Hi David!!
Oh how exciting that your December will be extra merry and magical this year as you meet up with your loved ones at The Most Magical Place on Earth!
The Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort truly are a sight to behold.
One of the great 'included perks' of visiting Mickey's house is that
Disney's Magical Express motorcoach transportation from and back to Orlando's International Airport (MCO) is included with your stay at a
Disney Resort Hotel. I love not only the convenience and cost savings of this service, but even more so I love not having to risk getting lost driving in a new city! Mickey loves when all of his pals come to see him, and he definitely understands that some families come from far and wide as well as from multiple locations to get to his house. Your first party can absolutely wait for the second arriving plane, or your crew can take two separate busses if need be. After all, it is your vacation!
If you choose to wait for your party at the airport, the main terminal (pre-TSA) area of MCO is actually quite nice with a lot of shopping and dining options, including two Disney stores! There's even a huge area near the food court with lots of comfy chairs perfect for napping. If I arrive later in the evening or have had a long flight, I'll even stop to grab dinner here before I make my way to Disney's Magical Express. I will say that depending on when the two planes arrive, you may need to grab your own bags off of the luggage belt, especially if the first plane lands within the time frame of luggage retrieval but the second plane does not.
However, if the first group of arrivals does not want to wait (technically you can jump in to the pool as soon as you arrive to your resort hotel, even if your room isn't quite ready yet), or maybe one of the planes is delayed (knocks on wood), your two groups will still be able to make their way to the magic on their own. While your
MagicBand have everything auto-magically stored for easy retrieval, you can also provide a valid resort hotel confirmation number and show a photo ID to gain admission to the transportation, and then use your
My Disney Experience Mobile App in lieu of MagicBands to gain entry to your Disney Resort Hotel Room.
Pro Tip: Definitely utilize the
Online Resort Hotel Check-In option for your reservation. This way should your two groups arrive to your hotel separately, those who aren't the main reservation holder can still access the room on their own.
I hope this helped to clEAR things up a bit, David, and if you have any more Walt Disney World Resort vacation planning questions, We're All Ears!
~Kristen