Luggage transit to belt 8a at MCO

Hi, has anyone had any experience using the luggage belt transfer to carousel 8a at Orlando? We have always taken our luggage with us using the escalator taking you to the shuttle transfer. However, on our last trip, 1st November 2018 we had to use the alternative escalator and one of our party fell backwards on the escalator pulling the case which landed on top of her. The emergency stop was pressed and paramedics arrived really quickly and apart from shock and some bruising everything was ok. Never had a problem before but considering using the belt transfer in May next year with four adults one child and five cases. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

We used it in the past when there was no alternative and it wasn't unusual to wait up to an hour for the luggage to arrive in the main terminal. I have no idea if this has improved at all in recent years as we avoid it like the plague!

Used it when we arrived on Nov 9th this year after travelling on the 75 from MAN. With a toddler and baby in the group, complete with accompanying car seats, we had more luggage than we could handle up the escalator. I can't remember how long it took for the bags to arrive, but it was a lot longer than I expected and definitely far too long with 2 young and tired children. It seemed to take an age just for the carousel to start turning. I thought they'd just trickle through as they were put on, but after the big delay before any started to come at all, they all seemed to arrive at the same time. The only explanation I have is they must hold them somewhere until they know all the bags have been sent and then let them all out at the same time.

Add in the terminal work, immigration queue (about 1hr 30mins for us) and the baggage transfer to the main terminal, I thought the arrival experience at MCO was very poor. Despite being in Upper, it was well over 2 and a half hours after arriving at the gate before we were setting off in our rental car.

We went through there on 31st Oct. There is a lot of work going on and the guy said he could send them but it's taking a lot longer than usual at the moment and it would be at least 30 mins. We took them with us and as I walk with a stick a man directed us to an elevator on the left just before you get to the right-turn for the escalators. This worked okay and lots of able-bodied people were queuing to use it.

Having traveled 4000 miles and then been reunited with my luggage there is no way I'm letting it go again.
I actually use the stairs rather than the escalator. As we have four cases it means two journeys as Mrs D is not keen on carrying a couple of 25kg cases up the steps.

Dick D

The 2nd bag drop / reclam at carousel 8A in MCO is a bit of a lottery. If you can manage it, take your luggage with you on the transit train to the main terminal as you will then be able to leave the terminal straight away.

If you do decide to use the 2nd bag drop, be aware that the bags are transported from the satellite to main terminal by ground transport. Therefore, if your bags just happen to miss a departure of the vehicle, you’ve got to wait for the next cart(s) to fill up before they are transported to the main terminal. The real gamble - particularly in the warmer summer months - is the weather. Afternoon thunderstorms are very common in Florida (just when the international flights are arriving) and the ramp staff are not allowed to work in the open when there is lightning in the vicinity. This can & does delay both the unloading of the bags from the aircraft & also their onward transit to carousel 8A if you use the 2nd bag drop.

In the past I’ve also had bags arrive on carousel 8A absolutely soaked - the bag handlers clearly think nothing of transporting bags on carts in torrential downpours. Not an issue if your bag is a hard-sided case, but if it’s soft-sided and may absorb water, bear this in mind.

As I said at the start, if you can manage your baggage on the transit train to the main terminal then do so as the time saving can be considerable & your bags stay dry.

Thank you for all the advice and information, much appreciated.