There s no gum anywhere. While chewing gum is an ear-popping remedy for many air travelers, you won

As a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World, I m also a frequent visitor to Orlando International Airport (MCO for those in the know). On some trips, I ve spent more time at the airport than I have on park attractions, or in my hotel room. Here are a few tips to make Orlando International a better place to be, whether you re zipping through or whether you re hunkered down for hours due to flight delays.
You can get some last minute souvenirs at the airport. Disney has two official merchandise stores romantic things to do in los angeles in the main MCO terminal building. romantic things to do in los angeles SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and the Kennedy Space Center each have one. The selections are not extensive, but if you forgot to get your dog walker a thank you gift, this is a good place for a spur-of-the-moment save.
You can get Harry Potter romantic things to do in los angeles treats without a wait. The wait at the shops at Universal s Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be positively romantic things to do in los angeles otherworldly. The airport Universal shop stocks many Harry Potter items such as tees, wands, some Honeydukes brand candies, and Zonko s oddities, and there s rarely any wait.
There s no gum anywhere. While chewing gum is an ear-popping remedy for many air travelers, you won t find gum at MCO. Similarly, romantic things to do in los angeles you won t find gum at the area theme parks. It s all part of an effort to help keep the parks clean, which I appreciate, romantic things to do in los angeles but it can be frustrating at the airport. Bring a stash from home.
You may have to walk to get to Disney s free bus transportation. Disney s Free Magical Express bus service is located only on the B side of the main terminal building. If you re using an airline with gates on the A side of the terminal, you ll have go through the main building and over to the other side to get your bus. The airlines romantic things to do in los angeles which use the A side are: AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air Transat, Alaska Airlines, American, AviancaTaca, CanJet, Caribbean, Copa, Gol, JetBlue, LAN, Southwest, SunWing, TAM, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Volaris, and WestJest. Everything else (notably Delta) is on the B side.
Look around for the best security line. There are two entrances to the security areas to get to the gates. romantic things to do in los angeles Not surprisingly, the security line closer to the B side of the terminal is often more crowded because this is what the zillions of guests coming off the Magical Express buses first encounter. Try walking around the corner to the security line closer to the A side of the terminal; this is often shorter.
The security lines at MCO are notoriously long. I routinely wait longer at the MCO security area than at any other airport in the country, including the major New York City airports near my home. There is simply not enough capacity to handle the crowds romantic things to do in los angeles on site. Do not cut it close with your departure romantic things to do in los angeles time; always allow at least a half hour more than you think you should to get through the line.
Companion restrooms are available. There are four companion restrooms in the main terminal building and one in each of the four gate area building. The gate area companion restrooms are in the central core, not in the gate spokes themselves.
They re stingy with the charging stations. romantic things to do in los angeles There are a few charging stations at MCO, located primarily in the gate areas. However, these are far less plentiful than at many other major airports. I was a hero during my last sojourn at Orlando International because romantic things to do in los angeles I had brought a six outlet power strip with me and was willing to share it with other battery-challenged travlers.
There s a hotel on site. A Hyatt regency is located directly inside the main terminal building. This is a popular overnight location for guests who are arriving late, departing early, arriving the night before a cruise at Port Canaveral, or stranded without romantic things to do in los angeles a flight romantic things to do in los angeles due to weather issues. Despite the Hyatt brand, the rates here may be cheaper than spending a first or last night on Disney property. The direct phone number is 407-825-1234. It s worth programming that into your cell if you find yourself with the possibility of an unexpected overnight at the airport.
The stores have shorter hours than the airport itself. Some of the shops at the airport close relatively early (like 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.), especially on Sundays. If you think you might need something mission critical (diapers, etc.) don t wait until the last minute; buy when the shops are open.
There s an airport lost and found. If the airline loses your luggage, then deal with the airline. But if you lose something while you re in the airport itself, contact MCO Lost Found at 407-825-2111 or email lostandfound@goaa.org.
There s a place to pray. Like many airports, MCO has a non-denominational chapel available for reflection or prayer. The chapel is located past the security checkpoint for gates 1-59. You need a boarding pass to enter this area, which means that the chapel can not be accessed by folks just there to pick up fliers or by guests of the Hyatt who are not traveling that day.
