Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Forget Philly -- Cape May itself is beautiful just to walk around.
I'll be flying there tomorrow morning for a long weekend. The drive from Newark can be a pain, especially on the way back. Last year, it took us literally 6 hours due to an accident --- on a Sunday morning -- and there was no way around until we were able to get to off the parkway to a bridge to Ocean City & then back on a bridge on the other end of Ocean City. Point is anything can happen with such a long way to the airport -- this happened less than 20 miles out of Cape May!
Thanks for the reply! So, are you saying that I should really try to get a flight in to Philadelphia, instead of Newark, if at all reasonably possible? I just checked again and a one-way flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia is $388, and a one-way flight from Phoenix to Newark is $202. That's a big difference in price. I realize that the drive will be about an hour longer each way, so, more fuel costs and, possibly tolls, I would assume; but I can't help but want to try to save the $178 for the ticket.
However, I am in need of, and looking for, helpful information and advice. So, I am definitely reading all replies and would appreciate some more helpful feedback.
If it were you, would you spend the extra $178 and fly in to Philadelphia instead of Newark? And what if the money mattered? Would that make a significant difference in your decision?
Before determining which flight is cheaper, you need to see how much rental cars are in both airports. They will be different! Remember you're also going to have to drive and factor in gas and possibly tolls.
Thanks for the reply! So, are you saying that I should really try to get a flight in to Philadelphia, instead of Newark, if at all reasonably possible? I just checked again and a one-way flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia is $388, and a one-way flight from Phoenix to Newark is $202. That's a big difference in price. I realize that the drive will be about an hour longer each way, so, more fuel costs and, possibly tolls, I would assume; but I can't help but want to try to save the $178 for the ticket.
However, I am in need of, and looking for, helpful information and advice. So, I am definitely reading all replies and would appreciate some more helpful feedback.
If it were you, would you spend the extra $178 and fly in to Philadelphia instead of Newark? And what if the money mattered? Would that make a significant difference in your decision?
Hey, these both have some crowded roads around them. Getting out of Newark at rush hour (i.e. 4-6 pm weekdays) is a lot worse by a long shot than getting out of Philly. Neither is fun or fast.The road becomes easier closer to Cape May (the last 90 minutes from Newark are a lot easier driving than the first 90 minutes). It's a toss-up for me. We're doing Newark because its non-stop & we will stop to see family between Cape May & Newark on the return.
If I had to choose, I'd do Newark to save the money. The extra time to drive is not all of the difficult type.
Whatever you do, pull the trigger quickly. Flights become very expensive as you get close to the departure day. You end up paying what business flyers pay.
I just checked Spirit Airlines website. Phoenix to Atlantic City round trip 9/21 and 9/23 is $542.55, which includes a rental car.
What would be a problem for me is that both go via Dallas and Ft. Lauderdale so you will spend all day in transit.
You'll probably be able to choose your seat.
TSA doesn't care about chargers. They usually fish my flashlight out of my purse to see what it is, but let it through. The TSA website is very informative.
I don't know about debit vs. credit card: you'll want to check into that.
Congratulations to you and your son. It's a major accomplishment!
I would recommend calming down and addressing it methodically. Plan to spend a couple of hours on the computer.
Pick 3 cities. (Philly, Newark, and Atlantic City, I guess?) A couple of date variations (returning Friday, Saturday, Sunday, say.) Then go to a travel site like Hipmunk, Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitx, Kayak...) and find which airlines service the route. Then check the airlines' websites. I think most will offer a car as part of the deal.
Write it all down and compare apples to apples. You'll get there.
As an aside, it has been my experience that booking through the airline website is preferable to booking through a travel website, but your mileage may vary.
Good luck!
Last edited by VTYankinME; 09-14-2017 at 05:22 PM..
As an aside, it has been my experience that booking through the airline is preferable to booking through a travel website, but your mileage may vary.
Good luck!
Heed that bolded part! It can make a big difference if there's a blip in connections or if re-booking.
Book quickly. One ways are sometimes ok, but other times booking roundtrip will save money. Right now, your best price is AA flying through EWR for $403 roundtrip. If you're set on booking your Thursday flight first and figuring out the next one later, then Southwest is the safe choice. Note that your small carryon means you don't have to pay extra on any airline.
You have many airport choices within a 2.5 hr drive, but after a quick search I really do think EWR is your best bet. Someone said to check rental car prices as well, and this is true that it will vary from airport to airport, but I would guess that EWR will be better or similar to any of the nearby alternatives.
If you can fly to Atlantic City, do it, even if it costs more. Look at a map and see how much closer it is to Cape May. It's an hour away and not a bad area to drive in. But do it now because airlines that fly into Atlantic City are going to be limited and your son isn't the only grad. Ask your son if he knows other parents coming that way and if you can carpool from the airport. Because you're not the only parent going to be flying in, so you might get lucky and be able to share costs and make it all less stressful with companionship.
Totally agree - book airfare and hotel on their website not Expedia, Travelocity, etc.
In regard to rental cars - if you have a Costco card, use it to find the cheapest rental prices (not to worry, they will link you to book on the rental car's own website). Costco pricing is nearly always the cheapest.
We're it me, I'd fly in Thursday instead of Friday. That pretty much eliminateshop the risk of missing graduation. And, often, flying on Thursday is cheaper than friday.
Here's the big suggestion to save some money IF you're going to rent for 3-4 days. Airport rentals have very high airport taxes. Rent a car at an off airport location NEAR the airport instead of IN the airport. The taxes drop dramatically. Take uber to that off site location. Don't bother for a 1-2 day rental.
You're overtaking for a 1-4 day trip. Bring the portable phone charger, leave the car charger at home. Leave the maglite at home and download a flashlight app on your phone. Don't buy a new bag for this trip. It's a waste of money as you're not likely to use it again. Borrow one from somebody else.
Speaking of somebody else, do yourself, your son and your stress levels a big favor: Get somebody who is familiar with airline travel to help you. No, I do NOT mean a travel agent. Surely, you have a friend who books airline tickets a few times a year, right?
Avoid Sprit. If they cancel a flight, you're not going anywhere until the next day. And they will charge you for your carryon and all kinds of stuff. With your inexperienceand nervousness, just leave Spirit and Allegiant airlines alone. I'd probably say the same about Frontier.
Congrats to both you and your son.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
