Regarding Pre-Nights at MCO Hyatt

[TheRichFam]

Hey, everyone-

I'm debating staying one night at the MCO Hyatt v. a WDW resort before our upcoming cruise, but for us it's going to come down to how easy it is to get to the port on embarkation day. From what I've seen and read, I have two very specific questions I'd love answers to:

1. If we arrive at MCO and don't leave the airport, when we wake up on Embarkation day will we need to clear TSA before checking in for our cruise?

2. My understanding is that once we drop our bags at the check-in at the Hyatt/DCL desk, we won't see those bags again until they arrive at the staterooms that night. In other words, we don't have to drag them from the bus to the terminal once we arrive at Port Canaveral. Is this correct?

Thank you in advance!

 

[RedHead0186]

Hey, everyone-

I'm debating staying one night at the MCO Hyatt v. a WDW resort before our upcoming cruise, but for us it's going to come down to how easy it is to get to the port on embarkation day. From what I've seen and read, I have two very specific questions I'd love answers to:

1. If we arrive at MCO and don't leave the airport, when we wake up on Embarkation day will we need to clear TSA before checking in for our cruise?

2. My understanding is that once we drop our bags at the check-in at the Hyatt/DCL desk, we won't see those bags again until they arrive at the staterooms that night. In other words, we don't have to drag them from the bus to the terminal once we arrive at Port Canaveral. Is this correct?

Thank you in advance!

No, you won't need to clear TSA. The MCO Hyatt is outside of security, as is the pickup area for DCL. MCO is one of those airports that actually has a lot going on outside of security.

Yes, once you leave your bags, you won't see them again until outside your stateroom.

 

[TheRichFam]

No, you won't need to clear TSA. The MCO Hyatt is outside of security, as is the pickup area for DCL. MCO is one of those airports that actually has a lot going on outside of security.

Yes, once you leave your bags, you won't see them again until outside your stateroom.

Thanks so much!

Do you find the experience of doing transfers from MCO to PC to be as easy/pain free as it is from a Disney resort? We'll have three kids and ALL of the suitcases so I'd rather go for efficiency over experience for the pre-cruise hotel this time

 

[RedHead0186]

Thanks so much!

Do you find the experience of doing transfers from MCO to PC to be as easy/pain free as it is from a Disney resort? We'll have three kids and ALL of the suitcases so I'd rather go for efficiency over experience for the pre-cruise hotel this time

I have actually not done either, so I can't speak personally to the ease of either (but I do know the answers to your questions from being a regular on this forum!). Hopefully others will chime in with their actual experiences.

 

[ljhayes]

The pick up experience is the same at the Hyatt vs WDW resorts (other than some recent changes to Hyatt pickup regarding Castaway status and checking in). I would probably choose the MCO Hyatt rather than WDW just to save a trip from MCO to WDW and because it's closer to PC, unless you are landing early in the day and wanted more of the "Disney experience" as you hang out at your resort that day. Just be aware that if you fly into terminal C it's a hike to get over to the Hyatt.

 

[happycamper47]

delete

 

[Girl of the South]

I loved the MCO Hyatt! Nice hotel, good pool, lots of shopping and a food court easily accessible. Disney transfer is pretty smooth. I think they will still pick up your luggage right from your room (hang in to carry ons with meds, maybe bathing suits, etc) and it will magically appear right outside your stateroom (this was true the year before last, assume it still is).

 

[Retiredcruiser]

I loved the MCO Hyatt! Nice hotel, good pool, lots of shopping and a food court easily accessible. Disney transfer is pretty smooth. I think they will still pick up your luggage right from your room (hang in to carry ons with meds, maybe bathing suits, etc) and it will magically appear right outside your stateroom (this was true the year before last, assume it still is).

We love the MCO Hyatt as well and it's super easy to take the transfer to the port. We come in the night before, leave the luggage in the room, jump on the transfer bus and let the Disney magic take it from there. Just make sure your transfer says Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport and not just Orlando International Airport as the pickup location (to confirm this, check on your confirmation email).

