Tell me about driving/parking

[carlbarry]

That's good info! So the Jambo parking is a little bit of hike? Worse than walking to the bus or about the same. As you said I prefer moving rather than sitting still waiting even if the timing turns out the same.

And you don't drive to MK from AKV? I'm just thinking about how late it'll be when we get out of NSS even if we don't stay for the whole thing. We usually don't even keep our kid up for fireworks half the time so he'll be tired. I'm wondering if schlepping to the TTC is better than waiting for the bus back to AKV. That may be a question I should pose to the MNSSHP thread! I could always pony up for a MinnieVan but...yeesh they overcharge!

Also we do still do stroller but mostly just to make good time as I like to powerwalk as fast as possible to where we're going. Hate folding stroller into bus!

I'm wondering if there's anyone that can give me specifics about picking up and dropping off at MCO.

Parking at Jambo varies. When I've parked during the day, I can usually get a spot fairly near the building, i.e., in front of the lot. But sometimes arriving back at night I've been waaaaay in the back, which is a bit of a hike but not too bad. And remember, even if you're in the front, you still have to cross the 2 lane road, and go up through that island. Then you go through the porte cochere, or whatever it's called.

That's good info! So the Jambo parking is a little bit of hike? Worse than walking to the bus or about the same. As you said I prefer moving rather than sitting still waiting even if the timing turns out the same.

And you don't drive to MK from AKV? I'm just thinking about how late it'll be when we get out of NSS even if we don't stay for the whole thing. We usually don't even keep our kid up for fireworks half the time so he'll be tired. I'm wondering if schlepping to the TTC is better than waiting for the bus back to AKV. That may be a question I should pose to the MNSSHP thread! I could always pony up for a MinnieVan but...yeesh they overcharge!

Also we do still do stroller but mostly just to make good time as I like to powerwalk as fast as possible to where we're going. Hate folding stroller into bus!

I'm wondering if there's anyone that can give me specifics about picking up and dropping off at MCO.

When parking at Jambo, I've found that if I park during the day, I can usually get a spot near the front, i.e., closer to the building. At night I've been stuck parking way in the back.
Also remember that even if you park in the front, you still cross a 2 lane road, and then go up across that island. One path is steps, and the other is a winding incline. Then you still have to go across the porte cochere to get into the building.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

The "first" and "second" exits I mention go to the same place. If you happen to miss the first exit for rental car return, there's the second one you can take. Sometimes, there's a backup of cars waiting to get into the rental car return via the first exit-- when this happens you can bypass the backup by going to the 2nd rental car return exit. Both rental car return exits are clearly labeled and aren't a secret.

Note: The A and B terminals are exact mirrors of each other so the directions are applicable to both, depending on what direction you're coming from. I'm not familiar with Terminal C.

In regards to bags-- not sure what kind of advice I can give. You can always drop off part of your party at the departures level to offload some bags/weight before dropping off the car but you'd have to make the loop back around. The directional signage is pretty clear to return back, though I do admit there's a lot of signage to visually sort through.

This all worked out so well and easier than I imagined. The only part that was difficult was the self imposed carrying of way too many carry on bags/stroller/car booster seat/souvenir bags etc. Otherwise I'm not going to lie I absolutely loved driving and if the price difference is negligible I will do it every trip. I will say that there is no exaggeration when people mention that first drop off lane off to the left sneaks up on you fast! I was going slow and still had to swerve harder than I should've! Didn't gas up as I barely used any and figured for the small surcharge per gallon I'd let them do it but did notice the easily accessible gas station right before the drop off so next time will fill up. Also Hertz president's circle had zero upgrades available which was a bummer but the Buick Enclave was very spiffy and good enough. Might try National next time.

Appreciate the tips and feedback in this thread from all!

 

[CarolynFH]

This all worked out so well and easier than I imagined. The only part that was difficult was the self imposed carrying of way too many carry on bags/stroller/car booster seat/souvenir bags etc. Otherwise I'm not going to lie I absolutely loved driving and if the price difference is negligible I will do it every trip. I will say that there is no exaggeration when people mention that first drop off lane off to the left sneaks up on you fast! I was going slow and still had to swerve harder than I should've! Didn't gas up as I barely used any and figured for the small surcharge per gallon I'd let them do it but did notice the easily accessible gas station right before the drop off so next time will fill up. Also Hertz president's circle had zero upgrades available which was a bummer but the Buick Enclave was very spiffy and good enough. Might try National next time.

Appreciate the tips and feedback in this thread from all!

I may have missed it or overlooked it - did you bring your EZ-Pass, get the Visitor Toll Pass, pay cash tolls, or avoid toll roads?

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I may have missed it or overlooked it - did you bring your EZ-Pass, get the Visitor Toll Pass, pay cash tolls, or avoid toll roads?

I did! Never added the plate as the NY EZ-Pass website said not to. Just held it tight against the upper windshield and it got picked up by the readers. The whole process was a lot smoother than I thought. Did not park at TTC for MK though. Took the busses from AKL and honestly the whole bus from AKL to MK thing is a little overblown. It wasn't THAT bad. I used the MDE to check for bus arrival so we never had to wait very long after leaving room. And yes the busses are annoying but they were quick enough especially considering the TTC would've added the exact time we would've saved by driving anyway.

 

[LennyMaine]

We used to drive from Maine. Long ride... but always fun.