Nervous about flight after cruise

[dclpluto]

Why are you nervous? 11:30 is the perfect time for a flight out of mco. I wish where I was going there was a 11:30 flight. But I have to wait around to noon. 11:30 is perfect that is the earliest you can take a flight with on board checkin. Enjoy your long wait at the airport.

 

[85glht]

We have done the express walk off the last two cruises. Much better for us. Keep the bags, do not put them out the night before. This means you will have to carry out ALL you belongings when disembarking.
Get up early and get something to eat at Cabanas. When done eating, go to your room and get ALL you belongings. Get to the 3rd or 4th deck, cannot remember what level, but it is the same level as the one you will walk on at the beginning of the cruise. Wait in line to get off the ship. Yes, there will be a line for this. As soon as ship is cleared, they open the doors and you start your disembarkation. Make sure you have all you documents ready for customs inspectors. Go through the process, and if going to the airport by bus, there will be people there to direct you to the first bus for the airport. The bus will leave as soon as it is full.

We have arrived at the airport as early as 9am. I do not condone booking a flight this early but we had plenty of time to go through security and get to our gate without having the added stress of being late.

The only downside to this would be if you have more bags than people to carry them. I.e: if it is only two of you and you have 5 bags to carry out, well, you are gonna have issues pulling this off. There will be no one to help you carry your bags for you off the ship.


Sorry for the long post.....

 

[sanglee23]

for those that have had good experiences with 11:30 flights, what time did you leave the boat? would it be ok to leave at 8:00?

 

[scubamomma]

We do breakfast in the room on debarkation morning. We order cereal, milk and fruit the night before and casually have breakfast on the veranda while getting ready. We were in no rush and still got down to the debarkation line before they started letting people off the ship.

 

[Eeyores]

We have done the express walk off the last two cruises. Much better for us. Keep the bags, do not put them out the night before. This means you will have to carry out ALL you belongings when disembarking.
Get up early and get something to eat at Cabanas. When done eating, go to your room and get ALL you belongings. Get to the 3rd or 4th deck, cannot remember what level, but it is the same level as the one you will walk on at the beginning of the cruise. Wait in line to get off the ship. Yes, there will be a line for this. As soon as ship is cleared, they open the doors and you start your disembarkation. Make sure you have all you documents ready for customs inspectors. Go through the process, and if going to the airport by bus, there will be people there to direct you to the first bus for the airport. The bus will leave as soon as it is full.

We have arrived at the airport as early as 9am. I do not condone booking a flight this early but we had plenty of time to go through security and get to our gate without having the added stress of being late.

The only downside to this would be if you have more bags than people to carry them. I.e: if it is only two of you and you have 5 bags to carry out, well, you are gonna have issues pulling this off. There will be no one to help you carry your bags for you off the ship.


Sorry for the long post.....

Thank you for your long post! Usually we travel with one big suitcase and carryons for the 2 of us...that wasn't possible this time between formal dresses, pirate outfits, Space Camp required clothes... Hate dragging around luggage too! Too much to keep up with.

 

[Eeyores]

I see an alarm clock on the packing checklist...will we not get wake up calls?

 

[wjs3]

hi:

I've been in your shoes before and decided to move to a 4 PM ish flight to Chicago (when we lived there) instead of the noon ish flight we were on. We ended up sitting around MCO for 6+ hours as a result. Don't make my mistake, please.

FWIW, I agree you should try to carry off, just in case, but...last cruise we did not carry off--we checked, and we made it HOME (to Fort Lauderdale--2.5-3 hour drive from PC) at around 1130. MCO is only 45 minutes ish away, by contrast. You should make it easily.

I think you'll be fine. You're right to be apprehensive--it looks close on paper--but I think you'll be fine.

Now, that said, if you can't get comfortable with it, then you have a choice. You can change flights, for the $$$$$. I wouldn't in your place.

Good luck!

 

[dclpluto]

I see an alarm clock on the packing checklist...will we not get wake up calls?

Yes you can get wake up calls. I use the wave phones to see what time it is.

 

[Eeyores]

hi:

I've been in your shoes before and decided to move to a 4 PM ish flight to Chicago (when we lived there) instead of the noon ish flight we were on. We ended up sitting around MCO for 6+ hours as a result. Don't make my mistake, please.

FWIW, I agree you should try to carry off, just in case, but...last cruise we did not carry off--we checked, and we made it HOME (to Fort Lauderdale--2.5-3 hour drive from PC) at around 1130. MCO is only 45 minutes ish away, by contrast. You should make it easily.

I think you'll be fine. You're right to be apprehensive--it looks close on paper--but I think you'll be fine.

Now, that said, if you can't get comfortable with it, then you have a choice. You can change flights, for the $$$$$. I wouldn't in your place.

Good luck!

I hate long waits!! That is the only reason I'm keeping it and not changing it. 6 hours in the airport when I'm tired would be horrible! Keeping my autistic daughter occupied for that long...I can't imagine. I'd be beyond tired.

 

[bumbershoot]

hi:

I've been in your shoes before and decided to move to a 4 PM ish flight to Chicago (when we lived there) instead of the noon ish flight we were on. We ended up sitting around MCO for 6+ hours as a result. Don't make my mistake, please.

Your only mistake was in not renting a car and going to do something.