 

[TheRichFam]

delete

I'm not sure what this means

 

[TheRichFam]

We love the MCO Hyatt as well and it's super easy to take the transfer to the port. We come in the night before, leave the luggage in the room, jump on the transfer bus and let the Disney magic take it from there. Just make sure your transfer says Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport and not just Orlando International Airport as the pickup location (to confirm this, check on your confirmation email).

This is very helpful info. Thank you!

 

[TheRichFam]

I loved the MCO Hyatt! Nice hotel, good pool, lots of shopping and a food court easily accessible. Disney transfer is pretty smooth. I think they will still pick up your luggage right from your room (hang in to carry ons with meds, maybe bathing suits, etc) and it will magically appear right outside your stateroom (this was true the year before last, assume it still is).

Thank you for this!

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm not sure what this means

It means the post was deleted for whatever reason - may have been accidentally posted in the wrong thread, for instance. I've done that in the past, and I've also deleted posts for other reasons.

 

[happycamper47]

It means the post was deleted for whatever reason - may have been accidentally posted in the wrong thread, for instance. I've done that in the past, and I've also deleted posts for other reasons.

Exactly.. and unfortunately, unlike other forums you can't delete completely.

 

[auntlynne]

We love the MCO Hyatt as well and it's super easy to take the transfer to the port. We come in the night before, leave the luggage in the room, jump on the transfer bus and let the Disney magic take it from there. Just make sure your transfer says Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport and not just Orlando International Airport as the pickup location (to confirm this, check on your confirmation email).

^This.
It’s all done within the hotel, too.

There is a schedule of when you get your bus assignment, based on Castaway Club status. Which means you don’t have to get down to the lobby as early as the Pearl & Platinums (I don’t know when Concierge fits into the schedule). But it isn’t the early morning time like the resorts (Did I read 7 or 7:30 for that?)

Luggage is left inside room at MCO but may not get picked up until after you leave.

There is a little sitting around in a ballroom until your bus is available, but it’s not too long and there are chairs around tables.

You can go to the Food Court for breakfast or the hotel restaurant or room service.

…WDW Resort pick-up may involve multiple stops at resorts, depending on the number of guests. I don’t think you know until it happens. So add that additional time possibility to the longer distance to PC.

Don’t expect pre-arrival detailed information about your bus. The hotel will have an info sheet for you with times.

Time-wise, it is definitely easy from MCO Hyatt. The question is what to do if you arrive early the day before. We arrived late at night and loved the ease of the location. With the hotel location within the airport (right in the center, between Terminals A&B) we checked in and then went to baggage claim from our Delta flight - it was that close.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks so much!

Do you find the experience of doing transfers from MCO to PC to be as easy/pain free as it is from a Disney resort? We'll have three kids and ALL of the suitcases so I'd rather go for efficiency over experience for the pre-cruise hotel this time

We’ve done both. I found the Hyatt bus check in process to be quite stressful compared to WDW. At WDW you get an email a couple days before with a meetup place and time, and then go there at that time to board the bus. At the Hyatt you go down at a specific time with priority given to concierge and higher castaway club levels, then wait in a long line to get your bus assignment, then depending on your bus assignment you may be waiting around for hours with nothing to do until it is time for your bus, at which time you have to check in all over again with more waiting in lines for your bus. It all seemed really crowded and hectic. Granted maybe we just had a lot of people at the Hyatt on our cruise but we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

 

[dkis4nu]

We’ve done both. I found the Hyatt bus check in process to be quite stressful compared to WDW. At WDW you get an email a couple days before with a meetup place and time, and then go there at that time to board the bus. At the Hyatt you go down at a specific time with priority given to concierge and higher castaway club levels, then wait in a long line to get your bus assignment, then depending on your bus assignment you may be waiting around for hours with nothing to do until it is time for your bus, at which time you have to check in all over again with more waiting in lines for your bus. It all seemed really crowded and hectic. Granted maybe we just had a lot of people at the Hyatt on our cruise but we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

