ME question - VERY late arrival

[Lora]

We're due into MCO at 1:01 am (the price we paid for a low fare). Has anyone experienced the Magic Express at that late hour? How did it go? Am I going to get my luggage at 3:00 am?

Also - we're only staying one night at the All-Star Music since we'll be checking into BWV the next day. I was wondering if it would be possible for them to hold our luggage at BWV for the next day if we have a carry-on for over-night. Has anyone heard of this happening?

 

[Lewisc]

I'd just stay at an airport hotel. You should be able to get a 3* on PL for around $50. You'll be in bed much sooner than using ME to go to the All-Stars. Take the hotel shuttle, with your luggage, back to MCO to take ME the next morning.

 

[clkelley]

Not me, I disagree. Take Magical Express to All-Stars. That should only take max of two hours. If you stay at an offsite hotel the night before, then it will still take at least 2 hours to claim your luggage and get the shuttle to the airport hotel. Then the next morning, it will take you at least 4-5 hours to check-out, take the hotel shuttle BACK to the airport, then go through the Magical Express stuff when it will be LOTS more crowded with all of the West Coast Red Eye folks arriving.

When you arrive at All-Stars tell them NOT to deliver your luggage to the room, then the next morning drop off your carry-on with luggage services, and have them send all of the luggage over to BWV.

Then you can hop directly on a bus and go off to the parks and worry about checking into BWV later.

Carol

 

[Lewisc]

I don't agree with your numbers. Maybe 10 minutes to get my luggage, 10 minute wait for the shuttle and a 5-10 minute drive to your hotel. Total not much more than 30 minutes compared to 2 hours for ME (your figure). You'll get to bed 90 minutes earlier.

Express check out takes zero time, scheduled shuttle back to the airport will take 5-10 minutes. Sorry a lot of guests arriving means less waiting for the bus to fill up. If you figure 2 hours for ME late at night then it should be less in the early am.

OP is getting in at 1:00a. I'd rather get to bed at 1:30a than 3:00a.

Not me, I disagree. Take Magical Express to All-Stars. That should only take max of two hours. If you stay at an offsite hotel the night before, then it will still take at least 2 hours to claim your luggage and get the shuttle to the airport hotel. Then the next morning, it will take you at least 4-5 hours to check-out, take the hotel shuttle BACK to the airport, then go through the Magical Express stuff when it will be LOTS more crowded with all of the West Coast Red Eye folks arriving.

When you arrive at All-Stars tell them NOT to deliver your luggage to the room, then the next morning drop off your carry-on with luggage services, and have them send all of the luggage over to BWV.

Then you can hop directly on a bus and go off to the parks and worry about checking into BWV later.

Carol

 

[SqueakyMouse]

I'd just stay at an airport hotel. You should be able to get a 3* on PL for around $50. You'll be in bed much sooner than using ME to go to the All-Stars. Take the hotel shuttle, with your luggage, back to MCO to take ME the next morning.

I posted last night with a question about our 11:07 pm arrival. The cheapest hotel really close to the airport was at a Fairfield Inn for $99. Personally, I'd rather sleep at a value or moderate at WDW then switch to WL the next day
.

 

[Lora]

I can see both ways working fine. I think I'd rather just get to WDW and be finished with it even if it's quite late. It will feel like midnight since we're coming from Central time. Normally when we drive, we end up pulling into a hotel around midnight (1:00 ET). I'll just go with the All-Stars and then sleep-in the next morning. Either way, it's better than driving 17+ hours over 3 days.

 

[clkelley]

I don't agree with your numbers. Maybe 10 minutes to get my luggage, 10 minute wait for the shuttle and a 5-10 minute drive to your hotel. Total not much more than 30 minutes compared to 2 hours for ME (your figure). You'll get to bed 90 minutes earlier.


Express check out takes zero time, scheduled shuttle back to the airport will take 5-10 minutes. Sorry a lot of guests arriving means less waiting for the bus to fill up. If you figure 2 hours for ME late at night then it should be less in the early am.

OP is getting in at 1:00a. I'd rather get to bed at 1:30a than 3:00a.

I think your estimates are way too quick. It will be 1:30 before they arrive at luggage carousel. 1:01 is wheels hit the runway time. It takes another 10 minutes to get to the gate even. Then 5 minutes for the flight crew to let you off the plane, then 20 minutes to get to the carousel.

