ME question...kinda complicated (I think).

[Minnesota!]

You're making this more complicated than you need to. On your departure day, head down to RAC first thing in the morning. I like to be there by 7am....not much of a line then. Check your bags, get your boarding passes. Go back to your room, put your boarding passes into your carryon bags (or keep the bps with you in your park bag). Then, on your way to the park bus, leave your carryon bags with Bell Services for the day.
With an 8:10pm flight, they will most likely give you a DME pickup time of about 5pm. Have fun in the parks that day, and plan on being back at your resort by 4:15 or so. Use the bathrooms, get your carryon bags, and head to the DME bus stop. Be there about 15 mins before your designated p/u time.
It's really not worth it to pay for a car service or a rental car just to have an addtl hour in the parks, at least not in my opinion.

Ditto!

 

[pat fan]

Sorry, brain on fry-mode

I was thinking leave park at 4:00 and get back to resort at 4:30, but that's not what I wrote. This is why I have never done a last minute trip! And I know for most people Oct. wouldn't be considered last minute, but I usually plan a year out!

I told my DH last night that I am usually counting the months/days until the 180 mark to make ADR's, and we are WAY past that date and just booked!

 

[maxiesmom]

By using a taxi or rental car you will only gain at most an hour of park time, if you don't want to have any chance of missing your flight. Some people are comfortable cutting it close in the airport, but I am not one of them.

There was a post just the other day from someone who almost missed their flight because they ran into a security line that was longer than what they are used to. MCO recommends getting there 2 hours before your flight. And I agree with them. MCO can be a zoo! Hit it just wrong, cut it too close, and you can look at extra hours in the airport while they try to find you a flight out. Just not worth it, imho.

 

[goofy4tink]

Sorry, brain on fry-mode

I was thinking leave park at 4:00 and get back to resort at 4:30, but that's not what I wrote. This is why I have never done a last minute trip! And I know for most people Oct. wouldn't be considered last minute, but I usually plan a year out!

I told my DH last night that I am usually counting the months/days until the 180 mark to make ADR's, and we are WAY past that date and just booked!

I completely understand!!! Been there, done that. Take a deep breath. Ahhhhhh, don't you feel better??
Plan on leaving the park by 3:30, not 4. If, and that's a big if, everything goes perfectly, then sure, you could leave at 4 and be back at 4:30. BUT...the bus would have to be there and boarding as you get to the bus stop. And that doesn't happen often enough to count on.... So head out around 3:45ish, even if you wait for 15 mins for the bus you'll still be fine. You just have to back at the resort and ready to go, no less than 15/20 mins before your pickup time.

Now go, have fun, be excited..you're going to WDW during Food and Wine...great time to go. I have just about 2.5 months to wait as well.

 

[pat fan]

I completely understand!!! Been there, done that. Take a deep breath. Ahhhhhh, don't you feel better??

YES!

This whole trip is new territory for me! No kids, just DH & I, no rental car, no ADR's(yet, maybe not at all), and no plan so far! DH wants us to just go and relax and do what we want with not having to worry about other people being made happy. It will be a whole new world for me! (pun intended!)

 

[goofy4tink]

I love those kind of trips!!! I would recommend heading over to the Disney site and booking a few ADRs. At least you'll have them if you want them...nice to be able to sit and relax with the hubby. Maybe make just 2 or 3. If you find you don't want to use 'em, just cancel them at Guest Services.

 

[drinkme]

We did this on our last trip. We had a late flight leaving on departure day. So, we planned on going to AK for a few hours. Well, everything went according to plan EXCEPT we had to wait 45 minutes for our bus back to POR. Luckily our ME bus was running late and we made it.

 

[pat fan]

We did this on our last trip. We had a late flight leaving on departure day. So, we planned on going to AK for a few hours. Well, everything went according to plan EXCEPT we had to wait 45 minutes for our bus back to POR. Luckily our ME bus was running late and we made it.

DH has said he does NOT want to go the car route, so we are going to plan on leaving the parks around 3:30 for our 5:00 ME pick-up. Sounds early to me, but whatever, I have to be to work in the morning so I can't miss our flight! I'm going to be dragging butt as it is! Flight gets in at 11:00 pm, so we'll get home around 1:30 or 2:00 and I get up for work at 5:30! How rude!!