Red eye or not?

[tychux72]

Coming from the West coast, is it better to book a flight arriving into MCO at 10:30pm or 5:30am the following day? We’re planning on using DME upon arrival.

 

[Fangorn]

Coming from the West coast, is it better to book a flight arriving into MCO at 10:30pm or 5:30am the following day? We’re planning on using DME upon arrival.

Fellow west-coaster here. We've done both. For us, the red-eye and really early arrival just doesn't work. Yes, you save a night's lodging, but it's unlikely your room will be available at 1pm, let alone at 7am, leaving you with nowhere to go and recover from the all-nighter. Going to a park when they open sounds great, but for us, the travel weariness begins to take it's toll mid-morning and makes the day something of a bust. It works better for us to get in late (well, late in Florida, the body still thinks it's early evening) unwind at the resort and start fresh the next morning.

Steve

 

[FCDub]

I've never been able to take a west-to-east red-eye and be productive the next day. I'd vote for the day before.

 

[JessM]

I'd come in the night before. Red eyes leave me exhausted, there's no way I'd be functioning and having a good time in Disney the day after one.

 

[writerguyfl]

If money is an issue, don't forget the option of taking the day-time flight and staying at a hotel at/near the airport. I get the appeal of going all the way to Disney, but making a pit stop at/near the airport can potentially save several hundreds of dollars depending upon where you stay at Disney.

If unfamiliar, you can still use Disney's Magical Express to get to your Resort the following day.

 

[SteveH]

It really depends on you. I've done both, and for me it all depends on how much sleep, if any, I get on the plane. I try to avoid planning anything major though. If arriving early for WDW it seems like a good day for the hotel and Disney Springs, I don't think I'd be trying to hit up a park. Last year we arrived late, got to the Swan around 12:30 AM, crashed as soon as we could and we were up and heading to the park around 9:AM and feeling great.

 

[Leesha.Monster]

We did a red-eye in 2017 from west coast to MCO arriving at 5:30am. We got to our resort by 6:30 and after we ate breakfast and everything we were so exhausted. I can’t really sleep on a plane or sitting up for that matter. We got our room ready text at 9:45 luckily but I couldn’t imagine getting it closer to 3 or 4pm.

This year we landed at 6:30pm. We took our time and explored the Disney store at MCO, grabbed Starbucks, then made it to our resort at about 8pm. We weren’t tired at all and went to the pool. We easily could have done evening EMH if my son didn’t want to go to the pool so bad haha.

Anyway, I am still hesitant to try and book a red eye again even if it saved a little bit of money money. It was just so exhausting.

 

[starry_solo]

West coaster here too. We did a red eye in May 2017, arrived at 6 qm, onto ME, and our room wasn't ready until after 3 pm. Concierge at Akv wasn't open so we were checked in at front desk. We rested in the lounge for a few hours and then resort hopped til the room was ready.

 

[1911]

I guess I am the odd family out,we have taken a red eye for the last 4 years from lax arriving around 6am.we have been in our room by 10am every time.we have gone to the front desk when we arrive and check in,probably why we have never gotten any thing close to our room requests.
yes we are tired when we arrive and take a nap, but we get going in the afternoon, if not doing the parks it will be disney springs or some resort hopping.\

 

[gillep]

We always do the red eye, I don't like spending the day flying and I can take fewer days off work for the same number of days in Disney. If our room isn't ready and we are tired we have taken naps on the pool loungers, but usually we are good to hit the parks for a few hours until the room is ready then a short nap and on to evening entertainment! It is really my husband that usually needs the nap, I would likely be fine at the parks for the day but he enjoys a short nap so we usually do that.

 

[StageTek]

We always do the red-eye! Wouldn't do it any other way. Arriving at MCO in the early morning is so nice - no lines at DME or car rental and a whole day in the parks! Love, love, love getting to the resort early, checking in with no line, dropping off carry-ons and heading to the park. Head back to the room for a nap and off again! It's a Disney vacation - I'll sleep in later.

Gotten the requested room all four times. At the FW cabins we got the exact room we wanted but had to wait until 4PM (they had a cabin available when we checked in but we chose to wait), at POFQ this past Sept I got the room ready text as I was on DME at 6:40AM - exact room I requested. Two other times the room was ready by 1PM. Still dropped carry-ons with Bell Service and headed to the MK.

JetBlue has stopped the red-eye from LAX starting in March so it's Delta for us now.

 

[_19disnA]

Depends on how well you can adapt to the time change when you arrive. Works for some, but for others you spend most of the next day adjusting to the time change and when you eat/sleep can get messed up.

 

[KPeterso]

Also from west coast. I have tried both. As DVC, rooms seem to be ready much later, so the red eye just did not work for us. We like to take one of the direct flights leaving LAX between 8-11 AM getting in around dinner time. Makes us much more fresh to start out the next day. Red eye did not work since I am not a great sleeper on my best days and I was typically done by 12 noon and wanting a nap badly.

 

[siren0119]

I've done redeye flights for work travel, and it NEVER fails that I am exhausted and out of sorts the next day. I would not want to risk missing the enjoyment of a first day of vacation because of jet lag/lack of sleep/needing recovery.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's a question I ponder every time. When traveling with family the redeye is a misery. When traveling alone it's still miserable, but I can control myself. Recently my trips have been for rundisney purposes, and I'm meeting my cousin (who is equally as chipper and sarcastic and loopy-when-tired as I am), and we just go with the silliness that happens when exhausted.

I never ever rely on the idea of getting into a room early.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would do the 10:30 p.m arrival. Then you can hop on the MDE check into your room relax. I know it will be a time change difference for you and you will not feel as tired. So you can roam around the resort and just relax till bed time. Then wake up rested and hit the ground running.