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

[pat fan]

If our flight does not leave MCO until 8:10 pm, and we spend the day at the parks, can we go back to the resort at like 6:00 to pick up ME?

And could we have checked our bags first thing in the morning and gotten our boarding passes?

We were not getting a rental, just using Disney transportation (a first for us).

Thanks!

 

[kat3668]

No they will pick you up at yur resort 3 hours before your flight..... They are not really flexible with just hopping on any ME bus as they make multiple stops at resorts to pick up other guests. You can check your luggage and print boarding passes with airline checkin at your resort then just check your carryon with bell services for the day.... Enjoy

 

[puffkin]

If our flight does not leave MCO until 8:10 pm, and we spend the day at the parks, can we go back to the resort at like 6:00 to pick up ME?

And could we have checked our bags first thing in the morning and gotten our boarding passes?

We were not getting a rental, just using Disney transportation (a first for us).

Thanks!

They typically schedule ME for 3 hours prior to your flight (regardless of if you check your bags that morning or take them with you). Often times the ME bus will make multiple stops at other resorts before heading to the airport. We have cut it close several times on ME.

A big reason we rent a car is just this reason. So we can leave directly leave from a park for a later flight and not have to leave 3 hours in advance! Gives us an extra few hours of park time!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

The day prior to your checkout you will receive a notice from ME with your pick up time. For domestic flights they schedule your pick up 3 hrs prior to your flight departure and for international flights they schedule your pick up 4 hrs prior to your flight departure. Also, if you are doing the resort airline check in, be sure to call the airline the day prior to your departure to pay for the baggage fees, otherwise you will have to put your luggage on the ME with you and check in at the airport, which will also take up more time. All that information will be in your room the day prior to your departure. Hope that helps!

 

[pat fan]

So if we went with a rental life would be easier.

If we didn't, we could check our bags & get passes in the a.m., hit a park but be back to the resort by 4:45 at the latest. Yes?

 

[puffkin]

So if we went with a rental life would be easier.

If we didn't, we could check our bags & get passes in the a.m., hit a park but be back to the resort by 4:45 at the latest. Yes?

You could still check your bags through to the airport and get your boarding passes in the a.m. as that is a completely seperate service from ME.

If you take ME, you will need to factor in wait time and travel time to get back to the resort from the park to arrive at least 15 minutes before your ME time plus time to get any carryons from bell services. And yes, the ME busses do come early at times.

If you rent a car, you can leave directly from the park which could save you a few hours of park time.

It really is a matter of personal preference.

 

[LilyWDW]

If our flight does not leave MCO until 8:10 pm, and we spend the day at the parks, can we go back to the resort at like 6:00 to pick up ME?

And could we have checked our bags first thing in the morning and gotten our boarding passes?

We were not getting a rental, just using Disney transportation (a first for us).

Thanks!

Your pick up with be 3 hours prior, give or take 15 minutes. This is the time the bus is to LEAVE your resort...

You MUST be at the pick up location at LEAST 15 minutes before your pick up time. This means you must be prepared at that time to board your bus and not checking luggage or picking up bags that were held at the resort.

 

[pat fan]

I'm thinking I will try and find a deal on a rental.

See? This is how they get you. A quick, FD trip always ends up costing more than you figured

 

[6elginfans]

You can do it with ME. We are going in a few weeks and have a 6pm flight. We have done this before.

Just check you bags in the AM, leave your carry on with the bellman. enjoy your day at the park. Just get on a bus around 2:30 - 3:00 to get back to the resort.

 

[pat fan]

Thanks!

 

[Lewisc]

You might book a one way car service. You might need to be picked up at a resort near the park you'll be visiting. Contemporary for the MK as an example.

 

[goofy4tink]

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.

 

[Lewisc]

Diane--The OP will probably have to leave the park at around 3:30p in order to get to the resort by 4:15 (your timetable.) A car service would probably pick them up at a nearby resort at around 6p.

The extra couple of hours isn't worth $60 to me but different people spend their vacation $$$ differently.

