ME & Arrival at 9:37pm-- Freaking out

[nfavero]

So we are supposed to arrive at 9:37pm and get the ME to POFQ in early May. DH pointed out that we may be SOL if our plane is delayed as ME only runs until 10. Anyone have any experience with this? This could be really bad as we have 2 kiddos under 4 that need carseats and we are not bringing them. We would not even fit in a regular cab!
TIA

 

[Traveliz]

ME runs 24 hours a day - as long as a flight is coming in or people are going out.

At 10 they no longer transport luggage to the resorts so if your flight comes in after 10 you are responsible for your luggage.

But no need to worry about a ride to the hotel.

Liz

 

[nfavero]

Thank you so much. This is what I get for listening to DH, he must have read the info wrong when we got the tags the other day!

 

[sharona]

With that late of an arrival and young kids, you may want to skip using the ME tags and pick up your own luggage. I was told that it can be 3 hours to get your bags and you probably don't want anyone knocking on your door at 1am. You can bring your bags down to ME and they will put them under the bus when you board and you can have them with you when you check in.

 

[Jestocost]

With that late of an arrival and young kids, you may want to skip using the ME tags and pick up your own luggage. I was told that it can be 3 hours to get your bags and you probably don't want anyone knocking on your door at 1am. You can bring your bags down to ME and they will put them under the bus when you board and you can have them with you when you check in.

That's certainly an option to consider. It is true that DME can take up to three hours from the time you check into your resort (not when you get off of the plane) to deliver your bags, so a 1:00 a.m. or later delivery is within that time frame. However, it is wise to have what you need for the first 12-24 hours in your carry-on bags in case the airline loses, delays or misdirects your checked bags. If you do that, you don't need your checked bags until morning, and can arrange with the front desk to hold your bags (also put out the Do Not Disturb sign, just in case). They typically will be up to your room within 15 minutes of when you call for them.

The downside of collecting your own bag is that, depending on the airline, it can be quite a chore to get them to the DME bus. DME is on side B of MCO, so if you come in on side A you need to go down from level 3 (where the trams from the gates drop you) to baggage claim on level 2. After collecting your bags you need to go back up to level 3, cross over to side B of the airport, then go down to level 1 to get to DME.

Neither option is perfect, obviously, so you just need to decide which is better for your individual circumstances.