We had checked out of our room at the All-Star Movies resort in the morning before we headed off to the parks. We didn’t quite know what to do with our bags though. We could have checked them through to the airlines, but didn’t want to do that because the last time we did it with the cruise line, we got charged for our bags despite having the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard (it gives us one free bag per person). We decided instead to leave our bags with Bell Services and pick them up when boarding the Magical Express to the airport.
After leaving our bags, we headed to the parks. Our flight was supposed to leave at 9:00 pm, so we had a resort return time of 5:30 pm for the 6:00 pm Magical Express to the airport. However, we were done with the parks around 3:30 pm and decided to return to the resort. Once we arrived, we retrieved our bags and asked Bell Services about the chance to get on an earlier Magical Express bus to the airport. They said we could ask the bus driver and see if there was space.
Once the bus arrived, we asked the bus driver about taking the earlier bus. He had to load everyone that was scheduled for the bus first, but could see if there was space once all the passengers with reservations had gotten on. There ended up being enough extra seats for us, so we hoped on and headed to the airport. Once we arrived at the airport, we checked in for our American Airlines flight and dropped off our bags. Our first stop was for dinner in the food court. The food court in the Orlando Airport has a variety of choices. We each grabbed something we liked and settled in to eat.
About the time we were done, TripIt started to notify us of a delay on our flight home. It looked like it was going to be delayed about 30 minutes. We decided to go through security to enjoy the Admirals Club that recently opened since we have free access with the AAdvantage Executive Mastercard. We got to the club but noticed that it was closing at 8:30 pm. We asked while checking in if they were still going to close at that time, since they tend to stay open later when American Airlines flights are delayed. They said they would stay open until about 9:00 pm. We grabbed some drinks and used the wifi for a while until it was time to board.
The flight home was uneventful. We arrived at Reagan National Airport, gathered our luggage, and headed home. The trip was a nice way to spend our school break.
While the trip was fun, I don’t think we will be staying at a Value resort for a while. I really didn’t enjoy the double beds. I also didn’t really enjoy waiting for the buses. The only park I like taking the bus to is the Magic Kingdom since it lets you avoid the entire Monorail or Ferry Boat transportation. Staying on property without a car also restricts the places we can eat since we are limited to the ones on Disney property unless we are willing to take a cab or an Uber. Most likely we will only do it if we have a rental car or get a free dining plan.
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