Lounge Review: The Club At MCO (Orlando, FL)

The Club MCO actually has two locations at Orlando International Airport. This is critically important due to the strange layout of this airport. MCO is actually split into two terminals, A and B with each having two concourses, served by train beyond TSA security. Terminals 1 and 3 are accessible from one TSA checkpoint and terminals 2 and 4 are accessible by the other. This will pretty much determine which Club MCO location to visit. The Club MCO is a member of Priority Pass subject and may be subject to blackout periods.

a bouquet of flowers in front of a wall — Photo credit: The Club.

Getting There

Terminals 1 and 3 are accessible from the west TSA checkpoint and terminals 2 and 4 are accessible by the east TSA checkpoint . This will pretty much determine which Club MCO location to visit. If you are not familiar with Orlando International Airport, the first thing to understand is there is no logic by MCO for identifying gates and terminals. This may be because the airport was built in stages. Here is a map of the two Club MCO locations:

a map of an airport — The location on the left is in terminal 1, The location on the right is in terminal 4. Image credit: google maps.

There are two terminals, A and B but both feed into the central concourse area. Once you clear TSA security on the west side, you have access by train to concourses 1 and 3. The same process applies to the east side. Once you clear security on the east side, you will have access to concourses 2 and 4. To access the Club MCO:

If your flight is out of concourse 1 or 3, use the location at concourse 1 near gate 1 or
If your flight is out of concourse 2 or 4, use the location at concourse 4 near gate 91.

The layout at Orlando International Airport is very confusing and it is easy to get turned around. I mentally think of the airport orientation as airside east and airside west.

The Club MCO – Concourse 4

After clearing TSA security and taking the train to concourse 4, you are almost there. It is a short walk from the train to the lounge which is located next to gate 91.

a group of people at a desk — Checking in at the concourse 4 location.

HOURS:

Open daily – 5:00 AM – 10:00 PM
(Access may be periodically restricted due to space constraints, in particular during the hours of 12:00 – 14:00 and 16:00 – 19:00 daily). I entered using my Priority Pass membership. There may be occasional blackout periods from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm depending on occupancy. On the day of this review, there was plenty of seating available so there was no Priority Pass blackout.

Note:

Access is permitted 3 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure.
Infants under 2 years are admitted free.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.

LOUNGE AMENITIES:

Complimentary snacks and beverages, including beer, wine and premium spirits

Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi

Complimentary workstations with PCs and printers

Newspapers, magazines, TV, flight information monitors

Complimentary shower facilities

Comfortable, spacious seating

Disabled access

Children’s area

The Seating

This lounge is relatively large and has an adequate amount of seats in a variety of seating configurations. If you are like me and want a view of the “ramp” there is a small section with window access. Seating consists of various types of seats along with table, workstation and bar seating.

a group of people sitting at a bar — Bar seating.

a group of people sitting at tables with luggage — Table seating.

a girl sitting on a couch in a room with people — Main area seating.

a group of people sitting in a lounge area — Window seating.

a group of people sitting in chairs with luggage — The best seats are located in this alcove.

a window with a view of planes on the runway — View of the ramp.

a white outlet with a usb port — The power outlets in the seating area feature USB ports.

Food and Beverage Service

The food and beverage service is pretty typical for CLUB lounges. There is a good selection of hot and cold food choices and the staff does a good job of keeping the food stocked. There are many choices for beverages from soft drinks, coffee and tea to full bar service. To be fair, the staff was in the process of restocking the hot food while I was taking the photos.

two large metal containers on a counter — Soups of the day: creamy tomato basil bisque and Italian wedding soup.

a buffet table with plates of food — Rolls and cookies.

a buffet with food on it — Selection of sandwiches.

food on a shelf with plates and utensils — Salads.

a group of food in a row — Hot foods today were: tortellini with roasted red pepper alfredo sauce, Caribbean coconut curry chicken and cilantro lime rice. The food was being restocked when I took this photo.

a soda dispenser with a screen — Soft drink station.

a coffee machine with a screen and a stack of plates — Coffee and hot chocolate station.

a box of tea in a box — Selection of teas.

a counter with different types of food in containers — Fruit, juices and other treats.

a woman pouring liquid into a glass — Bartender Angel pouring me a glass of Chardonnay.

a refrigerated beverage coolers and drinks on a counter — There is an additional drink station located in the window seating area.

Workstations and Showers

The Club MCO features three types of work areas:

There are two private rooms. My wife used one of these rooms to make a video-conference call,
A tall table with comfortable stools and power ports and
A work station with a computer and printer.

a long white table with a glass partition — Work areas with power 110 VAC and USB power ports.

a chair in a corner of a room — One of two private office rooms.

a desk with a computer and a printer — Work station with computer and printer.

The Club MCO has two shower rooms.

a bathroom with a shower and a mirror — Shower room.

The Staffing

The Club MCO had more than an adequate number of employees on hand. Even when the lounge was busy at check-in, they were able to get guests checked in quickly. The general manager, J. B. Bulle made the rounds making checks of the lounge and personally introducing himself to his guests.

Final Thoughts

THE CLUB was very accommodating by having a lounge on both sides of the TSA checkpoints. This means that you should only have to clear security once. The CLUB MCO at terminal 4 is pretty typical with the other THE CLUB locations that I visited. The food selections are good but not great. The staff does a good job of keeping the food stocked and the lounge clean. I entered the lounge using my Priority Pass membership. They do reserve the right to limit Priority Pass members between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. This is on a day-by-day basis and nobody was turned away during my visit.