Town Car, how long did it take?

[Mississippianna]

We're arriving at MCO at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday, and traveling with a toddler who has a bedtime around 8 p.m. I'm trying to decide between hiring a town car (or van, since we'd need a car seat provided, I guess) and making a grocery stop, using grocery delivery and taking DME, or using grocery delivery and hiring a town car. Another concern is making sure we have our luggage by at least 7 p.m. that night. So, I am considering taking the time to go to baggage claim before going to DME and taking our bags with us if we go that route. Another consideration: we're flying Southwest and have to go to the opposite end of the place to get DME.

If you have used a town car service, where did you stop for groceries and how long did it take to get to your resort from MCO including the stop? If you didn't stop for groceries, how long did it take?

I want to get to the resort as quickly and as stress free as possible.

Please tell me about your experience taking a town car from the resort to the airport, as well.

 

[Jestocost]

If you are planning to get your luggage regardless of your transport option and the additional cost of a town car isn't an issue, I would recommend using a car service. If you get your own bags and use a town car service, the time to your resort (excluding the grocery stop) will be about the same as using DME IF you use the luggage transfer service, so if you are forgoing the luggage transfer DME likely would take longer to get you to your resort.

I would estimate that using a town car service and making a grocery stop would get you to your resort anywhere from 90 minutes to 120 minutes from when you exit the plane. The main variables will be how long it takes for your luggage to get to baggage claim and how long you spend at the grocery store.

 

[kirbsam]

the varibable is your luggage. worst case scenario is you get to your resort 60 minutes after you land. if you take a 30 minute grocery stop you will be at your resort within 90 minutes.

 

[Edd]

I completely disagree with you. It is possible to get your luggage and get to the store, picking up items you need in about 60 - 75 minutes. With a lot of the luggage going to DME it is now possible to be coming down the escalator and having your luggage showing up on the baggage floor. This happens with a lot of the airlines , but not all of them. The time for getting to WDW via DME may be shorter in slow periods. But it is not the comparable during busy periods of passenger travel.

The other very important thing you might consider is your toddler is not provided with a baby seat on the DME. You will be able to find a car service that will provide a 5 point or a booster for the protection of your child.

 

[goofy4tink]

While I tend to agree with Edd, it is good to keep in mind that the toddler is going to be on buses with no restraint system for the rest of the trip. It just isn't a big issue.
So...with that in mind...
I would go with the towncar service. Your bags will be with you, you can make that stop for groceries. Yes, it will cost you about $100 plus but it may be worth it for you.
I would allow up to 90 mins total...from gate to resort. Your luggage could take about 15 mins, it's about 10-15 from the gate to baggage carousels, then 30 mins to the resort, and add in the 30 min grocery stop. You can probably do it in less time, but it's better to err on the side of too much time.
60-75 mins? I doubt it. Much more likely to 'hope' for 75 mins. Again, here's the time breakdown (in my experience anyway)...
10 mins from gate to baggage
10 mins (at least) wait for baggage
20 mins to grocery store
25 mins in grocery store
10 mins to resort....as you can see, 75 mins at least, and those are best case scenarios. Leave 90 mins and you'll be thrilled if it takes less time.

 

[declansdad]

We use a car service every trip and we average 60 minutes from the time of landing; that includes a grocery stop.

 

[Mississippianna]

I love the people here! Thanks, all!

I'm going to book a service for getting to our resort, and we'll make a grocery store stop. My husband wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending that much, but agreed not having to walk the length of the airport to get to DME check in and doing our own grocery shopping will be worth it! I think I'm going to love being able to walk into our room with everything we need already with us, especially that late (for our DD) in the evening.

We'll stick with taking DME for our return to the airport.

 

[pamjb]

We have used a towncar service for about 4 years. My fastest time from airport to hotel was 45 minutes, without a grocery stop. When we do stop at the grocery, we are very fast. You will have to ask the service that you use as to which grocery they will stop at. We used to stop at the Publix near SeaWorld. Our last time, we stopped at a Publix that was a little closer to Disney. We did have to make a separate stop at a liquor store, but even then, we were at POR about 75 minutes after landing.

 

[goofy4tink]

We use a car service every trip and we average 60 minutes from the time of landing; that includes a grocery stop.

You must not take long in the grocery store..it's 30 mins from MCO to the resorts. Add to that the 10-15 mins from your gate to baggage claim, then a bit of a wait at baggage claim and I'm not getting how you can do a grocery stop and still take only 60 mins.
When I used a car service, with carryon only, it took me 45 mins from gate to resort. When I had bags, last August, it took us just an hour, from gate to resort, no grocery stop involved.

 

[Lewisc]

It takes about 30 minutes for a car service to get you from MCO to WDW. The driver is going to pick/suggest a grocery store that's "on the way". A question for Ed, maybe an extra 5 minutes of driving?

We don't know how much time you're going to spend in the grocery store. Ed has a point, your luggage could get to the carousel almost as fast as you. You also could have to wait 20-30 minutes. No way to know.

I fly SW. I don't think I'd get my own luggage and schlep it to the other corner of the airport. I'd either use DME luggage delivery or take a car service.

 

[declansdad]

You must not take long in the grocery store..it's 30 mins from MCO to the resorts. Add to that the 10-15 mins from your gate to baggage claim, then a bit of a wait at baggage claim and I'm not getting how you can do a grocery stop and still take only 60 mins.
When I used a car service, with carryon only, it took me 45 mins from gate to resort. When I had bags, last August, it took us just an hour, from gate to resort, no grocery stop involved.

Maybe I should have said from the time we get our luggage. Still that usually take us no more than 15 minutes and we are quick at the grocery stop, just get the essentials.

 

[goofy4tink]

Maybe I should have said from the time we get our luggage. Still that usually take us no more than 15 minutes and we are quick at the grocery stop, just get the essentials.

Ahhh, that makes more sense. As I said, you have to allow time from the gate to baggage claim (10-15 mins) and then maybe 15 mins at baggage claim.

The thing to remember is this....be sure you're comparing apples to apples, not apples to oranges. One person can be saying how long it takes them from the gate to the resort, while someone else can be giving their time from baggage claim to the resort. And there will be a difference in time there!!