Might be using Magical Express for first time...help?!?

[laprana]

We are going to WDW Nov. 22-29 (arriving on Thanksgiving day! :turkey:), staying at POR the first 2 nights and then moving over to SSR for the rest of the trip. We always get a rental car on our WDW trips, but rental car prices are crazy high for that time period, at least right now! We always rent from Alamo and their prices are through the roof. I checked out other rental companies, but they all have really high prices, too. I'm guessing the Thanksgiving holiday has something to do with that!

Because of the high prices, we're considering using ME for the first time ever! It's completely new to me, so I have some questions I'm hoping my fellow Intercotees can help with:

1.) About how long does it take from the time your flight lands to the time ME drops you off at your resort? Our flight is scheduled to land in Orlando at 3:00 p.m. We have a 6:30 p.m. ADR that night. Will we make it to dinner in time if we use ME?

2.) About how long does it take for ME to drop your luggage off after you've arrived at your resort? Should we pack clothes, toothbrushes, etc. in our carry ons just in case?

3.) How far in advance would we need to add ME to our reservation? (We're 43 days out from the trip as of today.)

4.) Has anyone ever had any trouble with ME? Not getting your luggage at your resort or after you get home? Arriving late at the airport for your flight home? Having to wait a really long time for the bus from the airport to your resort? Just trying to think through all the worst case scenarios! :blush:

Thanks for any help you can provide to this ME newbie! :rocks:

[mom2morgan]

You'll definitely make your reservation. I'd say planning for an hour to an hour and a half is PLENTY. I know it can vary, but it has NEVER taken us longer than 1.5 hours. The luggage does to a while to show up in room, though. They told us it would be up to 3 hours, and it was just slightly over. If this is a concern for you, you CAN grab your own luggage and take it on the ME bus with you. (In fact, my adult daugther was so afraid of them "losing her stuff" on our recent trip that she did just that, even though the rest of us let ME bring it. I was just smart enough to pack bathing suits in our carry on ;-) We've used it 3 times with no problems - and I've NEVER heard of anyone not getting to the aiport in time (more likely you'll be there early enough to have to kill a bit of time - I think they pick you up 3 hours before your flight). I'd recommend it. Can't answer the question about how far ahead you need to book. (Oh, and although you didn't ask - we started at one resort and finished at a second, and Magical Express had NO problems at all with that).

[MrPeetrie]

We use Magical Express and we love it. Usually the ME bus serves several resorts at a time, so when they arrive at your resort will depend on where you fall in the rotation.

To give you an example, our plane arrived at 8:15 am. Our son is only 2, so as soon as we landed, it was time for a diaper change. Then, we I adverts toy went to the wrong terminal A when we should have gone to B. Still, as soon as we reached the ME terminal, we jumped right on our bus. POFQ was the first stop. We used online check in, got our room key, went to our room, freshened up, hopped on a bus to Animal Kingdom, and arrived 40 minutes early for 12:15 ADRs. I think you should make your reservations in good shape.

[Aurora]

Normally I would say you probably will have no problem making your ADR, but it's Thanksgiving, and are you flying out of O'Hare? There's no telling whether you'll actually land at 3 p.m. It depends on so many factors, including whether earlier flights were on time, and of course, the weather out of Illinois.

As far as ME, though, it's extremely efficient. Your luggage goes with you on the ME bus, so it's delivered to the resort at the same time as you are. Everything is very streamlined. You might have a wait for the ME bus, again depending on how many people are traveling on this very busy travel day.

I'd reserve ME right away, like today, so you get your luggage tags in plenty of time. That's what helps make ME so efficient -- the airline workers recognize the bright yellow tags immediately and know what to do with the luggage.

Your other option, if you're nervous about relying on ME, is taking a Town Car from the airport. They're about the same price as a cab, and you'd have it to yourself.

[Gator]

Typically, it takes about 15 minutes to get from your gate to the ME bus line area. This used to be a nightmare, but it's a lot more streamlined. After you get there, you'll be directed in a few minutes to a bus. The bus may be ready to go, or you may have to wait for another 15 minutes before it gets enough people to go. So from gate to bus, it'll be 25-45 minutes. Then it's about 35-40 minutes to the resort, depending on where you go. Then off the bus to check-in. I would anticipate 90 minutes from landing to check-in. If it's shorter, that's great.

As for luggage, they say it'll arrive 2 hours after you check-in. However, on my last trip, we waited 3 hours for them to arrive. My parents arrived the next day, and it took the same 3 hours. But with your arrival time, I wouldn't worry. I've had my suitcase lost once, but it arrived the next morning. I wasn't too happy about that, but that's what free gets you.

[olivegirl]

We always use ME when vaca in Disney! Our luggage never went with us on Magical Express to the resort. Usually it arrives about 3 hours or so! The luggage is delivered by a different company.We have never had any problems with the luggage being delivered! Except for the carry ons no luggage is put on the busses. We pack bathing suits and change of clothes in the carry ons just to get by until bags arrive.

[texas211]

We tried the DME for the first time last month. I'm not saying its bad, its just not for us.

We landed at 12:15, and didn't make it to the resort til about 3:15. The DME waiting area is warm, you are packed in, and the possibility of standing next to some folks you might want to choke after an hr is high.

Once on the buses, it was okay, except the buses stop at multiple resorts. So getting off can be a pain.

The luggage took a couple of hrs to get to our room. But it did make it without incident.

Leaving we deciding coming was so bad, we just took a Taxi ride, which with tip was about 65 bucks.