I've done the offsite thing the night before, and everytime, I wished I had gone ahead and gotten on Disney property. I still think the ME is the easier way to go. That way they don't even have to worry about luggage at all till they get to BWV the next day. Even with getting to bed at an offsite hotel at 2am, the temptation to sleep in is still there, then you've killed all morning, then STILL have to go back to the airport, then go through ME. Traveling through Orlando once lessens the risks and uses less valuable daylight hours.

Carol

 

[SB in KY]

I gotta side with Lewis on this one...we often arrive late and always Priceline a 3* in the MCO area for under $50...last year the plane landed at 11:10PM, and my youngest was asleep in the hotel room before mid night!!

About 1/3 of the time we get the Hyatt inside the airport and the other 2/3 it is usually the Holiday Inn Select, or Marriott....all are quite nice, used to late arrivals (all used heavily by airline flight crews)...while DH and the kids grab the luggage I head to the courtesy phone and call the shuttle. We never have to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes max, and the AM return is totally painless (shuttles leave the hotels at set times in the AM), no checkout with Priceline, so we just walk to the lobby and hop the shuttle for the return run and are back at the airport in less than 10 minutes.

Conversely, we tried a late night check in at CSR 2 years ago for a 2 nighter before moving to OKW... we arrived about 11, while they got luggage I headed for the rental car counter, took about 30 minutes to get thru the line and get the car, then a 30 minute drive to disney, then another 20+ minutes to get checked in, another 20 minutes to drive around to our building, and at least 20+ minutes to find the room and schlep all the luggage up. It was well after 1AM before anyone got to bed.

Now I know DME would help with some of that, but you could be looking at a substantial wait for transportation at that hour, combined with finding bell services and convincing them to hold your luggage until the AM (and then hoping they could get it transferred to the new resort without you ever having claimed it) and then waiting for someone to shuttle you to your room, etc.

If you want the easiest place to crash for a few hours before starting your vacation I would opt for an airport area hotel. Remember in the AM you will have to check out, make arrangements for your baggage to be sent to BWV, then you will have to hop a bus to one of the parks and then find another bus that will take you back to BWV (be sure to check in with the transportation window if you do this before11AM, because early buses do not often go back to the resorts they just came from)...in other words it might be about as fast to take DME from the airport to BWV in the AM as it would be to get from All Star to Boardwalk!!

 

[Lewisc]

If I was getting in earlier or staying in a moderate (or value) I'd go right to WDW. Once I make the decision to save $$$ my first night then I stay in an airport hotel go to increase my savings and get to bed earlier. I don't see how getting from my airport hotel--MCO--WDW is any harder than having to go from one Disney resort to another. Different people have different opinions. Generally the shuttle driver, for a tip, will drop you off at one of the drugstores. Not a grocery stop but you can grab a case of water, soda and some "fun" food.

Sqeaky Mouse--You can generally get a 3* hotel through PL for around $50. ONLY BID 3*, some of the lower rated hotels don't offer a 24 hour shuttle.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We had no luck with our dates at the end of July. When dh got home from work, we looked again. Anything we'd consider was well over $100 now. We booked Pop this evening at the AP rate ($77). CM said it didn't look as if we'd have much wait on the Thursday night we're flying into Orlando. Sounds good to me! We'll either go to the MK in the morning, then head over to WL to check-in and have an early lunch the next day; or sleep in and check-in/have breakfast at WL Friday morning. Reguardless, we'll be much better rested than when we have to leave home at 2 to catch the morning flight. We can't wait!

 

[CarolA]

I am with Lewis... Stay at the airport.

I tthought ME stopped at 11?

 

[Letsbgoofy]

I was told that ME ran as long as seomone had a reservation. I asked because our flight gets in at 10:23pm, and we always seem to be late. They did suggest getting our own luggage so we wouldn't have it delivered at 1:00 in the morning.
I know they could hold it until the next morning, but I will sleep better knowing my luggage arrived!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Yep. That's what we were told yesterday. They will take you at any time provided you've made reservations with them.

 

[manticore]

We had a late arrival (11pm) at MCO in May. We were using Magical Express also. Our flight got in around 11pm and we were in our room by a little after midnight. We did not give them any instructions on our preferences with the luggage. They held it and delivered it sometime between 5:30 and 6:00am. Which was early enough to get out to any things we had planned.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Just seeing if anyone has had experience arriving late, then moving from Pop(or any value/moderate) to BWV's(or any deluxe) the next morning. Trying to see if you can just have the luggage delivered directly to BWV(any deluxe).