Flight time after cruise~First bus from Port~lousy DCL flight arrangements?

[hightown]

I read on here that Disney recommends departure flights no earlier than noon or 12:30 following Cruise.

If that's the case, why would disney make air ressies for two of my group at 11:30AM? (myself and DD are going to WDW and not returning home) And to make matters worse, one of the party is my DM, 71 and moving very slow due to some problems. She's not going to be sprinting through airport.

If arrival at port is 7:35a, what would be an estimate of the latest they should get off ship? Or should we stand at the exit while docking?

Should I call Disney and complain about this. Will they do anything about it?

Another irritation they made for us.....Since DD and I arranged an air deviation, they did our air when the cruise was booked. We go St. Louis to Atlanta at 5:30am and connect in Atlanta to arrive MCO at 10:42.

DM and DSister, the others in our group are going American, non stop from STL to MCO at 7:30am! Arriving same time. They will be sitting at the airport forever.

You'd think they are trying to make this as irritating as possible!

Appreciate any experiences you may have had.

 

[mmouse37]

Unfortunately, callling DCL and complaining won't do any good. That is why it is always recommed on these boards to purchase your air fare separately. I believe DCL recommends no flights before 12:00 noon, so the 11:30 flight may have been the closet to that time (do you know when the next flight is?).

Everyone must be off the ship by 9:00 am the latest. If I were you I would just go to the breakfast up on Deck 9 and not do the dining room breakfast. You can be off the ship as soon as it it cleared by customes...starting anywhere from about 7:30 or so on (each cruise is different...so that time is approximate).

DCL's bottom line is to save money...not really to irritate people, but they do a good job of it. We have been lucky...when we did do Disney air we had direct flights from NY to MCO and back. In our 13 DCL cruises we have only done Disney's air program twice in the beginning. We always book our own flights now....usually much cheaper and we can pick what day and time we fly.

Good luck.

 

[hightown]

Thanks for your note. I actually won the cruise and air included. So, didn't want to spend extra for air.

I guess it's not worth panicking about. We just need to be sure to get off as soon as possible.

Would welcome any other tips anyone might have.

 

[tvguy]

Everyone must be off the ship by 9:00 am the latest. If I were you I would just go to the breakfast up on Deck 9 and not do the dining room breakfast. You can be off the ship as soon as it it cleared by customes...starting anywhere from about 7:30 or so on (each cruise is different...so that time is approximate).


Good luck.

They WANT everyone off by 9 am, but judging from these boards it usually takes until 10 am (10:15am in the case of our cruise).
Just doing the math kind of shows, assuming you start letting folks off at 7:30, how hard it would be to get 2500 people off the ship in 90 minutes. They would have to get 35 people a minute off the ship, through customs and imigration, and to the buses to do that. You'd almost have to run to do that, and not stop at customs and immigration.

 

[mmouse37]

I have found the opposite....on most every DCL cruise we have been on (13) most everyone was indeed off the ship by 9:00 am....I know most people are off because when we go to get our luggage there isn't much left in the terminal ..there are two lines for debarking guests from the ship and they can easily get over 35 people off per minute......customs process is normally very smooth. The bus lines and airport check in lines can take up time and be slow, but the actual getting off of the ship can easily be done by 9:00 ish. I would think it almost impossible for them turn around the ship for new guests with only two hours to do so if most people were still on by 10:00.

I am sure there are times when the last person off may be closer to 10:00, but only once were people jammed and waiting to get off the ship...and that was when there was a medical emergency on CC and we were delayed getting into port by a few hours....

I know you are reporting what you experienced, but so am I and I think your experience was definately not the norm.

 

[Jiffymom]

I had a flight about the same time. DCL said it would not be a problem. But turns out AAchanaged times and my flight isn't till 3:30. What to do all day? I cancelled my return transfer and rented a car from Budget ( at the port and will return to airport) Guess we will go back to Down Town Disney for lunch or just go explore.

 

[8 Ears]

I believe that was our flight time as well (11:30). We had no problem, actually was at our gate LONG before we needed to be. Called home and talked about 20 minutes (trying to use up air time), went to get some lunch, ate, took cat naps and still waited a while longer.

Relax and enjoy your trip, it will be over way too soon.

 

[WDWLVR]

We've had an 11:30 flight a few times and made it with time to spare. I believe the OP said they were flying American. If you are using Disney transportation the porter will take your bags right to the American check-in counter. They will tag your bags and check you in there and give you your boarding passes. They will then put you on the next available bus out which will drop you right at the American terminal. No need to check in - you just go through security and to the gate. We've usually gotten to the gate at least 1 1/2 hours before the flight. No need for you mom to rush. If you are on late seating I would suggest you skip breakfast (and get it at the airport) or hit Topsiders for something quick. You'll want to be off the ship as early as possible to make sure your connections go smooth.


As for the flight down and the extra time in the airport. Orlando airport I think is one of the better ones to have lots of time in. They have lots of great shops to explore and a really nice food court. These are in the main terminal. I suggest picking a central meeting spot and have them enjoy the area. I would suggest you not make the Disney store the meeting point as there are two of them and you could miss each other.

 

[mickeyboat]

We were some of the last people off the ship, and we got off at 9AM. We made it to MCO by 10AM for our 12:50 flight, using DCL transportation.

You should have plenty of time to make it to an 11:30 flight.

Denae

 

[hightown]

Thanks everyone. You've made the process much easier to understand!

I checked the flight schedules and the next nonstop wasn't until 4:30pm so I guess Disney figured that the earlier flight was better for them.

We'll definately just get a grab and go breakfast that morning.

Sharon

 

[WDWLVR]

Sharon click here for a map of the public areas. This will help you find a meeting spot. There are lots of comfy chairs and benches outside the shops as well. My suggestion would be the food court since it is the most centrally located.

 

[Oliviaclare]

We were off the Wonder at 8:15 AM, retreived our luggage and took the Disney Transfer Bus to the Orlando airport, and arrived there by a little after 9:30 AM for a 12:05 Southwest Airline flight. Disney Cruise Line is known for their expertise in disembarkation! It was wonderful as usual.