How long does it take to walk from side A to side B at MCO?

[pooh2001]

Maybe a dumb question - but we do not know MCO that well.

Can luggage - full size suitcases - be carried on the escalator from floor to floor at MCO ?

Is there an elevator which can go from level 2 and level 3 near the luggage area for JetBlue ? Or where is the elevator ?

Then from level 3 side A to level 3 side B - is it a long walk ?
Possible to do on a late Saturday morning at the end of June ?

Again is there an elevator on the B side level 3 which will take us to level 1 of the B side anywhere near the DME desk.


Any website with elevator info for MCO ?

 

[OKW Lover]

The walk from Side A to B isn't very long at all, perhaps a minute or two. The real issue is where are you going to/from on each side since they stretch the entire length of the building. If you had to walk from one end of Side A to the opposite end of Side B, I'd expect it to take almost 15 minutes.

You can only cross over on level three. There are elevators and escalators between the different levels, but you'll be better off with the elevators if you have a lot of luggage.

Check out the airport maps at their site

 

[kaytieeldr]

It sounds like you're planning to use Magical Express, but pick up your checked luggage? If that's correct, do you mind if we ask why? Of course, if I'm wrong - and it does happen once or twice a year - just forget I asked.

 

[pooh2001]

Yes we plan on using DME for the first time ....
but do not want to wait for our luggage to get to us in 3 -10 hours. I have read luggage arriving at your reosrt in 3 hours and other times 10 hours.

I also do not want any luggage lost. If we get our luggage from the JetBlue carosel and do not find all our bags - then we confront JetBlue. If DME picks up our luggage, a third party, then who is to blame for our lost luggage ? Too much finger pointing.

Even when we used a town car service in the past, we handled our own luggage, not the driver.

Bottom line - we will handle & keep track of our own luggage.

We pack 3 suitcases for our family of 4 (less & smaller clothes for summer time). We have 4 carry ons - such as small backpacks and a camera case.
We could carry our suitcases through MCO.

I thought to save some money ($100) we would use DME.
And I have read town car services now can not park near the MCO luggage carosel exits.

We would use Garden Grocer for our 30 minute 'food store stop'.
Garden Grocer would also save us space in our suitcases.
We could have cereal, snacks, granola bars, cans of ice tea, zip lock bags, fersh fruit and other stuff delivered to our resort (fee about $15, $12 plus fuel surcharge, as of 6-28-11).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay.
Just so you know, the vast majority of the over ten million DME users since its inception more than six years ago don't post about their experience or wait time because it's as expected or better. You generally only hear from the exceptions (or people who didn't understand how the service works).

If your luggage is misdirected, DME tracks it and gets it to you when it arrives. You're not wasting valuable vacation time at the airport. And it's even safer than luggage picked up by the passenger, because it never gets onto the carousel. DME-tagged luggage is pulled on the tarmac before any luggage gets inside the terminal.

Yes, typically it can take up to three hours after you check in for your luggage to magically appear in your room. A properly packed carry-on - advisable any time one flies - with all items needed for the first 24 hours at a location alleviates concerns about delayed luggage. This is especially easy with lighter & smaller summer clothes.

Many posters report much faster delivery. The one time I waited for my luggage, it was in my room an hour and a half after I. All other trips? I have no idea - nobody needs to wait in the room for DME-handled luggage. Disney tips the Cast Member who delivers your luggage, too. In all other situations, it's normal to tip everyone who handles your luggage, starting with the bus driver, per bag.

Oh, as for finger-pointing? Magical Express, according to reports, has taken responsibility for "making good" on things that were, according to the luggage owners, the airlines' faults.

 

[pooh2001]

kaytieeldr - thank you for the clarification.

I think now we let WDW DME take care of our luggage.

Yes - since we fly in on a Saturday in June of next year - we will be wearing shorts and t-shirts - with a light jacket or sweatshirt for the plane ride. I will pack our toiletries in our carry on and hope our luggage arrives in our room before 10 PM.

