Mco

[Tinkerpeas hubby]

Hi can Somebody please do a step by step of MCO for me please?

We have always flown into Sanford with our boys, and so it's been pretty quick getting through immigration! I need to prepare our oldest who has the AS for what this airport will be like,I'm worried now as I forgot how huge the place is compared to Sanford!
Now our son luckily is good with the surprise side of things but..... Once he knows he has to have every single detail!!

Sooo now I'm putting together his info pack as we are staying at the airport the night before as this is the best way for him to prepare by seeing the planes etc

How many security checks will we go through compared to Sanford? From what I remember it was off the plane through immigration & then off to baggage claim that lead us straight out the building! I don't remember going through scanners etc!

I need to have it pretty clear So I can prepare him
Virgin have said that we will get assisted passage from the plane for my DM who will be using an ECV and also for DS so he won't be in the long que's does anybody have experience with this?

Thankyou for any help it's much appreciated as I'm now panicking! ( well you have to have something to fret over in the last 2 wks) haha

Cindy x

 

[kerstfan1]

well customs can be hard i heard that when i came the people coming from the uk had about a 2 hour wait at customs

 

[Elise79]

Have a look here - step by step guide with pictures

 

[PJB71]

Hi I have a disability & take my ECV, and there has always been a separate immigration line for "handicapped" people which usually only have a few people in it.

I'm sure you already know but just to remind you with your mum having her ECV you will have to stay on the plane until most of the passengers have got off then they will bring the ECV to the aircraft door.

 

[darthtatty]

on thing I would like to mention.
After youve cleared customs, theres an escalator.
your DM will be directed to the lift in her ECV. When weve been before theyve only allowed 1 other person in the lift (to assist) and directed the rest of the party via the escalator.
Just want you to be prepared, in case they split you up, although if its just the 3 of you? they may let you all go in the lift together.

 

[tinkerpea]

Hi I have a disability & take my ECV, and there has always been a separate immigration line for "handicapped" people which usually only have a few people in it.

I'm sure you already know but just to remind you with your mum having her ECV you will have to stay on the plane until most of the passengers have got off then they will bring the ECV to the aircraft door.

Hi actually this has never happened for us,
Since we have a son with AS they have always gotten us off as soon as they can and we have always had somebody bring a wheelchair for my mum and then picked up the ECV when we get the baggage.I never even knew that they brought the ECV to the plane until i read it on here because everytime we have travelled its always been done the other way

I was told by Virgin that this is how they will do it this time as this is the way we have done it at Sanford with First choice and has always worked verywell for us.

I just hope they dont leave us on the plane till last as we will have a very tough time with Brandon.

 

[tinkerpea]

on thing I would like to mention.
After youve cleared customs, theres an escalator.
your DM will be directed to the lift in her ECV. When weve been before theyve only allowed 1 other person in the lift (to assist) and directed the rest of the party via the escalator.
Just want you to be prepared, in case they split you up, although if its just the 3 of you? they may let you all go in the lift together.

Hi there is 6 of us!
We have been told that we will have an assisted passage all the way through the airport until we are out the door!
This is why i was trying to get an idea if anyone else has had this? I know that if we get split up even for a minute at the airport there will be once child screaming blue murder! Our son is actually much closer to my Dm then anyone else and if she is out of sight he will really struggle as he will worry that something is going to happen to her!

Thanks for the info Ill have to make sure i try and prepare him although im hoping that what Virgin are telling me is correct ant we will be whisked through with hardly any wait at all and no seperation.

 

[2Tiggies]

well customs can be hard i heard that when i came the people coming from the uk had about a 2 hour wait at customs

We were through in about 15 minutes (landed at around 3.10 pm so a VA flight had come in less than half an hour before us). The queue looked fairly long but it moved incredibly quickly and we still had to wait for luggage. I guess it depends - you either wait at customs and your luggage is on the carousel once you're through, or you sail through customs and sit around waiting for luggage.

Have a look here - step by step guide with pictures

I love MCO's own website I think it's definitely the best I've seen

 

[darthtatty]

Hi there is 6 of us!
We have been told that we will have an assisted passage all the way through the airport until we are out the door!
This is why i was trying to get an idea if anyone else has had this? I know that if we get split up even for a minute at the airport there will be once child screaming blue murder! Our son is actually much closer to my Dm then anyone else and if she is out of sight he will really struggle as he will worry that something is going to happen to her!

Thanks for the info Ill have to make sure i try and prepare him although im hoping that what Virgin are telling me is correct ant we will be whisked through with hardly any wait at all and no seperation.

yeah if theres 6, youre likely to be split then.
Im guessing you get the ECV back at the first carousel.
The lifts arent that big and with an ECV plus there is bound to be 2 airport staff with you. One will probably be your assisted helper and the other will be someone who is in charge of the lift area.
I was always slightly annoyed that as a party of 3, 1 of us had to go up the escalator. No big deal but when youre not told where the lift is and where youd meet up.
we've had to do this a few times now and theyve always split us up.
youre all going to the train for the next terminal anyway, so will meet up again. Its just youre split up for a few minutes, I've usually waited 5-10 minutes- depending on how busy the lift is.
perhaps you, your son and Dm can all go in the lift together?

If you need more info on the lift eg location. Let me know and then i'll ask my husband, he's usually the one who's taken our son via the lift.

