Which transportation to use from Pop Century to MCO

[larjani]

We went to WDW in early December of 2021. On our return Flight at MCO, the line for Security was really long. Took us 2 hours to get through TSA, and we had to run to our flight (They closed the doors a few minutes after we boarded). We are now going back October 5th - 10th and are trying to find the best transportation to avoid such a stressful situation again. We fly back to Dallas, Tx on October 10th at 10:15 am (Monday Morning), and are staying at Pop Century. I've seen quite a bit of negative reviews for Mears so I was leaning towards Sunshine Flyer. The only problem is that the earliest time you can select for Sunshine is 7:00 - 8:00am. Hopefully we'd get there two hours before our flight but I'm worried about the TSA line being terribly long again. I'd tolerate Mears if we were guaranteed to get to the airport 3 hours early. What has been everyone's experience with traveling at that time and which is the best transportation coming from Pop Century.

 

[Ross Kratter]

If you don’t want to worry about being late, I would highly recommend you book private car service.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Weren't the security lines in late 2021 extraordinarily long? To the point that they suggested you get to the airport three hours ahead of time?

That said, a private car service (taxi or Uber/Lyft) would be your safest bet. I'd still try to determine how long the security lines are for a normal Monday.

I have a question. What day of the week did you fly back last December? I'd think you'd get the longest lines on Saturdays and Sundays. Not only because of the theme park crowds, but also those disembarking from cruise ships. However, Monday mornings are busy due to the business passengers.

If we're getting lines less than 45 minutes, and you can book the Sunshine Flyer for no later than 7:15, I'd go with the Sunshine Flyer. That will get you to MCO by 8.

 

[CarolynFH]

I was leaning towards Sunshine Flyer. The only problem is that the earliest time you can select for Sunshine is 7:00 - 8:00am.

7:00-8:00 AM is the departure time for the earliest flights that Sunshine Flyer will provide transportation for. Their website is confusing - when you pick a window, that's the window when your flight leaves - so in your case, you'd choose the 10:00-11:00 AM window. Sunshine Flyer picks up 3-3.5 hours before your flight, same as DME used to. If you haven't already, you can read recent reports toward the end of this thread.

That said, if you truly don't want to worry about getting to MCO on time, you should consider a private service.

 

[larjani]

Thanks for the info CarolynFH. We though 7-8 was the earliest time they would pick us up. We'd like to get there 3-4 hours early this trip. For that last December trip, we went with the Time DME said they would pick us up. I forget what day of the week it was, but had no problems the previous times we used DME.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for the info CarolynFH. We though 7-8 was the earliest time they would pick us up. We'd like to get there 3-4 hours early this trip. For that last December trip, we went with the Time DME said they would pick us up. I forget what day of the week it was, but had no problems the previous times we used DME.

You can probably email them through their website and ask to be picked up earlier than usual. Or, you can enter an earlier flight departure time than you actually have, but I think asking them to pick you up early would make more sense.

 

[holden]

I’d use a car service.