Disembarkation and flight home?

[laurenfratt]

Hi! This will be our third cruise, but the first time disembarking and going straight to MCO to catch our flight home. We usually go back to WDW after the cruise for a few more days of fun. What time do buses typically start running to Mco? Our flight is at 12:50pm, so I was thinking if we ate breakfast in the main dining room and disembark by 9a we should be ok?? I’m sure this is a very normal situation, I’m just afraid of waiting in bus lines and cutting it too close. Someone please ease my worries haha!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Hi! This will be our third cruise, but the first time disembarking and going straight to MCO to catch our flight home. We usually go back to WDW after the cruise for a few more days of fun. What time do buses typically start running to Mco? Our flight is at 12:50pm, so I was thinking if we ate breakfast in the main dining room and disembark by 9a we should be ok?? I’m sure this is a very normal situation, I’m just afraid of waiting in bus lines and cutting it too close. Someone please ease my worries haha!

You should be fine. DCL recommends flights after 11:30.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

The buses start running to MCO immediately upon guests exiting the ship and customs. 12:50 is an ideal flight time, and leaving the ship at 9 is okay, as it allows a generous hour to get through customs & for your transfer bus to fill & get going, another hour to get to the airport, and then about 2 hours at the airport. If you decide you want more time for travel, you can always eat breakfast earlier at Cabanas, and leave the ship earlier. I recommend you use Onboard Airline Check-In, if your airline participates in that. That way you could go straight to security upon arrival at MCO.

 

[laurenfratt]

The buses start running to MCO immediately upon guests exiting the ship and customs. 12:50 is an ideal flight time, and leaving the ship at 9 is okay, as it allows a generous hour to get through customs & for your transfer bus to fill & get going, another hour to get to the airport, and then about 2 hours at the airport. If you decide you want more time for travel, you can always eat breakfast earlier at Cabanas, and leave the ship earlier. I recommend you use Onboard Airline Check-In, if your airline participates in that. That way you could go straight to security upon arrival at MCO.

wonderful, thanks! How do I do the onboard airline check-in?! Is it similar to doing it at the WDW resorts?

 

[EeyoreJMH]

We just did this a couple of weeks ago on the Dream. We had a 12:50 pm flight, too, and had plenty of time. I went to guest services on the ship when I boarded and filled out the online air check-in forms. Our last day, we had our boarding passes delivered to our cabin along with special luggage tags. We put out of luggage by 10:30 pm as usual the night before and didn’t see it again until we arrived at our home airport. We had Cabanas breakfast at 7:30 and walked right off the ship a little after 8:00. Customs took a while, but we were on a bus and on our way by 9:00. We were at the airport a little before 10:00.

 

[laurenfratt]

We just did this a couple of weeks ago on the Dream. We had a 12:50 pm flight, too, and had plenty of time. I went to guest services on the ship when I boarded and filled out the online air check-in forms. Our last day, we had our boarding passes delivered to our cabin along with special luggage tags. We put out of luggage by 10:30 pm as usual the night before and didn’t see it again until we arrived at our home airport. We had Cabanas breakfast at 7:30 and walked right off the ship a little after 8:00. Customs took a while, but we were on a bus and on our way by 9:00. We were at the airport a little before 10:00.

Wow, that was extremely helpful! Thank you! Do you still handle your own luggage from customs to the airport or does Disney take care of it similar to staying in the parks?

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

You can sign up for Onboard Airline Check-In during your cruise check-in. The legacy airlines, Jet Blue and a few others participate in this program, but Southwest does not. You give DCL your detailed flight info, and they'll check you in and send your checked bags to the plane for you, so that upon arrival at the airport, you can walk straight to security. You have to have booked DCL transfers to the airport to participate in this- you can't do it if you're driving, for example. Other than that requirement, there is no charge for this service.

