What time can we request ME pickup to MCO for 8:25am Flight??

[princess crazy]

I know we've done this before in the past but I can't remember how it's done.

I know they tell you that they take you 3 hours before your flight time but we would prefer to not have to be on a bus by 6am----Will they let us leave a little later and what would be the best time frame for an 8:25am flight out of MCO on a Thursday?? I'm thinking MCO will be a little less busy as it's earlier in the morning but I know it can get really backed up at times.

What should we do?? Thanks

BTW---this would be from Cornonado Springs to MCO----would they pick up any other resorts along the way or would it just be us???

 

[Letsbgoofy]

As far as I know you they will not schedule you later than the 3 hours prior to your flight. I'm sure others will have more (maybe better) insight.

 

[dudspizza]

I know we've done this before in the past but I can't remember how it's done.

I know they tell you that they take you 3 hours before your flight time but we would prefer to not have to be on a bus by 6am----Will they let us leave a little later and what would be the best time frame for an 8:25am flight out of MCO on a Thursday?? I'm thinking MCO will be a little less busy as it's earlier in the morning but I know it can get really backed up at times.

What should we do?? Thanks

BTW---this would be from Cornonado Springs to MCO----would they pick up any other resorts along the way or would it just be us???

You time frame is 3 hours beforehand...... they can and do pick up for up to 4 resorts. My last trip POR was the first pickup and it took nearly an hour to get on the road to MCO. We got there about 1.5 hours before flight time..... you need the entire 3 hours.....

Duds

 

[maxiesmom]

I.

I know they tell you that they take you 3 hours before your flight time but we would prefer to not have to be on a bus by 6am----Will they let us leave a little later and what would be the best time frame for an 8:25am flight out of MCO on a Thursday?? I'm thinking MCO will be a little less busy as it's earlier in the morning but I know it can get really backed up at times.

What should we do?? Thanks

BTW---this would be from Cornonado Springs to MCO----would they pick up any other resorts along the way or would it just be us???

I hate to tell you, but some of the worst lines I have waited in at MCO have been for early morning flights.

DME will not pick you up any less than 3 hours before your scheduled flight. The last few trips where I stayed at the All Stars we did share a DME bus with Coronado Springs. I think it depends on how many people are leaving each resort at that particular time.

You actually have to be at the bus stop, ready to go, 15 minutes before your scheduled time. So 5:10am. Busses do come early, even in the mornings, and they will leave you behind if you are not there waiting.

 

[ancestry]

If your flight is at 8:25 AM they will pick you up NO later then 5:25 AM. Unfortunately they do not allow you to request your pick up time. It is assigned to you. In fact with a 5:25 AM pick up time you will be expected to be at the bus stop by 5:10 AM (15 minutes early).

 

[drew64]

If your flight is at 825AM, thne per airline guidelines you should be at the airport by 650 - 720AM.

You luggage MUST be checked in by 725AM.

Even if driving you should be on the road by 6- I would leave sooner for a 825 flight

 

[Sammy]

We had a 7:10 AM flight out of Orlando one time and arrived at the airport to find THE WORST lines I've ever experienced at MCO security. We had arrived 2 hours prior to the flight time and it took us almost 1 hour just to make it through the security lines after checking our luggage. We arrived at our gate 1/2 hour before departure time!

 

[Lewisc]

You'll probably be scheduled for a 5:30a pickup time. You can probably get an extra hours sleep if you book a car service (or take a taxi).

edit to add PP are correct. You don't request a pickup time. You provide DME with your flight information and they'll inform you of your pickup time.

 

[SaraJayne]

The security lines at MCO are HORRIBLE. In fact, I've never seen such an inefficient, cumbersome, slow moving security line.

Trust me, you'll need all 3 hours...and then some.

 

[Keishag]

Ditto what all have said. We left POR yesterday morning on the 5:30 am DME pickup thinking it was overkill (re: WAY too early) too but like the others have said, we had two other stops and made it to the airport with one measley hour to get through those long security lines. Ended up being closer than I would have liked it to be to our flight time so I would definitely just go with what they assign.

