Uber/Lyft vs. DME

[ErinsMommy]

We have 2 trips upcoming: one we're leaving on 11/10/19 on a 4:00 p.m. flight from the Poly; second trip we're leaving Christmas Day evening on a 9:00 p.m. flight from the Beach Club. Would you take DME or Uber back to the airport? We have TSA precheck and during the last few trips found ourselves with too much time wasted at the airport.

 

[holden]

Personally we just take DME. If we arrive early at the airport we grab snack for the plane and go in the shops (the Lush store is our DDs' favorite). It's up to you though.

 

[tjmw2727]

We do both -

If we are leaving from the resort generally when we have a morning flight then we just use DME and chill at the airport. In this case its not worth the extra $ for us.

If we have a later/ or evening flight and minimal carryon we may opt for rideshare if we want to leave for the airport from the parks. In this case we save the travel time back to the resort as well as that extra 30 minutes for the dme pickup so we feel the fare is worth it.

eta clarification / travel time

 

[ErinsMommy]

What is extra $30?

 

[JimMIA]

What is extra $30?

I think they meant 30 minutes.

 

[Hopefully]

We do both -

If we are leaving from the resort generally when we have a morning flight then we just use DME and chill at the airport. In this case its not worth the extra $ for us.

If we have a later/ or evening flight and minimal carryon we may opt for rideshare if we want to leave for the airport from the parks. In this case we save the travel time back to the resort as well as that extra 30 minutes for the dme pickup so we feel the fare is worth it.

What is extra $30?

This post says 30 minutes. Is this what you are referring to/asking about?

 

[JimMIA]

This post says 30 minutes. Is this what you are referring to/asking about?

The initial post just said "30." After ErinsMommy's question, the poster edited the post to clarify.

 

[jdisnut]

We never take Magical Express back to the airport, because of the early pick-up requirement and Disney's refusal to allow guests to take a later bus. It's an enormous waste of time for how we travel. We prefer to soak up every last second of vacation, and that means taking an Uber to the airport. That's what works for us.

 

[ErinsMommy]

We never take Magical Express back to the airport, because of the early pick-up requirement and Disney's refusal to allow guests to take a later bus. It's an enormous waste of time for how we travel. We prefer to soak up every last second of vacation, and that means taking an Uber to the airport. That's what works for us.

Curious how much time you allow to get to airport, check in and make flight?

 

[JimMIA]

Curious how much time you allow to get to airport, check in and make flight?

I think drive time, including waiting for pickup, would usually be about 45 minutes. Obviously that would depend on the speed of the pickup and traffic en route to the airport, so there would be some variation.

I personally like to arrive where I am checking my bags 2 hours before a flight. That may sound like a lot, but it will take a few minutes to check bags, a few more minutes to go through security, and then a few more minutes to get to the gate.

(I usually fly American Airlines, and they have curbside checkin at most major airports which is super quick and smooth. However, if you have to stand in line at a ticket counter to check bags, that could add considerably to your time.)

Flights typically start boarding 30-45 minutes prior to departure, depending on the size of the aircraft -- so two hours really doesn't mean a long wait at the gate.

 

[jdisnut]

Curious how much time you allow to get to airport, check in and make flight?

Don't do what we do. It wouldn't work for most people.

But since you asked, we try to arrive at the airport 60 minutes before scheduled departure. Might add 10 or 15 minutes to that if we have checked bags, which we generally avoid (but sometimes can't, depending on the nature of the trip). Between PreCheck and my status on United, the check-in and security process is simple, even at a busy airport like MCO or EWR, my home station.

Like I said, this wouldn't work for most travelers, and even if it would, it'd probably be too anxiety inducing for many to even dare try, and I completely understand and respect that.

A QUICK EDIT: Often, I see people here discussing when boarding starts. That doesn't concern me. I pay attention to when boarding ends. There have been times when I've ambled up to the gate after boarding has started. Not often, but it happens. I'm OK with that. I generally avoid Southwest except for very short hops, in large part because that airlines almost requires early arrival at the gate.

 

[MrKnight]

It depends, from my experience on these forums and as one how has regularly flown in and out of MCO, there seems to be a misconception about how large and busy of an airport MCO is, not to mention how long it can actually take to get to your gate considering check-in, luggage check, TSA security lines, peoplemover ride, etc.. There is a reason why DME requires you to arrive so early.

Here are my two recommendations:

IF you are checking luggage or require any type of airline counter assistance then I would most definitely recommend DME as checking luggage requires being at the airport at least two hours PRIOR to your departure time. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, MCO is a very large and busy airport, it can easily take an hour or more from the moment you arrive at the airport to the moment you are in front of your gate. I would not risk it!!

With that said,

If you are NOT checking luggage and have already checked in to your flight with your boarding pass in hand and would rather not arrive to the airport so early, then I would say you could Uber/Lyft to the airport and arrive at the LATEST 1.5 hours prior to your flight. Once again, I would not risk anything later than 1.5 hours prior to your flight boarding time at MCO.

 

[jdisnut]

I will say that the non-PreCheck security lines at MCO are among the largest I’ve seen. A big reason for that is the sheer number of children and inexperienced travelers using the airport. JFK and EWR have tons of people cycling through, but things just move faster.