Magical Express ?'s

[CleveRocks]

How often do the busses leave for the resorts? Does it depend on where you're staying? For example, if you are staying at SSR are you going to get there faster than if you are staying at Pop? Also, how much of a pain is it to use only one way?

The level of resort you're staying at makes absolutely no difference as far as using DME goes. There are not more DME buses for the deluxe resorts.

I'm confused as to why you already seem to have such a bad attitude about DME ... Why would it be a "pain"??? Using it one way is exactly like using it 2 way, except you will only take it one way. No pain involved.

I was thinking about using ME on this next trip but I guess I'm not totally sold on it yet. I like to get off the plane, get my luggage and get to where I want to go FAST. After all, it is Disney. Need to get that Dole Whip!!

Again, I question why you think other modes of transit are faster than DME. They're all about the same. The average reported time from airplane exit to resort drop-off via DME is 70 minutes.

You say you want to get off the plane, get your luggage, and get going fast. But here's the key --- with DME you get to totally skip baggage claim. Right there, that's a big time savings. I've used DME twice and loved it each time (with our 5 and 2 year olds, who then became 6 and 4 year olds). It was a pleasure to not have to mess with luggage upon arrival at MCO ... a pure pleasure. One trip, it was 63 minutes airplane to resort, and another trip it was 56 minutes airplane to resort.

I dare say that if you check luggage and must go to baggage claim to wait for it, that there's no way a car service or rental car would get you to your resort substantially sooner than 1 hour. Just not possible.

So like I said, just because DME is free doesn't mean it's slower.

[CleveRocks]

I suspect it was something they just said to placate the annoyed caller. That or they just don't like me - twice before I've signed up for ME, gotten the booklets with "no flight info" and changed my mind and rented a car instead.

Let me fill you in on a couple "secrets" ....

As long as you have DME reservations, nothing else matters. If your DME booklet says "no flight information," it will make absolutely no difference in your experience of using DME. All you want to be sure of is that you have a reservation. Without a reservation, you can't ride (they are contracturally forbidden from accommodating walk-ups).

They collect arrival flight info from you so that they can plan and dispatch buses to the resorts. There are no set departure times, no set routes, and no set groupings of resorts. It's all planned and arranged based upon the reservation information, for maximum efficiency. So they get the info from everyone so they can make a plan for that hour and that day, but if for some reason they don't have your exact arrival flight info, it will make no difference for you.

You will still get on the first available bus going to your resort. Your luggage will be sent to your resort (the luggage handling has absolutely nothing to do with your flight number or arrival time). it's not like they are waiting for you to arrive. They just know they're expecting about so many people at about what times going to roughly which resorts.

For the ride from your resort back to the airport on your last day, they DO need your flight info. However, when you check in at the DME counter at the airport on the first day of your vacation, they will, as a matter of procedure, confirm your departing flight info with you, whether you ask them to or not. Therefore, even if they truly had no flight info on you before, they will have it at that time.

They've been doing this for over 2 years now, and served well over 5 MILLION guests by now. They know what they're doing. I can understand apprehension about something new to all of you, but realize that for Disney, it's old standard stuff by now, stuff they do every day.

[lorilovestigger]

I think my biggest problem with it is that with my luck I'll get on the bus to go and then we'll be sitting there for a half hour waiting for someone. How long do they wait for someone with a reservation?

[CleveRocks]

I think my biggest problem with it is that with my luck I'll get on the bus to go and then we'll be sitting there for a half hour waiting for someone. How long do they wait for someone with a reservation?

They don't wait for anyone!

At the airport, there's no list of passengers that go on bus #123. There's no waiting around for the Smith party. That would be an absolute disaster! Everyone would be delayed by everyone else stopping at the bathroom, or arriving on a delayed flight, or whatever. It just doesn't work that way. SOmeone running late won't delay you, and you running late won't delay anyone but yourself.

Like I said above, they have reservations so that they know ABOUT how many people are going where at about what times. In other words, you could land, get off your plane, and decide to wait around in the food court for an hour for your friend flying in from another city. When the two of you get to the bus, it's not like there'll be a bus full of angry fellow travelers who were delayed by waiting for you.

