Magical Express changes pick up time from 3 to 4 hours prior to flight

[marx]

TSA at Mco is shameful. I travel very frequently and have never experienced such rude ineffectual behavior at any airport, repeatedly, over the past years. In March of this year I witnessed a young man be berated for taking a laptop out of his carry on after an agent further back in the line repeatedly yelled at everyone to take all electronics out of their bags. In September, they had started the new rule that you couldn't have food in your carry on, so more berating of everyone without the common sense of posting a sign at the beginning of the line stating the new rule. I'm going to start recording their behavior and posting it. It is so unprofessional and they need to be called out on it.

TSA Pre-Check is not 24 hours at MCO. We had a 9:30pm flight on the day after Memorial Day and the security lines were very long with Pre-Check closed. (I don't pay for Pre-Check, but for some reason my family has gotten it on our flights - 6 of them - last year). Anyway, when I arrived at the airport I was told we needed to go through the regular screening (no issue - we had time), and that even though we were Pre-Check we had to remove liquid, shoes, laptop - which we weren't prepared for (everything was scattered in the luggage). When we (finally) got to the screening area we were confirming that everything was sorted out when the agent there asked for our boarding passes. He asked us (rudely) why we were taking things out of the luggage if we were pre-check. So, the agents at MCO are not only unprofessional, but are misinformed too. We have had stone faced agents at other airports, but not rude ones like this before.

 

[DisneyOma]

To those who think it would be better to go later and use a taxi service - what happens when you get there later, and the security lines are so long you miss your flight? Why would WDW make you go an hour earlier if you didn't need to be there an hour earlier?

 

[Farro]

To those who think it would be better to go later and use a taxi service - what happens when you get there later, and the security lines are so long you miss your flight? Why would WDW make you go an hour earlier if you didn't need to be there an hour earlier?

For us, even the 3 hours was too early. Even waiting 45 minutes in the regular security line once, we still had about a 30 minute wait for to board.
Perhaps we've been lucky, but at this point we've been at that airport 5 times in the past few years and that's been our worst experience.
2.5 hours would be a sweet spot for us, with RAC and pre-check, no need to be insanely early.

And I agree, MCO is the WORST airport in terms of security I have ever experienced. Although it's mostly the people in line have no clue what to do, which is mind boggling.

 

[LilyWDW]

I don't know why people are getting upset about it. If you don't like the time period, then get to the airport in another way. That's a risk you are allowed to take if you feel like you need to.

Disney is foreseeing an issue. There have been changes to screening procedures that have increased security waits and we are about to enter a very busy traveling time. They don't care if you have Precheck or think it's too early. It's better for them to get people to the airport with time to spare then to risk people missing their flights. Period. It makes perfect business sense.

 

[siskaren]

For us, even the 3 hours was too early. Even waiting 45 minutes in the regular security line once, we still had about a 30 minute wait for to board.

I would never consider waiting 30 minutes to board to be too long - in fact, I would consider that to be just about perfect.

 

[Farro]

I would never consider waiting 30 minutes to board to be too long - in fact, I would consider that to be just about perfect.

Okay, I do.

On our way there we had a 6:00 am flight. We got to O'hare at 4:50, checked our bags at the kiosk, sailed through pre-check, stopped to get a diet pepsi or something for flight, walked up to gate and boarded in about 15 minutes. Perfect!

 

[siskaren]

Okay, I do.

On our way there we had a 6:00 am flight. We got to O'hare at 4:50, checked our bags at the kiosk, sailed through pre-check, stopped to get a diet pepsi or something for flight, walked up to gate and boarded in about 15 minutes. Perfect!

I'm flying out of O'Hare in two weeks to go to Disneyland on a 7:20 am flight, and I plan to get there no later than 5 - I don't have pre-check, plus I plan to get breakfast at the airport.

 

[Farro]

I'm flying out of O'Hare in two weeks to go to Disneyland on a 7:20 am flight, and I plan to get there no later than 5 - I don't have pre-check, plus I plan to get breakfast at the airport.

Have a great trip!

 

[kidshop]

And just a tip. Don’t bring Little Debbie mini muffins for the kids. They were coming up as candles with the TSA. I was questioned. I didn’t mind, I was actually shocked they were coming up as candles.

So a lession learned for us. We’re just going to carry on clothes, cellphones, and headphones from now on.

This confuses me, but I don't fly a lot. Aren't these in sealed printed packages? How can a muffin be a candle? How is food a threat to airline safety? Are the terrorists starting to smuggle things in via food packaging....and what are they swabbing for?

