Flight return time 1 pm or 3:25

[duffybear32830]

Which of these departure times would you prefer at the end of the cruise? Costs are similar. This is for a Southwest flight out of MCO returning to Port Canaveral. Only 3 of us and we have TSA precheck. Leaning towards 1 pm as hanging out at the airport is so boring but I don’t want to be rushed.

also, do you need to take Disney transportation to precheck your larger luggage? I was planning on private transportation as 3 seems to be the tipping point for cost and the idea of being on a bus doesn’t appeal to me at all.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Which of these departure times would you prefer at the end of the cruise? Costs are similar. This is for a Southwest flight out of MCO returning to Port Canaveral. Only 3 of us and we have TSA precheck. Leaning towards 1 pm as hanging out at the airport is so boring but I don’t want to be rushed.

also, do you need to take Disney transportation to precheck your larger luggage? I was planning on private transportation as 3 seems to be the tipping point for cost and the idea of being on a bus doesn’t appeal to me at all.

SWA doesn't participate in the pre-check luggage program. They tried it but decided not to do it. Sure wish they did.

1 p.m. flight should be fine.

 

[quickcat]

You will have plenty of time for the 1:00 flight. Have fun!

 

[tvguy]

Only been through MCO twice, once for a cruise once for a WDW trip. Based on the cruise experience, I'd lean heavily towards the 3:25 pm. We BARELY made a 12:35pm flight despite Disney having us at the airport by 9:15 am , all checke din and having our boarding pass in hand my 9:30 am. Security at MCO on Saturday and Sunday mornings can be nuts. On the WDW trip, we also used Disney transportation, but we had a 630 pm flight, and Disney said we didn't need to be there as much ahead of time as if we had a earlier flight.

 

[T & R]

1pm flight will be fine, especially if you're TSA precheck.
5+ hours to catch a flight is plenty of time. The latest we've arrived at MCO from Port C is 9:30am and we are never even close to being the first off the ship.

 

[apathetic]

You'll be bored waiting for the 1pm flight. I'd get one closer to 11, especially with precheck. You have to take your own bags for Southwest.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

1 pm definitely. Our last trip, we couldn't get a flight until 2:35 or so and, even after leisurely getting off the ship, were still so early to the airport that we couldn't check our bags yet. (We used private transportation rather than Disney so couldn't check bags ahead). We did anything we could trying to kill time before our flight.

I would recommend TSA pre-check, though. It'll cut down on the security timeline significantly. Orlando has the greatest disparity I've ever seen in pre-check versus non-pre-check line length.

 

[Chemist]

Definitely 1:00!!

Our flight last time was 2:30. Had SO MUCH TIME IN THE AIRPORT.

(Including being too early to check bags. Southwest, so had to deal with them ourselves.)

 

[dclpluto]

1 pm it’s a little late for me but it’s a lot better than your 3:25.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We took the bus and we were back at MCO at 9:45. We actually tried to move our 2:30 flight to the 10:30 but it was full. We were so early for our 2:30 we couldn’t even check our bags. I would do a 1:00 next time if available. We had the early dinner seating so the early breakfast seating that day.

We loved the Disney bus transportation. It was so swift and easy. Buses lined up right after debarkartion, they filled up and departed quickly. We didn’t have to locate a driver, etc. Plus we love the Disney videos on board We are big Magical Express fans, though, so the cruise bus was right up our alley.

 

[Cruise Diva]

We always take Disney transportation. They get us to the airport by 9 or 9:15 AM. We have Precheck so we get thru security quickly. We normally have a couple of hours to spare before our 11:30 AM flight out of MCO.

 

[DCLDVC1]

The earlier the better.

 

[spiders]

1pm. I've never understood all the people who advocate for really late flights. There's no reason for it. Yeah, there's a chance you might not make it to port on time but there's always a chance for a lot of different things happening including you just simply dying while at sea.

Despite all of the tens, hundreds, thousands of things that can go wrong...the most likely scenario is that you end up sitting at the airport bored out of your mind for HOURS. Book the flight and if you end up missing it then you end up missing it. It's not like when you're going in where the worst case scenario is you end up not cruising. The cruise is over...go home.

 

[MomOTwins]

1pm. It is super rare for the ship to be delayed coming into the port as they depend on same day turnaround for the next cruise so need to have guests off the ship as early as possible.

There is another alternative if your schedule allows. I too really really hated waiting around at MCO all day (such a depressing way to end a vacation), so on our last cruise decided we were going to spring for a hotel at WDW on debarkation day and leave the next day. We had an amazing 24 hours (character meal, pool, Disney springs), and the flight was actually so much cheaper than the cruise return day it basically paid for itself--that strategy is now a must do for us

 

[mkb3]

Doing first cruise in March out of Miami. We have late dining so that means a later time to get off the ship right? If so what time is that normally.

 

[spiders]

Doing first cruise in March out of Miami. We have late dining so that means a later time to get off the ship right? If so what time is that normally.

On debarkation day, you will have the option to eat breakfast at the restaurant where you were assigned dinner on your final night. If you choose to, then yes you will have a later breakfast time.

You can also go eat at Cabanas or you can just get off without eating at all.

 

[dclpluto]

Doing first cruise in March out of Miami. We have late dining so that means a later time to get off the ship right? If so what time is that normally.

Eat at cabanas. You get how much you want and more to pick from and a better time for you.

 

[PendingPeril]

Oh boy. Our flight time is 2:15pm. Looks like we're going to be bored out of our minds. There were so many warnings about not making the flight too early. Where were you guys when I was booking my flights lol

 

[party-of-five]

I agree 1pm should be fine. But I no longer factor TSA precheck into timing. Twice I’ve been deselected and had to go thru the regular security line, despite all of the rest of the family being able to go thru precheck! Very frustrating and time consuming.

If I am TSA Pre✓® eligible, am I guaranteed expedited screening?
No, TSA uses unpredictable security measures, both seen and unseen, throughout the airport. All travelers will be screened, and no individual is guaranteed expedited screening.

 

[dclpluto]

Oh boy. Our flight time is 2:15pm. Looks like we're going to be bored out of our minds. There were so many warnings about not making the flight too early. Where were you guys when I was booking my flights lol

Yep you got a late flight. MCO has a lot of stores . Enjoy