Can we pull it off?

[arthropodtodd]

We (wife, daughter 4, niece 7, and self) are headed down 5/22. We land at 4:25 pm, and are staying at WL. Can we make a CRT at 6:55?

As I see it if we check in online, drop carry ons, and just hop the bus to the MK we should be close, but okay. Am I smoking crack here?

Any tips for pulling this off?

 

[lmbcdb]

it's possible, but here are your factors:

- are you taking Magical Express? Sometimes you can hop on a bus in less than 15 min, sometimes it can take up to an hour.

-even with online check-in, it's like ME. It can take 10 minutes, or it can take 30.

-same with the bus. There may be one waiting, or it may be 20 minutes before one shows up.

-the walk from the bus to the castle can take 10 minutes.

So, in other words, if all the planets line up, yes you could make it.

Factor in a 4 year old, and there's no telling what could happen.

 

[mom2rtk]

I like to live on the edge, but would not try this. The price of just missing is too high. Even if everything goes off like clockwork you still might miss. Sounds more stressful than I would prefer for starting a trip.

 

[TeresaNJ]

I would go for it. You land at 4:30, hopefully you'll be at the resort by 5:30, drop your bags with bell services, get checked in, hightail it to the boatdock, get to the MK by 6:30, get through the gates, and run to your reservation.

 

[maryj11]

I would try it I mean they do allow for so many minutes to be late. Anyone know how many they allow ? Not sure if every restaurant is has different rules on that though. We have taken the ME 3 different times and have gotten to our resort and checked in within I'm guessing but I would say about an hour and a half .
If you dont make it what do they charge ? Is it so much each person or for one reservation for no show ? Some are nice and will let you in late .

 

[Kermit85]

I took the magical express just a few days ago. It was about an hour or a little over to get to the resort. I took my bags as carry on so I went straight from the plane to the bus area. It's hard to say how long it will take for a bus to the magic kingdom to come. I saw three busses to Epcot come before one for the magic kingdom came...there was nobody in line for two of the Epcot busses. When the first magic kingdom bus came a second was there before the first was loaded so everyone in line got to go.

 

[bluwater]

Can dad go with luggage to check in at WL and while mom and girls take ME to contemporary and just walk over? Will you have park tix in advance? The timeline would stress me.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

What if your flight is delayed and you can't make it at all?

 

[Ametista]

One of our first flights ever to MCO was 3 hours late. It totally screwed us because the grocery stores were closed when we landed and blah blah blah. But that did not cost me several hundred dollars, which a delay of your flight would. I would keep my eye out and try to book CRT a different night. The closer you are to your trip the more becomes available as people drop their extra reservations.

And yes, now I know that there are 24 hour Walmarts, if you are really that desperate for groceries.

 

[lovin'fl]

I always allow for 90 minutes to get to resort...30 to: get off plane, stop at restroom and get over and down to ME area...then another hour to: sit on bus waiting for it to fill, slow cautious drive to WDW, then making 2-3 other stops (why we are always the last stop). It's going to be tight and no room for delays.

 

[minniegirl19]

unless your plane is delayed i think you will be fine! your supposed to have a half hour window to make your reservation. If you know your late call dining and have them connect you to the restaurant thats what i did when i was late to mine and it was perfectly fine! I've never taken the magical express to WL (but will in august) but every other place I've taken it it has taken about 45 minutes i don't know if i was lucky but it wasn't bad! if your cutting it close i would just have you or your wife go to the boat to head over while the other is completing check in. hope it works out!

 

[ah1126]

2 years ago we reserved Ohana for the day we were arriving to WDW. We drove down and our reservation was for 5pm. We got caught in a horrible storm that made our drive about 2 hours longer than it should have been. It was so stressful trying to make sure we were going to make our reservation. I called when we were getting close to let them know we were running a few minutes late. Dinner was good, but we all would have enjoyed it much more if it hadn't been a mad dash to get there.

