what time to arrive @ MCO to catch plane

[aaroncg]

HELP......... I'm not sure if I will have enough time to catch plane. On the day to leave ( Sep. 9th, SAT.) Orlando We have an ADR for Chef Mickeys @ 11:10. ( kids are really wanting to eat here) after we eat we need to go back to ASmo to catch our pick up which is from Happy Limo. They are picking us up @ 2:45 to catch our flight from Frontier airlines @ 4:55. Do we have enough time???? I really dont want to cancell the ADR. What if I show up early and see if they can seat us early???? At what time do I need to be at the airport with these new restrictions??? Do you think the lines will start to move faster by Sep. 9th????? How busy are the airports (mco) on Sat.'s in the afternoon??? Do I need to call Happy Limo and get an earlier pickup?? Thanks for any help

 

[tms295]

What time does your transportation company recommend...

You should be AT the airport 2 hours prior to departure. Orlando area traffic can be a nightmare at times (you may be lucky cuz its a Saturday) I would count on about 45minutes to drive to the airport.

 

[ztbz]

I was told yesterday, that Magical Express is requiring 4 hours in order for you to get to the Airport for the Security check point by 2 hours at the airport itself.

 

[loriandmatt]

if it were me and my family i would want to be picked up by the limo service at 1 (if not a little earier.) With the new checking procedure, they are recomending being at the airport around 3 hours before your flight departs.

Now - as to if you could keep your 11:10 chef mickey ressie...not sure about that one. you wouldn't get out of there until 12/12:30 if you were lucky. Then you would need time to get back to the all stars.

What I would do ...call the limo company and schedule a 12:45 pick up, keep my chef mickey ressie. at some point in my trip, do a dry run from the contemp to the all stars in the middle of the day an see how long it takes. if it isn't long, determine if i want to rush thru chef mickeys and high tail it to that bus OR cancel my ressie and do something else the morning before i fly out.

not what you want to hear i know, but it is the honest truth about how i would handle the situation.

- lori

 

[aaroncg]

I just called Happy limo and they said they will pick us up now at 1:30 instead of 2:45. They did say its about a 45 min. drive. So we will be there around 2:15, then have to check in and wait in security for our 4:55 flight. Is it still going to be enough time???? Thanks

 

[CarolA]

You have a few weeks (Like a month)

So come back in a few days and ask what the lines are like at MCO.

Prior to the new "reason for MCO to be backed up" I was saying you needed to be walking in the airport NO later then 2 hours in advance. (MCO is a world class leader in how NOT to run a security line) You are just over two hours, so I would wait and see what happens with the lines.

 

[Phrank40]

Amazing how much difference a few days can make- Last Tuesday it took a total of 45 minutes to get from where I was staying in Orlando (25 minutes from airport) through security and to the gate. There was no one in the security line, first time in Orlando ever seen that. Now I may need to get to the airport 2-3 hours early. Maybe the terrorist were foiled, but in a world of billions just a few can change entire schedules and procedures in a heartbeat.

Phrank

 

[CarolA]

Amazing how much difference a few days can make- Last Tuesday it took a total of 45 minutes to get from where I was staying in Orlando (25 minutes from airport) through security and to the gate. There was no one in the security line, first time in Orlando ever seen that. Now I may need to get to the airport 2-3 hours early. Maybe the terrorist were foiled, but in a world of billions just a few can change entire schedules and procedures in a heartbeat.

Phrank

Well at MCO I am not going to blame ALL of any line on the terrorist. I flew out on a Saturday afternoon this June and was in the security line for almost an hour..... No raised alert level or anything, just incompetence. (IT seems like MCO could contact Disney or Univesal on HOW to run a line! Here's a clue trying to shove FOUR lines into one with no plan just creates a traffic jam!)


So waiting an hour here could just be the normal operating method for this airport.

It's so bad I paid $80 to join Clear. (The reason I didn't use it in June was I thought it would be rude to leave my mother standing in the lines from you know where!)

 

[musicmama]

It's so bad I paid $80 to join Clear. (The reason I didn't use it in June was I thought it would be rude to leave my mother standing in the lines from you know where!)

