Uber availability at 4am?

[iheartglaciers]

Unfortunately I have to take a 6am flight out of MCO next week. Is there Uber availability at 4am on a weekday at WDW? I'll be at Wilderness Lodge. Thanks!

 

[siskaren]

Why not use DME? (And even that early, I'd want to be at the airport at 4 am, not leaving WL at 4 am.)

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Two weeks ago I was surprised at how busy the security lines were that early in the morning so you better plan to be there earlier. We flew home on a Wed and lines were long

 

[iheartglaciers]

Thanks for the input I guess I will just suck it up and take DME! I have TSA pre-check, but that's no guarantee for shorter lines...

 

[bumbershoot]

And even that early, I'd want to be at the airport at 4 am, not leaving WL at 4 am.

Absolutely.

I have TSA pre-check, but that's no guarantee for shorter lines...

Definitely not a given at MCO...

 

[jdisnut]

Unfortunately I have to take a 6am flight out of MCO next week. Is there Uber availability at 4am on a weekday at WDW? I'll be at Wilderness Lodge. Thanks!

Eh, there are a lot of really cautious people in this thread! If I didn't have any checked bags, I'd be comfortable getting into an Uber at 4:30 for a 6 a.m. flight, especially with PreCheck. Leaving at 4 you'd be more than fine.

Anyway, it sounds like you've already decided to take Magical Express, but it's worth noting that Orlando is one of the cities that allows passengers to schedule an Uber in advance. So you could simply book your ride the night before for whatever time you want. Figured that was worth pointing out.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Eh, there are a lot of really cautious people in this thread! If I didn't have any checked bags, I'd be comfortable getting into an Uber at 4:30 for a 6 a.m. flight, especially with PreCheck. Leaving at 4 you'd be more than fine.

Anyway, it sounds like you've already decided to take Magical Express, but it's worth noting that Orlando is one of the cities that allows passengers to schedule an Uber in advance. So you could simply book your ride the night before for whatever time you want. Figured that was worth pointing out.

Thanks for the info!! Yeah I forgot to mention that I'm not checking any bags... I have a few more days to decide more sleep v. risk

 

[sam_gordon]

Eh, there are a lot of really cautious people in this thread! If I didn't have any checked bags, I'd be comfortable getting into an Uber at 4:30 for a 6 a.m. flight, especially with PreCheck. Leaving at 4 you'd be more than fine.

So you're ok arriving at MCO an hour before your flight? Even with no checked luggage, I think that's cutting it close. If everything goes perfect, you'll get to your gate about 15-20 minutes before boarding. One little hitch and you can be in trouble.

 

[jdisnut]

So you're ok arriving at MCO an hour before your flight? Even with no checked luggage, I think that's cutting it close. If everything goes perfect, you'll get to your gate about 15-20 minutes before boarding. One little hitch and you can be in trouble.

Don't want to drift too far onto a tangent, but, yeah, I typically arrive at the airport for domestic flights about 50 to 60 minutes before scheduled departure unless I have to check a bag. In that case, more like 70 minutes in advance. My home airport is Newark, and I spend anywhere from 120 to 150 nights a year on the road, so I'm really comfortable with large airports. I'm not necessarily suggesting more inexperienced flyers should follow my lead, but even at Orlando, if you have PreCheck, arriving two hours in advance is only for peace of mind, not necessity. I value my time immensely.

But back to the point of the thread, no matter how much leeway you like to leave yourself, I think we can all agree that taking Magical Express back to the airport requires leaving significantly earlier than necessary, especially considering the extra stops your bus often makes. That's why, no matter when you choose to leave, I'd recommend a scheduled Uber if it fits in your budget.

 

[siskaren]

But back to the point of the thread, no matter how much leeway you like to leave yourself, I think we can all agree that taking Magical Express back to the airport requires leaving significantly earlier than necessary

Actually, I do not agree with this.

 

[jdisnut]

Actually, I do not agree with this.

OK then. Doesn't matter much. Everyone should do what makes him or her comfortable! I'd never begrudge anyone. I personally find Disney transportation in general to be incredibly slow, clunky and unpleasant.

Anyway, I hope the original poster received all the information she was looking for!

 

[nkereina]

FWIW, if anyone is flying Southwest, boarding begins at about 30 minutes before the scheduled flight time. If you arrive at the gate after boarding begins and miss your boarding spot, then you may end up with a less than preferable seat.

 

[DLgal]

Yes, you can get an Uber at 4am. My friend did that last month. She scheduled it the night before and asked for a 4:15am pickup. Her Uber was there right on schedule.

 

[zaccaglin]

That's about the time I come into work anyways, i could easily activate the app and pick you up haha.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Don't want to drift too far onto a tangent, but, yeah, I typically arrive at the airport for domestic flights about 50 to 60 minutes before scheduled departure unless I have to check a bag. In that case, more like 70 minutes in advance. t.

I'm the same. I plan 60 minutes or so prior to departure for most airports and that includes MCO. It wouldn't take all of my fingers on one hand to count the number of times I've arrived at MCO much earlier and most of those counts would be because of DME.

Not everyone has that comfort or familiarity though. Today's flight at MSP? I was pulling into the car rental 45 minutes before departure. Closer than even I care for but still no problem making the flight and not even close to being the last on.

I fly quite a bit - not road warrior status but enough and have been on that frequent schedule for over 16 years now. I know how to get thru an airport.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Keep in mind that MCO is replacing the shuttle from the main terminal to the gates so depending on your airline you might have a bit of a wait to catch the shuttle.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Just wanted to update this to close the loop I couldn't figure out how to schedule an Uber ahead of time, but there were plenty of Ubers near WL between 3:40-4am, and I also saw one Lyft nearby as well. Got one at 4am and was at the airport by 4:30am and at my gate at 4:45am. I had Pre Check (and wasn't checking any bags), but the regular security line looked pretty short. Glad I got the extra sleep!

Thanks everyone for your input

 

[joelkfla]

Just wanted to update this to close the loop I couldn't figure out how to schedule an Uber ahead of time, but there were plenty of Ubers near WL between 3:40-4am, and I also saw one Lyft nearby as well. Got one at 4am and was at the airport by 4:30am and at my gate at 4:45am. I had Pre Check (and wasn't checking any bags), but the regular security line looked pretty short. Glad I got the extra sleep!

Thanks everyone for your input

Thanks for the report back.

 

[AngiTN]

Just wanted to update this to close the loop I couldn't figure out how to schedule an Uber ahead of time, but there were plenty of Ubers near WL between 3:40-4am, and I also saw one Lyft nearby as well. Got one at 4am and was at the airport by 4:30am and at my gate at 4:45am. I had Pre Check (and wasn't checking any bags), but the regular security line looked pretty short. Glad I got the extra sleep!

Thanks everyone for your input

Glad it worked out for you. We are considering an early flight out next month. I think we'll just go on and head to the Hyatt for the night before but if not, we'll do the same as you.
I'm one of those rebels that doesn't get to the airport more than an hour before boarding (not departure, but boarding). And in 10 flights this year I've gotten through security and to my gate in time to sit before boarding. Sorry, I'm not going to sit around at the airport 1 min longer than I need to.
Heck, my local airport would make some of the folks here quite nervous. We often take the first flights out in the morning, about 5:45 (boarding is at 5:15) or so. The TSA agents don't even start working till 5:00 AM so you can't even go through security before that.