One answer to the "how early can I book my return flight" question

[Towncrier]

I just got a phone call from my DW Sue from the Orlando airport. She disembarked the Disney Wonder this morning after breakfast, checked her bags and got her tickets at the US Airways desk at the port, boarded the DCL bus, and made it to the airport BEFORE 9:30AM. I was so worried about her missing the return flight that I rebooked her 11AM flight to one that leaves at noon. Now she has 2.5 hours to spend at MCO waiting for her flight.

So it is possible to get to the airport VERY early if you have first seating and if everything goes just right.

 

[atigeg]

Just too words of caution...
First, although it is not likely, there have been circumstances when the ship has been delayed for reasons like a medical emergency and has gotten into port late.
Second (unfortunately, this one is personal experience!), misc. delays can occur. On a trip a while back, someone else mistakenly took our luggage. Disney would not take a report until literally everyone else had taken their bags, in case ours showed up. I can't even imagine what would have happened if we'd had an early flight...that was the trip where I injured my knee, too, so I was in a wheelchair. They won't let us go out to let Happy Limo know what was going on, but thankfully our driver waited for us.
But that is only once out of 26 trips, so the odds are with you.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

If she had flight options at both 11am and noon, it was appropriate to book the noon flight. An extra hour of waiting is worthwhile in exchange for the relief from the "am I going to make it in time?" stress.

Although it is possible, under the best of circumstances, to make it to the airport by 9:30 as your DW did, the only time I would recommend booking an 11am flight is if the next flight isn't until <i>much</i> later... like 5 or 6pm.

This is particularly important to keep in mind starting soon (the actual date varies by airline) since the airlines are now no longer allowing you to fly standby on other flights the same day if you're traveling on discounted fares.

 

[Towncrier]

You both bring up good points. I'm not suggesting that folks book an earlier flight. To be quite honest, I was stunned when I got that phone call this morning from the airport. We weren't even off the Disney Magic by 9:30AM on our first cruise let alone at the airport.

Barb and Dave are right. Unless you have no other option, booking a flight before noon is a gamble. That's why I moved Sue's flight back an hour.

 

[ruvidu]

That is what time we walked off of the bus at MCO a couple of weeks ago. We skipped breakfast, were two of the first ones off of the ship, grabbed the first porter who asked, checked our bags for US Air at the sidewalk and was on the bus at 7:50. We pulled out about 8:15 and were at MCO right at 9:10. We had a 12:30 flight so we had 3 hours to wait.
Just our experiance.

Russ

 

[tinlizzy]

Is there anything near the airport? Geez, my flight doesn't leave until 2:00pm. I booked the shortest flight home. Anyway I'd rather wait around in Fla. then in Chicago.

 

[4nana]

Thanks for the encouraging report
Our flight is 11:30 and we are leaving the driving to 'Yourride'.
Thinking positive all will go well!

 

[atigeg]

Towncrier, did they mention if they had to wait in a line to disembark? Usually the line is minimal or non-existent later, but I always thought it would be pretty bad early. But on our last trip, we pretty much walked right off! Just wondering if that is the norm or if we got lucky. Our flights are usually later, so we usually take our time.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Towncrier]

I'll ask when she gets home. I think we must have been the LAST to disembark from our first cruise back in August 2000. Our Tiffany Towncar driver had been waiting an hour. Those were some long lines.

 

[NCRedding]

We just got off the Wonder 10/6. We had late seating, and still were at the airport by 9:55 driving our own rental. I would advise a couple of things. Delta baggage check in at port is notorious for lines, according to our porter today. By the time we waited in the line, we were too close to flight time to guarantee that our bags would make it, so we ended up carrying them back around to the parking lot and checking them at the airport. The line to check bags at MCO at the curb was non-existent. There was no line for us this am to get off the ship. The customs area had two lines open but only one custom person, so we just walked through the unattended area, and the porter threw our declarations ticket in the box.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by tinlizzy

Is there anything near the airport?

Not really. The Attractions Area is 20 miles on the other side of the airport. The Mall of Florida isn't too far away.

 

[Towncrier]

Barb - I asked Sue about disembarkation. She said that they just walked right off the ship after a leisurely (early) breakfast at Parrot Cay, picked up their bags, breezed through customs (dropping their form in the box), right out to the US Airways desk (where they were issued the WRONG boarding passes), and onto the DCL bus.

Warning to all travellers using E-tickets. Make certain that your boarding passes do not include the phrase "flight coupon must be attached" (or something to that effect). The US Airways people at MCO wanted to charge Sue $70 per person for lost tickets. To her credit, my DW stood her ground and insisted that she had been issued the wrong type of boarding pass and that she had never had a flight coupon to begin with. Kudos to Russell at US Airways for straightening out the mess caused by the folks at Port Canaveral.

Sue is at home working on her trip report.