Would an 11:15a return flight be okay with TSA Pre Check - NOT using Onboard Airline Check In

[phewms]

It's been a while since I cruised Disney. The last time (2010), I remember having a 2p flight home and we were at the airport for 9a. Because they don't recommend a flight before 12:30p, the next direct time is at 3:35p. I don't mind taking the 3p flight, but I don't want to hang around MCO for hours on end. What's the latest shuttle to the airport? We are booking Disney Transportation.

Edited to add that we are flying SWA which doesn't participate in the Onboard Airline Check In.

 

[clten]

The earliest they allow you to book and use their Onboard Airline Booking program is an 11:30 flight so I use that as my personal benchmark for the earliest flight I will book. However, we have been at the airport with plenty of time to make that flight so could conceivably also make an 11:15 flight. But things can and do go wrong or there are things outside of your control that could delay you. So I think it would depend on how stressed you might become if things are delayed and you potentially might miss that 11:15 flight.

 

[DisneyFanThi]

I booked a similar flight last year. I self carried off the boat (skipped breakfast in MDR) at about 7, and I was at MCO by about 8:30 or so. I finished checking my bags and was through security by about 9:40. You should be fine, but like others have said it depends on how much of a buffer you are comfortable with leaving yourself.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

@clten is correct about the Onboard Airline booking and the 1130 recommendation. 1115 may be doable if everything goes well. I would research how the later flights are filling up. If you miss your 1115 and all the remaining flights are full or overbooked, you have a bigger problem than killing time at MCO.

 

[apathetic]

You won't have any issues. You can't use the Onboard check-in (before1130) but express carry off your bags, get on the bus and you will be there in plenty of time. Buses for the airport leave as they fill and takes about an hour.

 

[DCLDVC1]

The flight must depart at 11:25am or later to use the Onboard Airline Check-In service at MCO.

I'd be comfortable with an 11:15am flight but would probably use a private car service instead of DCL transportation.

 

[phewms]

I have added that I am flying Southwest Airlines, which isn't a participating airline for the Onboard Airline Check In. It's a 3 day cruise so we won't have a lot of luggage and can carry it off the ship, if needed. I can rebook with no fees if flying Southwest. I am not worried so much about missing my flight as I am about getting to the airport 3+ hours before my flight, or getting checked in early enough that I could have taken the 11:15.

 

[belle032]

I did an 11:15AM Southwest flight for our 3 day DCL in May and was fine. We even had early breakfast and got our bags in the terminal, not self carry. Got to the airport in plenty of time to check a bag and go through the regular security line. I even had time to shop in both Disney stores in the airport. HOWEVER, I was the only one flying and was dropped off at the airport by my mom & brother, who had sailed with me. If we were relying on outside transportation, like Uber, I still would have booked the 11:15, but would do express self-carry.

I understand every situation is different and you just have to accept you take the risk of booking an earlier flight. I'm going through the same dilemma now with booking a February cruise!

 

[phewms]

I did an 11:15AM Southwest flight for our 3 day DCL in May and was fine. We even had early breakfast and got our bags in the terminal, not self carry. Got to the airport in plenty of time to check a bag and go through the regular security line. I even had time to shop in both Disney stores in the airport. HOWEVER, I was the only one flying and was dropped off at the airport by my mom & brother, who had sailed with me. If we were relying on outside transportation, like Uber, I still would have booked the 11:15, but would do express self-carry.

I understand every situation is different and you just have to accept you take the risk of booking an earlier flight. I'm going through the same dilemma now with booking a February cruise!

It will just be me and my daughter for a quick girl's trip. I went ahead and switched to the earlier flight since there was only 1 WGA fare left. I can switch later if I change my mind. We will eat an early breakfast and carry our bags off. Still planning to take Disney transportation unless Uber is cheaper. I still have to look. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[wombat_5606]

It will just be me and my daughter for a quick girl's trip. I went ahead and switched to the earlier flight since there was only 1 WGA fare left. I can switch later if I change my mind. We will eat an early breakfast and carry our bags off. Still planning to take Disney transportation unless Uber is cheaper. I still have to look. Thanks for the recommendation!

You should be alright. If not, please have a plan in place and it will be easier to cope with.

I did a trip by myself back in 2016 where I had a 11:30am flight. I walked off the ship by 8am (actually a little bit later since the ship was not cleared on time) with my luggage and used the Disney bus. I had more than enough time to to eat a quick bite in the airport after security and then have a lengthy phone call with my husband before boarding.

This year, I have an 11:15am flight. There will be 3 of us but we have TSA precheck now. I'm hoping we make it using the steps I used previously.

I do have several back up plans in case we miss our flight. My first plan is for all of us to get on a later flight. My second plan is for us to split up on a later flight, two of us on one flight, one of us flying alone. If that doesn't work, we will decide to either spend the night in Orlando and try for flights the next day or we will rent a car and try to fly out of Tampa late that day or the next.

I will say we will be in hurricane season too and all kinds of things can go wrong that I can't prepare for now. If in the few weeks before my trip, a storm is forecast, I will make some more contingency plans.

If none of those work, I guess I will have learned my lesson. The key is that I have some type of plan and I'm really not worried.

 

[MomOTwins]

We were fine with 11:25 (and had time to spare) even without using express walk-off or private transfers. We just lined up to go right after an early breakfast, got our bags, and got the Disney bus. I think people overthink this one a lot. But then, I've missed my flight before when traveling on tight turnarounds for work and it wasn't the end of the world--airlines actually aren't as evil as they are made out to be and they pretty much always just let you hop on the next standby plane. YMMV, but I'd trade the slight risk of a cruise ship being hours late over the known torture of waiting all day for a flight home from vacation.

 

[wombat_5606]

Actually, I'm wrong. My flight this year is at 11:05am, not 11:15. Honestly, I think they have changed it since I booked but I wanted to illustrate why I chose that flight.

My 11:05am flight is direct. I will be home at 1:05pm.

There are 6 other flights leaving that day from MCO that I could use, with flying times between 4 hours and 45 minutes to 6 hours and 55 minutes. To take any of these other flights I would have a wait time between 3 and 7 hours. None of that is attractive to me.

My cruise is in September. I'll come back and report on my experience.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The flight must depart at 11:25am or later to use the Onboard Airline Check-In service at MCO.

I'd be comfortable with an 11:15am flight but would probably use a private car service instead of DCL transportation.

This.
I would book the 11:15 flight and hire a private driver. This way you don't have to deal with the A side vs. B side and sitting waiting while the driver unloads other people's bags. A private driver is all about getting YOU to where you need to be, not 100 other people too.

Having TSA precheck is wonderful but be sure your KTNs are on every passenger's flight reservation. They say it's not guaranteed every time but we have flown probably 10x since we bought it and have never not had precheck on our BP.