You can rent a cellphone at the airport . The store Airport Wireless, romantic things to do in los angeles located in the main terminal, offers cellphone romantic things to do in los angeles rentals, a nice resource for international travelers looking for some U.S. connectivity. romantic things to do in los angeles Call 407-582-0500 for more information. romantic things to do in los angeles Airport Wireless also stocks a full range of phone and tablet chargers, in case you forgot romantic things to do in los angeles yours at the hotel (I know I did).
There s plenty to eat, but not everything is accessible to all travelers. For example, there s a McDonald s in the main terminal, and one in the A side gate building, but none in the B side gate building. If you see something you re dying to eat, get it while you can.
There are many rental car options. If you ve decide to rent a car for your Orlando vacation, you may want to look beyond the big names. You ll find that in addition to the usual suspects (Avis, Hertz, romantic things to do in los angeles National, Alamo, Budget), some smaller rental car companies (Thrifty, Dollar, Enterprise, E-Z Rent-A-Car, L M Car Rental) have desks and lots directly at the airport. Often the smaller companies have cheaper rates. And yes, I have personally rented from both E-Z and L M, and they are for real.
So fellow terminal dwellers, what are your tips and tricks for dealing with Orlando International? romantic things to do in los angeles Have you been able to find what you needed? Was there something you wished they had? Let us know in the comments below.
WOW! Great article, airports are obviously a big part of a WDW vacation and the intricacies of making the best of that part of the trip are often overlooked. Also you just saved me a TON on my rental car! EZ Rental had the lowest rates I ve seen in a long time.
One other point about the Hyatt we discovered when we had a 7 hour flight delay they offer a day rate for a room. Instead of waiting in the terminal, we had a room with a television and balcony to entertain the kids, two beds for napping, and a bathroom of our own. The room was available in the morning, and we left at 5pm to head to our flight. The rate was reasonable, and made for a relaxing day instead of a frustrating delay.
Great article! Normally we make the 8 hour drive, but with the $49 sale some airlines are having its cheaper to fly. I have been really nervous about what to expect as this will be the first time we will fly with our 4 year old. Is it common for people to take their strollers to the gate?
Strollers are incredibly common in the gate areas. Nearly every flight in or out of Orlando will have a dozen families with strollers in the gate area. My kids are teens now, but I actually miss having a stroller at the airport because it was so convenient for carrying extra gear.
Can you give any suggestions on where to grab a quick bite to eat on the B side? We always fly into B and usually grab a quick lunch before heading to the magical express seems to be very limited or I am missing the options! Any suggestions are welcome
Also, we finally found some outlets for our chargers next to a bench in the central area PAST security and PRIOR to going to your gate. Look at the base of the pillars in that central area in the middle between the food options.
The last time I came into MCO on the A side of the terminal, and I ended up having to lug all the suitcases etc to Magical Express myself, which was a bummer (I m coming from overseas, so no luggage pick-up from ME for me.)
Did I miss someone where there are skycaps or the carts you can rent? (I know I can get both on the way OUT of MCO, where ME drops everyone off.) Surely there must be some easier way to get the luggage to the other side of the terminal?
The MCO is amazing airport and I can never read enough about it. Just one note. It s not a King Kong arcade, it s actually a King of Kong arcade a tribute to a documentary about high level Donkey Kong players. There s even merchandise romantic things to do in los angeles you can buy inside featuring Billy Mitchell and Steve Weibe, two of the players featuring in the movie.
Glad to hear about EZ rental cars. We are renting from them next week. We are renting for 2 weeks and their prices are half of what most of the other companies are. Has anyone had any issues with them?
Appreciate various other excellent article. The place in addition may possibly everyone romantic things to do in los angeles get that form of details in this excellent way of writing? I get a speech future 1 week, using this program . with the try to find such information and facts.
Hi can you please tell me if past security is there restrooms before boarding romantic things to do in los angeles the tram to the departure terminals. With three children and one just out of nappies restrooms are at the top of my mind. Thank you
To the best of my knowledge, there are no restrooms between security and the monorail tram that takes you to the gate areas. There are plenty of restrooms before security in the main terminal as well as in the gate areas. The tram ride itself takes only about 2 minutes.
First of all, thanks for putting this on the web, very informative! I ll be landing at MCO at the end of May, coming in on Southwest Airlines (2pm) I ll be staying at the Hyatt, and using Payless car rental. At first I had a rental thru E-Z, then found it cheaper whil