Book Uber early

[OHIOVACATIONER]

So most are saying no need to book your uber early. Makes me a little nervous not booking ahead of time. At what point do you book? Right as the plane is landing or wait until you have your luggage? Are the rates the same as if you would pre-book?

 

[DaniPoppins]

We have never used Uber, we always use Lyft, but we've never had trouble getting a car. We don't book ahead of time. I request the ride after we get our bags (just in case we have to wait a while for them). We have to wait a few minutes for the car, but never for very long. We have always have great experiences with Lyft.

 

[OHIOVACATIONER]

Thank you very much for the info. When returning to the airport how far in advance do you leave your resort. I know when it was DME they said 3 hrs.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Wait until you have your luggage to request your ride.
Do not pre-book when coming from the airport.
Rates depend on traffic and demand.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Thank you very much for the info. When returning to the airport how far in advance do you leave your resort. I know when it was DME they said 3 hrs.

3 hours should be safe for anyone. If you have TSA precheck you can probably knock it down to 2 hours.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Book after you get your luggage. Check both Uber and Lyft, pick the cheapest. The same drivers drive for both services. Lyft is usually cheaper, but not always.

 

[DaniPoppins]

I've never prebooked on the way back to the airport either. We usually call for the Lyft at about 3 hours before our flight. They always get there pretty quickly, 15 minutes or less. We have TSA Precheck and always get to the gate really early. But I would rather be early and wait than stress about possibly being late!

 

[Lewisc]

3 hours should be safe for anyone. If you have TSA precheck you can probably knock it down to 2 hours.

Posters who ask how much time to allow when going to MCO, and those who answer, miss an important point. Time of Departure isn't the issue. What time do you need to be at the gate. Frontier tells you to be at the gate at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Flights can and do push back 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. Southwest pax who preboard have to be ready to board 30 minutes prior to departure.

TSA pre at MCO can take 20 minutes

 

[tobikaye]

I agree that it is probably best to base your arrival time on boarding time instead of listed take off time. At MCO, I tend to leave WDW 2 hours from the boarding time when not checking luggage and 3 hours when checking luggage. I once had to check luggage at MCO and couldn't do curbside and it took 45 minutes just to deal with the line and check the bags.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

So most are saying no need to book your uber early. Makes me a little nervous not booking ahead of time. At what point do you book? Right as the plane is landing or wait until you have your luggage? Are the rates the same as if you would pre-book?

Don't let it make you nervous
Remember, the entire concept of ride share services is "on demand cars"
That's how they work
You call for them "on demand"
As in, when you need them. As in, after you have your bags, when you are at the curb, ready to be picked up. The cars can be there in minutes. They can't sit at the curb waiting for you to come out, they need you to be there, ready to load and jump in. Just like any other car at the airport. Cars sitting at the curb are quickly asked to move on by security personnel.
Asking for cars on demand and not in advance is their entire business model.
No need to worry, that's how you are supposed to do it, book when you need it, not ahead of time. Most of the issues with the service come from those who do try to book ahead of time. That seems to be the weak link it it's services. My Mom uses Ride Share services for rides to doctors. They are scheduled. It's a mess. Half the drivers never show up. She needs to do it that way for her insurance program

 

[jimmymc]

Grab your luggage first. Your wait will almost always be 5 to 10 minutes at the airport.

 

[projectx3]

Always compare pricing, it can be drastic at times. Just recently I was in Denver and the price of an Uber for my ride was $42. Lyft wanted $78. That's not to say Lyft is always the most expensive, they flip flop.

 

[sam_gordon]

Posters who ask how much time to allow when going to MCO, and those who answer, miss an important point. Time of Departure isn't the issue. What time do you need to be at the gate. Frontier tells you to be at the gate at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Flights can and do push back 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. Southwest pax who preboard have to be ready to board 30 minutes prior to departure.

TSA pre at MCO can take 20 minutes

Personally, I target arrival at the airport (post rental car if needed) based on the size. So something like MCO, I want to walk through the doors at least 2 hours before my flight. That's assuming I need to check bags and no pre-check. 90 minutes would be about as early as I'd chance it with no bags and precheck.

My home airport, with no checked bags and pre-check, it's ~20 minutes from my car to the gate.

