A Newbie's Guide to Orlando International Airport

We will tag our bags if we get the tags in time. We are in Canada and using a travel agent who frequently receives the tags too late from Disney. It is possible that we use the tags but my son may not if we receive them at the last minute. (flying from 2 different cities). I just want to be prepared for each possibility. Obviously if everybody is tagged we can just proceed from the food court to DME without the downstairs-back upstairs detour. By the way, I read here that Krispy Kreme was closing in the food court. Do you know if that has happened yet? It still shows on the airport website if that means anything.
 
I have no idea....that would be sad.
If you want, you can always just go up to the DME counter, give the CMs your baggage claim receipts and they can send someone to retrieve the bags from baggage claim. That would also save on going down and then back up. But that's up to you. Hopefully you'll get your tags in time.
 
I have no idea....that would be sad.
If you want, you can always just go up to the DME counter, give the CMs your baggage claim receipts and they can send someone to retrieve the bags from baggage claim. That would also save on going down and then back up. But that's up to you. Hopefully you'll get your tags in time.

Ok, thanks a lot!
 
Question about shopping in the airport. We have seen the Disney Store/Universal Store etc in the MCO airport but never stopped because of time restrictions, but my girls have asked if we could stop this time and do some shopping at Ron Jon's in the airport. Does anyone know if these stores are pre or post security? Do we have to shop before we go through security on the way home. And does anyone think we can access these stores when we arrive? Will we have time to stop before we catch the ME? Would it be better to go when we arrive or when we fly home?
 


Here is my thought on this

Shop & Buy on arrival ....... why ........ you can take the next ME.

Also you can pack what you bought into your hold luggage case for going home.


....................


Shop & Buy on way home................ not a good idea ...... why ........ you might be running late and NO time for shopping.

Also you will have checked in your Hold Luggage case & will have to carry through security what you have bought .
 
Question about shopping in the airport. We have seen the Disney Store/Universal Store etc in the MCO airport but never stopped because of time restrictions, but my girls have asked if we could stop this time and do some shopping at Ron Jon's in the airport. Does anyone know if these stores are pre or post security? Do we have to shop before we go through security on the way home. And does anyone think we can access these stores when we arrive? Will we have time to stop before we catch the ME? Would it be better to go when we arrive or when we fly home?

The stores are pre-security on the way home.

You would have to shop before you go thru security.
 
I've always considered the glass people mover (that goes between the airlines and baggage area) to be the first and last e-ticket ride in Orlando.
 


A Newbie's Guide to Orlando International Airport


One of the most common themes on the boards is questions about where to go and what to do at Orlando International Airport. Those who have never been there don't know how the place is laid out, where various services are located, and what terms like "Terminal A" and "Airside" mean. In order to assist those folks, I have put together a detailed description of the airport terminal's layout.


Additional information on the airport can be found on the Orlando International Airport web site.


NOTE: The three-letter code for Orlando International is MCO, because it was once called McCoy Air Force Base. You will see those letters often on the boards. Locals in Orlando call it OIA.


GENERAL ARRANGEMENT

The airport is split into 5 main buildings. The outer buildings, called Airside buildings, are where all of the gates are located. They are arranged in a rectangle and connected to the main terminal building, which is called the Landside building, by very cool short monorails. The monorails connect to the 4 corners of the Landside building, inside the security checkpoints, so the only way to get from the Landside building to one of the Airside buildings is to go through security and take a monorail.


gate_numbers.gif



AIRSIDE


Each Airside building houses a number of gates, and also has a sampling of shops and eateries to make the wait for your flight a little more pleasant. All of the normal airport terminal amenities, such as restrooms and phones, are also present in each Airside building. There are even places for the business traveler to recharge their laptops or cell phones. Free wi-fi internet access is provided throughout all five terminal buildings (SSID "Internet").


LANDSIDE


The Landside building is divided into two sides - A and B. The sides are mirror images of each other, with various services located on one side, and some services (like rental car counters) duplicated on both sides. The A and B sides run along the outer edges of the north and south faces of the building. You will often hear people mention "Terminal A" or "Terminal B"; these refer to the A and B sides of the Landside building, not to separate buildings.


There are two large parking garages, one on each side of the Landside building, containing daily parking and rental car pickup and return.


terminal_overview.jpg



Landside is 3 levels high, with each level having a particular focus.


Level 3

Level 3 houses the security checkpoints and monorail access to the Airside buildings, as well as passenger drop-off and airline check-in counters; all of these are divided between the A and B sides. A shopping and services district and a food court run through the middle of the building, between the A and B sides. The lobby of the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport hotel can be found at the east end of Level 3.


shops_LS.jpg



Level 2

Level 2 is entirely composed of Baggage Claim. Belts are located on both the A and B sides; to determine which side your bags can be found, look to see which side your gate was on.