 

[PJB71]

Hi actually this has never happened for us,
Since we have a son with AS they have always gotten us off as soon as they can and we have always had somebody bring a wheelchair for my mum and then picked up the ECV when we get the baggage.I never even knew that they brought the ECV to the plane until i read it on here because everytime we have travelled its always been done the other way

I was told by Virgin that this is how they will do it this time as this is the way we have done it at Sanford with First choice and has always worked verywell for us.

I just hope they dont leave us on the plane till last as we will have a very tough time with Brandon.

Hopefully they will get you sorted ASAP and make things as easy for Brandon as possible

For some reason I have always had to wait until all passengers have got off then they have brought my ECV to the aircraft door

As Darthatty says just be prepared for you to be split up hopefully it won't happen if there aware of Bradon's condition, but we've always travelled as a party of 6 (last year was 7 with having the little lady) and even when the girls were little they would split us up&only ever let 1person accompany me. I found it easier to just go on my own as your accompanied by an airport employee and let Phil go with the girls & mum&dad.

I really hope that things go really smoothly for you but just felt I had to tell you so you can be as prepared as possible

 

[tinkerpea]

Have a look here - step by step guide with pictures

Thankyou
That was a great help! the 1 thing it doesnt show is how many scans we haveto go through.(he doesnt like going through the body scans as he has to go through on his own! OR the hand baggage scans where his beloved piglet and eeyore go through)
Just wnt to let him know how many times this will happen,We always pick Sanford as its such a simple process I dont even remember going through any scans on the way out of the airport

 

[2Tiggies]

Thankyou
That was a great help! the 1 thing it doesnt show is how many scans we haveto go through.(he doesnt like going through the body scans as he has to go through on his own! OR the hand baggage scans where his beloved piglet and eeyore go through)
Just wnt to let him know how many times this will happen,We always pick Sanford as its such a simple process I dont even remember going through any scans on the way out of the airport

No scans when you arrive but the usual one security check on departure

 

[tinkerpea]

Hopefully they will get you sorted ASAP and make things as easy for Brandon as possible

For some reason I have always had to wait until all passengers have got off then they have brought my ECV to the aircraft door

As Darthatty says just be prepared for you to be split up hopefully it won't happen if there aware of Bradon's condition, but we've always travelled as a party of 6 (last year was 7 with having the little lady) and even when the girls were little they would split us up&only ever let 1person accompany me. I found it easier to just go on my own as your accompanied by an airport employee and let Phil go with the girls & mum&dad.

I really hope that things go really smoothly for you but just felt I had to tell you so you can be as prepared as possible

I think ill get my son to go with my Dm as he will find that less stressful " I dont think he evens worries about the rest of us just dear old nanny "

Thankyou for letting me know as any info i can get in advance is a real help

Now i think of it i have read about others waiting on the plane til last to get there ECV but i thought that was because they preferred it to a wheelchair lol.

 

[2Tiggies]

Good job you didn't fly through Gatwick yesteday! They were swabbing hands, all laptops/iPads etc and when I walked past customs area on the way through from our Orlando flight to LGW the little tables were packed with folk unpacking luggage and having it combed through. They would have lost patience with us if they'd had to wait for us to unpack our 36kg of trick or treat candy

 

[tinkerpea]

No scans when you arrive but the usual one security check on departure

THANKYOU.
Honestly dont know how relieved i now feel!! its such a worry that he will get all upset that i wouldnt enjoy the flight over!

We have gotten him used to doing the 1 on the way home where he has to take his shoes off,"that was fun the 1st time we had to do that" he just didnt understand what they thought he could hide in his shoes as they was sandals
He is a very logical boy for his age so we are luckily in some aspects but in other where he knows there is no way of hiding anything he will argue it to the point where at home we give up!! Not so easy at an airport for instance he says what on earth do they think a child of 8 (at the time) is going to hide in my shoes piglet and eeyore....so wasnt willing to give them up without a full explanation which of course he found a way around all of the explanations!!

I just like to get the checks over and done with and then relax on the flight knowing he doesnt have to give up his carry on or teddys the other end

 

[tinkerpea]

Good job you didn't fly through Gatwick yesteday! They were swabbing hands, all laptops/iPads etc and when I walked past customs area on the way through from our Orlando flight to LGW the little tables were packed with folk unpacking luggage and having it combed through. They would have lost patience with us if they'd had to wait for us to unpack our 36kg of trick or treat candy

Oh my!!! I would have had a melt down let alone the kids

I cant imagine having to un-pack all that candy its bad enough getting into the bags in the 1st place i dont want to even think about getting out again until im safely at home!

Hope you had an amazing time

 

[Elise79]

THANKYOU.
Honestly dont know how relieved i now feel!! its such a worry that he will get all upset that i wouldnt enjoy the flight over!

We have gotten him used to doing the 1 on the way home where he has to take his shoes off,"that was fun the 1st time we had to do that" he just didnt understand what they thought he could hide in his shoes as they was sandals
He is a very logical boy for his age so we are luckily in some aspects but in other where he knows there is no way of hiding anything he will argue it to the point where at home we give up!! Not so easy at an airport for instance he says what on earth do they think a child of 8 (at the time) is going to hide in my shoes piglet and eeyore....so wasnt willing to give them up without a full explanation which of course he found a way around all of the explanations!!

I just like to get the checks over and done with and then relax on the flight knowing he doesnt have to give up his carry on or teddys the other end

The only issue might come if you are taking food - sometimes they like to re-xray all the luggage to check it.