There's just simply no bus pre-assignment. When you check-in at the DME counter, they will show you to your bus queue, and from there the driver will, at some point, escort you to the bus.

By policy/procedure, the DME bus must leave within 15 minutes of the first passenger boarding that bus. DME buses specifically don't wait for the bus to fill up. Even if the bus has only 2 or 6 or 11 people on it, it will leave. This is one of the many things that makes DME different from and better than the old Mears shuttle service.

Is it an absolutely perfect system that never has a glitch? Of course not! No system is perfect. We've occasionally heard stories of DME delays, just like we've occasionally heard stories of car service drivers being no-shows, just like we've occasionally heard stories of problems/delays with rental cars. [Stuff] happens. Just not very often ... not with car services, not with rental cars, and not with DME.

[satijp]

Last time I used DME, I was on an almost empty bus, I think there were about 6 people besides me and 4 of them were together. I think I waited about 10 min once I got to the bus.
I do have a question though. I am planning on using it just going from the airport to Pop... done it before, no big deal. BUT my friends want to pick me up and go to lunch now... maybe at the parks maybe not. If I check in my luggage and don't end up riding the bus, do you think they'll still deliver my luggage to my room?
I'll probably just ride the bus and meet them at the hotel or parks, but they can be a little unpredictable, so I might not know for sure what's going on until I get there.
Also, just riding one way shouldn't be a pain. I'm not even flying out of MCO and they said no problem, but they weren't going to be able to pick me up and take me to TPA

[princessariel]

I'm ALL for skipping that baggage claim zoo!!!

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

I used ME on my last trip and I loved it!!! I had friends waiting for me who arrived earlier and they had no problems waiting around for me and us all riding together. My luggage was in the room when we got back from MVMCP. Bell SErvices took our bags to the various hotels I stayed out with no problems and my return trip to the airport with leaving at 3 a.m. was not a problem either. And there was one other family on the bus with me during that trip. It was great and I am so glad I will be able to use it in 56 days!!!

[Tinker Bell]

That sounds familiar......maybe because I was there! lol

ME is great, only thing I am not crazy about is how early they pick you up, I think it`s 3 hours before your flight?

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

Yes- 3 hours. So it isn't much fun with an early flight. I had to be up and ready by 4 a.m. for my 7 o'clock flight. That was tiring!

[lorilovestigger]

Do I have to do flight check in when leaving the resort? Or can I just store my bags and put them on the ME bus with me when I go to come home?

[lorilovestigger]

Sorry about the questions. I had a friend that used it in August and they got there and got on the bus but before the bus could leave some leady on the bus went to talk to the CM because her kid had to eat at a certain time. So they sat there on the bus for a half and hour waiting for the lady and her kid to come back from getting food. I can understand that if you have a medical problem and need to eat by a certain time, but it seems to me that they should've put them on the next bus and not held up the rest of the guests.

Maybe it's because I'm used to doing things a certain way when I go down and by changing it makes me nervous. One thing, if I decide to do it instead of springing the $140 for the town car maybe I'll stay at a moderate for the 2 nights instead of Pop.

Decisions-decisions. Thanks for all the help!!!

[Tinker Bell]

I brought my bag to the bus the morning I had to leave and the driver took care of it for me. I don't remember waiting very long at all. In fact he was kinda waiting for me to get on the bus to get going if I recall correctly.

[CleveRocks]

Do I have to do flight check in when leaving the resort? Or can I just store my bags and put them on the ME bus with me when I go to come home?

Resort Airline Check-in is an option, not a requirement.

RAC can ONLY be used by people flying on one of the "participating airlines." If you aren't flying a participating airline, then you can't use RAC no matter what.

No matter your airline, however, you are welcome to bring your checked luggage to the bus with you. The driver will load it under the bus, and will unload it when you get to the airport (don't forget to tip the driver for this service!). You then take your bags up to Level 3 from Level 1 (there are elevators), and then bring your bags to your airline's ticket counter or to curbside check-in, just like at any other airport.

[lorilovestigger]

Got it! Maybe, just maybe, I'll try it out this time. One thing, if I do it's only my mom and I and not a big group of us.

Thanks Eric!!!