I’m constructing a cunning plan to make my life slightly easier and better on my departure day.
I’m staying at a friend’s house in Orlando, but if I book myself into a Disney hotel for my last night, I’ll get . . . 60 day FPP for my last day (I’ll be aiming to get a FOP), and DME back to the airport.
And — this is what inspired my plan — somewhere to leave my luggage during my last day.
(Here’s the problem. The house I’m staying at is in Davenport which is on the opposite side of WDW to MCO. If I stay my last night there and I want to go to WDW on my last day, I’ll have to Uber from the house to WDW, then back to house to pick up my bags, then over to MCO. There are suitcase size lockers outside Epcot but do I want to take the risk that there’ll be one available when I get there?)
This also gives me the opportunity to try an on-property hotel. The sensible thing to do would be All-Star, which is pretty cheap and almost the same as all those Uber journeys would cost.
Anyhoo, my question . . . if my flight leaves MCO at 6.30pm, when is the DME likely to leave my hotel?
I’m trying to figure how much park time I’ll get. I fancy Pandora and Tiffin’s, if I can get an FPP for FOP.
DME picks you up 3 hours before departure currently (was 4 hours near end of 2017) so you’d need to be there at hotel with your luggage slightly before 330. I have always had morning flights (well at least morning DME) so I’ve never tried to go to parks before departure. To play it safe, I would probably leave park by 230 to make sure you made your DME. Hopefully others who have actually done this will chime in.
It’s 4 hours before your flight. Time to do Pandora and Tiffins. Make sure you allow enough time to collect your bags from bell services, so aim to be back at resort 30 mins before coach time.
Also, when your 60 days opens up, so will all the days prior to that 60 days. So you won’t get 60 days for all your stay but you will get more than 30! Which depending on exactly how many days you’re there for, would mean around 40 for your first day I think.
@momfourmonkeys - OP is from the UK. International flights are 4 hrs before departure time.
You didn’t stay there last time right? because once you stay there it sets a high bar, or at least it did for us.
MY DW and I stayed in one on our Honeymoon, and ever time we go back she says it sure would be nice to stay in that room again. Then i give her the option of staying there for x days or someplace else for x+ and she always picks x+.
I have to admit I still can’t think of anything more magical than opening your drapes in the morning and having a giraffe standing under your balcony.
This appears to be more workable than one of Baldrick’s cunning plans. Also, you would be able to get 60-day FPP for your penultimate day as well, as you can get them for check-in and check-out days.
IIRC, DME likes you to take a bus 3 hours before your flight.
DME is only available to onsite guests, absolutely
But anyone can leave their luggage at concierge in any hotel on property. So if you wanted to, you could uber to, say, contemporary with your luggage, drop it off at concierge, tour at MK for the day and then have uber from contemporary back to MCO when you were ready.
Costwise that would probably work out a bit less than staying on property. 60 day FPP starts from the day you check in, so that wouldn’t really be helpful to you since you’d be checking in on the day you’d be leaving.
Sorry, meant to note that this is general information for those who are interested but it does not apply in @profmatt’s case. Resort Airline Check-in is only for domestic flights at the moment.
This is a game-changer if it’s right. (I’m not saying you’re wrong.)
If I can do that, then that was main reason for wanting to stay over, to be honest. Having somewhere to leave my stuff during the day so that I don’t have to go back to the house.
It sounds like DME is going to be annoying because I don’t want to leave four hours early.
Last april I hung out with a well known group of Liners for brunch. One in particular had worn pants to brunch but wanted to tour in shorts as it was rather warm. After brunch, he changed and left his clothing at concierge. He returned to retrieve it the next morning before leaving property to head home.
So I know it can be done.
Also, when I have left things at concierge they don’t ask you for your room or reservation number. Merely a name under which to put the ticket. They give you a ticket to pick your stuff up, and they store it out back until then.
Also consider that people are forever leaving things for one another through the Lines chat - food, pool noodles and the like.
To add another anecdote (admittedly not Disney) but I went to Nashville this past May and we arrived at our hotel right around 3pm. We walked in off of the street with our luggage and took one look at the line to check in and then just went straight to the concierge to drop our bags. I don’t even think we gave a name, they just gave us the 2nd half of the bag tag. We then came back much later that night to check in with no wait. So they definitely had no way of checking if we were staying there.
You won’t get DME or your 60 day Fastpasses, but definitely don’t worry about your bags!
and the like.