Need to make a fast exit

[Mom2OandElle]

Can someone spell out a plan for the fastest possible way for my family to debark? We are taking a 5-day on the Magic in April and have to catch an 11:50 a.m. plane home (yes, I know we will be cutting it close). We have a private car service lined up and I scheduled the pickup time for 8:30 a.m. Is it faster for us to keep our luggage in the room and walk off with it? Is that allowable? We plan to skip breakfast anyway. I am just wondering if there are tips or tricks that you folks could share.

 

[mammacaryn]

I'm not sure about the luggage. BUT, I just wanted to say you really aren't cutting it that close. We have flown home twice and both our flights were times before noon-I want to say around 11:45, booked by DCL. We took the DCL transportation and made it to the airport in plenty of time.

(I would think it really depends on how much luggage you have-seems as though your big stuff would be easier to send the night before and grab it after you clear customs)

 

[Mom2OandElle]

Thank you mammacaryn! It is great to hear that you made your flights. I am SO concerned about missing ours. Knowing that others have made it without incident gives me some comfort.

 

[ravensilverlight]

It's certainly do-able. You can keep your luggage with you, and carry it off the ship yourselves if you want to. You'll need to be out of your room by 8, but that sounds like it won't be a problem at all if your pickup is scheduled for 0830.

No need to skip breakfast, either. The early seating of breakfast is well before that - and if you have the late seating at dinner, ask your head server and often they will be able to accomodate your family at the other seating of breakfast so that you can eat before you go. Alternately, there is the buffet - but I'm not sure what time that opens. And don't forget, you can order something from room service THE NIGHT BEFORE and munch in the morning. Travel is stressful enough - might as well go with something in your tummies!

Even without rushing, I've always made it to the airport by 10am, as we have been waved straight through customs on every trip...I don't know if we're just lucky, look honest, or if they notice the FD/PD logo clothes we're always wearing - but whatever it is, I'm not complaining.

 

[fredgirls]

Just subbing for answers to your luggage question and tips and tricks.
We have a town car booked for 8am and I was also wondering how long we had to allow to get off the ship? We too are planning to skip breakfast and thinking about keeping luggage (only 2 suitcases) with us.
Thanks for asking the question I was wondering about

edit..thanks ravensilverlight for advice. you posted while I was writing

 

[PrincessTrisha]

You don't need to keep your luggage with you - you can collect it and still get out in plenty of time.

When debarking the Dream in October - we ordered 2 BLTs from room service the night before and put them in the fridge - the next morning we got up, shared the 2 sandwiches while we finished our packing (pjs, my dad's cpap machine, etc) and then headed down to debark around 7:30am. We collected our luggage and were on our way fairly quickly. Got to our vehicle and was on the road - made it to the Polynesian by 9:10am.

 

[Justacruiser]

Please relax! Disney wants everyone off the ship by 9am. Even at 9am you will collect your luggage, with no one left in line at customs and you still have the 1 hr ride to get you to the airport by 10:30. No issue whatsoever. Luggage does take a little time to gather but with an 11:45 flight you should need to rush. The more you let it get to you, the worse your departure will be. Sometimes, due to customs, the doors don't open till around 8am. You don't need to be standing there waiting at 7:45 if they aren't open yet. Plan on walking off the boat at 8:15 and enjoy the process.

 

[sissy_ib]

Finding your luggage will take about 5 minuets when you get in to the warehouse. Depending on how much you have it may take you longer to haul it yourself. What takes time is the customs line. It can get long but moves fast.
Use a porter if you have several bags. The guy put our three suitcases and most of our bags we were hand carrying on a cart. That made it so much easier and definitely saved us some time! Well worth the tip money. They will walk you all the way outside too wherever you need to go, buses, shuttle stop, your parked car.

And like others said you don't have to skip breakfast. We did Topsiders around 7:30, went back to our room to get our bags and off the ship, through customs and waiting out side by 8:15.

 

[aymekae]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. For an opposite side of the spectrum... we had late seating, and therefore scheduled breakfast at 8:15 AM. We were off the ship just before 9, grabbing luggage was super easy and was much easier than taking it to the table with us. Customs was SO fast, but we didn't have to declare anything other than a few bottles of vanilla, which they didn't care about, of course. Then we got to the car rental, and had to WAIT, the line was so long. My DH ended up getting on the shuttle without me and came around to pick me up, but it was after 10 by that point. We weren't headed to the airport, but were headed to a hotel near Universal which is past the airport a little ways. We still got to the check-in desk by 11.

I say all this to show that even us slow pokes that chose probably the slowest method of transportation out of Port Canaveral could get to Orlando with enough time to board that flight, not that I would have done it that way had I had a flight, but I'm sure the car service will get you there in plenty of time.

 

[Ginamarie]

You shouldn't have a problem. If you're on main/early dining, you will be off of the ship around that time anyway, since breakfast is at 6:45ish. Since you're flying domestically, you should have plenty of time to get to the airport and check in with enough time.

