Question for Experts - Airport to Disney and R&R Fastpass

[deltadisney]

We have always drove to Disney, but this year we are flying. We arrive at 8:30 a.m. and were planning on a light day a AK and downtown Disney in the evening. I have read that magical express can sometimes take up to 2 sometimes 3 hours. To make sure we get to the park before noon, I am wondering if we should just bypass magical express and catch a cab to our resort (online check-in) and then catch the bus to AK.

For our Hollywood Studios day, our family is huge fans of both TSM and RR. We also have one who has to do jedi training, so we will have to go there for sign-up. If we FP TSM and try to set our other 2 FP before noon, is it likely that there will be availability for RR as a 4th FP?

Anyone have any advice or wisdom they would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it.

 

[Robo]

We have always drove to Disney, but this year we are flying. We arrive at 8:30 a.m. and were planning on a light day a AK and downtown Disney in the evening. I have read that magical express can sometimes take up to 2 sometimes 3 hours.

1. To make sure we get to the park before noon, I am wondering if we should just bypass magical express and catch a cab to our resort (online check-in) and then catch the bus to AK.

For our Hollywood Studios day, our family is huge fans of both TSM and RR. We also have one who has to do jedi training, so we will have to go there for sign-up. If we FP TSM and try to set our other 2 FP before noon,

2. is it likely that there will be availability for RR as a 4th FP?

1. You can, if you like. I would not do that.
2. Without knowing the date, it's difficult to answer. (It's hard enough to guess WITH the date.)

 

[bc7ate9]

It's never taken us more than an hour to get from the airport to the resort via Magical Express, but there are, of course, horror stories...still, I always feel confident planning for an hour.

I don't think it's very likely that you will be able to get a RR FP as your 4th.

 

[wilkeliza]

To be honest I have never heard of Magical Express taking 3 hours unless the bus breaks down. Your luggage may take up to 3 hours after you arrive at your hotel.

I wouldn't count on a RNR fastpass for your 4th. You can try single rider though if you don't mind splitting up. Just send an adult 1st and then the kids and then the 2nd adult last. That way the kids are only with out an adult when on the actual ride.

 

[siskaren]

I have read that magical express can sometimes take up to 2 sometimes 3 hours.

I don't know where you would've read that. If you use Magical Express, it should take about 70-90 minutes from the time you get off the plane until the time you get to your resort.

 

[deltadisney]

I don't know where you would've read that. If you use Magical Express, it should take about 70-90 minutes from the time you get off the plane until the time you get to your resort.

There are some reviews that claim to have had such an experience - I don't know the circumstances, but wanted to double-check that this is an extreme exception and not the norm. With an arrival at the airport at 8:30, if we took ME adn then the bus to AK, would reserving an 11:30 FP be too optimistic?

 

[disnut8]

I don't know where you would've read that. If you use Magical Express, it should take about 70-90 minutes from the time you get off the plane until the time you get to your resort.

We haven't used Magical Express ourselves but have had family members flying into MCO and then using it. First time, it was my in-law's sister(in-law) and it was the first time I've ever experienced anything with Magical Express. The "flighty" aunt was comical with the tremendous amount of difficulty she had at arriving at the resort. She was there in less than 90 minutes (after not knowing how to get to the Magical Express area and having to go into the Universal airport store to ask for directions). Second time was my son and his family and we timed everything correctly by being there to meet them about 30 minutes after he texted they had boarded the bus. Which was about 30 minutes after they landed.

 

[minnie mum]

A 3 hour difference between plane arrival and resort arrival is soooo far from the norm, that I wouldn't even worry about it. Could it happen? Sure. Just like your rental car could have a breakdown after leaving the airport. Stuff happens. But I would think that it's much more likely that you will get to your resort by 10:00. So an 11:30 FP should be fine.

 

[karly05]

It's never taken us more than an hour to get from the airport to the resort via Magical Express, but there are, of course, horror stories...still, I always feel confident planning for an hour.

Out of curiosity, which resort?

4 trips to BC and POFQ and it always takes me right around 90 minutes from walking off the jetway into the gate area to walking off the bus at my resort. But I'm always the 3rd or 4th stop.

 

[subtchr]

To make sure we get to the park before noon, I am wondering if we should just bypass magical express and catch a cab to our resort (online check-in) and then catch the bus to AK.

Even if you ARE later than you'd like to the AK, would it REALLY be worth $50 to make a FP time? That's an expensive FP!

Especially since most AK FPs can be moved to a later time same day.

 

[g-dad66]

It always takes us 3 hours (give or take 10 minutes) from the time the plane touches down until the time we enter a park (using ME to resort, and then WDW bus to the park).

