Anybody ever slept at MCO Airport?

[BrianTheMute]

Crunching the numbers, I realized I can save about $40 and also arrive in WDW quite a bit earlier if I fly in late the night prior. The catch is, I'd have to sleep in MCO. It's not completely unheard of, according to This Site, but I just wanted to know if any of you have ever done it and what your experience was.

 

[csmat99]

Seriously makes no sense to sleep at airport unless your flight is cancelled and have no where to go. If you can't afford 50-60 bucks for one night at hotel by airport then you shouldn't be going to Disney. There are plenty of hotels that offer free shuttles from airport. Check out hotwire. I would just get one of the cheaper hotels by Disney and stay there and be ready to go first thing in the morning.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I'll add to the chorus of, "this doesn't seem worth it for a mere $40" brigade. If $40 means that much to you, you really need to re-think a WDW vacation, where that $40 is going to disappear by lunchtime on day 1.

I'd check out one of the discount travel sites and find a cheap hotel room that has a free shuttle to and from MCO. If you're feeling adventurous and want to take a risk, go on priceline and name your own price. You'll save even more, but won't know where you're headed until you've paid.

If you absolutely decide you're staying at the airport, I'd stay down near the DME counter. There's always a lot of people around there and it seems less deserted than other areas of the airport late at night (due to various flight delays over the years, I've occasionally arrived at MCO as late as 3 AM, and the DME area always had a handful of travelers).

 

[markc]

Something else to consider as well - as there are very few floor spots that you can sleep on or benches - you most likely will be sitting in a chair trying to sleep (the chairs all have bars preventing anybody from stretching out)...and when you wake up, assuming around 5am when the terminal starts to get busy with the morning rush, you still have another 10 hours before you can check into your hotel (if you're going during a busier time frame, hotels will not have spare rooms available in the morning).

I dont mean to come off harsh, but Brian, but this makes no sense at all..and I cant understand why anybody would do this to themself...especially, if I'm remembering correctly, you had talked about a accident that left you unable to walk unassisted recently. $40 isnt worth it! lol. If you're able to afford the luxury of the Polynesian for your trip...add a small cost and get a $40-$50 hotel near the airport, or just go in the next day and forgo the cost savings. You'll be glad you did.

 

[daklimation]

Don't let all of these debbie downers rain on your parade, if any of them have travelled as much as they pretend to, they'd understand that what you're planning on doing is not a big deal.

The person who told you that security empties the terminals at 1am was flat out lying to you, MCO is a 24 hour airport.

Those that are worrying you about safety are also out of their minds, if you want to be safe in America today, look no further than an airport, cameras, federally mandated security, police, extra airport security, air marshalls, you name it, they've got it. Airports put your at home adt security system to shame.

Here's what you're going to do, bring a backpack as your carryon, I'm assuming you're only bringing a carryon, travel lightly. Your backpack is going to double as your pillow, bring a light blanket, or a sweatshirt that can double as your blanket, pick a nice spot by a window, and take a nap after you grab a bite to eat. You'll wake up in the morning with the sun, feel surprisingly refreshed, and be a VERY short stroll from the nearest Dunkin' Donuts for a good morning pick-me-up.

Have an enjoyable trip, I understand that it's more about getting here early than it is about saving a few bucks, even though both play into it.

To the rest of you, live a little.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

To everyone talking down to the OP, please back off. I'm a regular traveler who has been to WDW many times, and I frequently save a lot of money by flying in really late (or flying out really early in the morning) and spending one night sleeping in the airport.

I've slept in MCO a couple times, and while it's not the most comfortable airport I've slept in, it's fine. Like the above poster said, bring a sweatshirt to double as your blanket (I use a zip-up hoodie and just unzip it and wear it backwards) and then sleep on your backpack. Also, if your backpack is lockable (meaning that it has two zippers on the main line) bring a small combination padlock and lock up your most important stuff in that main compartment. Sleep in an area where many other people are sleeping (not too hard to find) and set an alarm on your cell phone to wake up when you want to leave. The MCO staff shouldn't give you any trouble.

I have a trip planned to Copenhagen next month and I plan on spending a night in their airport. Sleepinginairports.net (as you mentioned) is a great resource for more tips.

Have a safe trip and a great time in WDW!

(Edited to agree with the poster above. Nobody will kick you out at 1am. Most international (and many domestic) airports are 24 hours. Whoever claimed otherwise was just blowing smoke.)

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Something else to consider as well - as there are very few floor spots that you can sleep on or benches - you most likely will be sitting in a chair trying to sleep (the chairs all have bars preventing anybody from stretching out)...and when you wake up, assuming around 5am when the terminal starts to get busy with the morning rush, you still have another 10 hours before you can check into your hotel (if you're going during a busier time frame, hotels will not have spare rooms available in the morning).

I dont mean to come off harsh, but Brian, but this makes no sense at all..and I cant understand why anybody would do this to themself...especially, if I'm remembering correctly, you had talked about a accident that left you unable to walk unassisted recently. $40 isnt worth it! lol. If you're able to afford the luxury of the Polynesian for your trip...add a small cost and get a $40-$50 hotel near the airport, or just go in the next day and forgo the cost savings. You'll be glad you did.

You'd be surprised. I went during a busy time and took a nap in MCO before heading to my resort. I got there very early in the morning, and the CM at the front desk told me that they didn't have any rooms. So, I took a seat in the lobby and waited. About an hour later, she approached me saying that she had a room. I was able to go to my room, get a few more hours of sleep, and make it to the park by rope drop.

And even if you can't get a room, you can leave your carry-on in a locker and go to the parks until your room is ready.

 

[Eldon_Brasche]

If you can afford to stay at the Poly then why is it so important to put up with this for $40 savings?

 

[drp4video]

^^^^ That is exactly my question! Use a AAA discount or someother one, and stay at Pop or something for not much more than $40.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly, but wouldn't it not make sense to stay at a hotel? I mean, if you arrive early like that to save $40 and stay at a hotel thats say $60 a night, you'd be losing money and probably sleep...