DME Departure time changes with MCO Travel Advisory

SilSprBea

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Someone in a FB group I’m in posted an MCO travel advisory recommending arriving to the airport 3 hours early:

https://mobile.twitter.com/MCO/status/923650710599761920/photo/1

I had made my plans assuming DME pickup was about 3 hours before flight departure. Is this changing? If so, has anyone there now has a DME pick up more than 3 hours before their flight?

We’ve never used it before but are this year for our stay at the Poly. Our departure flight is at 2:38pm (it has been 3:08 but JetBlue adjusted our departure time). I had assumed they would pick us up around 11:30 at the Poly. We have ‘Ohana at 9:30am on our last day which I thought was plenty of time.

When do you find out what time DME picks you up for your return time? Am I going to run into issues? Should I try and make this ADR earlier? Ugh.
 
Someone in a FB group I’m in posted an MCO travel advisory recommending arriving to the airport 3 hours early:

https://mobile.twitter.com/MCO/status/923650710599761920/photo/1

I had made my plans assuming DME pickup was about 3 hours before flight departure. Is this changing? If so, has anyone there now has a DME pick up more than 3 hours before their flight?

We’ve never used it before but are this year for our stay at the Poly. Our departure flight is at 2:38pm (it has been 3:08 but JetBlue adjusted our departure time). I had assumed they would pick us up around 11:30 at the Poly. We have ‘Ohana at 9:30am on our last day which I thought was plenty of time.

When do you find out what time DME picks you up for your return time? Am I going to run into issues? Should I try and make this ADR earlier? Ugh.

You can always ask for an earlier bus. When I got to MCO yesterday around 11:30, I had a 6:55 pm flight but was trying to get on standby for a 1:40 flight. The wait time at security was posted as 18-22 minutes. It took over an hour. They pulled bags all over the place and swabbed food, electronics, shoes, etc. The line I went through stopped entirely 2 families after me because there were so many bags waiting for extra inspection they couldn’t keep letting people through (now, if they had people actually doing the extra inspections that would have expedited things but there were a lot of people standing around looking for anything else to do).

I did make that 1:40 but barely. I was able to get on the flight and boarded immediately at the end of the C group. So getting there at 11:30 for a 1:40 flight had me walking on the plane to board about 10 minutes after I got to the gate. If I had been any later I would have missed it, all because I had a pack of crackers in my bag and got pulled for extra screening.
 
Your bus time back to the airport confirmation is normally delivered to your room the morning of the day before the day you will go home.

If not, or if you wish to make a change or if you need to fix an error, get that done before heading for the park. This is the normal deadline for making changes. (Well, you could head to the park for an early breakfast and immediately thereafter return to the resort to fix the Magical Express issue.)

Disney has enough experience so DME bus times can be adjusted across the board if needed to take into account changes in airport procedures.
 
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Your bus time back to the airport confirmation is normally delivered to your room the morning of the day before the day you will go home.

If not, or if you wish to make a change or if you need to fix an error, get that done before heading for the park. This is the normal deadline for making changes. (Well, you could head to the park for an early breakfast and immediately thereafter return to the resort to fix the Magical Express issue.)

Disney has enough experience so DME bus times can be adjusted across the board if needed to take into account changes in airport procedures.

Thanks!

I just am worried what MDE will do with scheduling pickup times as a result of this advisory. We are flying home on the Wednedsy after Thanksgiving so I think by then the Thanksgiving crowds will have gone so I don’t know if by then it will be as busy at MCO as the Sunday before.

We really want to dine at ‘Ohana. We’re staying at the Poly and our current ADR is 5 hours before our flight and I think we should have time for our breakfast before a scheduled MDE in a perfect world, but I’m just worried that based on this pick up times will change to 4+ hours before a flight. Ugh!
 


I am not sure whether My Disney Experience can be used to make or request changes to Magical Express but at any rate you need to have the final confirmation on paper if you are already into the day before you check out. Hence the need to come back to the resort mid-day if you left for the park before you were able to get the final confirmation that morning of the day before the day you will leave.

