Disney's Magical Express

[SLS-550]

I was reading another thread under trip reports that said they had to wait about an hour for Disney's Magical Express at MCO. We used the service last year from the resort to MCO, but this will be the first time to use it from MCO to the resort.

I was wondering if someone could explain to me exactly how the service works. For example: are certain buses assigned to certain resorts? Can one family member stand in line & check everyone in? or does everyone have to be present?

The reason is… asking a 4yr. old to sit in a seat on the :plane: for 2 ½ to 3 hours & then stand patiently in line for another hour or so may be asking allot of him.:crab:

I’m hoping :fingers: that while I’m waiting to give them our information, DW can take our son outside by the buses so he can be somewhat entertained, he loves buses so I know that the ride to the resort will not be an issue, even if they make quite a few stops on the way.

Any information would be much appreciated so we can know what to expect, and maybe plan
for it. Only two days to go until the Magic begins.:thumbsup::vacation:
:thanks:

[SLS-550]

Oooops, I actually meant to post this under Vacation Planning, and now i'm not sure if it can be moved. My apologies:blush:

[Ricbr]

I dont think you will have any problems with it. And I cant imagine you will be waiting that long at all.

We went down July 21st -28th and once we got to MCO we had a nice monorail ride and easy walk to the Magical Express area. We just had to go to the desk (Maybe a 3-5 minute wait in line...if that) and they told us to go ahead and show our tickets to the lady down the hall...who told us to go to the next person (Literally just walking from one person to the next to get on the bus) and we then hopped on the bus.

From arrival into MCO to getting on the bus (15 minutes tops). We took the ride to the resorts (we stayed at POR) so we had 2 stops in front of us.

Total time from landing in MCO till we got at the resorts (less then 1 hour). We got into MCO at 11am I believe and ate lunch in POR with plenty of time to hit the pool and then let the kids take an afternoon nap.

Have fun!

[disneycouple2004]

http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=114271

Here is another thread on this, should be helpful...:thumbsup:

[sgdisney]

I've used Magical Express twice now and had two totally different experiences. The first time was in 2005 and when we got to the ME counter there was absolutely NO line and we breezed right through, getting on our bus within about 15 minutes after arrival. But a few weeks ago when we arrived at the Magical Express counter, there was a long line and they were asking for only one person from each party to wait in that line, unless it was a single parent with a child. All of the bus lines were also pretty long, and the whole thing from arrival to departure on the bus took about an hour. Both trips were about the same time of the year, the first time we arrive around 2:00 pm and this last trip we arrived around 10:00 am. I don't think you can really predict how long the wait will be, but hope this helps.

[SLS-550]

Here is another thread on this, should be helpful...:thumbsup:

Thanks I did not see that thread, I noticed you are from Jacksboro, My wife’s parents live in Mineral Wells and mine live in Weatherford.

[teambricker04]

One person gets in line to get registered to ride the bus. That leaves the rest of your party hanging out. The 4 yo could probably run off some of that energy while that gets done. Waiting in the actual line is Disneyesque... the CMs sometimes entertain you with jokes, trivia, what not to pass the time. My 2.5 yo does just fine in this and he is hard to impress!

I would say you wait in a line for about 20 minutes or so at most. Maybe if it is busy longer, but we haven't had that experience.