Me?

[tourguidepat]

we have used magical express many many times and have forgotten something. Do you need to give the ME a certain time or can you go to the airport and just show up when you are ready?

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

On your way to WDW, you just go to the ME area and get on the next bus for your resort. On the way back to the airport, you will be given a departure time about 3 hours before a domestic flight or 4 hours before an international flight.

 

[CleveRocks]

The above answer is 100% correct.

On your last day, you MUST take the bus scheduled for you, or Disney isn't responsible for getting you back to the airport. They won't let you plan in advance to take a later bus, and you run a high risk of not being allowed onto a later bus if you just decide at the last minute to take a later bus.

In fact, there's no guarantee there even will be a later bus that you'd be able to use. DME buses don't do resort-to-airport runs on a continual basis ... they make pick-ups at the resorts ONLY if there is a reservation for a pick-up.

And even if there does happen to be a later bus that might work for you, the driver is under no obligation to let you on-board. In addition, the bus may be slated to be 100% full, and if the driver lets you on then you'd be taking the place of someone who belongs on that bus, if you know what I mean.

On the morning of the day before your departure day, you'll receive your scheduled DME time under your room door or hanging from the outside door knob of your resort room door.

 

[tourguidepat]

thanks everyone. we are flying in the night before and staying at an airport hotel. they said we can just come back the next morning and take magical express to our resort. so, sounds like on the way out - we don't have to have a set time to depart Is that right? even if our flight arrives the night before?

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

thanks everyone. we are flying in the night before and staying at an airport hotel. they said we can just come back the next morning and take magical express to our resort. so, sounds like on the way out - we don't have to have a set time to depart Is that right? even if our flight arrives the night before?

That's fine. You can just get on the ME bus the next morning. You'll just need to claim your bags from baggage claim (if you have any) instead of using the yellow tags and letting Disney pick them up.

 

[Alesia]

You cannot just show up without a reservation.

You have to give them an arrival flight number when you make your reservation, but it doesn't have to be your flight number. Just pick any flight that arrives about the time you want to board ME.

 

[CleveRocks]

Alesia makes a very good point. You can't use DME without a reservation.

The good news is, catching a bus from the airport to the resort doesn't require you to be there at any specific time, and there's never any worry about missing "your" bus or having trouble boarding a later bus.

It's not at all like it is when you take the DME bus on your last day, from resort to airport.

But yes, you NEED a reservation. Disney's contract with the airport forbids them from taking walk-ups, people who have a Disney resort reservation but who lack a DME reservation.

You don't even need to make up a white lie about a flight number and so on. If you call DME directly at 866-599-0951, you can tell them exactly what you plan to do and they'll make the appropriate DME reservation for you. However, you can't do this any earlier than 60 days before your arrival; the DME computers only have access to reservations up to 60 days out from the present day.