If you’ve ever flown in or out of Orlando International Airport (MCO), you probably already know — it’s not just an airport. It’s a whole experience. And sometimes…not the good kind.
Orlando International Airport
To that point, we thought we’d reach out to you and get your take on the problems you’ve encountered. And wow. You had thoughts. From confusing terminals to cookie-related TSA drama (yes, really), it turns out navigating MCO isn’t exactly a walk down Main Street, U.S.A.
We reached out to our followers on Facebook and Instagram to ask: “What problems have you encountered at Orlando Airport?” We had quite a few people leave their opinions in the comments!
What do you think?
Now, let’s go over some of your top responses!
“Thank you, Gideon’s cookies”
First up, we’ve got Kelsey, who shared a story that had us simultaneously stressed and craving chocolate. She said,
“Flight home last month I told the TSA guy at the conveyor belt that my carry-on had food in it that always looks sus (Thank you, Gideon’s cookies) and that they’ll want to hand inspect it. He was cool about it, and put that bag aside for additional search. Little did I know, there was only one agent doing the extra screenings for 3 or 4 lines. So needless to say, it took a good long while to get to my bag, which made me super antsy. Finally when it’s my turn, he starts the whole schpeel about me being selected for an additional search blah blah blah and I’m like “yep, I know, I specifically told him at the belt that these huge chocolate chip cookies would look weird and requested a hand inspection”… he kinda just blinked, poked around for a second, said “Oh, yeah, Gideons”… then handed it over and said “ma’am you’re all set, enjoy your treats”. Thanks, I did! ”
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Honestly, we get it. TSA lines are already a test of patience, but throw in an extra screening for those Gideon’s cookies that “look sus” and now you’re sweating it out wondering if you’ll even make it to your gate.
Mears Shenanigans
A common theme we saw from you was ground transportation. To that point, Karen shared,
“My only complaint is that Mears picks up/drops off in the opposite terminal from Southwest.”
Orlando Airport
If you’ve ever tried to navigate MCO’s terminals with luggage, tired kids, and a dwindling phone battery, you know that “opposite terminal” is no joke. That little detail can mean the difference between a smooth ride to your hotel and a chaotic game of airport Frogger.
RIP Magical Express
Speaking of transportation, Regina hit us with a little nostalgia (and some real talk):
“Ground transportation from MCO is expensive, with the possible exception of a friend or family member to pick you up. (RIP Magical Express. I take back every joke I made about you.)”
We miss you Magical Express!
We feel this deep in our Disney-loving souls. The Magical Express may not have been perfect, but at least it was free and didn’t require you to download five apps and solve a riddle to find your van.
“I am honestly scared of the TSA people”
Sara brought the relatable humor, writing,
“No problems but I am honestly scared of the TSA people, as hard as I try I am never prepared!!”
Same. No matter how many times we fly, there’s something about that conveyor belt moment that makes us suddenly forget how zippers work. Bonus points if you also panic-remove your shoes too early.
Terminal B Trauma
Maita chimed in with this short but not-so-sweet comment:
“Bathrooms and a really chaotic Terminal B – I’m looking at you Gates 70-79!”
MCO lines
We’ve been there. Those gates can feel like a whole different airport. Add in crowded restrooms and pre-flight stress? Chaos mode unlocked.
The MCO Gate Mystery
Now, let’s talk about a comment that truly gave us airport anxiety just reading it. Sharon wrote:
“May 2024 we were coming home from Disney, Got to the Southwest counter, were told our gate was 100, I asked again to make sure I heard her correctly. Tried to find gate 100, couldn’t find it, was told by Southwest there is no gate 100 and when she checked on our flight she said it already left! We had over an hour to make the flight and it was delayed. We would have missed it since Mears didn’t get up there on time but it was delayed. Then found out flight didn’t leave, just at another gate. Even got a text saying flight left but it didn’t and then announced over intercom it didn’t leave just at a different gate. Sitting on tarmac for awhile while they got everyone’s luggage to other gate and then turbulence and no drinks or snacks on flight. I felt dehydrated with no water. Flight from Hell!!”
No notes. Just vibes. And those vibes are PANIC. Gate mix-ups, misinformation, dehydration — a true travel horror story. The kind that makes you double-check your boarding pass and chug a bottle of water before you even get through security.
Coffee Crisis
Let’s end on a slightly lighter note. Jill shared this gem:
“Starbucks lines are ridiculous. The most popular coffee spot, can’t there be more, like right at the gates please? Otherwise, love this Orlando International Airport (MCO).”
Orlando International Airport
This one’s for all our caffeine warriors. You made it through security. You conquered Terminal B. And now you just want your grande iced latte before your gate starts boarding. But instead? A Starbucks line that looks longer than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at rope drop.
Well, those were just some of your thoughts on the problems you’ve encountered at the Orlando International Airport, and now we want to hear even more from you! In the meantime, stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news!
