DME and back to airport, anybody?

[jpurnell]

I've read the discussions regarding DME and going to the resorts but has anybody used it yet going back? I would assume it would be easier and a lot less hassle going back to the airport. I plan on using from the CR to fly via Southwest and I have no problem putting my own bags on the bus and then taking them off.

I understand concerns arriving but leaving I don't see as many if any, issues.

One month and one day to go

 

[localdriver]

I've read the discussions regarding DME and going to the resorts but has anybody used it yet going back? I would assume it would be easier and a lot less hassle going back to the airport. I plan on using from the CR to fly via Southwest and I have no problem putting my own bags on the bus and then taking them off.

I understand concerns arriving but leaving I don't see as many if any, issues.

One month and one day to go

The driver will take care of loading and unloading your bags.

 

[julfre]

I've been wondering- does your luggage go on the same bus with you on your return trip to the airport? It sounds like it doesn't on the way to the resort, but that wouldn't bother me. I would be afraid of it not getting on the plane on time if it didn't go on the same bus.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I've been wondering- does your luggage go on the same bus with you on your return trip to the airport? It sounds like it doesn't on the way to the resort, but that wouldn't bother me. I would be afraid of it not getting on the plane on time if it didn't go on the same bus.

On the return trip to the airport, the luggage will be on the same motor coach with you -- unless you use the optional Remote Airline Check-in service (which you can only do if you're on a Remote Airline Check-in particiapting airline).

If you use Remote Airline Check-in, you have to check your luggage at least 3 hours before your flight. If you wish, you can check your luggage long before you get on the ME coach -- for example, right after you check out of your room, even though your flight isn't leaving until that evening. In any case, there should be plenty of time, so I wouldn't worry about the luggage not making it onto the aircraft.

 

[jpurnell]

Watching and waiting for any comments on return trip on ME. I assume this weekend there will be a few

 

[JudicialTyranny]

Watching and waiting for any comments on return trip on ME. I assume this weekend there will be a few

I used it for both arriving and departing. Departing was no problem.

The day before your departure date, they tell you what time you should be at the front of the hotel for the ME bus. This is about 2.5 - 3 hrs before your flight time. At my hotel (Contemporary), the letter said the bus came every 30 minutes. (Our flight was at 12:20 PM and our bus came at 9:30 AM, and was on time.)

The driver asks you what airline you will be flying and tells you where to leave your luggage. In our case, the bus was going to make two stops at the airport - one for the people who were checking their luggage at the airport (non-participating airlines) and another for those who were flying participating airlines, since they didn't need to check their luggage at the airport.

We got on the bus, and the driver loaded the luggage under the bus. Then we went right to the airport and were dropped off where the airline check-in desks are located. He unloaded the luggage and we went inside for self check-in, then went to our gate.

My only criticism is that I think 3 hrs is being a little cautious with time. We had over an hour to spare when we got to our gate.

 

[safetymom]

Better to have the extra time than miss your flight. Sometimes the security lines can be quite long and the extra time will come in handy.

 

[pilotmono]

Three hours is the rule of thumb for international flights and is good for DME to allow for delays at check-in and security. The Southwest line gets backed up big time at OIA as does the TSA wait. I would want to be at my gate 30-60 minutes before departure to compensate for any and all potential delays.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

My only criticism is that I think 3 hrs is being a little cautious with time. We had over an hour to spare when we got to our gate.

With ME, which is shared transportation, scheduling departures from WDW 3 hours before flight time makes sense to me. The ME motor coach could arrive at your resort a little late; you might make some stops at other resorts; and you could run ito traffic. Then, at the airport, check-in lines and security lines could range from very short to quite long. And there's the time to navigate through the airport itself.

Ideally you'll arrive at the gate with an hour to spare before boarding. (Flights usually begin boarding 30 minutes before the scheduled flight departure.) That leaves enough time to have a meal. After all, the airlines no longer feed you in domestic economy (except that some will sell you food). But if you run into delays, you may have far less than an hour.

 

[*Fantasia*]

The Southwest line gets backed up big time at OIA as does the TSA wait.

Since when did they change the name to OIA?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Since when did they change the name to OIA?

Nothing has changed.

The airport's common nickname is OIA, bacause "Orlando International Airport" is too wordy, and the airport's designator, MCO, is rather meaningless (except for Web ticket purchases and on luggage tags).

