11:53am ok for flight home?

[vavalynn2]

Our flights just changed again from United. Will a flight leaving MCO at 11:53am be okay from the port? We are taking Disney transportation.

Thoughts?

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!!

 

[Pluto 2]

yes you will have plently of time. i always get the 1205 flight because the one before that is at 1010 and everytime i could of made the 1010 flight. take your time when you get to the airport to some shopping you got a long wait.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I agree with Pluto. We had a 11:45 am flight last time and were at the airport two hours before our flight departed.

 

[Robin"D"]

Our flights just changed again from United. Will a flight leaving MCO at 11:53am be okay from the port? We are taking Disney transportation.

Thoughts?

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!!

Make sure you do you airline check in with DCL...it saves alot of time, your boarding pass will be delivered to your room, no hassels, plus you don't have to worry about your baggage, once you pack it, they take it and you won't see it until you get home....GREAT Service through DLC!!!!

Merry Christmas

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[vavalynn2]

thank you!! the next flight is not until 2 or later, so I will keep what I have.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Our flights just changed again from United. Will a flight leaving MCO at 11:53am be okay from the port? We are taking Disney transportation.

Thoughts?

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!!

We had the exact same thing happen once upon a time with one of our flights. It was moved up to 11:50 AM; we made it with plenty of time to spare. So unless something really unusual happens no need to worry.

 

[tvguy]

Probably okay. Based on my one experience through Orlando, if given your choice I'd take the 2 pm flight and just plan on lunch at the airport.
In our instance, security lines were 90 minutes long, so we came very close to missing our 12:35pm flight despite being at the airport by 10:15 am

 

[Pluto 2]

Probably okay. Based on my one experience through Orlando, if given your choice I'd take the 2 pm flight and just plan on lunch at the airport.
In our instance, security lines were 90 minutes long, so we came very close to missing our 12:35pm flight despite being at the airport by 10:15 am

why? so they can have a lot longer wait at the airport? i get off the ship by 0800 just to make sure i have plently of time. get to the airport about 0900 or whatever look at the security line than go shopping or just looking at the stores. before heading through security which doesnt take long. even if it does take 90 minutes you still have plently of time

 

[tvguy]

why? so they can have a lot longer wait at the airport? i get off the ship by 0800 just to make sure i have plently of time. get to the airport about 0900 or whatever look at the security line than go shopping or just looking at the stores. before heading through security which doesnt take long. even if it does take 90 minutes you still have plently of time

You bring up a valid point. If you want a flight before Disney's recommended time of 12:30 pm, you probably should skip your assigned breakfast and get in line before disembarkation starts to make it to the airport early.
I just know I never again want to feel the stress I did at the end of our Disney cruise. I thought we were in like flint, at the airport by 10:15 am, boarding pass in hand and in line for security at 10:30 am......when it was Noon and we cleared security and we had to run to our gate to catch our plane, which was boarding already. And someone about a month ago posted a photo of the line at security at Orlando about 5 or 6 weeks ago, so it may not happen every day, but it happens enough that folks should be aware of it before deciding to book a flight before 12:30 pm

 

[kcashner]

Security lines at Orlando are variable. I've had them take 15 minutes, and I've had them take 2 hours. Disney recommends that you arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight--again, I've spent most of that time waiting. But then, there was the one trip when we needed every minute of that time.

Bottom line, I think you'll be fine. However, if you have late dinner (which means a later breakfast seating), you should think seriously about eating at the buffet in Topsiders on the last morning and leaving the ship by 8.

 

[Cheryl726]

Can you leave the ship at anytime once debarkation starts? We've cruised twice, but it's been a few years and I don't remember! Thanks!

 

[kcashner]

You can leave any time after they announce that the ship has been cleared by Customs. That's usually around 7:30. Everyone is asked to be off the ship by 9:00.

Breakfast--I don't remember early seating times. Late seating is 7:45, 8:00, and 8:15 (depending on which restaurant you were in the night before.) The buffet stops serving at 8:30 PROMPTLY. If you don't like your breakfast seating time, you can eat at the buffet.

 

[tvguy]

You can leave any time after they announce that the ship has been cleared by Customs. That's usually around 7:30. Everyone is asked to be off the ship by 9:00.

Breakfast--I don't remember early seating times. Late seating is 7:45, 8:00, and 8:15 (depending on which restaurant you were in the night before.) The buffet stops serving at 8:30 PROMPTLY. If you don't like your breakfast seating time, you can eat at the buffet.

