How long did it take you to get through MCO?

[mick]

Originally Posted by Thorpy

They seem to be allowing more people to use the lift, and they force you to one side of one monorail, and it looks permanent.
In the old arrangement the whole ethos behind the stairs and the escalator was that they were guarding the secure area, keeping people moving one way, stopping any potential backflow of domestic persons into international baggage areas.
If you can only get onto the one monorail, then they can guard the area by using the monorail doors. So long as it is empty of departure bound passengers before they open the doors to arrivals side, nobody can mix and get where they shouldn't be. Hence they don't need to be so vigilant with the lift or stairs, and presumably not needing people to police the lift and the stairs might mean an extra booth open... or more likely a saving to the US taxpayer.

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Yes as you say the "old" arrangement (still being shown on the walk through ) was the escalator/stairs were a notional separation between landside and airside. The theory was that you weren't allowed back down to collect more luggage. The theory of the lift was it was for disabled used only. No companions or luggage.

The trouble with "theory" in practice with my 15 years on here is that there will always be someone who was allowed back down or was allowed in the lift.

So this thread proves yet again that no matter what statistics might say the reality is how long is a piece of string. 73 years on this planet have taught me not to stress about things over which I have no control.

Mick

[mick]

Originally Posted by PPM

As an aside, we went thro Sanford yesterday..
Just over 30 mins from off the plane to driving out from Alamos garage !
And we had the most cheerful Immigration Officer we have ever met in all our trips.
Will do this Airport again, plus Dreamliner was fine.

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PPM

Hope the rest of the holiday is as trouble free and cheerful.

Mick

[vampiress88]

Going to read this walk though thing now as I didn’t even know there was a monarail. I thought there was two sides by what everyone was saying but I thought it was like a walk thing like those ones over motorways. It it also quite possible I’ve been told and forgot. Memory is awful.
Only ever flew into standford before.

[Sarah84]

As others have said it can differ depending on so much, last week I was off the plane and waiting for the magical express within about 30 minutes and that included a horrible immigration officer who took over 5 minutes to decide if he believed that I was there to see Mickey because apparently you don't do that multiple times even if you have an annual pass

[Thorpy]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

Going to read this walk though thing now as I didn’t even know there was a monarail. I thought there was two sides by what everyone was saying but I thought it was like a walk thing like those ones over motorways. It it also quite possible I’ve been told and forgot. Memory is awful.
Only ever flew into standford before.

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Don't stress over it. Every single daytime hour of every single day many people will travel through the airport for the first time in their lives with absolutely no clue of what to expect. They all make it !

It's got me thinking what the time difference would be to transit the airport for somebody that has never been and knows no tricks and somebody that knows the script. Front of plane helps with immigration, but then the luggage lottery often counteracts that. (unless you are premium or above).
As we're magical express users, I can only really speak to that. Given the busses are about every half hour, I'd say there is probably one bus difference, maybe 2 if the 2nd bag drop is delayed. If a first timer knows not to use 2nd bag drop, I reckon they would probably be on the same Magical express, or at worst the next one.

Interested to hear the thought of others that know the time saved by direct to garage as opposed to using the desks, and how much quicker they reckon they get through the airport by knowing the tricks.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Thorpy

Interested to hear the thought of others that know the time saved by direct to garage as opposed to using the desks, and how much quicker they reckon they get through the airport by knowing the tricks.

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Sadly Thorpy I can't help on this. Because as soon as we're off the monorail we're bearing left past the shop and down the escalators to level one. Never even look across to the car hire desks on the way so we never see if there's one or a hundred waiting.

Mick

[monique]

Differs again if you get ushered through the US citizen line. Husband holds an American passport so we always tag along with him ( made the mistake on our first trip to split and they really didn’t like that, got a right telling off for not staying with my husband through the US citizen line... who am I to argue) however baggage can be a right pain and we end up waiting quite long at times for that. As others have said, how long is a piece of string... not been since 2016 so will be interesting to see the changes in MCO.

[mick]

Originally Posted by monique

As others have said, how long is a piece of string... not been since 2016 so will be interesting to see the changes in MCO.

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I think the automated passport kiosks were there in 2016 weren't they? They've gone and the link to them has disappeared from the MCO web site. Chatting to the officer last November he confirmed that they were a complete waste of money and time.

Haven't had the blue customs forms for ages and no sign of a customs officer in maybe three years. The IO may ask if you have food.

Change in route from immigration hall to monorail that I've mentioned before.

More eating options airside gates 70-99.

Just to confuse people there's signage in the main concourse for terminal C which, as at last month, was still a sea of tower cranes. You can if you like park at terminal C and monorail over to A & B if you're meeting PAX.

Mick

[monique]

[QUOTE=mick;13850577]I think the automated passport kiosks were there in 2016 weren't they? They've gone and the link to them has disappeared from the MCO web site. Chatting to the officer last November he confirmed that they were a complete waste of money and time.

Yes they were there. Put a big cross through my daughters passport as she had less than 6 months left on her passport. Panicked me for a minute as I had done my homework and knew that it shouldn't be an issue... which of course it wasn't and when I asked the immigration officer why she got a cross he sort of shrugged and mumbled something about less than 6 months on her passport... of course they still let us in
Out of interest though, the kiosks are gone you say? so what has replaced it? Actual officers again or different machines?

[mick]

Originally Posted by monique

Yes they were there. Put a big cross through my daughters passport as she had less than 6 months left on her passport. Panicked me for a minute as I had done my homework and knew that it shouldn't be an issue... which of course it wasn't and when I asked the immigration officer why she got a cross he sort of shrugged and mumbled something about less than 6 months on her passport... of course they still let us in
Out of interest though, the kiosks are gone you say? so what has replaced it? Actual officers again or different machines?

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Everyone still had to see an officer even when they used the kiosks. The kiosks only scanned passports, took photos and fingerprints and asked the questions that were on the blue form. The officer actually stamped your P/P and permitted entry.

Lots of reasons for the crosses apart from 6 months such as declaring food (us) and poor quality fingerprints.

No machines now just straight to an officer.


Mick