The official airport designator code for Orlando International Airport is MCO, for "McCoy." The airport is the former McCoy Air Force Base, which ceased to be a U.S. Air Force base in 1974.

You have the same situation in Denver, where Denver International Airport has airport designator code is DEN, but its common nickname is DIA. Chicago-O'Hare International Airport has a designator of ORD (short for Orchard Field or Orchard Depot), but its nickname is O'Hare. For some airports, the designator and the common nickname are the same -- LAX, DFW, and JFK come to mind at once.

 

[thedish]

Hi,

We did this on the way back. We missed our bus because we were told to come down 3 hours before our flight. When we called for the luggage service 3 hours and 15 minutes before our flight we were told that we missed our bus. There was a problem the night that they printed our return information. Our departure time was blank. ME was upset and said that we should of read our package. I told her we would of but we never received the package before we left. We were allowed to take the next bus. It is right on time. We had to load our own luggage on the bottom of the bus. We left at 8:50 and arrived at the airport at 9:30. Our flight left at 11:30.

The bus was nice. It had tv's but only played one cartoon. The rest was all Disney information and what to do when you get to the airport.

A lot of people complained about the service but the majority of the problems was due to people not putting the tags on the luggage and it was misplaced.

We rented a car for a day to get us to the hotel. It took us 35 minutes to get our car and make it to our hotel. We never got our tags.

 

[GarrettJD]

Nothing has changed.

The airport's common nickname is OIA, bacause "Orlando International Airport" is too wordy, and the airport's designator, MCO, is rather meaningless (except for Web ticket purchases and on luggage tags).

The official airport designator code for Orlando International Airport is MCO, for "McCoy." The airport is the former McCoy Air Force Base, which ceased to be a U.S. Air Force base in 1974.

You have the same situation in Denver, where Denver International Airport has airport designator code is DEN, but its common nickname is DIA. Chicago-O'Hare International Airport has a designator of ORD (short for Orchard Field or Orchard Depot), but its nickname is O'Hare. For some airports, the designator and the common nickname are the same -- LAX, DFW, and JFK come to mind at once.

I was always wondering why the Orlando Airport was MCO.... now I know! Thanks!

I feel smart now

 

[jl3614]

Since someone mentioned Southwest in an earlier post, I'd like to ask a question specific to them.

On your return to the airport, were does the ME bus stop? Is it in the same departure terminal as Southwest? How long is the walk from the bus to the Southwest checkin area? Will it be difficult hauling your luggage, and trying to encourage two kids ( ages 5 and 7) to stay near you?

 

[DisneyDreamer2]

While you are awaiting that response I can tell you that the bus stops on the ground level at one stop on the A side and one on on the B side. I was a little miffed that we were told to be at the ME stop at Riverside at 215 for our 536 flight. But then the bus didnt arrive until 250. They really pack the buses on the way back, so its not safe to hope for room on the next bus, esp if that one runs late. I thought we'd have a long wait at the airport since we checked luggage and got boarding passes at the resort, but it worked out perfect. We didnt stop at any other resorts, and it took 40 minutes to get to the airport.

 

[Dizzyworld]

On our first trip to WDW, an airline employee saw where we were going and said, "Ah, Mickey Mouse Country." Even though I know that's not what MCO stands for, I thought it was cute.

 

[pilotmono]

Southwest is at the East end of Terminal A, Level 3, two levels directly above DME Welcome Center. DME will drop off wherever they can pull into an empty space on Level 1. Go inside and catch an elevator to Level 3 A side and turn left when you exit. A work of caution: Today the line for Southwest checkin was out of their queue and stretched the ENTIRE length of the terminal almost to the West gates security check in--roughly 200 yards. I'm guessing the wait was 1 hour or longer. I have seen the multiple lines for security to reach 50 yards out of their queue and I estimate that to max out at 30 minutes.

 

[seashoreCM]

I was a little miffed that we were told to be at the ME stop at Riverside at 215 for our 536 flight. But then the bus didnt arrive until 250. They really pack the buses on the way back, so its not safe to hope for room on the next bus, esp if that one runs late.

The 2:45 bus (if they ran every half hour) might have been better for you but may have been fully booked at the time you got your return reservation. Then things may have changed so that the 2:15 bus was not needed on your departure day and room was available on the 2:45 which then came 5 minutes late.

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