PDA

View Full Version : Airport to WDW ?? Time Line



GoofyforFun
04-04-2007, 08:04 PM
About how long on the average does it take to get from MCO airport to WDW. We are arriving late about 4:30 pm and are going to Chef Mickeys for a late dinner.
Thanks,

crazypoohbear
04-04-2007, 08:08 PM
That depends on if you are using ME transportation, renting a car, taking a limo service.
Which way are you planing on getting there?
Driving yourself if you know the way takes about 30 minutes or so.
Using the bus system depends on how long you have to wait for the bus and how many stops are before you.

GoofyforFun
04-04-2007, 09:29 PM
That depends on if you are using ME transportation, renting a car, taking a limo service.
Which way are you planing on getting there?
Driving yourself if you know the way takes about 30 minutes or so.
Using the bus system depends on how long you have to wait for the bus and how many stops are before you.

Using ME

Beast_fanatic
04-04-2007, 10:29 PM
I'd allow about an hour and a half to two hours from the time you land to arrival at your resort. Then, allow at least a half hour for check-in and I always allow an hour for resort-to-resort transfers since you have to use an open park or Downtown Disney as a transfer point (in your case, MK would make the most sense and then walk to the Contemporary).

BronxTigger
04-04-2007, 10:59 PM
If you are arriving at 4:30pm, I would strongly consider not making an ADR that night. Rather, I would plan to do a CS that night.

That way, if you plane is delayed (which can happen at 4:30 in Orlando, if there is a storm in the area the ground crew cannot go outside, meaning either you or your luggage or both is stuck on the plane until the storm passes) you will not have to worry about making your ADR.

Also, travel can leave you tired. When you get to your hotel, you may just want to relax and take it easy when you arrive. If you are not tired, you could just go spend some time at a park.

Just my 2 cents.

CleveRocks
04-04-2007, 11:25 PM
Disney reports the DME average time from plane exit to resort drop-off is 70 minutes. The two times I used it, it was 63 minutes and 56 minutes. Your mileage may vary.

LoriMistress
04-04-2007, 11:59 PM
We used MEARS last and HATED IT!!!! It took 45 minutes to an hour for them to load up our luggage and to get everyone on the bus. Then it took about another hour to an hour and half after dropping off other people before we arrived at ASMu. DH and I wanted to do a lot more things but by the time we go there it was around 7-8pm by the time we checked in.

This time around we're more likely going to use Happy Limo, and that includes 15 minutes to stop at the grocery store.

sainter
04-05-2007, 01:08 AM
LoriMistress, Did you use the regular Mears service or ME? I am thinking not ME since you mentioned them loading your luggage--- We have used ME twice and had the same experience as Cleverocks , about an hour. It took abut the same time as geting our own luggage and getting a rental car, and it is free!

CleveRocks
04-05-2007, 06:36 AM
We used MEARS last and HATED IT!!!! It took 45 minutes to an hour for them to load up our luggage and to get everyone on the bus. Then it took about another hour to an hour and half after dropping off other people before we arrived at ASMu. DH and I wanted to do a lot more things but by the time we go there it was around 7-8pm by the time we checked in.

This time around we're more likely going to use Happy Limo, and that includes 15 minutes to stop at the grocery store.By your signature, it seems the last time you were at WDW was in 2003. As of May 2005, Mears no longer runs shuttles to WDW resorts.

Disney's Magical Express is run by Disney. Yes, Mears is the subcontractor that provides the buses and drivers, but they do everything by Disney's policies and procedures.

Think of it as Mears is the muscle but Disney is the brains.

It sounds as if your most recent dissatisfied experience wasn't with the bus itself, and wasn't with the driver himself/herself, but rather the way the operation was run. Well you're in luck, because Mears no longer "runs" it, Disney does. It's a completey different operation.

For one thing, there is very little luggage to load, since most people use Disney's Magical Express as designed, which includes automatic luggage delivery directly to your resort room (guests totally skip baggage claim!). SO you don't have to waste time waiting around baggage claim waiting for your suitcases to finally show up!:D

Secondly, the Disney policy is that once the first guest boards a DME bus, that bus is supposed to wait no more than 15 minutes before shoving off, no matter how many people are on there.

So anything you remember about Mears does not at all apply to DME.

DME has been very successful and very popular. It was originally rolled out as part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth," which was from May 2005 through September 2006. However, in April 2006 they extended it through at least the end of 2011 because it's been so successful. They transport between 5,000-10,000 people per day. Of course no system is perfect, it's been very very popular.

And by the way, as far as groceries, we use a grocery delivery service, which REALLY saves time because we don't have to waste time stopping at a strange grocery store, finding where they have the things we want, waiting in line to pay, etc.