 

[designertravels]

We have done this many times. We do hand over our luggage, it would actually take us longer to drag it through the ship! We are always standing at the exit in the lobby by 7:30 am. That is the main place to be before it turns into a mob. Getting through luggage and customs is a breeze if you are one of the first off. Once outside we usually have to wait about 15 minutes for our driver, and then we are off to an early flight home.

Have a good one! Jill

 

[jbuckent]

I wouldn't have any concerns about it. Put your luggage out the night before, go to early breakfast, and walk off the boat. Its really a smooth process and they get everyone off quickly. We often have fights before noon and the first time is the only time we felt rushed. After that we knew there was no reason to rush. We use DCL transportation.

 

[Mom2OandElle]

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your replies! It is so nice of everyone to take the time. Much appreciated!

 

[outahere]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but if you are on an airline that is part of the onboard airline check in program (see the FAQ sticky for details) I would suggest signing up for that when you check in at the port. Since your flight is after 11:25, it's a great way to go. If you use the program, you will receive your boarding passes and airline luggage tags the day before you disembark. Just attach the luggage tags you receive to your bags, put them in the hall the last night and you will see them again when you arrive at your home airport - no trying to find the bags in the terminal - DCL takes care of getting them to your airline. It's a free program and we've used it a few times and it is great!

 

[antkim]

What about a 10:53 am flight? Do you think that is pushing it? It is the only flight that is working with my husbands work schedule (he has to be back in work by that evening).

 

[mmouse37]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but if you are on an airline that is part of the onboard airline check in program (see the FAQ sticky for details) I would suggest signing up for that when you check in at the port. Since your flight is after 11:25, it's a great way to go. If you use the program, you will receive your boarding passes and airline luggage tags the day before you disembark. Just attach the luggage tags you receive to your bags, put them in the hall the last night and you will see them again when you arrive at your home airport - no trying to find the bags in the terminal - DCL takes care of getting them to your airline. It's a free program and we've used it a few times and it is great!

The OAC program is not really free....you MUST be taking DCL transfers back to the airport and those cost $35.00 pp. You can't take a private car service and still use the OAC program. It is not set up that way. As per DCL's website you have to have DCL air OR DCL transfers to use this program.

but, that said I agree it is the easiest way to go and the most convenient. We have done it several times and well worth the $35.00 pp charge not to handle luggage.

MJ

 

[outahere]

What about a 10:53 am flight? Do you think that is pushing it? It is the only flight that is working with my husbands work schedule (he has to be back in work by that evening).

Hmmmm...... that may be pushing it a little. 99 times out of 100 you could make that flight as long as you're one of the first ones off the ship. However.... if they are late letting people off (late getting back to port, Customs, etc.) you may not make it. Since that flight is too early for onboard airline check in you will have to find your bags, clear Customs and then get to the airport. If the airline check in line is long and/or if the wait to get through security is long (we've waited in line for almost a hour a couple of times at MCO), you may not make it. I would suggest a private car service to get from the port to MCO and have a "plan B" just in case.

Good Luck!

 

[outahere]

The OAC program is not really free....you MUST be taking DCL transfers back to the airport and those cost $35.00 pp.

Ooops..... you're right MJ. Since we usually take DCL transfers back to MCO, I forgot about that restriction. Although it does say that you must use DCL transfers at least one way (unless they've changed that and I missed the change), I suppose you could take DCL transfers to the port and and a private car back to MCO and still qualify. But it does make more sense to take the DCL bus going back to the airport.

 

[antkim]

Hmmmm...... that may be pushing it a little. 99 times out of 100 you could make that flight as long as you're one of the first ones off the ship. However.... if they are late letting people off (late getting back to port, Customs, etc.) you may not make it. Since that flight is too early for onboard airline check in you will have to find your bags, clear Customs and then get to the airport. If the airline check in line is long and/or if the wait to get through security is long (we've waited in line for almost a hour a couple of times at MCO), you may not make it. I would suggest a private car service to get from the port to MCO and have a "plan B" just in case.

Good Luck!

We will only have carry on luggage and I can have someone at home check us into our return flights the day before. So it is a matter of getting off the ship and getting to the towncar by 8 a.m....I would think we would be to MCO by 930 at the latest if all goes as planned. I dont know...may have to figure something else out. The last thing we need is to miss a flight! Uggghhhh

 

[outahere]

We will only have carry on luggage and I can have someone at home check us into our return flights the day before. So it is a matter of getting off the ship and getting to the towncar by 8 a.m....I would think we would be to MCO by 930 at the latest if all goes as planned. I dont know...may have to figure something else out. The last thing we need is to miss a flight! Uggghhhh

Given that scenario, you should be ok. You will still have to stop by the airline counter to get boarding passes. Most airlines have the check in kiosks so you should be able to print them at one of those without having to stand in line.