Can I make an 11:30 flight from MCO after cruise?

[Nickles_1]

I'm in the midst of booking my flights home after our cruise which docks at Port Canaveral. Do you think that an 11:30 am flight out of MCO is doable? We both TSA Precheck, if that matters. I've always cruised out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but this is my first time out of Port Canaveral, so I have no idea what the terminal is like there. I hear it's about an hour away from MCO, is that true?

[Noledad77]

It's about an hour away, yes. Assuming you're off the ship by 830 and on the road by 9, it's certainly doable. It might be more prudent to do a 1230 or 1pm flight. Might save you a little stress with the lovely central Florida traffic. You driving yourself or taking a shuttle to the airport?

[Nickles_1]

54 minutes ago, Noledad77 said:

It's about an hour away, yes. Assuming you're off the ship by 830 and on the road by 9, it's certainly doable. It might be more prudent to do a 1230 or 1pm flight. Might save you a little stress with the lovely central Florida traffic. You driving yourself or taking a shuttle to the airport?

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking of taking an uber or something, but I guess we can do a private shuttle. I would love a 1:00 flight, but my choices are either 11:30 am or 8:00 pm. I would really rather not hang around for 10 - 12 hours doing nothing before my flight, so if I could make it for 11:30, I would rather do that. 

[Noledad77]

2 hours ago, Nickles_1 said:

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking of taking an uber or something, but I guess we can do a private shuttle. I would love a 1:00 flight, but my choices are either 11:30 am or 8:00 pm. I would really rather not hang around for 10 - 12 hours doing nothing before my flight, so if I could make it for 11:30, I would rather do that. 

Oh yeah, then check with the cruise line and see how early you can pick your disembarkation time and try to be off earlier than 830. You just never know with Florida traffic.

[Ashland]

Use a shuttle and walk off self assist and you'll have no problems making this flight time.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

You can absolutely make an 11:30am flight, especially if you have TSA Pre. And the drive from Port Canaveral to MCO is only 35 minutes, not an hour.

[GTO-Girl]

11 hours ago, Nickles_1 said:

I'm in the midst of booking my flights home after our cruise which docks at Port Canaveral. Do you think that an 11:30 am flight out of MCO is doable? We both TSA Precheck, if that matters. I've always cruised out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but this is my first time out of Port Canaveral, so I have no idea what the terminal is like there. I hear it's about an hour away from MCO, is that true?

which ship???  The larger Oasis class ships do a better job of getting people off earlier and quicker…

[Nickles_1]

10 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

which ship???  The larger Oasis class ships do a better job of getting people off earlier and quicker…

Utopia, so an Oasis class ship. So I guess getting an Uber or Lyft may be my best bet in getting to the airport on time. Thank you for this!

[Nickles_1]

11 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

You can absolutely make an 11:30am flight, especially if you have TSA Pre. And the drive from Port Canaveral to MCO is only 35 minutes, not an hour.

Good to know. Thank you!

[broberts]

11 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

You can absolutely make an 11:30am flight, especially if you have TSA Pre. And the drive from Port Canaveral to MCO is only 35 minutes, not an hour.

 

According to Google maps it's about 47 mi. Presumably there are speed limits and traffic.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

6 hours ago, broberts said:

 

According to Google maps it's about 47 mi. Presumably there are speed limits and traffic.

 

Yes, the speed limit is 65mph for most of it.

35 minutes.

[GTO-Girl]

10 hours ago, Nickles_1 said:

Utopia, so an Oasis class ship. So I guess getting an Uber or Lyft may be my best bet in getting to the airport on time. Thank you for this!

Also look into a pre-paid shuttle.  Very popular option and I have seen them there as soon as the ships dock.  Here is a list of some of the most used in the area…

 

[audome78]

Yes

[DaveOKC]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:18 PM, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Yes, the speed limit is 65mph for most of it.

35 minutes.

Doing 47 miles in 35 minutes is not reasonable.  

[Knights on the Beach]

It's going to be about 45 minutes from Terminal 1 to MCO in normal traffic. We live 2 miles from the port and drove that route 5 days a week for several years (I work from home now).

[Saturngrl]

You didn't say what day of the week you disembark, nor the month you plan to cruise.  On a good day, you might make it to the airport in time for an 11:30 flight.  However, this is Central Florida and traffic is becoming more and more of a nightmare these days.  I would wager at least one hour drive from the port to MCO.  

 

You may want to purchase an extra perks package, like FTTF on Carnival or The Key on Royal, that includes priority disembarkation. 

 

Another idea:  You may want see if your cruiseline has an excursion that includes driving you to MCO after the excursion.  My friends and I did this with Celebrity after a Bermuda cruise.  We did a NYC tour from Bayonne to Newark for our 4:00 p.m. flight.  The tour was great and we made it to the airport in plenty of time! 

Edited March 26 by Saturngrl

[LuCruise]

Had the same question as our flight home was 2:15pm but the airline moved it back to 11:15am.  This was on Wonder, so Oasis class, on a Sunday morning (but it's spring break time for some schools)

 

We self disembarked and lined up early at 6am.  They started letting us off by 6:30am (not sure if this is normal or if it was early that day).  We ordered an uber when we got outside and were at the airport by 7:30am.  Our airline didn't even open the check in yet.  So we had plenty of time.  We were worried about it, but luckily everything went very smooth.

 

Edited March 26 by LuCruise

[Nickles_1]

20 hours ago, LuCruise said:

Had the same question as our flight home was 2:15pm but the airline moved it back to 11:15am.  This was on Wonder, so Oasis class, on a Sunday morning (but it's spring break time for some schools)

 

We self disembarked and lined up early at 6am.  They started letting us off by 6:30am (not sure if this is normal or if it was early that day).  We ordered an uber when we got outside and were at the airport by 7:30am.  Our airline didn't even open the check in yet.  So we had plenty of time.  We were worried about it, but luckily everything went very smooth.

 

This makes me feel better. Even if we're at the airport by 8:30 - 9:00, we're gravy. I forget what site I was looking at, but it listed as our ship as scheduled to come into port for 6:00, so my guess is that they will start letting people off by 6:30 - 7:00. We'll aim to be off the ship by 7. Thank you!

[Nickles_1]

On 3/26/2024 at 12:31 PM, Saturngrl said:

You didn't say what day of the week you disembark, nor the month you plan to cruise.  On a good day, you might make it to the airport in time for an 11:30 flight.  However, this is Central Florida and traffic is becoming more and more of a nightmare these days.  I would wager at least one hour drive from the port to MCO.  

 

You may want to purchase an extra perks package, like FTTF on Carnival or The Key on Royal, that includes priority disembarkation. 

 

Another idea:  You may want see if your cruiseline has an excursion that includes driving you to MCO after the excursion.  My friends and I did this with Celebrity after a Bermuda cruise.  We did a NYC tour from Bayonne to Newark for our 4:00 p.m. flight.  The tour was great and we made it to the airport in plenty of time! 

We're getting disembarking on a Friday, so I can imagine that traffic may be a bit heavier for a Friday morning in August. I'm going to try to be one of the first folks off the ship, so 7:00 or so.

Edited March 27 by Nickles_1