What are our options besides a rental car?

[MushyMushy]

Our WDW trip is in December and we'll be staying at AKL.

There will be three of us flying from Pittsburgh to Orlando and one 14 year old flying from Columbus to Orlando (DD's friend who will be joining us for our trip). For the PIT-MCO trip, we ended up saving considerably by choosing to fly out the night before, even with us getting an inexpensive hotel room. The CMH-MCO trip for the teenager will be the next morning and she will arrive around 10 a.m.

We aren't really interested in renting a car, though we had planned on using FL Tours or another limo company round trip. We've never used ME, and I don't believe we would be able to use it in this case, would we?

Anyway, can anybody give me the least expensive options we may have to pick up the teen from the airport and getting all of us to WDW? My brain is fried and I just can't come up with any good ideas!

ETA: We are willing to split up with one adult going with DD to WDW and the other adult going to the airport to wait for the teen.

 

[crashbb]

If your hotel room is near MCO, I'd just use DME. It is done quite frequently. Just take the hotel shuttle back to MCO (I'm assuming there is one, of course) the next morning and grab the DME. You can all give your daughter's friend's flight number, if you'd like. Meet up with her when her flight gets in and proceed to DME check in.

If people want a jump start at WDW, all but one adult could take the DME earlier that morning. The 14 year-old is supposed to be able to take the DME alone (as with all Disney rules, there are exceptions), so at least one adult will have wait.

 

[skelooch]

Have 2 people on your reservation as arriving in the am, (the friend and an adult who arrived the night before) and get ME for those two, even though only one is actually arriving then.
Have the other adult take a shuttle or cab to the airport in the morning to meet the friend and then take ME together back to your resort.
When you say inexpensive hotel do you mean at WDW, or near the airport.

I hope that made sense.

 

[dudspizza]

You most definitely can use DME. Here is what you do.

Reserve an airport hotel for the night you arrive. Collect your bags when you land and take them to the airport hotel on their shuttle.

Give DME the flight info for the 14 year old that is coming in the next day. Simply tell them that flight info for all of your party. You will all then have a reservation together.

Return to MCO on the airport shuttle with your luggage. Have 2 people wait on the couches by DME while the 3rd person goes up to meet the 14 year old as they come out of the secure area. The 14 year old can collect their luggage OR could use the Yellow Tags if they want and skip baggage claim. The yellow tags will all be sent to the address on file (which should be yours). You would then have to mail them to the 14 year old if they want to use them.

Everyone checks in at the DME welcome center together and off to WDW you go.

Best thing is it is FREE!

Duds

 

[WDWisTheBest]

You most definitely can use DME. Here is what you do.

Reserve an airport hotel for the night you arrive. Collect your bags when you land and take them to the airport hotel on their shuttle.

Give ME the flight info for the 14 year old that is coming in the next day. Simply tell them that flight info for all of your party. You will all then have a reservation together.

Return to MCO on the airport shuttle with your luggage. Have 2 people wait on the couches by DME while the 3rd person goes up to meet the 14 year old as they come out of the secure area. The 14 year old can collect their luggage OR could use the Yellow Tags if they want and skip baggage claim. The yellow tags will all be sent to the address on file (which should be yours). You would then have to mail them to the 14 year old if they want to use them.

Everyone checks in at the DME welcome center together and off to WDW you go.

Best thing is it is FREE!

Duds

Great advice, Duds.

 

[dudspizza]

Great advice, Duds.

Advice that comes from experience..... we did a similar thing.

Duds

 

[MushyMushy]

Thank you for your help!

DH liked the idea of being able to do DME, so we're going to do what some of you suggested. We'll stay at a hotel near the airport. DD and I will go ahead to WDW early in the morning and he will wait for our friend and bring her back on DME. We could all wait and go together on DME, but it seems less of a hassle to split up, plus it gives DD and me a little one-on-one time to bond. I don't see much of that with a teenager.

 

[dudspizza]

Thank you for your help!

DH liked the idea of being able to do DME, so we're going to do what some of you suggested. We'll stay at a hotel near the airport. DD and I will go ahead to WDW early in the morning and he will wait for our friend and bring her back on DME. We could all wait and go together on DME, but it seems less of a hassle to split up, plus it gives DD and me a little one-on-one time to bond. I don't see much of that with a teenager.

Perfect. You can still give the same flight info for everyone so that you are arriving that day. DME doesn't actually worry about the flight time on arrival as long as you have a reservation. You could say that you and DD caught an earlier flight if asked. Not a big deal.....

We really liked the hotels just north of the airport on Semoran Blvd. We stayed at a Residence Inn, but there are many in that immediate vicinity to choose from.

Duds

duds