How much time wasted getting luggage off carousel?

[tripplanner2]

We always fly into MCO and use ME to get to the hotel. This year, because of the crazy prices on flights, we are not arriving until 10:35pm. ME will not get our luggage because of the time, we need to bring it to the bus ourselves. My thought was to bring everything as a carry on to not have to wait at the carousel for our bags. Thinking I could ship 1 big box with toiletries directly to the hotel. DH said BAD IDEA. Wants to check luggage. Afraid shipped box may disappear. So my question is, how much time are we going to waste waiting for our luggage. We never do this so I have no clue at all.

Thanks for the help.

 

[goofy4tink]

Depends on where you are on the plane.....really! If you're in the front of the plane, you're going to get to baggage claim before the bags do. If you're in the rear of the plane, you will take longer to get off the plane and to baggage claim. I usually find myself waiting for bags for about 15-20 mins. It's not usually any longer than that. And most of the time closer to 15...just seems like an hour!!!

BUT....and here's the disclaimer...if you arrive on Side A of the airport, you arrive on level 3. Then, you have to go down to level 2, baggage claim and get your bags. Then, back up to level 3, cross over to Side B of the airport and down to level 1...ground transportation. so that adds a bit more time to the whole thing!!

 

[tripplanner2]

Ugg...we are flying SW which I am pretty sure is side A. We always take the monorail to the main terminal. Today is "D" day. Either we ship our box today or we bring it with us. Oh decisions...

DH may be more miserable going up and down the escalator with all of that than just bringing it with us in the first place.

 

[bumbershoot]

You would not use the escalators for that. You would use elevators. And why not just budget the amount in dollars that you will have in bags and let a porter help you?

We landed after midnight on our last trip and had DME planned. Got off the plane, walked slowly to baggage claim, the bags were already on the carousel. Started to get them and a porter appeared with his big wheeled cart. Asked him for help and he did. Put all our bags on his cart and just followed him to DME. Easy. So easy.

We signed in, he went along the outside of the line and waited for us to be called for boarding, went to the bus with us, handed the bags off to the driver.

We tipped him and got on board. SO easy. No stress, no arm pain from lifting bags, and at the end of the trip that extra $10 or whatever was absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Plus we save for tips throughout the year with a change jar.

 

[mickeynut1]

We always fly into MCO and use ME to get to the hotel. This year, because of the crazy prices on flights, we are not arriving until 10:35pm. ME will not get our luggage because of the time, we need to bring it to the bus ourselves. My thought was to bring everything as a carry on to not have to wait at the carousel for our bags. Thinking I could ship 1 big box with toiletries directly to the hotel. DH said BAD IDEA. Wants to check luggage. Afraid shipped box may disappear. So my question is, how much time are we going to waste waiting for our luggage. We never do this so I have no clue at all.

Thanks for the help.

We have never experienced more than about a 15-20 minute wait for luggage. However, it seems we are always waiting for the luggage carousel to start up because we usually have seats toward the front of the plane and get to baggage claim quickly. With that said, sometimes things can (and do) happen to delayed baggage coming off the plane, but our usual wait is never very long.

 

[tripplanner2]

Thanks so much for the insight. We will pay the porter for sure. I am so relieved to know they are still working at that hour.

 

[Lewisc]

You might also consider a car service. You'll be halfway to WDW in the length of time it will take to schlep over to the DME area, even if you get a porter. You'll get to your resort at least 30 minutes faster, probably closer to an hour (or more).

 

[sam_gordon]

Something else to keep in mind, although the odds are against it... if there's a thunderstorm happening, they'll pull the ramp workers inside. No ramp workers = no getting luggage off the plane.

One time we waited 45 minutes to an hour at MCO for our luggage because a storm happened to hit.

 

[bumbershoot]

Something else to keep in mind, although the odds are against it... if there's a thunderstorm happening, they'll pull the ramp workers inside. No ramp workers = no getting luggage off the plane.

One time we waited 45 minutes to an hour at MCO for our luggage because a storm happened to hit.

Good reminder to line your suitcases with plastic bags.

 

[phorsenuf]

Something else to keep in mind, although the odds are against it... if there's a thunderstorm happening, they'll pull the ramp workers inside. No ramp workers = no getting luggage off the plane.

One time we waited 45 minutes to an hour at MCO for our luggage because a storm happened to hit.

There doesn't even have to be a storm happening. If there is lightning reported within a certain amount of miles (can't remember how many) they will hold things until it's clear. We waited 2 hours back in May (flying home from NH) and there were people waiting a good hour before us! I actually took video of it because the amount of people waiting around was insane!

 

[Jestocost]

Something else to keep in mind, although the odds are against it... if there's a thunderstorm happening, they'll pull the ramp workers inside. No ramp workers = no getting luggage off the plane.

One time we waited 45 minutes to an hour at MCO for our luggage because a storm happened to hit.

Can happen, certainly. On one trip we waited nearly two hours for luggage under these circumstances.

 

[mdsd8700]

Good reminder to line your suitcases with plastic bags.

Agree with this! Luckily it was a flight home but we had a delay of more than an hour while it poured and poured.....our luggage was on the run way all that time as it had not yet been loaded. When we got home we didn't have anything that wasn't wet to some degree. I was so thankful it had not happened on the way to WDW. We now have learned to line the suitcases with plastic bags.

 

[DonnaL]

I learned years ago to pack everything in plastic travel bags inside my bag after our bags sat outside waiting to be loaded while it was raining/snowing. However, three years ago my plastic travel bags REALLY saved my stuff. We arrived mid/late afternoon and each had a small carryon with the clothing we would need that evening to make a dinner reservation just in case our checked bags didn't make it to our room in time....which they didn't. However, we got back to our room about 11:00 p.m. and DH's bag was there....mine not. I called Bell Services to find out what the problem was and the response was immediate "Oh Mrs. B...we'll be right up". I said to my DH..."oh boy..something happened with my bag". Sure enough...the Bell Captain was at the door with my soaking wet, disgusting smelling bag.....some other person had packed GLASS bottles of baby formula in their bag and they broke on the luggage truck coming from MCO....my bag happened to be under that person's bag. Needless to say, my bag was completely ruined, stained beyond belief. However, my plastic travel bags saved ALL of my clothing...the items that were packed on the perimeter of the bags had only a slight smell to them...fortunately all washable items...which I washed immediately, but, no stains on anything. I believe we were at BWV that trip and the manager there at the time was great....she came to the room and took my stained bag and sent someone to purchase a new comparable bag for me. To this day I still cannot believe someone would pack glass baby formula bottles in luggage!!