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Old 30 Nov 17, 12:07 PM  
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#6
cornishfrogboy
VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Nov 10
Location: Falmouth
My target price on a direct would be £525pp out of Gatwick.

Don't write off indirects completely. They can work out better and also, they bring many other carriers into the market. This makes for more competitive faring. These other issues are worth considering..

Remember that for many, Heathrow works much better and creates a much shorter/better journey from your home than Gatwick. (Especially when coming up from the Southwest). Indirects are nearly always from Heathrow if opting for London departures.

When you arrive in MCO in your very large jet, along with many other large jets, you then have to do immigration and customs. At both MCO and MIA this has taken over 4 hours, then the baggage, then the carpick up . It can be chaos and very time consuming.

Indirects can go via Atlanta or similar, where your ideal 3 to 3.5 hr layover can be used to do immigration and customs, plus hopefully a leg stretch. Your connection, generally in a small aircraft then takes you straight in to Florida where you just go straight to the baggage carousel. Your Bags come up quick on a smaller jet!

You don't have to go to MCO or MIA. There are several regionals which will cost little or no more that are very convenient for Orlando or Davenport, Polk, Kissimmee. You can consider Tampa , Daytona, both within 1 hr 25 of Orlando. If you do this, it can work very well in planning. For instance, if you intend visiting BG, Cape Kennedy Venice, Clearwater, Cocoa Beach, Key West (has an airport) or similar then you can overnight in hotels and cut right down on driving, doing a ribbon rather than loads of return journeys. Time saved!

On your return, you can leave from where you like and you don't see your baggage till you get home. I would reccomend a 3 hour layover coming in and a 1 hour going home.

For instance on our last break in the Easter hols, we arrived in Pensacola via Atlanta with a 3 hr layover. We then and in a line, visited USS Alabama, Pensacola, Destin, Tampa for Busch, Kissimmee and then Daytona. We left from the lovely little Daytona Beach airport with a 1 hr layover at Atlanta. 15 nights, £435 pp with Delta. Our total drive (bear in mind Destin to Tampa was 445 miles) was 1100 miles including park journeys.

There are lots of options and dibbers can give me millions of ideas. Whilst direct in and out of MCO with one location to stay at suits very many people, it is not the only option.

There is an awful lot in Florida and with careful planning, you can see more of it and easily.
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