 

[helenk]

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.

I was going to say the samething, for an extra cost of the rental car you get a half of an hour maybe a little bit more at a park. You still need to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight and return the rental car. If you use a towncar service you still need the travel time to get back to the resort so again you get an extra half hour in a park

 

[goofy4tink]

Diane--The OP will probably have to leave the park at around 3:30p in order to get to the resort by 4:15 (your timetable.) A car service would probably pick them up at a nearby resort at around 6p.

The extra couple of hours isn't worth $60 to me but different people spend their vacation $$$ differently.

Yup, that would be about right. BUT..that's about 6 hrs in the parks, not just an hour or two as we see some try for.
My issue with getting picked up at a nearby resort, by a car service, is the carryon bag issue. You have to lug those carryon bags with you, to the park. Once there, you'll have to rent lockers..and it would most likely be the larger lockers. And, most of the bus drivers will tell you that you can't take 'luggage' on the buses to the parks. I've been on a bus when someone tried to board with her 'roll-a-board' bag...driver told her she couldn't bring that on with her. She wanted to know how she was supposed to get it to her new resort. He told her to have her current resort move it or she could take a cab. Yeah, some drivers will let you on with the bags, but do you really want to take that chance???

I would much rather leave the park an hour earlier, get my bags at my resort, and get on the free bus there. But, others may very well differ in opinion. The OP said they were trying to do it on a budget and not spend a ton of money.

 

[puffkin]

See I feel the opposite. Although we usually get a rental car for our entire stay. My vacation time is way to precious (since I only get 2 weeks off at work) to waste my time on "transportation". That extra 2 hours is a lot, especially when you start adding up all the time savings during the vacation having a car can bring.

For instance, we are going down the weekend for a quick 4 day trip to AKV. We figure we save about 1.5 hours/day by having a car. Plus about an hour on ME going to Disney and 2 hours heading back to the airport. That is about 8 hours of park time we gained for a $120 rental. And normally I can get the rental cheaper than that (but this trip we were blacked out all the different coupon codes for some reason). For a short trip, that is a LOT of time.

Don't get me wrong, I think ME is a great service and we have used that and Disney transportation exclusively in the past many times. But especially for shorter trips and if you can get a half decent rental car rate, IMHO it is well worth the little bit of extra money.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Don't rent a car! If you don't want to rely on busses to get you back for your ME time, simply take a taxi from the park to your resort. Then you are on YOUR schedule rather than the Disney bus schedule.

If you rent a car and want to arrive at MCO 2 hours before your flight you would probably be leaving your resort about the same time as ME when you allow for time to fill the car with gas, allow for traffic tie ups, etc.

Save that money!

 

[pat fan]

I love the advice, only problem is there are two sets saying the same thing I'm waffling between!

I guess for now we'll leave it as is, and if I find a GREAT deal on a rental, we'll do that. If we need to leave the parks at 4:30, we need to do it, I guess. Unless we do get a smashing deal. And on and on I go....

 

[goofy4tink]

I love the advice, only problem is there are two sets saying the same thing I'm waffling between!

I guess for now we'll leave it as is, and if I find a GREAT deal on a rental, we'll do that. If we need to leave the parks at 4:30, we need to do it, I guess. Unless we do get a smashing deal. And on and on I go....

If you leave the parks at 4:30, you won't be back at your resort until close to 5, and it could be later if you have a longish wait for the bus to come. This means you won't be able to use DME. Just want to be sure you understand. If you have a rental car, I would drive to the park, with carryon bags in it...and then head directly to MCO from the park. That way, you wouldn't have to leave until 4:45ish. But don't try to cut it too closely.

 

[disneychic2]

We never rent a car, but can you rent one for just that last 24 hour period? I don't know how much that would cost. Just putting it out there for consideration. I am totally ignorant of prices for car rentals. Hope it all works out for you. We always use ME and we book as late a flight as possible so we can stretch that last day as much as possible too. Good luck!