9:25 pm flight from MCO to Toronto with kids?

[Spotthecat]

Stupid prices for February 2019 flights have me considering wacky flight times...9:25 pm out of Orlando with 3 kids? The day we would get off the Disney cruise...early...

Talk me off this cliff...

 

[Frozen2014]

We have an evening flight home from our summer cruise from Miami to Toronto. Figure our kids will sleep if tired. Do they have school the next day or will they have a day or so to catch up?

 

[hdrolfe]

We flew back from FLL after a cruise late, flight was at 8 pm. We did an excursion off the ship and then waited in the airport. It was the day Atlanta lost power, so so the airport was packed. We got back just before midnight I think? We had the next day off to recover. I would suggest a day hotel if possible to give you something to do. My son (age 8) fell asleep on the plane. He was tired!

 

[hcortesis]

Don't do it. That flight was often delayed this past winter. Many times not leaving until after midnight.

 

[Ben E N]

Rent a car, mini golf at WDW and dine and play at Disney Springs. They will be so tired by the end of the day that they will most likely sleep on the plane. If they don't, use the saved money to buy yourself a drink or two on the flight.

 

[isabellea]

If the next day is a day off for you and the kids, I would do it.

 

[Gigi22]

Do not even think about it. The worst delayed flight I ever encountered was at MCO. An Air Canada rouge flight to Montreal. Our flight was delayed and delayed and delayed again. I believe it was over 12 hours we waited by the gate at MCO. Air Canada kept on claiming the plane was coming, and issued us $10 vouchers. Wound up getting to Montreal at about 3 a.m. And then had to collect luggage and get a cab to our hotel downtown. If I were delayed again, I would book into the MCO airport hotel...

 

[FigmentSpark]

Crazy prices for sure. I found it worthwhile to book the next day and sightsee on the day off the ship. Sure, I paid a hotel charge, but we were vacationing, not giving it all to Air Canada.

 

[Princess KP]

Is it during Reading Week / week of Family Day? If not, I would wait to book. Prices would probably drop.

 

[Spotthecat]

My kids would have all of sunday to recover (well, once they're actually in bed, we live about 20 mins from the airport), and then Monday is Family day so an extra day to recover.

But darn...the price for even that flight now has increased too!

 

[ottawamom]

Clear all your cookies etc and try again. It may make a difference it may not. The airlines track your inquiries and the program increases prices sometimes if you search too often trying to get you to lock into a purchase.

 

[starvenger]

Stupid prices for February 2019 flights have me considering wacky flight times...9:25 pm out of Orlando with 3 kids? The day we would get off the Disney cruise...early...

This is a case where if the price is too good to pass up then you take it and work out the logistics afterwards. But if the price is still kind of high and you can see seats still available under Econo/Tango then I'd hold off and see what turns up.

You're 10 months out so you've got time.

 

[lisaviolet]

I love travelling late at night. Relaxing. Wouldn't hesitate with Southwest, rarely have had a delayed flight. And if I had one, they were always very organized with information.

And I'm all for getting a deal with flight times.

_________________________________________________-

Then there's Air Canada late at night on that route

On one trip alone I arrived at the Polynesian at 5:00 am and arrived in Toronto at 4:30 am. Fun, fun, fun. And neither flight was crazy late night originally. And no weather issues on either end. Alone I wouldn't have cared but I had my mom in a wheelchair. So would not be fun with kids.

 

[tgropp]

We had a late flight ( with Small Grandchildren ) leaving Orlando after our cruise and we rented a Day room at the Hyatt hotel in the airport. I think that we had to get out at 6 or 7. It helped that the children could relax in the afternoon

 

[von Monster]

Punch your dates in Hopper (or flight app of choice), select the number of stops you want (I'm guessing non-stop?) and see what it says - does it recommend you wait based on what it expects the flights to go for?

10 months in advance seem really early to be booking to me.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Traveling in the winter can cause delays to any flight. It has nothing to do with the time of day. Book the flight that fits you budget or schedule best...which ever is more important to you. If it turns out to be that late flight filling a day would be very easy. If you just want to keep things low key...book a hotel and hang out at the pool all day. You could even rent a car and just tour around, stopping where you please.

ETA: The last three years we have been at WDW for March break and have come home on the last flight of the night which is between departs MCO between 9:30 and 10:30pm. At first I thought I might really hate it but turns out I love it.

 

[tinkerone]

What we do is book a day room at the MCO Hyatt. By the time we get off the cruise and to the airport its about 9:30 or so. We go directly to the check in desk, get our key and drop our carry on/bags/parcels in the room, change into swim suits and go to the pool that is on the top of the hotel. We wander around the airport and grab lunch, nap if we so choose, shower, maybe watch a bit of TV. The possibilities are there and you have a place, inside the airport, where you can get away from the crowds.
We check out at 6, head over to security and go to our gate. It is a very relaxing day. I'm not sure we have paid more than $110 for the day room, that was the rate from last November anyways. Worth every penny. Depending on the age of your children it might be good to have a place where they can nap and chill out before the flight.

 

[hcortesis]

Traveling in the winter can cause delays to any flight. It has nothing to do with the time of day.

Taking the first flight out, usually at 6:00am, insures that you will pretty regularly leave on time as that plane came in the previous night. Taking the 9:30 pm in the winter has a high chance of being delayed as it will have made as many as 2 or 3 flights before arriving here. And each or those flights has a chance of being delayed if there is snow or freezing rain. Big difference between the first flight out and the last flight out.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Taking the first flight out, usually at 6:00am, insures that you will pretty regularly leave on time as that plane came in the previous night. Taking the 9:30 pm in the winter has a high chance of being delayed as it will have made as many as 2 or 3 flights before arriving here. And each or those flights has a chance of being delayed if there is snow or freezing rain. Big difference between the first flight out and the last flight out.

OK, so I've had two 6am flights in the last 4 months and both were delayed 2-4 hours for bad weather. One flight the plane was there before I was and the other the plane was coming in from a red eye flight. A friend of mine sat at Pearson this past Saturday from 4:30am (flight was due to depart at 6:15am) until 2pm when the flight finally left. Her plane was also coming in from an over night flight.

 

[FigmentSpark]

But, in fairness, the whole GTA had an ice storm this weekend. Schools were even closed on Monday, so this weekend's experience isn't normal.