunch or dinner during the stop. It is better to have too much time and be stuck sitting, then not enough and miss your connection.

My reasoning:
Land at 5:00
Get off plane (10-30min). Now 5:20
Walk across airport to next gate: (5min to 1hr) Now 5:45
lunch: (15-45) Now 6:15
Bathroom break: (5-15min) Now 6:25
Connecting Plane boards 6:30
Connecting Flight Leaves 7:00

As you can see, I was conservative on my times, and 2 hours was just enough. Now, if you are in a tiny airport and your gates are side by side it is not a big deal. But if you have bad luck like me, you will end up with gates that are on the complete opposite sides of a large airport, where you need to take a bus or a shuttle to move to a completely different building to catch the next flight.

Another good tip is to find your gate before you do anything else. It is tempting to stop and get food, shop, or go to the bathroom, but you never know if your gate is 5 minutes from security or 45 minutes until you find it. It is best to find the gate and check the flight status first, then do everything else nearby where you can keep an eye on your flight. This way if there is an issue with your flight, you won't be last to know, and you won't risk missing it because you didn't realize how far the walk was from where you stopped earlier on.

Also, check your flight status at the gate counter. Airlines are bad about not telling customers a flight has been moved to a new gate, delayed, or rescheduled. Be proactive, and don't wait for them to fix a problem. Call or try online to fix the issue yourself. This usually has better results than getting in a long line of people that are all trying to fix the same issue. So get in line, but call while you stand there.

Before getting on the plane, have everyone go to the bathroom. You really do not want to use a bathroom on a plane. They are tiny. I am a very small person, and I feel like I am squished in there, like I can barely fit. If you have someone who needs help like a small child, forget it; you both aren't fitting.

I also suggest that you familiarize yourself with maps of the airports you will be traveling to. Airports can be kind of like mazes, and it helps to know where the bathrooms and such are. It also helps to know which terminal or building you need to go to if you are traveling through a large multi-building airport.

There is a very good sticky about the Orlando airport, I would definitely check it out. It has links to restaurants, ME info, maps, and lots more.

Some other advice is to think about eating at the food court before you head to Disney. This is one last chance to save a little money, and depending on which hotel you are staying at, may offer a larger kid-friendly selection of foods than at the Disney hotel. My kids definitely prefer the Orlando Airport food court to Disney food. It is quick, convenient, and everyone can find something they like.

There are also some very good Disney photo ops at the Orlando airport, so be prepared for that. They actually have very nice Disney backdrops setup, and statues of characters you can sit with that make great pics.

The last tip I can think of is to book your child a window seat, and if you have more than one child make sure they each have their own window seat. Otherwise, even if they don't seem interested now, they may change their minds and then fight over the window later. Kids usually get over their fears pretty fast and really enjoy looking out at all the tiny cars and houses down below. And if they don't get over it, you can just pull the shade down, so they don't have to look. But my experience has always been if Mom and Dad are calm and relaxed, so is the child because the actual flying part of a flight is very tame and not any scarier than riding in a car.

 

[finny1981]

Some repeating and in addition to pp's:

3. We started looking at other options and found there are lots of off-site parking facilities that are grateful for our business and show it. We like PreFlight and found them by their coupon in the Val-Pak mailings.
They drop us off right at our car with only a minor ride around the lot. Their shuttle bus is much smaller & nicer and has seat belts. It comes every 5-8 minutes which makes 20 mins feel like an eternity. The driver always helps with our bags and some have even put them in our trunk. They are truly deserving of a tip. They even have a frequent parker plan to give us free days of parking for every $70 or so spent. They also allow us to reserve parking in advance so I already booked the indoor parking garage for our Jan trip. Just in case of snow, I don't want to return to see my car plowed in. I will never, ever go back to the airport's economy lot.

At Detroit Metro there is an Embassy Suites just down the road from the airport that has rooms to sleep 6. We start our vacation off staying there the night before because not only do they have nightly free snacks and drinks and a morning made to order omelet station, they have a park and ride deal that is fabulous. You get up to 8 days free and then a little more per extra day and there is a shuttle that picks you up at your car loads your luggage, drops you off at the door to the airport, then picks you up at the door loads your luggage and drops you off at your car. They have always loaded the luggage in our car for us as well. You can use the parking company even if you don't stay there, but we found that it is an amazing deal to stay there and it allows us to relax and start our vacation sooner and never worry about whether we will make it to the airport on time (it is a 2 hour drive for us without traffic trouble). Just adds a little more magic to the vacation!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Note that medical supplies and equipment are not subject to normal baggage rules. Anything such as a wheelchair or ECV is transported free. Also, if you have a bag that is mostly medical supplies it is not subject to either baggage limitations or fees.