 

[bumbershoot]

Can dad go with luggage to check in at WL and while mom and girls take ME to contemporary and just walk over? Will you have park tix in advance? The timeline would stress me.

You can only take DME to *your* resort.

What if your flight is delayed and you can't make it at all?

Good point.


The timing feels too close. Everything has to work out perfectly. One time at WL we had to wait for 3 boats to finally get on. At various resorts we have had LONG waits for a bus to come that's going to the park we want to go to. It always takes us longer to walk from the bus to the bag check to the turnstiles than we think it should. It can be a struggle to get up main street to get to the castle, and that's if there's no parade during that time.

I would backtrack the timing. When you have to be there, each step to get there, written in opposite order, with a generous amount of time for each step. See what time it takes you to. (be at castle checking in by 7pm latest...walk from MK gates, x minutes, wait in line at gates while people figure out their MBs, bag check, walk from boat/bus to bag check, boat/bus ride, time in line for boat/bus, time from lobby to boat/bus, time to checkin at resort (you still have to show yourself despite online checkin!), etc etc etc. I have a feeling it's going to tell you that you needed to land at 3.

I would mention taking a cab from the resort, but I think the cabs pick up at TTC so there's still a monorail/boat ride...

 

[figment_jii]

I would probably not risk this because the general rule of thumb is to allow three hours from when to you de-plane to when you walk into a park. In the case of the OP they only have about 2.5 hours from when they land (assuming all goes perfectly) to when their reservation time opens. I've used DME and things have gone smoothly and I've been on DME when things did not go smoothly and it took 3 hours to get to a park. So it can go either way and there is no way to know.

If you dont make it what do they charge ? Is it so much each person or for one reservation for no show ? Some are nice and will let you in late .

CRT charges the full amount of the meal for each person on the reservation if you are a no show. So it's a very pricey meal to risk missing.

Can dad go with luggage to check in at WL and while mom and girls take ME to contemporary and just walk over? Will you have park tix in advance? The timeline would stress me.

As bumbershoot said, you can only take DME to your resort. So everyone in the OPs party has to go to WL.

I suppose you might be able to save a few minutes if you opt to take a taxi from WL to the Contemporary and then walk from there to MK. In terms of the boats, if you walk-up and the boat is right there, it'll take about 15 minutes to get to MK. If you just miss the boat, it'll be about 15 minutes before the next boat arrives.

 

[louanneyis]

It was so stressful trying to make sure we were going to make our reservation.

 

[Missyrose]

We (wife, daughter 4, niece 7, and self) are headed down 5/22. We land at 4:25 pm, and are staying at WL. Can we make a CRT at 6:55? As I see it if we check in online, drop carry ons, and just hop the bus to the MK we should be close, but okay. Am I smoking crack here? Any tips for pulling this off?

You do realize that CRT isn't like other restaurants. If you're running late and they can't seat you, they keep your prepayment for the missed meal, it isn't the $10 per person you get charged for other TS restaurants, you forfeit the full cost of the meal.

 

[lmbcdb]

I forgot about forfeiting the full cost of the meal. I wouldn't risk it. Keep calling back for different reservation times.

 

[mom2rtk]

You do realize that CRT isn't like other restaurants. If you're running late and they can't seat you, they keep your prepayment for the missed meal, it isn't the $10 per person you get charged for other TS restaurants, you forfeit the full cost of the meal.

That is why I would never do this. I would consider it at a place that "only" charges the $10 no-show fee, but never at CRT.

 

[TeresaNJ]

That is why I would never do this. I would consider it at a place that "only" charges the $10 no-show fee, but never at CRT.

This is true. I forgot that it isn't the $10pp you'd be risking paying, so on second thought, no I wouldn't risk it. Not worth losing that much money. How about seeing if you can get a later reservation at 1900 Park Fare, OP?

 

[bopper]

Do you want to start off your vacation with stress?