I think your best bet for Rock n Roller Coaster is to head there just as soon as you get signed up for Jedi. The wait might not yet be too terrible at that time.

 

[deltadisney]

It always takes us 3 hours (give or take 10 minutes) from the time the plane touches down until the time we enter a park (using ME to resort, and then WDW bus to the park).

I think your best bet for Rock n Roller Coaster is to head there just as soon as you get signed up for Jedi. The wait might not yet be too terrible at that time.

Thank you - that is what we are going to do and hope it's not too long of a wait.

 

[Lynne M]

I'm trying to imagine the circumstances that would cause a 2-3 hour trip from the airport to WDW. It's a 30 minute drive. Even if you sat on the bus for half an hour at the airport, there'd still have to be something like a catastrophic accident causing a highway closure to make it take that long.

In other words, a really, really rare situation. I honestly wouldn't worry about it.

 

[BudgieMama]

A 3 hour difference between plane arrival and resort arrival is soooo far from the norm, that I wouldn't even worry about it.

Might have been an international guest. With immigration, bag collection and customs, 3 hours from wheels down to arriving at the resort isn't ridiculous, or even all that unreasonable.

 

[minnie mum]

Might have been an international guest. With immigration, bag collection and customs, 3 hours from wheels down to arriving at the resort isn't ridiculous, or even all that unreasonable.

True, but the OP is not an international traveller, and wasn't talking about delays with baggage and border security. The concern was specifically about ME taking 2-3 hours.

 

[TexasTSL]

I'm wondering if what you read was three hours from the time you get on ME, to your resort and check in and then enter a park. That makes more sense, and that's what I've seen a lot of people say on the boards. I think that is a pretty good estimate based on my own experience. We've gone every year for the past five years, and it's usually about three hours from the time we land to the time we are actually entering a park.

 

[bc7ate9]

Out of curiosity, which resort?

4 trips to BC and POFQ and it always takes me right around 90 minutes from walking off the jetway into the gate area to walking off the bus at my resort. But I'm always the 3rd or 4th stop.

I don't time include the time it takes to get through the airport. We've taken the Magical Express to POR, Pop, CBR, and CSR. It's always been right about an hour from the line to the resort. There are usually at least a few stops in front of us.

Our last trip was 3 weeks ago and we stayed at CSR. We stopped at all 3 All Star resorts first. Line to lobby was 1 hour and 4 minutes.

 

[missmaryl]

Time was my concern as well, we are getting in around noon, and plan to attend the Christmas party, hopefully arriving at 4 to get the most out of the day. We did on-line check in and I think this is a realistic goal. We are staying at AoA.

 

[vinotinto]

We have always drove to Disney, but this year we are flying. We arrive at 8:30 a.m. and were planning on a light day a AK and downtown Disney in the evening. I have read that magical express can sometimes take up to 2 sometimes 3 hours. To make sure we get to the park before noon, I am wondering if we should just bypass magical express and catch a cab to our resort (online check-in) and then catch the bus to AK.

We always drive too, but this year we flew. Airplane landed at 2:15 pm, we walked to ME, got on the bus, waited a little for it to fill and we were pulling into the Poly at 3:45, after stopping at WL and CR. I would say 80 - 120 minutes from landing to resort would be the norm for US flights.

For our Hollywood Studios day, our family is huge fans of both TSM and RR. We also have one who has to do jedi training, so we will have to go there for sign-up. If we FP TSM and try to set our other 2 FP before noon, is it likely that there will be availability for RR as a 4th FP?

We were able to get FP+ for 9:05 - 10:05 (ST), 10:10 - 11:10 (TSMM), and 11:10 - 12:10 (ToT). By the time we were done with our FP+ at around 11:50, there were still FP+ available for RnRC, but they were for dinner time (6:30 pm, if I remember correctly). This was on Monday, October 12th, which was a 9 day at DHS. Availability will depend on crowds (when are you going?) and how late you are willing to wait for that FP+. My DH and DS wound up doing single line, which took about 25 minutes.

Anyone have any advice or wisdom they would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it.
You mentioned Jedi Training. It is being re-done and currently closed. It will re-open with a new theme, and we don't know yet what the sign-up process will be. The sign-up process may be different, or they may make it a FP+ or it may be strictly stand-by, so it's not possible to plan for that yet.

 

[bc7ate9]

Time was my concern as well, we are getting in around noon, and plan to attend the Christmas party, hopefully arriving at 4 to get the most out of the day. We did on-line check in and I think this is a realistic goal. We are staying at AoA.

You will be fine!