 

[CleveRocks]

I realize I'm splitting hairs here, but it's technically not accurate that your return ride will not be scheduled asny later than 3 hours before your flight. The pick-up is scheduled for anywhere from 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes before your flight; in other words, three hours plus/minus 20 minutes.

They can't make it exact, otherwise there would be pick-ups coming every 5 mminutes sometimes. DME pick-ups, when there are reservations for them, come two times per hour at set 30-minute intervals. A specific resort may have pick-ups available at, for example, :10 and :40 after the hour, or :15 and :45 after the hour, and so on.

So if your resort has pick-ups at :00 and :30 after the hour, and your flight is scheduled for 8:15 a.m., you are equally as likely to have your ride scheduled for you at 8:00 a.m. as at 8:30 a.m.

If there are no reservations for a particular time slot, then no DME bus will arrive ... they only make stops when there are reservations, and therefore it won't work to try to wait for the "next bus" because the "next bus" might not come by for another hour or two. And even if the next bus does come 30 minutes later (and resort staff have NO WAY OF KNOWING when the next bus will come), you could be denied boarding due to several factors (i.e., bus scheduled to be full, driver being a stickler for the rules, etc.).

 

[kaytieeldr]

The OP asks what they should do.

It sounds like they would be best served by making private transportation arrangements. She says they don't want to be out on a bus at (by?) 6 AM on departure day, but really even private transportation isn't going to allow them too much more time in the hotel room and still ensure they'll make their flight - especially based on some of the experiences here. Plus, since the OP doesn't want to be on the bus that early, even if their airline participates in RAC, they likely won't want to be up and out early enough to check in and check their luggage at the resort - so even private transportation needs to allow them enough time to (a) get to the airport; (b) check in for the flight and check luggage; (c) get through the security lines; and (d) get to the gate before or while the flight is boarding.

 

[PEANUT1]

We only used Magical Express once...but in our experience, we told them our flight was 30 minutes later than it actually was..we were at the airport with plenty of time to spare..

I am not suggesting you do this, just saying its what we did.

 

[Lewisc]

I realize I'm splitting hairs here, but it's technically not accurate that your return ride will not be scheduled asny later than 3 hours before your flight. The pick-up is scheduled for anywhere from 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes before your flight; in other words, three hours plus/minus 20 minutes.

CSR was reported as having DME pickups at 00 and :30. That's why I said a 5:30a pickup time was likely.

I thought the pickup time was 3 hours +15 minutes or minus 14 minutes. Maybe the variance depends on where the resort is on the DME route.

We only used Magical Express once...but in our experience, we told them our flight was 30 minutes later than it actually was..we were at the airport with plenty of time to spare..

I am not suggesting you do this, just saying its what we did.

DME generally asks for your flight number. I don't think they use the flight time you give them.

I wouldn't suggest giving them wrong information. DME might decide to use the "cushion" to accommodate delays.

People who want an extra 30-90 minutes at WDW should arrange alternate transportation.

Ditto what all have said. We left POR yesterday morning on the 5:30 am DME pickup thinking it was overkill (re: WAY too early) too but like the others have said, we had two other stops and made it to the airport with one measley hour to get through those long security lines. Ended up being closer than I would have liked it to be to our flight time so I would definitely just go with what they assign.

The PP would have had 30 minutes to get through security. Might have missed the flight. SW passenger. Would have boarded with the Cs. Probably would have gotten to the gate past the deadline. Reservation might have been canceled and the seat given to a standby passenger.

 

[PEANUT1]

I was not asked a flight number. This was in 2008. We always have a car now, so its not an issue anymore.

 

[goofy4tink]

When you book DME you give them your flight details. They will then base your pickup time on that flight departure time.
MCO recommends that you arrive at the airport no less than 2 hrs before flight departure. If you book a private car service, they will pick you up between 2.5 and 2 hrs before flight departure time. I usually have to ask to be picked up 2.5 hrs before...most want to do it at 2 hrs. And this gets you to the airport 90 mins prior toi flight departure time.

Some worst case scenarios...
traffic on the highway. an accident which ties up traffic. longer than usual security lines. slow trams to the gate area.
Will all those things happen to you? Probably not. But, only one time have i arrived at the gate with more than an hour to spare. And considering that most airlines start boarding about 35 mins before official departure time, that isn't a long time to be sitting around...barely half an hour.

