VA out of Manchester

[Minniemagoo]

Just looking for some opinions on this option.
We were looking at direct flights out of Dublin with AL but the Manchester option has come up massively cheaper and is tempting us.
So some questions:
What are VA like to travel with?
What are queues like at MCO if we do immigration there, this is our main concern as DD2 has ASD.
Any info on above much appreciated. Have a few days to make a decision.

[taylaboo]

We love Virgin. We go to Gatwick the day before and do the twilight check
In to get rid of the luggage and pick up our boarding passes. The food is ok. Typical plane food and the ife is good too. Immigration at MCO is pot luck. It depends how many flights land around the same time. Sometimes its quicker than others. You can get a sunflower lanyard for your son or ring ahead for special assistance.

[Disney Planning]

VA from Manchester is fine, we normally fly with them.
Unfortunately in all the years I have been going there's only been a couple of occasions when immigration has been quick. Normally the queues been pretty long and slow 🙁

[scoobydooby]

We always fly VA from Manchester. It’s a decent service in my experience. However immigration at MCO has taken me 15 minutes, over two hours and pretty much everything in between. If you can pre clear immigration and this part of the process is important to you then fly from Dublin. It is worth checking if there is any kind of special assistance at MCO which could be applied to your daughter.

[Minniemagoo]

Thanks for the replies, we are seriously considering this option as the price difference is so great.

[Thorpy]

We usually fly from Manchester, and have landed in MCO as an international passenger 10 times ... (soon to be 11). Whilst I've no extra considerations to deal with, I would say we've never faced a queue I would figure is problematic. We've has a couple of times that come to memory of waiting. Once we were held on the aircraft, which we were told would be for 30 minutes, turned out to be about 10, (I had a stopwatch running). I expected to turn into a packed hall, it wasn't as bad as I expected. On another occasion I can recall going up and down in the switchbacks being a bit fed up...it might be the same trip, it might not. The thing is when I get on the monorail, I find it easy to forget the waiting time. In more recent times I've stopwatch times the queue and it's usually in the region of 20-30 minutes.

I have also been through Immigration rapidly, and then waited for luggage, been through both fast and waited for ages for magical express, or 2 hours for a minibus at car hire.
We now expect something to cause a hold up, and simply round up from our expected departure time, so on the 9:55 flight next week, we add 9 hours flight time, then 3 to get to resort, and expect to be in our room "somewhere around" 5pm US, or 10pm UK.

Just work the saving out as an hourly rate, then consider it's value from there.

[McSleepy]

Hi Clodagh,

We did Belfast City - Manchester - MCO with VA this year and have done Belfast international - MCO previously also.

If you can link to the earlier flight from Manchester the queue at immigration is not too bad. Talk to VA special needs and they will give you details of a lanyard for DD which staff recognize.

We have found Virgin every bit as good as Aer Lingus.

Another option would be Aer Lingus to Miami. We did it a few years ago and worked out cheaper than direct to Orlando. We stayed a night each way in Miami about a 4 to 5 hour drive to Orlando. We spent half a day exploring Miami before our return flight which is later in the evening.

[TinselAngel]

VA ex Manchester to MCO is my preferred carrier/route. Always been happy with the flights. Staff are good and attentive. Apart from our first couple of trips immigration has typically taken 20-45 mins. You can get one of the sunflower lanyards for the child with ASD and contact Special assistance airport ambassadors at MCO. I have read that they make sure you go through quickly

[skstorm]

love flying VA and Manchester now does the twighlight check in if you get there the night before