 

[Zarwozed]

I don’t know if anyone else has tried it but we were there last Xmas and the Uber wait was a long time. We ended up getting a taxi van and it was I good experience. It cost a bit more $75 bucks ish but the driver gave us his number and we scheduled a pickup with him which was nice to not have to worry about. We are looking to go again in a few months but I’m thinking of trying the meats connects shuttle.

 

[Beer Me]

I can’t remember waiting more than 15 minutes for an Uber anytime I’ve used them. When leaving the airport, taxis are also a viable option as they are always lined up and waiting.

Last time I left through MCO security took a solid hour. It was a madhouse. We were running a bit late and had arrived an hour and 45 minutes prior to our flight and got to the gate just as boarding began. It may have been an anomaly (it seemed like thousands of cheerleaders were leaving all at the same time) but something to account for just in case.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I can’t remember waiting more than 15 minutes for an Uber anytime I’ve used them. When leaving the airport, taxis are also a viable option as they are always lined up and waiting.

Last time I left through MCO security took a solid hour. It was a madhouse. We were running a bit late and had arrived an hour and 45 minutes prior to our flight and got to the gate just as boarding began. It may have been an anomaly (it seemed like thousands of cheerleaders were leaving all at the same time) but something to account for just in case.

At MCO? Nope. Anything less than 45 min is the anomaly.
I often say (only halfway jokingly) that TSA could fund the entire Pre-Check program off of travelers who fly out of MCO alone.
It's why we first bought ours 9 years ago.
Why I added on Clear on top of that
Both covered by credit card thankfully.

 

[projectx3]

At MCO? Nope. Anything less than 45 min is the anomaly.
I often say (only halfway jokingly) that TSA could fund the entire Pre-Check program off of travelers who fly out of MCO alone.
It's why we first bought ours 9 years ago.
Why I added on Clear on top of that
Both covered by credit card thankfully.

I now have Clear (also "free" as a credit card benefit) and I'll be curious to see how much it matters in Orlando. Any where I've traveled the precheck line has at worst been just a few minutes... yes... even Orlando at Thanksgiving time.

First time I used Clear a few weeks ago for the first time in Denver, the line for Clear was just as long as precheck.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I now have Clear (also "free" as a credit card benefit) and I'll be curious to see how much it matters in Orlando. Any where I've traveled the precheck line has at worst been just a few minutes... yes... even Orlando at Thanksgiving time.

First time I used Clear a few weeks ago for the first time in Denver, the line for Clear was just as long as precheck.

Clear gets walked to the front of everyone. So even when there are a folks in line we got through in 5, 10 min. Tops. Until our trip at Halloween we’ve never even waited to scan in at a clear machine before.

 

[projectx3]

Clear gets walked to the front of everyone. So even when there are a folks in line we got through in 5, 10 min. Tops. Until our trip at Halloween we’ve never even waited to scan in at a clear machine before.

Yeah I understand that, which sure is nice. It just that when I first used it in Denver, the line to get to the Clear kiosks was just as long as precheck. I might have skipped ahead of a grand total of two or three people in the precheck line because of it.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yeah I understand that, which sure is nice. It just that when I first used it in Denver, the line to get to the Clear kiosks was just as long as precheck. I might have skipped ahead of a grand total of two or three people in the precheck line because of it.

I have Clear and travel quite a bit. Generally speaking the Clear/Pre-Check combo is very helpful at most airports (including MCO). Does Clear provide an earth shattering advantage? No, not really - but sometimes every little bit helps. It's not the usual travel advice around these parts but I don't like waiting around airports so we time things close.... skipping 5-10 minutes of people waiting longer in the Precheck line (when applicable) is worth it for us.

There are some cities, I'll pick on Atlanta in particular and I've also had mixed experiences in Denver, which at times can have substantial Clear lines, sometimes rivaling the regular Precheck. I love Delta and Amex but they give Clear memberships out like candy and it leads to way too many people at some airports (in my humble opinion).

But, those are exception airports, overall most places I really appreciate having it. It's maybe debatably "worth it" if I didn't have a card that paid for it, but I've grown used to the convenience so I'd probably still pay out of pocket if I had to.