We never did DME and I thought it maybe a fun way to start our vacation.

 

[Lewisc]

People who don't want to lose control of their luggage should exclusively go with carry on bags.

I'd probably spring for the $50-$60 for a car service rather then shlep my bags back up to level 3 diagonally across the terminal then down to level 1.
You'll be halfway to your resort in the length of time it will take to get to the DME area.

Get your own bags. Passengers on your flight, who use DME for luggage delivery, will probably be arriving at their resort at the time you'll be arriving in the DME area.

Your luggage doesn't show up. You'll wait in line. File a preliminary claim with Jetblue. Your luggage will show up on a later flight and be delivered to your resort. Use DME and you're luggage will show up on a later flight and be delivered to your room.

DME luggage delivery is a valued service. There are far more posters renting a car or using a car service who want to use DME for luggage only then posters who want to take their bags on the DME bus.

edited to add this discussion may be moot, with regards to the OP. DME only services Disney operated resorts. OP might be staying in the Dolphin. DME doesn't service Swan, Dolphin, Shads of Green or the hotels in Downtown Disney (Hotel Plaza).

 

[seashoreCM]

When you follow the directions provided in the Magical Express book for use of the service and the baggage delivery, and you find that baggage does not arrive in your room, you file a claim at the resort front desk right away and it is handled as if DME were a connecting flight.

Going up from the carousels to Level 3 on the A side, and going down the B side takes about the same amount of time no matter where you are and where you are going. But crossing over may be quick or lengthy depending on whether you are opposite the DME area (at the low number gates) or have to cross over diagonally (starting at the high numbere gates).

 

[SalandJeff]

I am wondering why anyone might need to walk from one terminal to the other. Does ME only pick up at one terminal? We always rent a car, so have not used ME, but may on our next trip.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I am wondering why anyone might need to walk from one terminal to the other. Does ME only pick up at one terminal? We always rent a car, so have not used ME, but may on our next trip.

Orlando International has a single, huge Main Terminal Building. One side is side A; the other is side B. Each side has ticket counters (level 3), baggage claim areas (level 2), and transportation services (level 1)

The airport has four remote satellite terminals ("airsides") connected to the Main Terminal Building by trains. The trains arrive on the ends of the Main Terminal Building between side A and side B. When stepping off the train, which arrives on level 3, it's a simple matter of following the signs to side B, and going down to the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center on side B, level 1.

Disney's Magical Express is only on side B. Because the trains arrive between side A and side B, and there's no need to go to baggage claim, it makes sense for DME to depart from just one side of the Main Terminal Building.

It only gets complicated when someone chooses to get their own bags from baggage claim instead of using the yellow DME tags. That involves going down to level 2 (on side A or side B depending on the airline) and waiting for bags. If the baggage claim area is on side A, it's then necessary to drag the bags back up to level 3, cross over from side A to side B, and go down to level 1. The distance can be substantial. The DME driver can load the bags into the DME coach, in which case a tip is appropriate.

The worst part of claiming bags at baggage claim when using DME is that it's likely to delay arrival at your resort by 30-60 minutes, depending on how long you have to wait for your bags and how long it takes to take them to DME.

My advice is to go straight from the gate to the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center and be on the very next coach to your resort. You could be on a DME coach before other passengers' bags have made it onto the baggage claim carousel.

However, after 10 p.m. that's not an option. Also, some people prefer to handle their own bags from the airport to the resort room.

 

[SalandJeff]

Thanks for the clarification. We have been through the airport at least 20 times, but I never really paid attention to the fact that you can go to A or B where you get on the trains. The only reason I even knew there was an A and B was from the signs when you drive into the airport directing you to the 2 terminals.

This will be helpful, as we are traveling same date/time as my sis, but she will be on a different airline in the other terminal. We will need to get together to go in the same rental car.

Thanks again!