Orlando International Terminal C

Recently we heard about a program offered by Orlando International Airport – Experience MCO Visitor Pass Program. The program allows non-ticketed visitors to pass through security and spend the day in the new Terminal C. I had heard of a similar program at Pittsburgh and thought it would be fun to go see Orlando’s new terminal. Susan signed up online for three passes for my off Friday and they were granted today.

First we needed to pick up Andrew from UCF. He has one class on Fridays, so we planned to be at his dorm right as he returned from class. He met us in the parking garage, then we went to his dorm to pick up everything he needed for a weekend at home – his computer and his dirty clothes.

Our passes were granted for a security passage between noon and 1:00. I planned to be at the airport no later than 12:30. We made a quick stop at Subway, then headed for the airport.

When we arrived, the overhead signs said that all short-term parking was full and to park at the South Economy Lot. I didn’t believe the sign, so I headed straight for Terminal C Short Term Parking. When I reached the lot entrance, I was turned away by two security guards. It appears the sign was telling the truth.

At the South Economy Lot entrance, we found a long line of cars waiting to get in. Slowly we crept toward the ticket machine until we reached a point and all movement stopped. We realized that there are two lanes, but the e-Pass lane was out of service. Then we realized that both lanes were out of service. A worker drove up and had all the cars back up. I was thinking, “Now what?”. After a few feet, we could go no further. Luckily, that’s all he needed to get the car at the front of the line past the gate. From that point, the guy handed a ticket to each car that entered the lot.

The lot was extremely full. Cars were parked in places they shouldn’t be parked, like in the space beyond the last spot in a row and in the grassy areas between rows. I was thinking there was no way we’d find a spot. We kept going and going and eventually were directed into a large field. It was more like parking at the fairgrounds than parking at an airport.

We parked, noted our location, then headed for the nearby bus pick-up spot. It was apparent that we’d be waiting a long time. I started to feel bad for the actual passengers in the line, but I had no intention of giving up my spot in line. A bus came, then another came, and we still were standing in the heat. When the next bus arrived, an employee asked if anyone was going to Terminal C, so we raised our hands. She called us straight to the front of the line and we boarded the bus. About the time we sat down, others in the line started to realize that they can get to Terminals A & B from C, so they started boarding, too.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the terminal. On the ride, Andrew checked the status of the security line. The app said it was a 4 minute wait. When we reached the line, the sign said 18 minutes. In reality, it took over 30 minutes to get through. Needless to say, after all of that, we missed our entry window. Luckily, TSA didn't seem to care about the time, or even the online ticket itself. We showed the agent our IDs and he let us in. I guess he had all he needed on his screen.

The first thing I saw when I entered the passenger side of the terminal was Shake Shack. I made a note of that and told myself I’d be stopping there on the way out. The hallway opened into a wide-open space with shops and giant displays.

Terminal C opened almost exactly a year ago. It contains gates for JetBlue on one side, and 10 international carriers on the other. Terminal C also has a Brightline train stop that will soon start service to Miami. The international gates are quite large – large enough for Boeing 777s. We explored the international side first and quickly came upon an Emirates 777 and a Caribbean 737 Max.

At the end of the concourse, we came to a wall of glass. The view from this spot is amazing. The spot is near the end of two parallel runways, and you can see planes descend and land right in front of you.

After watching several planes land, we returned to the market area to look at the displays. The display area had three walls making a circular shape with gaps to walk into the circle. Each wall had giant displays on the inside and outside surfaces.

On the inside of the three walls, there were at least three scenes playing in a loop. The first was a reef scene. The second was a forest scene with fireflies. The third was a scene from Mars. Each wall had cameras mounted in various places, all pointing into the circle. I soon realized that the scenes were interactive. The fireflies joined together and followed along as people walked past the screens. On the Mars scene, collections of rocks spin to life and take on the shape of the person in front of the display.

On the outside of the three walls, there was a fountain scene. At first, the scene was just a wall. But after a few minutes, sections of the wall open and animal statues fill the spaces. Each animal is a fountain and water spills from their mouths to the “water” below. After a few more minutes, the animal statues come to life. First, they started looking around, then they started aiming their spray towards the other statues. Before long, each statue was in on the action. It was quite entertaining.

After watching the displays, we explored the JetBlue concourse. As we walked down the long hallway, we passed three giant wall displays depicting Florida scenes and artwork.

While we explored, Andrew checked the list of arriving flights and saw that a British Airways 777 was arriving soon. We headed back to the international concourse and watched it descend, land, taxi back, and park at the gate.

It was starting to get late and we had nothing more to see, so we headed for Shake Shack. We got a Strawberry Frozen Custard Shake and a “Dreamsicle” Float to share amongst ourselves.

On the way out of the terminal, we stopped for a quick bathroom break. While waiting for Susan, I heard a man with a UK accent. I asked if he had just arrived on British Airways. He said no, he came in on Aer Lingus. Then I asked what brought him to Orlando. I was completely surprised by his response. He said that every year, he comes to America to watch an American Football game and this year, he came to see the Chicago Bears play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I must say that I enjoyed my visit to Terminal C. The parking situation wasn't the best, but having the option to go inside a passenger terminal without a boarding pass is such a joy to me. This is something I used to do quite often in Seattle, before 9/11. Hopefully, more airports will provide a similar program.