What is Clear? Thanks.

 

[safetymom]

http://www.flyclear.com/

Clear is great. Best money I have spent in a long time. I am buying my daughter one so she doesn't have to stand in a long line. I figured she was on her own since I would be on the other side waiting for her.

 

[CarolA]

What is Clear? Thanks.

http://www.flyclear.com/

It's TSA's trusted traveler program. You give them your life history, they decide you aren't a terrorist and you get to go thur a special line at MCO. Your carryons are still screened.

That reminds me I have to call the TSA, I want to know why I can't carry my liquids on. (I don't really expect to carry them on, but I have been screened and they are letting pilots and FA's carry thier stuff on since they are screened which burns me up. Why are THEY so much better then the rest of us???)

 

[bavaria]

http://www.flyclear.com/

Clear is great. Best money I have spent in a long time. I am buying my daughter one so she doesn't have to stand in a long line. I figured she was on her own since I would be on the other side waiting for her.

Can't wait for Clear to expand to more airports. I have the international version for both car and air travel, and I can't tell you how many hours I have saved myself over the years. It's like the golden FastPass to me.

I can do 8 minutes from the front door of my international airport to my gate - that includes check in, customs/immigration, and security lines.....

 

[CarolA]

Can't wait for Clear to expand to more airports. I have the international version for both car and air travel, and I can't tell you how many hours I have saved myself over the years. It's like the golden FastPass to me.

I can do 8 minutes from the front door of my international airport to my gate - that includes check in, customs/immigration, and security lines.....

According to their website they have contracts with CVG, Indy and San Jose. I want ATL!!!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

We have been hemming and hawing about whether or not this would be worth it for the few times a year we fly. This has convinced me that the extra money will be worth it and will be signing up next time we fly through. Nothing like a 1 or 2 hour wait in line to kill your vacation buzz

 

[kda]

aaroncg ----- if you truly want to keep the ADR and have a relaxing time, you can always catch a cab back to your resort. I'm not sure what it would cost, but my guess is $15- $20 (you could post another thread asking for input on this one, or call the cab company or ask one of the cab drivers).

If you find that you have at least an hour after lunch, you could walk from the CR over to the busses at MK (~ 7 minutes) and catch the ASMo bus. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I just called Happy limo and they said they will pick us up now at 1:30 instead of 2:45. They did say its about a 45 min. drive. So we will be there around 2:15, then have to check in and wait in security for our 4:55 flight. Is it still going to be enough time???? Thanks

Is it possible to check out of your room on the way to Chef Mickey's and have Happy Limo pick you up there? It would save a lot of time-wasting running back and forth. Is luggage allowed on Disney's buses? (Here is where having a rental car is sweet.) You could just store your luggage at the Contemporary while you have breakfast. Have Happy Limo call your cell ph when they get to Contemp, then grab your bags and go to the airport.

 

[Seahunt]

On the local TV 11:00 Orlando news tonight, a reporter followed a couple and their two kids at Orlando International Airport (MCO) today to see how long it would take them to get through security all the way to their gate - surprisingly it was only 40 mins! Seems like they have their act together today for domestic flights. BUT they also showed some long, long lines for international flights

From the news website (wftv):

Thursday, the line at the security checkpoint was so long the wait was more than 45 minutes. A day later, the line at the same checkpoint was virtually nonexistent.

And while there were delays and cancellations Thursday, all departures and flights into and out of OIA were right on time Friday.

"I think it's awesome! They're doing a great job. Could have been a disaster yesterday. Everybody just needs to be patient," said traveler Elizabeth Mac.

International passengers at Orlando-Sanford International Airport should also still expect delays Friday, though not as bad as Thursday. Airport officials there said departures were seeing a twp and a half hour delay. They said arriving flights were listed as on-time, but that doesn't take into account any extra screening once passengers leave the plane. They ask anyone traveling through Sanford to check flight times.

 

[aaroncg]

Thanks everyone for all of your help. We we are porobably going to take bags with us and call limo and pick us up there. Glad to hear that things are going smoothly at MCO. For being a large airport they sure are doing a good job keeping the lines going.