Updated March 25, 2024
Traveling can be a really stressful experience, but it doesn’t always have to be.
Many people traveling to and from Disney World end up visiting Orlando International Airport (MCO), which sees millions of passengers every year. They’re all about making your life easier right now, and you won’t want to miss out on a way to get through security faster.
MCO introduced MCO Reserve in 2022, which is a way to get a shorter security line from 5AM to 5PM daily. All you have to do is register a time slot before you visit!
To reserve your spot, you’ll select the date you’re traveling as well as your flight information, and then you’ll enter the number of passengers…
…and then you can pick from a range of times to get through security! This is totally free! There’s only one catch. The appointment times tend to fill up FAST, so make sure you’re booking with plenty of time in advance.
This is such a helpful trick that can help you avoid waiting in those long security lines. This is especially helpful if you know that you tend to run late (it’s okay, we are those people)!
If you typically fly at night or don’t want to use MCO Reserve, another option is to get TSA Pre-Check! This allows you to skip the regular line, keep your shoes on, and keep large electronics inside your bag.
Just head to the TSA website and apply there. You’ll schedule an in-person enrollment that includes a background check and fingerprinting. It costs $78 for new enrollment or in-person renewals and $70 for online renewals.
Some things may have changed since the last time you visited the Orlando Airport! Be sure to check out Terminal C which officially opened in 2022.
There are several Disney Springs restaurants there including Summer House, Wine Bar George, and a Chef Art Smith restaurant! We’ll choose this terminal for food over the others ANY day.
You can also check out the super fun Universal store. Didn’t grab the wand you wanted? No problem! They’ve got plenty of souvenirs that you can buy before you head home. The best part has to be the dragon you can see!
Keep reading AllEars for more Disney World planning tips and tricks!
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Will you take advantage of MCO Reserve? Tell us in the comments!
Delete thissss. This is the only way I’m able to get to my flights as a local Floridian lol
Free for now…but for how long?
You mention how far in advance you can make a reservation, and the answer is now through July 2022! So I am guessing it will be up to 6 months ahead. The bad part is, if you are checking luggage when you arrive at MCO, you don’t really know how long that will take so making a reservation may be guess work. Sometimes it doesn’t take very long to check your bags & sometimes it does. Each person will just have to decide I guess but it does at least sound appealing!
Any thoughts on whether this is likely to be better/faster than TSA pre-check? If you have pre-check and you use this, do you still get to avoid things like taking off shoes?