Bags from flights arriving at Gates 1-29 (Airside 1) and Gates 100-129 (Airside 2) will be delivered to one of the belts on the A side of the Landside building.


Bags from flights arriving at Gates 30-59 (Airside 3) and Gates 60-99 (Airside 4) will be delivered to one of the belts on the A side of the Landside building.


Overhead signs on Level 3 will tell you on which side your bags will be delivered, and overhead signs on Level 2 will direct you to the specific belt where your flight's bags will appear.


Outside the glass doors on Level 2 is the pick-up area; if you have a local friend or family member who will be picking you up from the airport, this is where you can meet them. However, vehicles are not permitted to stop in this area except while loading passengers and luggage, so your ride will have to wait until you call them in the free Cell Phone Lot.


Level 1

Level 1 is Ground Transportation. Here you will find counters for the 9 on-site rental car agencies:

  • Alamo
  • Avis
  • Budget
  • Dollar
  • Enterprise
  • E-Z Car Rental
  • L & M Car Rental
  • National
  • Thrifty


The rental cars themselves are located in the garages, which can be accessed by simply stepping outside through the glass doors, and crossing the street at one of the designated crosswalks.


Also on Level 1 are bus stops for off-site rental cars, airport area hotels, and the Mears, Disney's Magical Express, and Disney Cruise Line bus services; taxi stands; and meeting areas for towncar and limo service pickups.


Almost all ground transportation is duplicated on both the A and B sides. All of the rental car agencies have counters on both sides, and so does Mears. Disney's Magical Express bus service, however, only operates on the B side of the building.


Car rental agents at the on-site agencies will direct you to the garages on either side of the Landside building to pick up your car. Each agency keeps cars in both garages, so you won't have to cross the airport to find your car; simply walk out the glass doors in front of the rental counters, cross the street to the garage, and follow the signs to your agency's pick-up area.


When taking a shuttle bus to an off-site rental agency or an airport area hotel, simply look for the signs designating your bus stop, just outside the glass doors, and wait for your bus to arrive.


When taking Disney's Magical Express service, head for the B side of the terminal and follow the signs - and sometimes Disney cast members with giant Mickey hands - to the DME counter for check-in.


Taxis, towncar pickup areas, and Mears bus service, can all be found on both sides of Level 1. Just follow the signs to the appropriate counter or pickup area.


Level 1 is where more people get lost or confused than anywhere else in the airport, because it is essentially two very, very long straight lines, and after walking what seems like forever without seeing your destination, you might begin to think you've gotten lost. But don't lose hope - it's a straight line, so you can't get lost. The worst thing that can happen to you is that you walk past your destination and have to backtrack.


terminal_layout_l.jpg



COOLNESS ABOUNDS

Orlando International Airport is a huge, busy, and extremely well-run airport. It may be a little intimidating at first glance, but once you get to know the basics, it's not too difficult to find your way and arrive at your ultimate destination quickly and safely. For more detailed info, check out the airport's FAQ page.

Thank you for the information.
 
Has anyone ever used the shuttle service from OIA to Universal thru Triple AAA?? My travel agent has been gone for about 2 weeks and will be out of her office for another week, and I'm not traveling until September but I was just curious if anyone had ever used them...I'm not even sure what "they" are aside from shuttles. Anyone know if maybe they are Mears? or a different company? Our flight won't land until 10:15pm (according to the online time) in Orlando, I asked if the shuttles would be avalible and she assured me they would be, so here's hoping lol, but anyone have an experience with them?
 
We are trying to figure out how much time to allow to drive from WDW (Old Key West) to MCO on a Thursday afternoon. We need to arrive at MCO to turn in our rental car around 3 PM. How much time would you allow?
 
We are trying to figure out how much time to allow to drive from WDW (Old Key West) to MCO on a Thursday afternoon. We need to arrive at MCO to turn in our rental car around 3 PM. How much time would you allow?
I would leave no later than 2:15. It usually takes about 30 mins but it's better to have a little extra time, just in case there's an issue.
 
Most map programs will tell you this is a 30 minute drive. During normal traffic that's optimistic. Traffic starts to get heavy by 3 PM. I'd be leaving at 2:00. Yes you might be 10 minutes early but traffic in this area can grind to a halt toot sweet. I'd rather be ten minutes early instead of setting in traffic for an extra 20. I'd second the notion of factoring 45 minutes at a minimum.
 
