I’ve been planning my birthday trip to Disney World for YEARS, literally years! I knew that it all had to be special, every moment, from the flight to the accommodations – everything.
We started looking into flights about 8 months before the trip to avoid spending too much.
The economy tickets from San Diego to Orlando (MCO) were about $250 – $300 round trip at this time and went up to about $400 closer to the date.
Most of our friends booked for the earlier price but they booked it from LAX to MCO.
I have to admit I was fixated on the first-class options because this was a big celebration and I wanted to go big.
Plus, traveling in first class makes any trip better, especially the return flight.
Let’s dive into all the details for our trip to Disney World from San Diego!
This blog post may contain gifted items and affiliate links. Please note these do not impact my review, and no extra costs have been added to the items mentioned.
First Class Alaska Airlines San Diego (SAN) → Orlando (MCO)
We arrived at the San Diego Airport 2 hours before our flight took off. We have Pre-Check so getting through security was a breeze.
Having priority seating also means little to no wait to check your bags too! And I packed a lot of bags 😂
We had a very filling dinner before heading to the airport so we grabbed a drink at one of the restaurants while we rapidly texted our friends about the trip.
Since it was a late night flight I wanted to be sure I could sleep and not be dehydrated so we also chugged some water and had an electrolyte packet too.
We boarded right on time and had plenty of time on the plane before taking off to get ourselves settled in for the trip.
I’m usually so organized for trips but for some reason, I had not separated what I would need for the flight and just had tons of stuff shoved in my carry-on. It made for a very frantic Julia.
But my husband is always calm and helped me get all my stuff before takeoff and life was good again.
The flight from San Diego to Orlando was only 3 hours and 50 minutes. Less than 4 hours to cross the entire country! We were floored!
In-flight Meals Alaska Airlines First Class SAN → MCO
We reserved one meal each for our flight to Orlando about a week before takeoff. If you don’t book your meal ahead of time you will have to whatever they have left over.
Sometimes you get lucky and get what you want but if you want to be sure you get the meal you like, reserve it ahead of time.
The meal was served early into the flight; within the first hour. It was about 11 PM when we ate because our flight left at 10 PM.
We noticed they didn’t have as many options for this flight as we did for our return flight. I think it’s because of timing. Our return flight was in the early evening around 5 PM, so there were a few more menu options on that trip.
I ordered the chicken salad and my husband ordered the chicken wrap. The wrap came with potato chips and the salad came with a dinner roll. And we both ended with a warm Snickerdoodle cookie.
Both meals were pretty average, nothing to write home about. We’ve enjoyed some really great in-flight food before but these options weren’t the best.
I will say the food on our return trip is VERY good.
Related Post: Best Tips for Getting Good Sleep on a Plane
Essentials for Overnight Flight
Since the flight was short and I was going to either be eating or snoozing for most of it, I packed just a few essentials.
After our meal, I watched a few episodes of Blacklist on my phone. It’s good to note the plane did not have screens on board, so you need to use your personal device.
Airpods or other noise-canceling headphones are best for flying. I ended up wearing my headphones while I slept because they helped block the noise so well.
I also packed my weighted eye mask and my silk eye mask for the flight. I like to switch it up depending on how I feel, but I always pack one to help get restful sleep while traveling.
Another essential was a thick moisturizer. I’m trying out the Dieux Skin Air Angel Moisturizer right now. It’s a super thick moisturizer that I like for traveling on clean skin, but I don’t think it layers well if you have a ton of products on or want to layer makeup over it.
Before I put on my moisturizer I cleaned my face with some face wipes. I’m not super picky about the brand as long as they are okay for gentle skin.
I didn’t have it in the photo but I also used my Sun Bum SPF face stick after moisturizing. I know it was nighttime but you’re so far up in the air, you can never be too careful.
Related Post: Skincare for Overnight Flight
Service on Alaska Airlines First Class SAN to MCO
The service on the flight was good. I wouldn’t say outstanding but everyone was nice and there were no issues.
Once again, the flight on the way back had the best crew. Our attendant was amazing! She was always checking in on us and asking to refill drinks and if she could get us snacks. She was wonderful!
Service really does make a difference. My husband and I both walked off that second flight (our return flight) so happy and chatting about how wonderful the return trip was.
Overall, I would book with Alaska Airlines for another trip to Disney World. I do wish they had screens included on the plane but other than that everything was great.
Let me know if you have any other questions about the flight.
See you at the Parks!
XOXO,
Julia
Posts You May Like:
- Top Travel Gadgets 2024
- How to Make Your Economy Flight More Enjoyable
- 17-Hour Flight: LAX to Singapore
