Birthday Dinner ???

[Johndubbya]

My 40th birthday is coming up and we are going to be staying at POFQ from the 26th - March 2nd. We are going to the Daytona 500 on my birthday and have plans to head to WDW after the race. Here is logistically how I think things will go.

5-6:00 race ends
7:30 - drop off rental car at airport
8:00 take MDE to POFQ
9:00 take boat to disney springs to go to Art Smith Homecoming for my birthday dinner.
My reservations are at 9:50. I just changed them from 9:20 because I wanted to give myself some more leeway.

My questions are this

1. Am i giving myself enough time with traffic, MDE etc etc...
2. Do you need a reservation that late at night for Homecoming on a Sunday night

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Cinderella94]

I don't think you can use ME. You need to enter your flight number in order to register for MDE and get your pick-up time, which you won't have without having taken a flight. Unless I'm missing something here.

*Edit to correct ME (Magical Express)

 

[Johndubbya]

I don't think you can use MDE. You need to enter your flight number in order to register for MDE and get your pick-up time, which you won't have without having taken a flight. Unless I'm missing something here.

We are returning the rental car at the airport and taking MDE to the resort. Unless it would be easier to take the rental car to the resort check in go to dinner than go back to the airport and return to the resort that way

 

[Cinderella94]

We are returning the rental car at the airport and taking MDE to the resort. Unless it would be easier to take the rental car to the resort check in go to dinner than go back to the airport and return to the resort that way

I still don't think I'm understanding. Is your plan to: fly into MCO earlier in the day, get a rental car, take it to the Daytona 500, drive back to the airport and drop off the rental car, then take Magical Express to the resort? If so, I'm still not sure if you're able to take Magical Express under those circumstances. I've never looked into it because we always get on the bus directly after our flight lands. But someone else will know for sure and let us know.

 

[Johndubbya]

No we are flying in the day before... MDE knows we are coming and they said we can take it to the resort.

 

[Cinderella94]

No we are flying in the day before... MDE knows we are coming and they said we can take it to the resort.

Good to know!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it really depends on when you want to eat. You really could do either. I, personally, would probably drive to Disney Springs, have dinner and then either drive to the airport or even drop my family off at POFQ and just have one person go to the airport and take MDE back. Do you have to drop the car off at the airport? Not sure where you are renting from, but there are car rental places on property as well.

 

[ktb2002]

While I have never been to a race at Daytona, I have been to numerous races at other tracks. Traffic will be insane and we've had experiences of being routed in the other direction, traffic so bad that it takes and hour to go 10 miles on an interstate.

 

[Disneypapa]

Last April I flew into Tampa, rented a car and then attended a wedding in Ocala. After the wedding we drove to WDW for a few days. Upon arrival in Orlando, we returned the car to an Enterprise location near Disney Springs and then used WDW buses to get to BLT. This may be an option for you to use a different drop off point other than airport. BTW, we were not charged a drop off fee, so it really worked well for us.

 

[Johndubbya]

Last April I flew into Tampa, rented a car and then attended a wedding in Ocala. After the wedding we drove to WDW for a few days. Upon arrival in Orlando, we returned the car to an Enterprise location near Disney Springs and then used WDW buses to get to BLT. This may be an option for you to use a different drop off point other than airport. BTW, we were not charged a drop off fee, so it really worked well for us.

I looked into it... It would add 150.00 more to the cost of our rental car. Guess we will deal with using MDE