Lets start again What time is your Flight due to Depart ?

Now work out your time back FROM Boarding time .

Allow 2 hours FROM Car Rental Return to Boarding Gate ( Have a rest at Boarding gate if you arrive early )

Note == A lot of International Flights Depart around 3 pm so a lot of Passengers going through Security

So Now is your 3pm car rental return seem O.K. or do you need to Return car before 3 pm

Now Add on your 45 min + drive time from Old Key West to MCO.
 
Planning on spending the night at an airport hotel (not sure which one) and then return to the airport the next day to take DME. Where do you pick up the hotel shuttles? Are they on both sides (A and B)? Do they come on a schedule basis or do you need to pick up a courtesy phone to get picked up?
 
Am I the only one who thinks that the security check part of MCO is very un smooth and kind of a pain? Lol. I have been in many airports, some much more busy than MCO, and I swear it always feels like a chaotic area.
 
It's not your imagination. MCO and LAS are the two airports in the US that are famous to frequent fliers as a nightmare for security checkpoints - unsurprisingly given the number of leisure travelers.

The best thing you can do is obtain TSA PreCheck status for you and your family. There are three ways to get it, all valid for five years upon approval:

Apply for TSA PreCheck - good for US airport security checkpoints only, $70 $85 (thanks goofy4tink for the correction!)
Apply for Global Entry - good for expedited immigration when entering the US, includes PreCheck, $100
Apply for NEXUS - good for expedited immigration when entering the US and Canada, includes PreCheck and Global Entry, $50

Nope, that's not a typo - NEXUS costs half of what Global Entry does and includes it for free! If you live in Canada or a northern border state, it's definitely the best option - but you do have to appear for a personal interview, which makes it impractical for others.

Once you have PreCheck, you get to use a separate queue with typically shorter lines, and undergo less severe scrutiny (typically you don't need to remove your shoes, laptop, or liquids.) Definitely a timesaver! Children under 12 on the same reservation as you will receive PreCheck privileges; 13 and over need to apply for their own membership.

MCO also has another program called CLEAR, which is a private company that sells front-of-the-line access. They can only help you skip the queue and don't change the actual screening process - think of them like a paid FastPass+ for airport security. I wouldn't recommend investing in their service unless you live in a city where they operate, fly frequently, and/or are ineligible for PreCheck in some way - at $179 per year, it's wildly expensive!
 
Last edited:
Correction...TSA PreCheck is $85, for 5 years.

And yes, MCO is a crazy airport. But, I have always found it to be well signed, while other airports are easier to get turned around in. With so many unseasoned travelers flying in and out of MCO, it's easy to understand. I've been behind completely clueless people in the security lines. People that argued with the TSA policies. Do I think the policies are right? Not really. But, they're the policy! Deal with it. I've seen people mouth off to the security people, argue with them, refuse to do what's asked of them. Then, the passenger gets upset when they are pulled aside for more personal screening!!! I try to be pleasant and compliant...I've had one less than stellar experience in security. Okay, maybe two. But, that's not bad when you fly as much as I do.
Back in the day when MCO had security lines that designated who should use them....families, experienced travelers....my then 9 y/o dd and I got in the 'experienced traveler' security line. I had a gentleman, behind us, tap me on the shoulder and inform me that we were in the wrong line, that the family lines were over the other way! And he wasn't particularly pleasant about it! I told him that no, we were in the correct line. His response was 'Well, you sure look like a family to me', to which I responded with 'Really? We are, but look at that...my child is ready for the conveyor belt, shoes and jacket off, her bag emptied of it's 3-1-1 bag and on the belt.' He said we were a family and shouldn't be holding up the line for the experienced traveler. Okay buddy....you keep thinking that. By this time, dd was through the scanner, I was right behind her. Oh, and that gentleman and his group behind us? The TSA guy was yelling at them to remover their shoes and jackets. He went through the scanner with his phone and change in his pocket..had to go back! Yep, we held him up !!!
 
Knock on wood, Ive never really had any major issues with security, and I know I just jinxed myself cuz I have 3 vacations coming up in the next 44 days. Haha. But yea, MCO security just seems like it could be done better. But who am I right?
 
As a resident of SE Michigan, I gave a lot of thought to the NEXUS option because of its price advantage. But it appeared that I would have to slog all the way to some obscure office near the Ambassador Bridge for a "real" interview, as opposed to the perfunctory fingerprint thing that PreCheck offered in a much closer suburb. I ended up getting PreCheck, which I just used for the first time the other day at Flint Bishop Airport. It worked great. I hope I get to use it for my return flight out of MCO this weekend.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top