Having to run for your plane even under last year's typical conditions appears to be within the tolerances for DME. If you want to almost erase the chances of that happening, you should request a bus earlier than the usual 3 hours before flight time. Since DME buses generally run every half hour, the current guest schedule ranges from 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 hours before flight time. I really think that the 2-3/4 hour in advance DME departures should be abolished in favor of a range of 3 to 3-1/2 hours. There have been too many close calls for guests assigned their buses 2-3/4 hours before flights.

A request for an earlier bus, made timely, is always granted.
 
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Little detail: You need to be out on the Magical Express bus platform 10-15 minutes in advance so the bus can get going at the appointed time.
Little detail: It is possible for there to be a delay before you are seated for your meal.

Now instead of 2 hours for your breakfast you have 90 minutes. And this does not include any extraordinary events at the airport suggesting an earlier than normal (3 hour before flight time) DME bus.
So I suggest finding an earlier breakfast reservation time or finding an alternate date for that meal.
 
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We traveled home yesterday on JetBlue and DME picked us up just over 3 hours early (935 for a 1241p flight) and it was plenty of time. We shopped a little at the airport before we went)though. We do have pre-check, but even if we did not we would have had plenty of time. Also yesterday (10-31) for gates 1-29 they were operating 2 trams, one old one and one new one.
 


We traveled home yesterday on JetBlue and DME picked us up just over 3 hours early (935 for a 1241p flight) and it was plenty of time. We shopped a little at the airport before we went)though. We do have pre-check, but even if we did not we would have had plenty of time. Also yesterday (10-31) for gates 1-29 they were operating 2 trams, one old one and one new one.

This is comforting to know that they haven't adjusted times too much earlier than a little over 3+ hours. We should have pre-check by then too (our letters are in the mail from TSA!!!) so we should move faster than the regular line. I did manage to snag an earlier 'Ohana, but it's a little too early for my liking (7:35 am!!). I haven't cancelled my 9:30am one yet and will probably wait to cancel one based on my assigned DME time (unless I find something around 8:45 between now and our trip). If pick-up is still a little over 3 hours from departure time and our flight is at 2:38pm, I would imagine our pick up time would be close to 11/11:30!
 
This is comforting to know that they haven't adjusted times too much earlier than a little over 3+ hours. We should have pre-check by then too (our letters are in the mail from TSA!!!) so we should move faster than the regular line. I did manage to snag an earlier 'Ohana, but it's a little too early for my liking (7:35 am!!). I haven't cancelled my 9:30am one yet and will probably wait to cancel one based on my assigned DME time (unless I find something around 8:45 between now and our trip). If pick-up is still a little over 3 hours from departure time and our flight is at 2:38pm, I would imagine our pick up time would be close to 11/11:30!

Originally we were supposed to fly out Sunday at 2p and our DME time for that day was 3 hours exact. I would imagine with a 238p flight your pick up would be from about 1120 to 1155 as they are usualy 3 hrs + or - 15 min

If you go to the TSA site and enter your info you might be able to get your KTN's already.

When we got to the TSA pre-check "check in" desk there was only one person in front of us. At the machines there were 5 people in front of us. Most were very clueless about how pre-check works, trying to take out laptops, take off shoes, etc. That was what slowed us up. The agents kept repeating instructions. If they had known what to do we would have been through in 2 min, instead it took 5 to 6. The woman in front of me was about to take her laptop out right after the agent announced to keep electronics in bags etc. I looked right at her and said sternly but nicely "don't take it out, keep it right in your bag". I then smiled and said, "that's a perk of pre-check." She smiled back and said thanks.
 
This is comforting to know that they haven't adjusted times too much earlier than a little over 3+ hours. We should have pre-check by then too (our letters are in the mail from TSA!!!) so we should move faster than the regular line. I did manage to snag an earlier 'Ohana, but it's a little too early for my liking (7:35 am!!). I haven't cancelled my 9:30am one yet and will probably wait to cancel one based on my assigned DME time (unless I find something around 8:45 between now and our trip). If pick-up is still a little over 3 hours from departure time and our flight is at 2:38pm, I would imagine our pick up time would be close to 11/11:30!
With PreCheck you won't need 3 hours before departure. No matter what MCO says. That's for folks without.
Are you checking your bags with RAC? That reduces your time needed at MCO even more.
We leave Disney (via Uber, ME picks up too early) 2 hours before our flight leaves and we always get to the gate with time to get a snack for the flight, hit the bathroom and sit down before boarding.
 
