Airport to WDW via DME - Average Time

[KordovaJD]

Though I've taken the magical express many times, I've never really made note of how much time it takes to get to the parks from the time you step off the plane.

We're arriving at MCO from AUS on the 6th at 10:30 am.

In your collective experiences, dear internets, how long do you think we will be from disembarkation to arrival at the POLY?

My guess, as supported by research, is that we should be to the hotel and ready to hit the parks by 1:30 at the latest.

 

[BigRedDad]

Its about 90 minutes from plane debarkation to get to your resort. Depending on the park will determine what time you will be there. Since you are at the Poly, you can figure 15 minutes to check-in, 10 minutes tops to MK/Epcot, 15 minutes to DHS/AK. I think you will be there well before 1:30. It all depends on how much time you explore the resort. I know I would have to get a Lapu Lapu before heading out.

As it was pointed out, AUS is for Australia. Customs adds quite a bit more time.

 

[nickys]

Its about 90 minutes from plane debarkation to get to your resort. Depending on the park will determine what time you will be there. Since you are at the Poly, you can figure 15 minutes to check-in, 10 minutes tops to MK/Epcot, 15 minutes to DHS/AK. I think you will be there well before 1:30. It all depends on how much time you explore the resort. I know I would have to get a Lapu Lapu before heading out.

But they're coming from Australia. That means up to an hour and a half to get through immigration and collect luggage to go through customs. And then they'll almost certainly need to get the train to the main terminal too, since every time we've flown to Orlando from the UK we arrive at the other terminal.

To the OP, I would allow 3 hours, and hope for a little less but not much. At the hotel you will need to check in and then leave your bags with bell services. I think by then I'd be wanting to collapse. It'll seem like the middle of the night to you! Unless you're very seasoned travellers, I'd think about maybe 3 to 4 hours in MK and you'll be ready for an early night. The good thing is you should wake early in the mornings because of the time difference.

OK, just re-read and seen you've been before. So maybe better able to hit parks! But the 3 hours still stands.

 

[BigRedDad]

I assumed AUS was Austin

 

[drwadadli]

Though I've taken the magical express many times, I've never really made note of how much time it takes to get to the parks from the time you step off the plane.

We're arriving at MCO from AUS on the 6th at 10:30 am.

In your collective experiences, dear internets, how long do you think we will be from disembarkation to arrival at the POLY?

My guess, as supported by research, is that we should be to the hotel and ready to hit the parks by 1:30 at the latest.

I think that is a pretty good assumption. We allow two hours as well. That being said we have made from plane departure to POLY in just under an hour. It depends on lots of factors: how busy the ME area is (for our hour trip, there are no one there yet we have stood there for 40 minutes one time); traffic on the roads and how busy the parks are. Again, two hours is a very safe estimate especially if you trying to plan ADRs but likelihood is that you will be there before that.

 

[KordovaJD]

AUS is the IATA airport code for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Tx. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Monty]

Fastest I've ever made it plane-to-park was 50 minutes, but that was literally a "perfect storm" of timings, we were in Business Class, so were first off the plane, we breezed through DME check-in and arrived at the front of the bus queue just as the folks in front of us were processed to board the bus and boarded the bus for our resort and departed immediately. Ours was the first resort stop, Beach Club check-in was almost immediate and our room was ready. We dropped our carry-on in the room and a short walk later we were in EPCOT.

Longest I've ever been was just shy of two hours.

 

[Tom 55]

On my 2016 trip. From Manchester, NH to Orlando arriving around 10am. We had stopped at POFQ dropped off bags and were at MK by 11.30. I went back to check the time stamp on my photos. Leaving gate at 6.37am to picture of the castle at 11.30am. This was the earliest I could remember. We don't plan fast pass unitl 1pm just in case.

 

[nickys]

AUS is the IATA airport code for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Tx. Sorry for the confusion.

Ah, OK lol!! In that case ignore my post.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Our average timeline (from plane touchdown to heading out from the resort on our arrival day) looks like this:
- tram/walk to DME (without stopping at baggage claim) at the airport (10-15 min.);
- waiting for a DME bus (0-20 min.);
- riding the DME bus (40-60 min.);
- checking in to the resort (5-20 min.);
- getting to the room, unpacking and freshening up (20-60 minutes).

In other words, three hours is about the maximum you would expect to spend doing those things, and only if you end up with the longest probable waits at nearly every step. In our experience (visiting at lower-crowd times of year), if our room is ready and we take the time to unpack and freshen up before taking a Disney bus to the MK, we're entering the gates of the MK about 3 hours after our plane touched down. If our room isn't ready and we just drop our bags with Bell Services and head straight to the MK, we're arriving at the park about 2 hours after our plane touched down.

 

[KordovaJD]

Our average timeline (from plane touchdown to heading out from the resort on our arrival day) looks like this:
- tram/walk to DME (without stopping at baggage claim) at the airport (10-15 min.);
- waiting for a DME bus (0-20 min.);
- riding the DME bus (40-60 min.);
- checking in to the resort (5-20 min.);
- getting to the room, unpacking and freshening up (20-60 minutes).

In other words, three hours is about the maximum you would expect to spend doing those things, and only if you end up with the longest probable waits at nearly every step. In our experience (visiting at lower-crowd times of year), if our room is ready and we take the time to unpack and freshen up before taking a Disney bus to the MK, we're entering the gates of the MK about 3 hours after our plane touched down. If our room isn't ready and we just drop our bags with Bell Services and head straight to the MK, we're arriving at the park about 2 hours after our plane touched down.

This looks a lot like my number. Our first FP+ is the 7DMN at 2:55. We shouldn't have a problem.

 

[21stamps]

I just checked my photos from last year. We landed at MCO at 12:02pm Arrived at Poly 1:31pm.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.....

Adding things up: you MAY wait up to 20 minutes boarding the bus until departure.
It MAY take up to 45-50 minutes to arrive at YOUR Hotel, with multiple stops and unloading.
Depending on Time of Day - ME MAY encounter traffic, and road work.

Let's add this up as a worst case situation: 20+50+10(road work) = 80 minutes. This is why my dear wife and I will not make a reservation for dining at our "Home Hotel" prior to TWO HOURS after touchdown at MCO. Now - this is just what WE do.....

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

In your case - with a 10:30 EST touchdown, plus travel time and check in? You have allowed 3 hours. That's fairly realistic . Just don't make a ressie at the two hour mark, day 1 .

 

[KordovaJD]

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.....

Adding things up: you MAY wait up to 20 minutes boarding the bus until departure.
It MAY take up to 45-50 minutes to arrive at YOUR Hotel, with multiple stops and unloading.
Depending on Time of Day - ME MAY encounter traffic, and road work.

Let's add this up as a worst case situation: 20+50+10(road work) = 80 minutes. This is why my dear wife and I will not make a reservation for dining at our "Home Hotel" prior to TWO HOURS after touchdown at MCO. Now - this is just what WE do.....

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

In your case - with a 10:30 EST touchdown, plus travel time and check in? You have allowed 3 hours. That's fairly realistic . Just don't make a ressie at the two hour mark, day 1 .

Well, as long as we're there by 3:55 we get our FP+, which is what I was considering. Even it is takes a very long time, we will not be rushing to the park to make a FP+ time.

What I have not favored in is lunch. Looks like we'll eat and run.

 

[KordovaJD]

I anyone is curious, after stopping to check in for quite a while with the concierge room check in, and a brief lunch in Capt. Cooks, we walking into the park at about 1:30.

We arrived at the Poly at 10:50. Our plane was supposed to land at 10:30, but it was much closer to 10:00. All in all, everything was moving very fast that day.