 

[soniam]

Best $85 I've ever spent, I'm thinking!

I would probably pay that a year to not have to take off my shoes at the airport. It has just made the whole experience much more tolerable. Plus, the pre-check agents always seem so nice, calm, and professional.

Has anyone else had luck doing this? I have a 6:30am flight next month and would prefer to get an extra hour of sleep instead of leaving for the airport 4 hours early.

In August, the bus from Epcot to AKL was taking forever, about 45 minutes, so we missed our ME by about 5 minutes. We got our bags from bell services and were going to get a cab or Uber, when another ME showed, only about 20 minutes after our scheduled one. We asked if we could hop on. He looked at our paperwork and said sure. So, it's possible during busy times and at big resorts there could be several of them pretty close in time. I would be willing to risk it, because we have pre-check and are willing to just pay for a ride when necessary.

 

[snayak]

This confuses me, but I don't fly a lot. Aren't these in sealed printed packages? How can a muffin be a candle? How is food a threat to airline safety? Are the terrorists starting to smuggle things in via food packaging....and what are they swabbing for?

No - the mini muffins are usually in boxes. Inside of a bag, to the scanning equipment they probably look like tea light candles due to the shape and density.

If the boxes were removed from the luggage, in theory somebody could just make a fake box full of candles (or other flammable material) disguised to look like food. I would not discount the ingenuity for people looking to cause harm to others.

They are swabbing for chemical residue for explosives. It is possible to set off a false alarm requiring more in-depth screening.

 

[Nole95]

To those who think it would be better to go later and use a taxi service - what happens when you get there later, and the security lines are so long you miss your flight? Why would WDW make you go an hour earlier if you didn't need to be there an hour earlier?

Because Disney might pick you up 4 hours early, but there are often other stops before you get to the airport. So you end up not getting to the airport until 2.5 - 3 hours before anyway.

I’d rather sleep in the extra hour and then take a Lyft to the airport three hours prior to departure. I’ll still be there in plenty of time.

 

[hllb]

To those who think it would be better to go later and use a taxi service - what happens when you get there later, and the security lines are so long you miss your flight? Why would WDW make you go an hour earlier if you didn't need to be there an hour earlier?

Yes, they’re doing it because they need time to make all the extra stops before even leaving for the airport. If we had a later flight, I’d just go with it, but for an 8 am flight it’s ridiculous. I could take an uber at 6 and get there in plenty of time for an 8:25 am flight. I don’t need to leave at. 4:25 am. 1.5 hours should be enough to get thru security and to our gate.

 

[neverlandsky]

This confuses me, but I don't fly a lot. Aren't these in sealed printed packages? How can a muffin be a candle? How is food a threat to airline safety? Are the terrorists starting to smuggle things in via food packaging....and what are they swabbing for?

They were sealed, in the package out of the box, in a clear freezer bag, yet the shape of mini muffins were popping up as tea light candles the agent said. To be honest with how they looked over the kids snacks and swab them plus their 2 Nintendo DS, it wouldn't surprise me if they ban food & electronics in the future. TSA agent said the swabbing is for anything flammable or any residue that's triggered for explosives.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Will definitely be using Uber if this continues, there is no reason to be at MCO that early if you are using RAC and have pre-check.

Oh for sure. That’s nuts. In oct we were sitting at our gate so early I was trying to switch us to a flight leaving earlier than ours. We sat there for almost 2 hours.

 

[maxiesmom]

For us, even the 3 hours was too early. Even waiting 45 minutes in the regular security line once, we still had about a 30 minute wait for to board.
Perhaps we've been lucky, but at this point we've been at that airport 5 times in the past few years and that's been our worst experience.
2.5 hours would be a sweet spot for us, with RAC and pre-check, no need to be insanely early.

And I agree, MCO is the WORST airport in terms of security I have ever experienced. Although it's mostly the people in line have no clue what to do, which is mind boggling.

It took one trip back to the airport that was a farce for me to never try to cut it too close. We drove around property for an hour picking up at other resorts. And just before getting on the highway to finally head to the airport the driver was radioed that we had to go back to a resort as someone had left their wheelchair behind. I was a nervous wreck the whole drive! Arriving at the gate only 20 minutes before boarding was cutting it too close, imho. If security had been a longer line that day, we would have been in big trouble.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Redirecting to the correct Boards for this DME/TSA/Pre-Check/RAC thread:

Magical Express resort pick up now FOUR hours before flights? Alternatives?

DME Departure time changes with MCO Travel Advisory