Returning Flight

[footballmouse]

How much time do you figure when you book your return flight for the same day you disembark? Flying out of Orlando.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I think DCL says anything after 11:30 is fine. I would probably do anything 1 and later, just so I didn't have to rush and panic. That said, you'll be constrained with pricing and what the airline offers. If you're booking a long way in advance, take care to leave enough time for the airline to adjust their schedules. And, of course, sadly the cheapest flight out will probably be the very last of the night or that 7am flight you have no hope of making.

 

[footballmouse]

I was looking at 4:00, maybe I'll add 2:00 to the search. Thanks.

 

[Chemist]

I'd do as soon as possible after 11:30!

Last time we had a 2:30 flight and we were in the terminal FOREVER!

(But not as bad as the trip before. We spent the day at Kennedy Space Center and had an early flight home the next day. TWO cancelled flights and one delayed by 4 hours meant we were delayed for TWELVE hours. The first few weren't bad, we arranged a late checkout at the airport Hyatt, swam in the pool... The last four were pretty bad. Thankfully my toddler had a seatmate who was a mom who missed little ones. She put up her armrest so he would have more room to sleep! My older guy was next to her daughter who played with him. I have never been so thankful for wonderful strangers on planes.)

 

[spiders]

I would do 12:00 if you're being conservative.

The reality is that the ship could be late, there could be traffic, there could be a storm, there could be 1,000 different things that could go wrong. However, the most likely outcome is that the ship is going to dock on time, you can skip breakfast in the MDR, you can even just skip breakfast and get off as soon as they allow it. The most likely outcome is that you can get to the airport very early and then be bored out of your mind. And especially if you have kids...oh my god.

 

[tvguy]

We barely made a 12:35 pm flight due to security backups at MCO. MCO is packed on mornings when the ships come back in and everyone is trying to get home early. I would not book anything before 1 pm based on that experience. When we were at WDW, we had a 6 pm flight, and the airport was soooo much quieter that time of day than mornings.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

If you do Express Walk-Off, leaving the ship as soon as it opens, and also take DCL transfers to the airport (the buses begin leaving right away), then I wouldn't hesitate to book a flight at 11:30. You should be at the airport no later than 9am, so that would give well over 2 hours to get onto your flight. Security can get backed up at MCO, but it won't take over an hour at the very longest. It's usually about 20-30 minutes for non-TSA Pre-Check passengers, or when TSA Pre-Check is shut down.

 

[kylaura]

We did 12:00 PM last time, had plenty of time. We did breakfast in Cabana's, Express walk off, and took the Disney bus to MCO. I think Disney says can book after 11:30 AM, the website isn't cooperating right now to verify.

 

[lorenni]

Depends too on whether you are checking bags or flying internationally as that dictates when you have to be at the airport to check your bags. We’ve done later flights and booked the day rate for the Hyatt which has worked out nicely (was less than $150 recently and we had the room from 9am-6pm)

 

[footballmouse]

Thanks everyone!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We always leave plenty of time at MCO. If you have to check your own bags (SouthWest) and security (it's bad when they bring in the dogs), you need a bunch of time. For our family of 4, cheaper to rent a car, do a bit of exploring (or a stop at Poly's Trader Sam's) than try a rush for an early flight. I hate to wait too long at the airport, but I also hate rushing to grab food and run for my flight. Think about what works best for you and enjoy your cruise!

 

[Adventurelawyer]

I was looking at 4:00, maybe I'll add 2:00 to the search. Thanks.

My return from MCO was between 12:30 and 3:45. MCO security is notoriously slow. I didn’t feel comfortable with the 12:30 and I didn’t want to be rushed. Had a 2PM been available, I would have snapped it up. I think that is a perfectly reasonable departure time. Good luck!