If your flight time is 8:25, you will barely be able to use RAC that morning. Not sure if that matters to you. You do have to have your bags checked, boarding passes in hand, and walking away from the counter no less than 3 hrs before flight time. So you would have to be at the RAC counter when they open at 5am to be sure you are done by 5:25.

Then, lets say they give you a pickup time of about 5:30...give or take....yes, you may very well stop at other resorts, or you could be the last resort on the route. No way of knowing beforehand..hence the 3 hr window. Then, the drive to MCO takes about 30 mins...so let's say you got picked up at 5:30, the bus stopped at one other resort, then started the drive to MCO at 5:50. You will arrive at Side A of MCO by about 6:20ish....depending on which airline you are flying this could be where you get off. Then, the drive over to Side B...now it's 6:30. There's your 2 hrs before flight departure.
Now...up you go to check your bags (if you haven't been able to do that at RAC)...now it's 6:45-6:50. Off to security you go. The line is moderate so it only takes you 20 mins to get through...now it's 7:15 or so. Wait for the tram to the gate, then walk to your gate..now it's 7-7:10. You get to the gate with about an hour before boarding starts.
And this is 'best case' scenario. Many things can happen to add more time.

If you give DME incorrect info regarding your flight departure, and then you miss your flight, DME is not responsible. Just something to keep in mind.

This is the big reason I won't book a flight home before 10am..no way am I getting up at 4am to leave WDW. I much prefer to sleep a bit, not have to worry. With a 10am flight, I am picked up around 7ish...time for me to get something to eat and get down to the bus stop after checking my bags with RAC.

 

[maxiesmom]

We only used Magical Express once...but in our experience, we told them our flight was 30 minutes later than it actually was..we were at the airport with plenty of time to spare..

I am not suggesting you do this, just saying its what we did.

The scary thing about doing that is if you miss your flight, then you will most likely be stuck at the airport for a long time. Knowing how backed up the security lines at MCO usually are, cutting it close is a huge risk! I would much rather sit at the airport for an hour, knowing I will get on my flight, than cut it too close and be stuck there for hours on end hoping they will find a seat for me on another flight.

I've had rides back on ME that were direct, and we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I've also had rides where I wanted to kiss the ground for finally arriving at the aiport! Gaining 30 minutes at the resort is not much reward for a whole lot of risk.

 

[Melmac]

Just from personal experience, I would always trust the ME pickup times, especially for early morning flights. Last Sunday, our flight was leaving at 8am so we had a 5am pickup time. The ME bus was half full so I thought maybe the airport wouldn't be too bad. I was wrong! The lineup to check luggage at the Delta desk took 1 hour. Lines for security were really long as well but we got shuffled through the "Experienced traveler" line and only waited about 10 minutes.

Our flight was actually delayed because the pilots were held up by the lines at security - at 7am, they were up to 1.5 hours.

I like the peace of mind that I get from arriving early at the airport - even if it means getting up a dark o'clock.

I was not asked a flight number. This was in 2008. We always have a car now, so its not an issue anymore.

ME now only asks for your airline and flight number (I believe this changed happened after Sept 2009). They will monitor your flight time and will give you an ME pickup time based on their last check of your flights. The ME agent I talked to about this said it was because flight changes were happening so frequently now.

 

[seashoreCM]

We only used Magical Express once...but in our experience, we told them our flight was 30 minutes later than it actually was..we were at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Pure luck.

You can always request and get a DME bus earlier than 3 hours to flight time for example to have breakfast at the airport, which is preferable to breakfast as your last on site activity.

 

[Traveliz]

I just had an 8:20 flight last Sunday. My departure time pick up was 5:35 AM. We went ahead and got down to RAC/ME area at 5:00 AM with the hope that they could take our bags if it wasn't too busy. There were people but not really in line and we were able to check our bags through. They did ask me what bus time we were on though before they started processing the bags (I think to make sure they had enough time as the 5:05 AM bus was there. No real point here but thought I would offer my recent experence.

Liz

Liz