Last Minute Travel to Orlando Florida

About Orlando Travel

Need a quick vacation? Did you just decide to grab the kids and head off for a little family time?

Orlando Florida is an excellent destination for last minute travel. The weather is almost always good, there are lots of things to do and the abundance of lodging usually makes it easy to find available, affordable lodging.

Theme parks like DisneyWorld and Epcot are the most frequently visited attractions in Orlando, but many visitors also take advantage of the great golf courses throughout the area and the nearby attractions like the Kennedy Space Center.

Off-season travel to Orlando gives you the chance to avoid the crowds and enjoy lower rates, but still enjoy the warm weather.

Special Orlando Travel Deals

During peak travel times, summer prices will be higher for almost everyone, even those making last minute arrangements.

Travel services like Expedia and Travelocity can have special deals on last minute travel. Even better deals are often found on websites like Hotwire, LastMinuteTravel and 11th Hour Vacations which offer last minute deals.

Tips on Last Minute Travel to Orlando Florida

Orlando is a very popular destination and last minute deals are usually available. Airlines and vacation websites may be able to give you special deals on travel and accommodations. They may also have an email notification service that will send you an email when a hotel has a cancellation or when special deals become effective for Orlando.

The best hotel deals and airfare-hotel-rental car packages tend to be found about three weeks before travel. On some packages the rates continue to drop until the arrival date.

Don't assume that the package price is always cheaper than purchasing the airline ticket, hotel and rental car separately. You may find that you can beat the package price if a hotel or airline is offering a particularly low rate.

Discount Orlando Airfares

Airfare rates to Orlando through the airlines tend to increase the closer you get to the flight time. You might be able to find a cheaper rate if you are flexible in your travel date, time or airport.

It pays to keep checking the airline's website. Sometimes an airline will decide to have a quick promotion on certain popular destinations, like Orlando. These quick deals may only be shown online for a day or two – so keep watching the airline's website. American Airlines has a special last minute promotion section that can be very helpful in finding those special deals.

Vacation websites offer reduced airline fares as part of their packaged vacation deals. Just as with calling the airline directly, you may be able to find some terrific airfare rates from vacation websites if you are flexible on your travel date, time and airport.

Last Minute Orlando Lodging

Hotels provide groups of unsold rooms to vacation websites for them to include in their travel packages. The room rates may be less than the regular hotel rates, but they may not be the best prices or room locations available.

Sometimes the best deals on last minute lodging can be found if you call the hotel directly, instead of reserving through a vacation website or calling the hotel's central reservation 800 number. The hotel front desk staff is highly motivated to book all the rooms in their hotel, often at specially-reduced prices. They will know exactly what rooms are going to be available and will be able to give you access to special rooms and rates that a central reservation clerk may not have access to offer. Remember, the hotel does not like to have empty rooms, so they will usually prefer to offer the room at a significantly reduced room rate.

A phone call to the hotel will usually get you a better room rate than you would be quoted if you walked in with your bags looking for a room. The hotel staff knows you're room shopping if you call and they will offer you their best rate. They know you probably won't leave the front desk once you're there, so the rate offered may not be a low as if you had called. Some travelers like to drive over to the hotel to check out the facilities, and then they call the front desk from their cell phone or a phone in the lobby.

Last minute travelers can also enjoy lodging in a vacation home. Last minute cancellations can open up a wide variety of accommodations including a condo right on the golf course.

Orlando Florida Rental Cars

Unlike hotel room rates that tend to decrease as you get closer to the occupancy date, rental car prices often increase as you get closer to the rental date. As soon as you have settled on an arrival date, you should book your rental car.

If you book with a rental car wholesaler like carrentals.com you will probably save money over renting directly from one of the national rental car chains. The more willing you are to accept a different size, make or model of car, the greater your chance to save on a last minute car rental.

Orlando Attractions

As a general rule, the prices on Orlando attractions don't change based on when there are purchased. You can usually get reduced rates by purchasing a multi-day pass.

Tickets to attractions may be included in a vacation package, but be sure to add up the value of each of the components to make sure that you really are saving money. You'll still have to stand in line to pick up your tickets, so you're not saving any time.

Resources for Finding Last Minute Deals

• Expedia
• Travelocity
• PriceLine
• Hotwire
• LastMinuteTravel
• 11th Hour Vacations
• American Airlines
• Discount Florida Vacations
• All Star Vacation Homes