Spirit Is One of the Lowest-Rated Airlines – Here’s Why I (Almost) Always Fly With Them to Disney World

Flying to Disney World can be stressful — if you’ve heard me say that before it’s because it’s TRUE.

Really, flying anywhere can be stressful, but with Disney World, it’s potentially a vacation that you’ve been planning for YEARS and are trying to make sure nothing goes wrong. Choosing what airline to fly with can be a difficult decision to make, which is why we’re here to help you weigh the pros and cons. I know some of my coworkers don’t agree with me (and that’s TOTALLY okay), but even though Spirit gets a bad rep, I fly with them practically everywhere.

Now, in the spirit of honesty, I truthfully do drive to Disney World in most cases, but I HAVE flown from Orlando back to Atlanta (and vice versa) with Spirit before, and if I had to fly down there, they’d be my first choice for a few reasons.

I’m On a Very TIGHT Budget

Am I exaggerating? Well…I’ll leave that unanswered, but the truth is that Spirit is one of the most affordable airlines out there, and for someone like me who is still trying to build her savings account while ALSO not letting my early 20s slip by without having some fun, a budget airline is the way to go.

No, I’m not taking trips unless I can genuinely afford it, but if I didn’t book with Spirit, I’d have to wait longer to take my trips to save up for them. Instead of paying $170+ for my roundtrip (which can easily get into the $200s range depending on the time of year), I can pay anywhere from $60-$90(ish) roundtrip and call it a day. Yes, it doesn’t SEEM like that much of a difference, but I’d rather spend that extra money on some Disney World snacks and the Cuddleez Pua stuffed animal I’ve had my eye on for months.

I Don’t Need All The Fancy Additions

Okay, they’re not really fancy — in-flight entertainment and snacks and meals were pretty important on my 9-hour flight to Disneyland Paris, BUT for my 1.5-hour flight (if that) to Orlando? Yeah, count me out.

If I’ve just had a meal at the airport before I fly, or I spent $5-$6 on a snack before I board. I’m totally set. I’m a huge bookworm, so I’ll bring a book to read or my Kindle, or sometimes I’ll travel with my laptop and get some personal video editing or screenwriting done. There’s plenty to entertain me for a short period of time without paying an additional $100 for those perks.

I’ve Mastered The Art of Using One Bag

Speaking of not wanting to pay for perks I don’t really need when I’m flying longer distances or traveling for longer, it’s great to fly with Southwest or Delta to get some free bags. But when I’m flying to Disney World for 2-3 days? I don’t need more than a backpack, so why would I, again, want to pay an additional $100 to use a perk I don’t need?

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a chronic over-packer, and that’s very true, but when I know I’m flying Spirit and am only limited to one backpack, I’ve mastered the art of making it work! Only the essentials — clothes, sunscreen, laptop or iPad mini for work, book/Kindle, chargers, wallet, and that’s it! And since I travel more frequently with my Annual Pass, I don’t typically buy a ton of souvenirs, so I don’t need to worry about saving room for that in my bag (but keep that in mind if you ARE planning on grabbing some souvenirs!) You can always bring a folded-up duffel bag if you only want to pay for the additional bag on the way back.

Spirit Has A TON of Options

I’m also a big fan of Frontier’s prices, but Spirit has more nonstop flight options to and from Orlando and other cities around the country than other budget airlines.

Again, I don’t personally have much of a problem coming from Atlanta since I’m so close, but nonstop flight options change all the time! There’s always a possibility a smaller budget airline could have to cut some nonstop routes, but that’s less likely with Spirit being that it’s (arguably) the largest budget airline.

This is what I mean — 4 airlines ended flights to Orlando Airport earlier this year!

Now, I’m not here to judge you based on what airlines you prefer to fly. If you’re not a fan of Spirit and prefer to pay more for a higher-quality flight, I totally get it! I’ll stick with paying cheap fares and running the higher risk of having a terrible flight (it hasn’t happened yet, but it could be in my future. Who knows!).

Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news!

3 Unspoken Rules for Flying with Spirit Airlines

What airline do you prefer to fly to Disney World? Tell me in the comments!

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