Flight from Miami to Orlando - would you?

[jlbf06]

After all my faffing around with indirect flights we eventually settled on a direct to Miami (price was too good to turn down) for October half term.

It's a shortish trip - ten nights - and we land into Miami at 6:10pm, probably too late for the long drive to Orlando, but there is a flight up at 8:40pm, about an hour long, which we could book separately and take the Magical Express to an onsite hotel, collecting a car the next day.

The risk is that our flight would be late getting in and we are stuck in Miami, having to sort out a car or book more flights. It's about £200 extra for the four of us but it would get us set up ready to start early the next day.

Would you do this or would you book a hotel in Miami and drive up the next morning?

[chmurf]

absolutely not, especially if you have checked luggage

as you wouldn't be booked on a through ticket, you would need to collect the bags, then "exit" the airport, and effectively rechecking the bags at the counter (at ticketing) and there is a cutoff time to do that, that's around 30 minutes or more depending on airport/destination

and you would then need to clear security again

basically, landing at 6:10pm and taking off at 8:40pm would be like having a connection of 2h30mins which would already be tight (to clear immigration, customs and collect bags) but then you would also have to go all the way back to ticketing (when a connection would only require to drop bags off right after customs)

no way as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather take a room, and collect a car at silly o'clock the next morning

[Northerndave]

Sounds an idea, you are already in the airport, but you have to collect bags, then head to the domestic terminal, check in, go through security etc etc.

Even after all that would you be up early the next day? If you got in at midnight to the hotel (after bag collection, transport, hotel check-in), your body clock would be telling you it's 5am. You'll be lucky to be awake again early.

Pick up a car in Miami (cheaper than a 2 city rental) and drive part way up. There's plenty of places to stay on other threads and have an early start the next day is the way I would go.

[marciehatter]

Give yourself a break after a long flight - book a hotel room and have a lovely sleep. You'll be up at the crack of dawn the next day to pick up your rental car and drive up refreshed.

[claireyfairy8]

Just stay in Miami for the night. There are lots of hotels near by. Then just jump in the car in the morning.

[MrFish]

We are probably on the same flight by the sounds of it. I wouldn't personally do what you have suggested, especially if you are travelling with young kids. I'll be driving about 45 mins to 1 hour North and staying at a cheapo Hampton Inn or similar.

I have done this same flight several times (also on same flight this April) previously stayed in Miami but you pay the premium. Kids normally fall asleep on the short drive and then get a second wind once we arrive at the hotel and want swim all night long. Usually as I'm about to hit the wall...

[ukitr]

I'm on a similar route too. remember the clocks in the UK have not changed an the time difference is only 4 hours.

[Ayefour]

We stayed at deerfield beach last year which is about an hour drive north. Managed to watch the sunrise on the beach the next morning and then its an easy drive up to WDW. I would honestly recommend it to anyone. The drive back down isnt as daunting as it seems either.

[stupet11]

We always stay over in Miami first night

This year we stayed near Dolphin Mall, which was nice to wander around shops and use food hall.

We make it to Orlando by lunchtime, so you can still get a good park day in, and save a bit of money on your first night v's staying onsite.

Just what works well for us.

[John]

I did it once, I was living in Central America and flew into Miami, did immigration then boarded a flight to Tampa, so no long trip for me. But if my first flight was from UK I'd just get a hotel for the night and drive. By the time you've waited for your connection, boarded and flown the hour, your probably only talking about an extra hour for driving.