3 Replies to “I Can’t Believe This Happened to Me at Orlando Airport”
I started using Orlando Airport because they offer more non-stop flight than Palm Beach Airport. At first I use the park ride place to park my car because it was easy and quick do I want to know why but after a while they got too big and it took me almost an hour to get picked up so I was so happy to see them build Terminal C and parking garage C thinking of being an easy thing to come up working Terminal C garage and leave out of terminal C I found that very soon that was 100% wrong the first time I tried Terminal C I was told it was closed and go to Terminal A or B the only place to park there was on the roof luckily I took a picture of where my car was because I needed someone from the airport to show me where this place is the worst thing is my flight came in at Terminal C and to go find Terminal B parking hey there is absolutely no signage telling you how to do that I tried to find somebody else but they were completely uninformed on it what to do basically it took me an hour to go from what I got off my airplane till I got to my car and left exact same thing next time I took a flight out of terminal C the place to park but someone told me when I parked my car that although Terminal C parking garage is for flights out of terminal C it is completely filled up by train traffic let the train people build their own parking garage and give me back my terminal C my latest flight was out of terminal C on June the 13th as I turned into the airport every side this is from those a b c are full so the only place I could part was economy parking for terminal C even then it was at the edge of terminal C cuz I was parking on grass luckily the girl on the bus says you’re in route e number 24 and 25 I am a retired professional civil engineer with many many years of dealing with Transportation issues especially directions and parking signs in my opinion Orlando airport is worse than abominable there is not one sign guiding me from my terminal C Landing which hadn’t been on level one until I found her to pick up the bus or South Economy Parking which was also on level one but I had to go up to level six and walk for about 40 minutes until some kind soul and information told me how to get to I must to take me to my car pardon me but you are really screwing over people who want to drive to the parking and get to the airport one there’s no place to park into signing so bad I have nowhere to go you have no idea where to go shame on you
Only airport I know where the wheelchairs belong to the airlines. We could not get a wheelchair until we got to the Delta counter despite walking by a group that belonged to another airline. A Delta agent found a wheelchair but no one to push it. I had to push my husband through security and on to the tram, where the wheelchair seized up. We left it and my poor husband limped and stumbled to the gate. NEVER going through Orlando airport again.
Our worst experience, by far, happened several years ago. We were waiting at our gate at MCO for boarding to start. Suddenly an announcement came over that the entire section of gates had to be evacuated back to the main terminal. We all had to walk back, even along the tram tracks outdoors. Someone had run through security without stopping, we were told. The terminal area was mobbed. That entire wing of gates had to be searched and dogs bought in to sniff for bombs.It was clear our flight would be severely delayed and we would miss our connection. The hotel in the terminal had no rooms. We checked to see if we could go back to WDW and get a room. None available. So we stood in a long line, rebooked our flight (our checked bags would not be retrieved until we got home. We wound up renting a car and getting a room 40 minutes away for the night.
I started using Orlando Airport because they offer more non-stop flight than Palm Beach Airport. At first I use the park ride place to park my car because it was easy and quick do I want to know why but after a while they got too big and it took me almost an hour to get picked up so I was so happy to see them build Terminal C and parking garage C thinking of being an easy thing to come up working Terminal C garage and leave out of terminal C I found that very soon that was 100% wrong the first time I tried Terminal C I was told it was closed and go to Terminal A or B the only place to park there was on the roof luckily I took a picture of where my car was because I needed someone from the airport to show me where this place is the worst thing is my flight came in at Terminal C and to go find Terminal B parking hey there is absolutely no signage telling you how to do that I tried to find somebody else but they were completely uninformed on it what to do basically it took me an hour to go from what I got off my airplane till I got to my car and left exact same thing next time I took a flight out of terminal C the place to park but someone told me when I parked my car that although Terminal C parking garage is for flights out of terminal C it is completely filled up by train traffic let the train people build their own parking garage and give me back my terminal C my latest flight was out of terminal C on June the 13th as I turned into the airport every side this is from those a b c are full so the only place I could part was economy parking for terminal C even then it was at the edge of terminal C cuz I was parking on grass luckily the girl on the bus says you’re in route e number 24 and 25 I am a retired professional civil engineer with many many years of dealing with Transportation issues especially directions and parking signs in my opinion Orlando airport is worse than abominable there is not one sign guiding me from my terminal C Landing which hadn’t been on level one until I found her to pick up the bus or South Economy Parking which was also on level one but I had to go up to level six and walk for about 40 minutes until some kind soul and information told me how to get to I must to take me to my car pardon me but you are really screwing over people who want to drive to the parking and get to the airport one there’s no place to park into signing so bad I have nowhere to go you have no idea where to go shame on you
Only airport I know where the wheelchairs belong to the airlines. We could not get a wheelchair until we got to the Delta counter despite walking by a group that belonged to another airline. A Delta agent found a wheelchair but no one to push it. I had to push my husband through security and on to the tram, where the wheelchair seized up. We left it and my poor husband limped and stumbled to the gate. NEVER going through Orlando airport again.
Our worst experience, by far, happened several years ago. We were waiting at our gate at MCO for boarding to start. Suddenly an announcement came over that the entire section of gates had to be evacuated back to the main terminal. We all had to walk back, even along the tram tracks outdoors. Someone had run through security without stopping, we were told. The terminal area was mobbed. That entire wing of gates had to be searched and dogs bought in to sniff for bombs.It was clear our flight would be severely delayed and we would miss our connection. The hotel in the terminal had no rooms. We checked to see if we could go back to WDW and get a room. None available. So we stood in a long line, rebooked our flight (our checked bags would not be retrieved until we got home. We wound up renting a car and getting a room 40 minutes away for the night.