Travelling to Orlando - Flights & Transfers

Hey guys! The first post in my Travelling to Orlando series is all about flights and transfers.

Do your Research:
When it comes to booking our flights, the first place I start is Skyscanner. This is a price comparison website that basically gives you a variety of flight options to choose from. You can filter by airline company, price, flight times, layover length etc. Obviously price is a big factor but I always take into consideration layovers and how long they'll be and justify the price against the waiting times then. I also make sure to Google the type of aircraft to see if they have individual entertainment screens. We assumed all long haul flights did until one year we got caught and had no entertainment for 9 hours!

Direct or Indirect?
We've done both! Aerlingus go direct and I have to say it is definitely nice to just know the next time you're getting off is at your destination and not have to wait around in another airport for a few hours. That being said, Aer Lingus can often be way more expensive and so going indirect may be the better option. I always keep an eye on their sales! They also had really great flight times - departing Dublin at about 2pm and departing Orlando at about 8pm returning meaning you have a full day on your last day.

We've gone indirect 3 times with United, U.S. Airways and Air Canada Rouge. I'd recommend United and U.S. Airways no problem but we had a really bad experience with Air Canada Rouge and I personally wouldn't fly with them again because of that.



When we go indirect, we always make sure the stopover is somewhere in America so you can clear customs in Dublin (much quicker than in the U.S.). I also always look at the layover time - we've never had a layover of more than 3 hours; something to keep in mind as some can be 7 or 8 hours (sometimes overnight). Also be careful as some layovers make you change airport in the state you're flying into so that's worth checking too as you may not have time to collect your bags, make your way to the other airport and re-check in.

How Much?
Well obviously that depends on the time of year you fly and who you book with. We've always gone in August / September as the parks are much quieter. We paid roughly about €1300 for the return flights for the two of us with Aer Lingus. When we've travelled indirect, we've paid as little as €950.

Transfers?
We travel to Dublin airport from Cork using the Aircoach. For transfers from Orlando airport we use Mears Transportation. We pre-book this online for about $60 return. It's a shared shuttle service but they organise everyone who are staying in hotels near each other so it never takes too long.

That's pretty much all for flights and transfers; if I've forgot anything then please let me know! My next post in this series will be all about accommodation in Orlando.