MCO to Rope Drop

[faithtrustpixie]

Hi!!

We're flying in the night before our reservation and staying at the airport. We're planning to take Magical Express early, stopping at the Poly, and then heading right to MK. I can't quite envision how this will all work in theory but we're going to try.

A few questions (I know you don't have a crystal ball pixie dust: -- just seeking your best guess.)

-If we get on Magical Express at around 7:00 am, what time might we arrive at the Poly?
-If we get to the Poly around 8:00 am (maybe?) how long does check in typically take?
-And finally, is there a limit to the number of cups of coffee I'll be allowed to consume to make this plan work? (Just kidding about this one!)

Thanks everyone!

 

[Flora Fan]

It's been a while since I've done the ME to the Poly, but I'll give you what I remember.

The Poly is the last on the drop off list. If you leave MCO at 7:00, I would guess a drop off between 8:30 and 9:00. Check-in is usually pretty quick; however, you may have to wait in line for a cast member if others on the bus get off here too. You will also probably need to check your luggage until your room is ready which may take a bit of time depending on how many bags you have.

Optimistically, I'd guess 10:00 for a park arrival.

P.S. The bus will not leave the airport until it has a good number of passengers are on board.

 

[tinkerbella16]

Also remember to factor in that DME does share with other resorts and I imagine the Poly would share with the other MK resorts, but the order of drop-off will depend.

 

[mjohnson96]

If you want rope drop I suggest a taxi to the Poly so you can get checked in early and over to the parks. Then make sure to get a triple expresso latte or something to keep you going.

 

[nkereina]

It's been a while since I've done the ME to the Poly, but I'll give you what I remember.

The Poly is the last on the drop off list. If you leave MCO at 7:00, I would guess a drop off between 8:30 and 9:00. Check-in is usually pretty quick; however, you may have to wait in line for a cast member if others on the bus get off here too. You will also probably need to check your luggage until your room is ready which may take a bit of time depending on how many bags you have.

Optimistically, I'd guess 10:00 for a park arrival.

P.S. The bus will not leave the airport until it has a good number of passengers are on board.

There's actually no set schedule/route that the DME buses take. It's all based on need, volume, etc so it can vary every time. So there's no way to know in advance how long the actual commute will take you once the bus leaves MCO, because you won't know the route until that very moment.

Also, while they will wait for others to join the bus, they have (and will) send the bus out with only a few on board. They know how many flights are arriving that morning so they know how many they are expecting. They also keep track of delays, etc. So they won't make you sit there for hours waiting for more people, but again, no way to know how long this wait might be.

You say you want to check-in at Poly when you arrive. Are you checking into a package with dining and tickets? If NOT, you can store your bags with bell services and head straight to the park which will save some time. But if your tickets are attached to your package and/or you have dining credits you'll want to use that day, you will need to check-in first.

If it were me and I REALLY wanted to make rope drop, I'd try to be at the DME counter around 6-6:15. I think that would reasonably put you at Poly by 7:30-7:45, check-in, and you should be lining up at MK around 8:15 which is ideal if they open the gates a few minutes early.