Travel Advice Needed

[lostcarpark]

We're looking at Florida for a honeymoon destination. Probably should have booked it months ago, but you know how it goes. I know there are some frequent flyers here, so I'd appreciate any suggestions. Oh, and if you know someone who has a lot of travel experience, please ask them to have a look.

There aren't any direct flights between Dublin and Orlando, so we're going to have to change somewhere.

I've done some searching on various sites, and depending when we travel the price is generally working out around €650-€800 per person. However, if I book a direct flight to JFK with Aer Lingus, I can get it for under €300 per person. A Delta flight from JFK to Orlando comes in at around $140, so it would add up to a fairly substantial saving when you multiply it by three.

When I look up the price on Expedia, it offers me hotel and car packages and tells me I save loads by booking them together. It works out around $100 per night for a 3.5 star hotel close to Disney, and about $20 per day for the car.

So some questions:

1. Is it a good idea to book the flights separately?
2. Is JFK a good airport to connect in?
3. How long should I leave between flights for baggage collection and check-in?
4. Will travel insurance cover it if one flight is delayed and we miss the other?
5. Is it worthwhile booking flight, hotel and car together?
6. Is there somewhere else I could get a cheaper deal?
7. Any general advice on traveling to the US these days?

Eagerly awaiting suggestions!

Comments

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

1. Intend to shop around, but getting a good feel for what's available online. Changing outside the US might be preferable, but I haven't been able to find any direct flights from London either.

2. How about Boston? I can get more or less the same prices there.

3. How do you rate "all costs" in monetary terms? We're going to have to change, it's just a matter of whether we arrange it or the airline arranges it. The difference at the moment seems to be about €200-300, which for the tree of us means adding between €600 and €900 to the cost of the holiday.

4. Will invest in a magnifying glass to read the small print!

5. Ah, seeing lots of packages.

6. I'll just have to see what's on offer. Anywhere you'd recommend or avoid (I'm thinking location-wise rather than specific hotels)? Also, I'm presuming renting a car is a good idea, though many hotels offer free shuttle busses to Disney and other locations.

7. I think we get most of the immigration stuff done on the Irish side, but will avoid any form of humour. Should we use the visa waiver, or would we be better to get a proper visa in advance?

Oh, and the Space Center is high on my list of priorities!

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

Actually, Boston is a city I wouldn't at all mind spending a night or two in. That could work...

[etherealfionna.livejournal.com]

2. Going through Boston with an Irish passport is not a very good idea, or at least it wasn't back back in my student days when people were trying to get in for summer work illegally.

My suggestion is to look for flights through Amsterdam or Frankfurt (or do I mean Munich? I can never remember - the biggest German airport, anyway). And checking straight through is worth the extra money, because then everything that goes wrong is theie problem.

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

I can see how you might be looked at a little more suspiciously by emigration. However, they're got to be letting some people through or there wouldn't be direct flights there, and when you've got a secure job and mortgage to return to, it shouldn't generally be a problem.

An initial search of flights from Amsterdam yields only one direct flight costing $622. All the other airports only seem to offer changes via other US airports.

[jcaswell.livejournal.com]

You can fly direct to Orlando from Gatwick

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

Yes you can, but not on the dates we want to fly (at least not unless we're willing to pay out $4340 a seat to fly business class with Virgin Atlantic). I'm afraid it goes back to what I said earlier about should have booked it months ago.

[jcaswell.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're going to be fussy... :)

[wag-9393.livejournal.com]

BA fly direct, but aren't cheap at all. Orlando is very much a Charter destination.

An other option you could take is to fly to Miami, I would SERIOUSLY recommend spending a night there if you do this I've flown direct to Miami twice and driven immediately after - not fun.

You could even consider 2 days in Miami if you aren't doing a package. This would let you dirve down to the Keys for a visit. the drive from Miami to orlando takes about 4-6 hours depending on route (Turnpike quickest, but boring).

Boston a smaller airport, but you are more likely to find flights that change in Chicago or Atlanta.

If you go with a package you get the advantage of a direct flight, in a charter airline admitedly - but the overall convenience can offset that minor inconvenience.

I just hate having to change flights, a right old pain in the bum. It just extends the travel time duration, you fret as soon as the inevitable delays start.

You probably want to avoid Downtown Orlando its a bit out of the way of interesting stuff. Stick with International Dive or the kissimee area in general

Check whether Visa waiver still in place, they are going to remove it. If you have a visa and need to use it they will fingerprint you and all that guff.

RENTING A CAR IS ESSENTIAL, yes there are shuttle busses but they are point to point and specific times. Orlando is a vast sprawling place, you can't do anything without a car. if you want to do cinema in the evenings (Universal studios has a 17 screen cinema out side its 2 resorts)

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

Most of the connections offered seem to at Philadelphia, Charlotte, Newark, Washington and JFK. Any advice on which are preferable, and which to avoid like the plague.

Will also check if we can go direct on a charter flight. Might have to alter our departure dates to do that. Our current plan is getting married on the Thursday, spending Saturday and Sunday at Octocon, and flying out on Monday.

Will check exactly what Visa is required. I was planning to check that anyway, since there might be extra requirements when bringing a child.

I was assuming a car would be a good idea, but thanks for confirming.

[wag-9393.livejournal.com]

I'd seriously consider checking prices to Miami if you can't find a package charter to Orlando. If you ensure an evening flight back, the drive back from Orlando to Miami is fairly stress free.

Just my insane preference for not changing flights, i'd rather have a 4-6 hour drive than faff around in an airport doing changes.

Remember you will be changing from an international to a domestic flight. Depending on the airport this may mean changing terminals, which may mean collecting baggage and re-checking it. Very much depends on the airline.

[jamesb.livejournal.com]

Visa - U may get turned down anyhow at point of entry, and sent home, you have an appeal if you fail to get a Visa when you apply, the process is time consuming and paperwork heavy.

Visa Waiver - U may get turned down at point of entry & you go home, paperwork is minimal.

I was keen to get a Visa for my Taff trip, but when I went to San Diego, I used the Visa Waiver and to be blunt it saves loads of time.

You need to apply for a Visa at least 6 weeks ahead and have Passports for everyone and all your details. There is an online pdf form, you can see it from the Dublin embassy's website. Its serious. Then you phone an expensive phone line and you get an interveiw date and you blah blah blah.

Ok, I was keen to do this because the last thing I want is to be turned back.

But the Visa Waiver, I read it carefully, and filled it in absolutly correctly on the flight, Immigration took a few minutes (15) and that was it.

So I am opting for Visa Waiver to Boston, also at least if I do get turned down, Immigration is in Dublin, well it will be the shortest Taff Trip ever.

James

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

This is true. With a full Visa you're still not guaranteed entry, though you would assume if you clearly won't be admitted you'll be denied at the visa stage. But if you go through the visa process and could still be denied entry, what's the point? I used the visa waiver a couple of years back and had no problems.

But I do want to make sure it's okay to use it when travelling with children.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

I've been to the US a couple of dozen times in the last 3 years on the visa waiver and never had a problem. As long as you fill in the form right, and answer a clear and honest NO to all the questions you shouldn't worry about it.