Pros and cons on staying at MCO vs parks the night before

[spicycrab]

We stayed at the MCO Hyatt the night before our last cruise and had a great experience. We were on the first bus out in the morning and they (the Hyatt) transferred our luggage no problem. I am sure we had an early PAT but we were in boarding group 2 and were on the boat well before lunch and I liked that the extra time helped make the short cruise stretch out. This was January 2014 so I'm not sure if anything has changed...

For our upcoming trip we will do a few days at the park beforehand. I'm considering going to MCO the night before so we can hopefully repeat our experience. I'm just concerned it will be a hassle. Has anyone done this? I would like to get in park time before leaving so I don't know what do do with the luggage. I guess leave it at guest services? Will the Magical Express transport us if we don't have a flight that day? And if I said I did do they double check that info?

If I choose to stay at the resort instead when would I expect to get to the terminal? I think I remember reading around 1?


Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

 

[MarkF0wle]

We chose to stay at AS Sports the nights before our cruise because we have an all adult family & wanted 3 separate rooms for space. It was cheaper to do at ASSp. We were collected at our resort at 11:20 & we at the port at 1. We were told to select the earliest boarding time when we checked in - we walked straight off the bus through security, collected our documentation & onto the ship. We got onto the ship just as the opened the rooms (what is that 2:30pm?) & we dropped off our luggage & went to grab a late lunch. It was very smooth.

 

[Chilly]

Do you only want to get a bus to the cruise terminal? If you hired a car or booked a private transfer that would open your options up. You could go and stay near the cruise terminal the night before.

 

[Mommb]

I know it's possible to take Magical Express from the airport without actually arriving on a flight, but I'm not sure about returning to the airport, because we've always had our boarding passes delivered to us along with our Magical Express information.

I agree with the previous poster, though, that you could arrive at the port just as early as with Disney transfers from the airport if you book a private car service from your resort. Then you could simply load your luggage into the car and drop it off with porters as soon as you arrive at the port. The cost may be somewhat more than a Disney transfer if you have only 2 or 3 people, but it will save a lot of time and give you one more night at the parks.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We stayed at the MCO Hyatt the night before our last cruise and had a great experience. We were on the first bus out in the morning and they (the Hyatt) transferred our luggage no problem. I am sure we had an early PAT but we were in boarding group 2 and were on the boat well before lunch and I liked that the extra time helped make the short cruise stretch out. This was January 2014 so I'm not sure if anything has changed...

For our upcoming trip we will do a few days at the park beforehand. I'm considering going to MCO the night before so we can hopefully repeat our experience. I'm just concerned it will be a hassle. Has anyone done this? I would like to get in park time before leaving so I don't know what do do with the luggage. I guess leave it at guest services? Will the Magical Express transport us if we don't have a flight that day? And if I said I did do they double check that info?

If I choose to stay at the resort instead when would I expect to get to the terminal? I think I remember reading around 1?


Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

You can use the DME to return to the airport even if you don't have a flight leaving that day. You wouldn't be using the Resort Airline Check-in (RAC) so they wouldn't be printing a boarding pass for you. You would just need to give them a flight number that corresponds with when you want to head to MCO, remembering that they pick you up 3 hours prior to your flight time.

But honestly? That seems like a lot of hassle. And you would likely lose park time the night before. If you want to get to the port earlier than the DCL transfers from the resorts would, then hire a private car service.

 

[spicycrab]

Thanks everyone! That is great advice and I will look into that. Plus you said the words I wanted to hear...MORE PARK TIME

 

[sambycat]

that seems like a huge hassle. hire a car if it is critical to be there super early. i know my vacation is too expensive to spend several hours waiting for and going on a bus to the airport.