In regards to luggage (that is not being checked via Onboard Airline Check-In) and customs, you can choose whether to have DCL take your bags off the ship for you (& you'll then pick them up at the port right before customs, or to tote them off the ship yourself (this is called Express Walk-Off). Usually people doing Express Walk-Off line up to leave the ship asap as they're in a hurry, but that's a choice. You can carry your luggage off at any time during DCL's disembarkation hours. If you choose to let DCL do the shlepping, you'll have to have your bags packed & tagged (the tags will show up in your stateroom the day before) and outside your stateroom by 10 or 10:30pm the night before disembarkation. Same rule for Onboard Airline Check-In.

 

[laurenfratt]

You can sign up for it during check-in. The legacy airlines, Jet Blue and a few others participate, but Southwest does not. You give DCL your detailed flight info, and they'll check you in and send your checked bags to the plane for you, so that upon arrival at the airport, you can walk straight to security. You have to be booked on DCL transfers to the airport to participate in this. Other than that requirement, there is no charge for this service.

Oh dang, we’re flying southwest! One of the only airlines to fly direct to our airport from MCO. Thank you anyway for all the insight!

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Your flight time is ideal, and I am pretty sure I have done that flight on SWA

How do you plan to do the transfers? I find that renting a car (esp. from Costco) and paying for parking at the port is about the same as paying for DCL transfers and you have more flexibility (depending on the size of your party).

 

[soniam]

Airline checkin was awesome, but we usually fly SW now too or just hit the parks for 2 days before heading home. The buses to MCO start leaving the minute they fill up, so you won't have any problems.

 

[laurenfratt]

Your flight time is ideal, and I am pretty sure I have done that flight on SWA

How do you plan to do the transfers? I find that renting a car (esp. from Costco) and paying for parking at the port is about the same as paying for DCL transfers and you have more flexibility (depending on the size of your party).

We’re at Disney for 11 days prior to the cruise for the “Land” portion of our honeymoon and won’t have a car with us. We’re taking Disney transportation to the port! One of these days we’ll drive, but with just us two its kinda nice to just pay and let someone else drive and worry about traffic haha we’d probably end up fighting about my driving and we don’t want that on the honeymoon

 

[EeyoreJMH]

Wow, that was extremely helpful! Thank you! Do you still handle your own luggage from customs to the airport or does Disney take care of it similar to staying in the parks?

You’re most welcome We opted to have Disney handle the luggage. We put out suitcases outside our cabin by 10:30 pm the night before with the special luggage tags they gave us as part of onboard check-in. We went through customs with just our carry ons; we didn't see our luggage until we arrived home. So it is very much like the parks.

 

[Karin1984]

The buses start running to MCO immediately upon guests exiting the ship and customs. 12:50 is an ideal flight time, and leaving the ship at 9 is okay, as it allows a generous hour to get through customs & for your transfer bus to fill & get going, another hour to get to the airport, and then about 2 hours at the airport. If you decide you want more time for travel, you can always eat breakfast earlier at Cabanas, and leave the ship earlier. I recommend you use Onboard Airline Check-In, if your airline participates in that. That way you could go straight to security upon arrival at MCO.

Other question, is the advice Disney gives for flights after 11.30 based on guests using their transport? So as long as you are on a Disney bus you are good to go?

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Other question, is the advice Disney gives for flights after 11.30 based on guests using their transport? So as long as you are on a Disney bus you are good to go?

The 11:30am guideline is for everyone regardless of transportation method. If your flight departs around 11:30, you should use Express Walk-Off and line up to leave the ship as soon as it opens (typically around 7:30).

 

[NAB]

If you use the DCL transportation back to the airport and are not flying on one of the air lines that take your luggage it well go with you under the bus .

The bus drops you off in the same place the buses leave to go to the ship. You will have to go up to find your airline desk to drop off your luggage. Than go though security. If you have a later flight you may have to hold on to your luggage for a bit.

Really you should be fine . I think we had a flight that was 11:50 .