[Pirate Granny]

We've taken the ME at least 20 times...never a problem...always let them deliver our luggage. Only once, at CBR did it take 4 hours AFTER we arrived...normally we're off to lunch or parks so never sure when luggage arrives normally...just bring stuff you may need in your carry on so you can go right to your ADR...remember you'll have to take a bus there too! You will always be to the airport on time for the return trip...reserve the ME now, if you decide to take a cab or town car, you just Don't put your yellow luggage tags on your bags...

[Aurora]

Your luggage goes with you on the ME bus...

Wow, I realized after reading other people's posts and wondering why their luggage didn't go with them, that it was because we always pack carry-ons. :blush:

[tinxmom]

We just used ME last weekend to POR. Landed at 2:00 and was at POR by 3:30. This was on a Friday. The ME waiting area was very empty, but our bus was full. POR was the last stop (OKW, SS, and then FQ were all before POR). We had packed for MNSSHP in our carryons, so we got into costumes and left POR by 5:00. Our luggage was in our rooms when we returned after midnight. On the trip back to the airport, POR was first stop with the same three stops as on the way in from the airport. We had a 1:00 ME for a 4:00 flight and we were at the airport by 2:30.

[tinxmom]

Don't know if I wrote that clearly - on the way back to the airport, we got on first, and then had to stop while they got more passengers at FQ, OKW and SS. We have used ME ever since they started it, and we find it just as easy as a car service. My kids (now in their teens and twenties) love the Mickey bus - makes them feel like we are THERE! And one of my kids flew in separately from college and took ME alone and met us at the park - couldn't have been easier for him.

[beksy]

I've used ME on every plane trip to WDW with no problems. Of course we always go at off times but its usually fast and friendly with great bus drivers. I don't have any clue how long it takes an average person since we have 1 in a wheelchair and 1 slow walker and usually a mild case of motion sickness when we land :blush: Our luggage has always arrived quickly (less than the 3 hours). We have never had a luggage problem...on our last trip we had two "extra" bags delivered and I called to report it. Come to find that two of our bags were considered damaged by the DME people and were replaced with like-quallity bags! Only issue was trying to get the 2 extra bags back without additional airline fees since I thought our bags were good enough to keep. :mickey: Since we are on a budget, when I can get it for free, I'll take it!

[laprana]

Thanks for the GREAT info, everyone! It really helps! I think we might go ahead and try ME this time. I've really always wanted to try it because it's something I've never done, and saving about $400 on the rental car is a great reason to do it! :D


Normally I would say you probably will have no problem making your ADR, but it's Thanksgiving, and are you flying out of O'Hare?

We will be flying out of St. Louis on Southwest (I'm in southern IL), and while we've never had any problems or delays before, I always try to plan as much as I can for them, so this is great advice to keep in mind!


Typically, it takes about 15 minutes to get from your gate to the ME bus line area. This used to be a nightmare, but it's a lot more streamlined. After you get there, you'll be directed in a few minutes to a bus. The bus may be ready to go, or you may have to wait for another 15 minutes before it gets enough people to go. So from gate to bus, it'll be 25-45 minutes. Then it's about 35-40 minutes to the resort, depending on where you go. Then off the bus to check-in. I would anticipate 90 minutes from landing to check-in. If it's shorter, that's great.

This is fantastic info! Thanks! It gives me a much better idea of what to expect in terms of how long it might take to get to POR! :thumbsup:


You will always be to the airport on time for the return trip...reserve the ME now, if you decide to take a cab or town car, you just Don't put your yellow luggage tags on your bags...

This was something I thought of last night...If I do happen to find a really good deal on a rental car, but I've already booked ME, is there anything I need to do to cancel it? Or is not using the luggage tags sufficient?


We just used ME last weekend to POR. Landed at 2:00 and was at POR by 3:30. This was on a Friday. The ME waiting area was very empty, but our bus was full. POR was the last stop (OKW, SS, and then FQ were all before POR).

This is great info, too! I knew the ME buses shared resorts, but wasn't sure which ones POR shared with (besides POFQ).

Thanks again, everyone! If anyone has any more tips or advice, I'll take them! :mickey:

[Ed]

If this is a concern for you, you CAN grab your own luggage and take it on the ME bus with you.

If you are going to do this, do NOT put the yellow tags on your bags. If your bag has a yellow tag, it will not be put on the carousel at the bag claim area. It remains "behind the scenes" on the baggage tug that brought it in from the plane and is delivered to DME reps, where it is loaded on trucks for delivery to the resorts.


As far as ME, though, it's extremely efficient. Your luggage goes with you on the ME bus, so it's delivered to the resort at the same time as you are... That's what helps make ME so efficient -- the airline workers recognize the bright yellow tags immediately and know what to do with the luggage.

As you already realized, the only luggage that goes on the bus is your carry on bags, except late at night when you have to pick up your bags at the carousel in bag claim and take it to the bus yourself. Re: the yellow tags - - see my comment above. ^^


Except for the carry ons no luggage is put on the busses.

Except late at night; see above. ^^

One caution about DME's delivery times. If there is heavy rain with lightning in the airport area, most of the airlines' employee union contracts require their members to not unload the bags from the planes until the weather improves - a very logical safety issue. DME makes every effort to get your bags to your resort within 3 hours after the bags are delivered to them by the airlines.

Moral of the story? It's always a good idea to pack a "day bag" containing a change of clothes and/or bathing suits, any medications you might need, your camera, etc., and carry that bag onto the bus with you. Let DME do the heavy lifting of the big bags.

[mydisneygirls]

We used ME for the first time this year. I would use them again (although once getting to the resort I would prefer my own car so as not to use the buses). Our plane landed at 9:30 and we were at the resort by 11. The thing I would do different next time we use it is to retrieve my own luggage and put it on the bus myself. Our luggage arrived in the room at different times and it took over 4 hours for us to get it.