Orlando Airport's 7 Most Unexpected Rules

Are you ready to take flight?

Orlando International Airport

We are almost always planning a Disney World trip on this team! We’re hunting for hotel deals, watching for news, and more, every single day. It also means we spend a lot of time in the airport, so we’re sharing the most unexpected MCO rules so they don’t catch you off guard before your next flight.

When traveling, there are so many rules to keep up with but do you know about these unexpected rules when you’re headed to MCO? We were searching the TSA and MCO websites today before our next flight and were so surprised by some of the things we found! Starting off, did you know you could bring an airbrush makeup machine in your carry-on and checked bags?

Grab your luggage!

Some of our team members love our makeup but I don’t think we’ve ever traveled with an airbrush machine! We’re sure professional makeup artists love this surprising rule but make sure you check with your specific airline before you pack it. We’re going to talk a lot about packing, so next up you can bring artificial skeleton bones in your luggage!

MCO Airport

This one was surprising to us so we did some research. Artificial bones can be used to replace lost, broken, or fractured human bones so it makes total sense that they’re allowed in luggage. We would personally love to see a TSA discover one in someone’s carry-on though! Talk about the surprise of the day.

Baggage claim!

Keeping with the baggage surprises, we were shocked to find out you can bring car parts in your luggage. I mean, we’re sure mechanics travel so it’s not super surprising but this author can’t even get her oil changed on her own so the thought of bringing car parts with you on your trip just caught us off guard.

What gate are you heading to?

This next one we were very grateful for! You can’t bring any fertilizer in your check or carry-on baggage (thankfully.) Sorry to all of the farmers and gardeners but as someone who has a very sensitive sniffer, I don’t think I could make it through a flight with a bag of fertilizer above me.

Southwest Cabin

Wrapping up our carry-on conversation, we were super surprised that you can’t bring a foam toy sword in your carry-on bag! Foam toy swords are a popular merchandise souvenir in Disney World so it was unexpected that you can’t bring it on the plane. Luckily, you can toss it in your checked bag without any problems.

Foam swords and shields

Now that we’ve covered what can (and can’t) go into your luggage, did you know that you don’t have to haul your luggage all over the airport if you’ve got some time to kill? You can’t just leave it anywhere, that’s not safe for you or anyone, but you can take it to Hold My Luggage! In Terminal B on Level 1, you can check out Hold My Luggage where they offer luggage pickups and returns, luggage storage, and luggage transportation services.

No more lugging!

At Hold My Luggage, you’ll sign a waiver and the staff there will tag your bags and give you a claim ticket. You can then roam the airport, or city, without hauling your luggage around! It’s essentially a bell service offering at MCO which is really convenient. You can return to that location to get your bags back, or you can request to have a staff member meet you at your airline check-in location for even easier travel.

Orlando Airport

Finally, you can skip the line for free at MCO with MCO Reserve! MCO Reserve is run by CLEAR and is a reservation-based service. This service can be booked online three days before your flight leaves MCO. Make sure to set a reminder because reservation times tend to go quickly.

MCO Reserve is open from 5 AM to 5 PM. Flights departing between 6:30 AM and 8:30 PM are eligible to book a reservation. It is also important to note that services like TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR will not be honored in the MCO Reserve line so if you want to keep your shoes on, head to TSA Pre-Check.

MCO Reserve has been a great service and helped us many times when we’ve been traveling on a tight schedule. MCO is the closest airport to Universal and Disney World so crowds can get wild during the holiday season and school breaks.

The MCO carpet!

There you have it! All of the most unexpected rules you need to remember before heading to MCO! Don’t pack your toy swords in your carry-on and make sure to keep following DFB for all of your travel tips and tricks.