With PreCheck you won't need 3 hours before departure. No matter what MCO says. That's for folks without.
Are you checking your bags with RAC? That reduces your time needed at MCO even more.
We leave Disney (via Uber, ME picks up too early) 2 hours before our flight leaves and we always get to the gate with time to get a snack for the flight, hit the bathroom and sit down before boarding.

That’s good to know, thanks!. Yes we are planning on checking our bags at the Poly with RAC. I really hope pre-check helps- the security nightmare postings I’ve seen are crazy!
 
That’s good to know, thanks!. Yes we are planning on checking our bags at the Poly with RAC. I really hope pre-check helps- the security nightmare postings I’ve seen are crazy!
MCO is why we got PreCheck a couple years ago. We've had a lot of flights out of MCO since and never encountered a long line for the PreCheck lanes. Even at very busy travel times, and even during the staffing issues they suffered several months ago.
 
With airline check-in at the resort, I catch an Uber about 2 hours prior to departure giving me 90 minutes or so once I hit the airport.

Just came home on Wednesday and with Pre I was still at the gate 30 minutes before boarding.

Without pre, the lines were 30+ minutes so it would have been close.
 
Just a reminder for those new to PreCheck - it is ALWAYS possible to be selected for random, additional screening, even if you currently hold PreCheck.
 
No. I'm not talking about SSSS on your boarding pass. I'm talking about being pulled out of line in PreCheck for random, additional screening. It is a separate phenomenon.

For us new to pre-check, what is SSSS printed on your boarding pass mean?
 
For us new to pre-check, what is SSSS printed on your boarding pass mean?

Secondary Security Screening Selection means you'll be seeing and talking to lots of extra security people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_Security_Screening_Selection

But what I am talking about is not based on that factor. My other half and I have PreCheck and fly out of a mid-sized US airport. At our airport - with PreCheck and nothing on my boarding pass, b/c they don't tell you until you're already in line and never look at your boarding pass - you can be randomly pulled aside for what is euphemistically called random, additional, security screening.

So far since officially securing PreCheck, my other half and I have been randomly selected on 50% of our flights. I hate being groped in public. I'm not seeing the value in PreCheck so far.
 
Generally speaking there are 2 different kinds of additional screenings:

1. SSSS - You will likely know you will be getting this ahead of time as you will not be able to print your boarding pass from home or on your phone. It will require you to go to a desk, if you need to do this, expect SSSS or other issues and add time. SSSS will mean they take you to a separate room and do a very thorough screening and can take 20-30 minutes.

2. Random screenings - this is usually done by the metal detector. I have had it a few times. The metal detector beeps one solid beep when you go through and you are 'chosen' for a random screening. If there is a full body scanner then they send you back through that. Otherwise they give you an 'enhanced' pat down. Neither one takes more than 2-5 extra minutes depending on the availability of a TSA agent to pat you down. I have probably spent more time waiting for my double stroller to be swabbed than additional screenings.
 
If it were me, I'd still try for an earlier ADR rather than count on getting through security quickly. (We have pre-check and have found that pre-check at MCO doesn't always mean quick or short lines).

There's no guarantee that you will be seated at your ADR time. What if you don't get seated until closer to 10? Then you'd have to rush the meal. I have no personal experience with 'Ohana, but I have read reports of having to wait to get seated.

Especially if you elect to keep your 9:30 ADR time, I will assume that you will check out and drop off your luggage with BAGS/Bell Services prior to your ADR. Remember that the ME time is the time the bus DEPARTS your location. They won't wait for you to retrieve bags from Bell Services, so you'll need to be standing & waiting with your bags/carry-on items a few minutes prior to the ME pick up time. If you miss the ME bus, there's no guarantee that there will be room for you on the next bus or that one is even scheduled for your location in time to make your flight. Your back up is taxi or UBER/Lyft.
 

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