We’ve done both. I found the Hyatt bus check in process to be quite stressful compared to WDW. At WDW you get an email a couple days before with a meetup place and time, and then go there at that time to board the bus. At the Hyatt you go down at a specific time with priority given to concierge and higher castaway club levels, then wait in a long line to get your bus assignment, then depending on your bus assignment you may be waiting around for hours with nothing to do until it is time for your bus, at which time you have to check in all over again with more waiting in lines for your bus. It all seemed really crowded and hectic. Granted maybe we just had a lot of people at the Hyatt on our cruise but we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

We’ve done both. I found the Hyatt bus check in process to be quite stressful compared to WDW. At WDW you get an email a couple days before with a meetup place and time, and then go there at that time to board the bus. At the Hyatt you go down at a specific time with priority given to concierge and higher castaway club levels, then wait in a long line to get your bus assignment, then depending on your bus assignment you may be waiting around for hours with nothing to do until it is time for your bus, at which time you have to check in all over again with more waiting in lines for your bus. It all seemed really crowded and hectic. Granted maybe we just had a lot of people at the Hyatt on our cruise but we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

We stay at the Hyatt the night before every cruise, however, we don’t use their luggage pickup system. The morning of the cruise we take our luggage down ourselves, about 8:30, & give them to the CM & watch them put it on the luggage truck. They give us a boarding number (or character color), we grab a Starbucks down there & we’re onboard the 1st Disney bus out of MCO about 9:30. Very easy, (of course, there’s only 2 of us).

dk

We’ve done both. I found the Hyatt bus check in process to be quite stressful compared to WDW. At WDW you get an email a couple days before with a meetup place and time, and then go there at that time to board the bus. At the Hyatt you go down at a specific time with priority given to concierge and higher castaway club levels, then wait in a long line to get your bus assignment, then depending on your bus assignment you may be waiting around for hours with nothing to do until it is time for your bus, at which time you have to check in all over again with more waiting in lines for your bus. It all seemed really crowded and hectic. Granted maybe we just had a lot of people at the Hyatt on our cruise but we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

 

[lanejudy]

We stay at the Hyatt the night before every cruise, however, we don’t use their luggage pickup system. The morning of the cruise we take our luggage down ourselves, about 8:30, & give them to the CM & watch them put it on the luggage truck. They give us a boarding number (or character color), we grab a Starbucks down there & we’re onboard the 1st Disney bus out of MCO about 9:30. Very easy, (of course, there’s only 2 of us).

That sounds like you've taken the DCL Transfers from MCO even though you stayed at the Hyatt. There is now a pick-up from the Hyatt lobby, which is separate from the buses from MCO.

 

[MomOTwins]

That sounds like you've taken the DCL Transfers from MCO even though you stayed at the Hyatt. There is now a pick-up from the Hyatt lobby, which is separate from the buses from MCO.

If I stay at the Hyatt again I would probably book the transfers out of MCO rather than the Hyatt and just lug my bags down myself. But I know OP said they wanted to avoid handling luggage.

 

[tvguy]

If I stay at the Hyatt again I would probably book the transfers out of MCO rather than the Hyatt and just lug my bags down myself. But I know OP said they wanted to avoid handling luggage.

There a dozen hotels on Augusta National Drive just off the airport property that are less expensive, offer a free shuttle from the airport and the next day to the DCL bus pickup point at MCO, and most offer free breakfast. But yes, you do have to lug your luggage around.

 

[sponica]

We've opted for the night at the Hyatt this time, I can't mentally justify the hassle of moving 2 adults, 2 little people and luggage for a week long cruise to a WDW resort this time. I have done the transfers from Hyatt, but not in a decade so I'm sure things have changed since then. (Back then they took the luggage from the room that morning)

we had something like 200 people in line for check in there compared to like 20 people whenever we’ve been at a disney resort.

I think this probably depends on the resort/sailing/assortment of cruisers. We filled an entire bus at POR. But it was a lot of hurry up and wait, they started checking people in for the bus waaaaaaaaaaaaay before the bus got there, and then we had to line up and check in at the bus...again...it was wacky.