I think the amount of time needed to get off the ship can be variable too. Sometimes you can walk right off when you want. Our cruise the doors opened about 7:45 am, we had 8 am breakfast, and lined up at 8:30 am, but it took 45 minutes to make it off the ship into the cruise ship terminal, so it isn't always walk right off.

 

[Cheryl726]

We have early seating for our July cruise. We also had early seating on our last cruise in 2006, and I remember breakfast being very early!

 

[Pluto 2]

We have early seating for our July cruise. We also had early seating on our last cruise in 2006, and I remember breakfast being very early!

yes first breakfast is at 0645 for 2 reataurants and 0700 for the other one.

 

[kcashner]

I think the amount of time needed to get off the ship can be variable too. Sometimes you can walk right off when you want. Our cruise the doors opened about 7:45 am, we had 8 am breakfast, and lined up at 8:30 am, but it took 45 minutes to make it off the ship into the cruise ship terminal, so it isn't always walk right off.

While this is true, I've been on 20+ DCL cruises, only 3 of which had issues with disembarkation. This is usually a delay in US Customs clearing the ship, and when that happens everything backs up. Normally, we walk off the ship (sometimes there is a delay of less than 5 minutes in a line because they now restrict the number of people in the terminal--they will hold you on the ship for a few minutes if the terminal is too crowded). Then you claim your luggage if not using the onboard check in system on a participating airline. I believe that the onboard check in is new since TV guy cruised DCL, and it has markedly decreased the time/crowds in the terminal as those using onboard check in are directed another way thru Customs and to the bus. You grab your luggage, porters are there to help if you wish and the luggage is in color/character coded areas based on your cabin number. Then you stand in line for Customs--2 separate lines (US citizens and non-citizens). The line is generally 10 minutes or less. You spend 30 seconds with a Customs agent, and you're off to your transportation to MCO.

If you use onboard check in, you will leave the ship and be directed to a different area of the terminal (there is a CM with a sign as you enter the terminal). You'll bypass the luggage area and go directly to a rapidly moving Customs line. The whole process is very easy. It generally takes me no more than 15 minutes from when I decide to leave the ship till I'm outside.

That said....there was the cruise when Customs didn't clear the ship till after 9. ALL the guests were lined up in the hallways, and it was a total mess. I've also had clearances that came thru at 8:30 while I was at breakfast. We just stayed in the dining room till about 9, and by then the crowds were gone.

Disney has done several things to make the disembarkation go more smoothly in recent years, probably in preparation for the increased number of passengers on the newer ships. It's working very well.

 

[tvguy]

While this is true, I've been on 20+ DCL cruises, only 3 of which had issues with disembarkation. This is usually a delay in US Customs clearing the ship, and when that happens everything backs up. Normally, we walk off the ship (sometimes there is a delay of less than 5 minutes in a line because they now restrict the number of people in the terminal--they will hold you on the ship for a few minutes if the terminal is too crowded). Then you claim your luggage if not using the onboard check in system on a participating airline. I believe that the onboard check in is new since TV guy cruised DCL, and it has markedly decreased the time/crowds in the terminal as those using onboard check in are directed another way thru Customs and to the bus. You grab your luggage, porters are there to help if you wish and the luggage is in color/character coded areas based on your cabin number. Then you stand in line for Customs--2 separate lines (US citizens and non-citizens). The line is generally 10 minutes or less. You spend 30 seconds with a Customs agent, and you're off to your transportation to MCO.

If you use onboard check in, you will leave the ship and be directed to a different area of the terminal (there is a CM with a sign as you enter the terminal). You'll bypass the luggage area and go directly to a rapidly moving Customs line. The whole process is very easy. It generally takes me no more than 15 minutes from when I decide to leave the ship till I'm outside.

That said....there was the cruise when Customs didn't clear the ship till after 9. ALL the guests were lined up in the hallways, and it was a total mess. I've also had clearances that came thru at 8:30 while I was at breakfast. We just stayed in the dining room till about 9, and by then the crowds were gone.

Disney has done several things to make the disembarkation go more smoothly in recent years, probably in preparation for the increased number of passengers on the newer ships. It's working very well.

I just don't want folks thinking Disney has some secret way of getting 2700 people off the ship, through customs and on their way without some sort of wait.
Really, eveything has to work perfectly if they want everyone off by 9 am. We had no delay in getting the ship clears on our cruise, and the line was always moving, but it still took 45 minutes to get from Parrot Cay, where the end of the line looped around inside, to the gangway. Getting luggage, going through customs, and onto the DCL bus took 10 minutes after that.