Enough time?

[neverlandsky]

2:45pm landing to rental car to pitstop/check-in enough time to get to 6:15 pm ADR in DS? TIA

 

[J&J]

You may be cutting it. Your flight may be late you never know. Also car rental can have a line
Hope it works out but i have experienced these problems. Good luck

 

[sam_gordon]

2:45pm landing to rental car to pitstop/check-in enough time to get to 6:15 pm ADR in DS? TIA

Arrival time SHOULD be to the Gate.
So, let's say 30 minutes to get off the plane, pitstop and get to the main portion of the terminal.
Do you need to collect checked luggage? If so, budget 30 minutes there.
Do you need to hit the counter or straight to the car? Budget at least 30 minutes if you have to do the counter.
Say 45 minutes to drive from MCO to DS (should be 30, but allow for some extra).

So, if everything goes "right", you're looking at about 2:15. That should put you at DS at 5pm. And you can save some time if you don't have checked luggage and can skip the rental car counter.

BUT, as mentioned, what if your plane is late? What if there's a thunderstorm and the ramp workers need to go inside. That's not just about unloading bags, but they need to guide the plane in to the gate.

If this was an ADR that doesn't cost anything if I miss it, sure, should be doable.
If this was an ADR that has a penalty for missing it, nope, not on arrival day.

 

[neverlandsky]

Thank you. Cancelling ADR. We have carry-ons only. The unknowns of weather & traffic makes it a no-go.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you. Cancelling ADR. We have carry-ons only. The unknowns of weather & traffic makes it a no-go.

When your plane touches down at MCO, check MDE for ADRs that evening. You’ll probably find something good, maybe even the one you canceled. Good luck!

 

[beccasmom]

I think you made the right call. There are just too many things you can’t control - weather, plane running on time, delays at baggage claim, etc. In May we hit heavy traffic coming from the airport. We have pretty much stopped making ADRs on arrival day if we can’t easily cancel or modify them unless we’re reasonably certain the timing will work. The best laid plans…..

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you. Cancelling ADR. We have carry-ons only. The unknowns of weather & traffic makes it a no-go.

My rule of thumb is 3 hours and that’s with luggage. I think you’ve got plenty of time especially being carry-on and after traveling it’s nice to not have to wait a long time for dinner.

How did you make the res? Many DS restaurants are on open table with no cancellation policies so if your flight got held up for hours you could cancel very close in.

 

[StarCruzer]

Protip for rental cars: see if the rental agency has a free rewards program. For example, we've done Avis in the past and if you're part of the rewards program you can get expedited service. Some locations just have a big LED board that will have your name and the number of the parking spot your rental is in.

 

[MICKIMINI]

That is tight. If EVERYTHING goes perfectly (hmmm) you might make it. One issue and no. There is nothing worse than that sinking feeling you will be late and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[sam_gordon]

That is tight. If EVERYTHING goes perfectly (hmmm) you might make it. One issue and no. There is nothing worse than that sinking feeling you will be late and there is nothing you can do about it.

I don't think everything needs to go perfect. If it does, there's at least an hour cushion. So there is SOME time available.

However, as I mentioned, I don't think it's worth it if there's a financial penalty for no show.

Regardless, OP already said they canceled.

 

[jimmymc]

It should be plenty. I see you already cancelled the ADR, but I think Disney now allows you to cancel up to 2 hours before, if you want to try in the future.