Courtesy ticket to ride the Magical Express

[lambroh]

Anyone ever use a courtesy ticket to ride the magical express? We are a family of 5 going to Disney. We will be taking the Magical express to POP but my oldest daughter will not be staying there as friends will be picking her up when we get there so she is not listed in our room reservation. Anyone know if she can ride with us there and back without have a reservation at a Disney Hotel? Thanks

 

[smitch425]

Anyone ever use a courtesy ticket to ride the magical express? We are a family of 5 going to Disney. We will be taking the Magical express to POP but my oldest daughter will not be staying there as friends will be picking her up when we get there so she is not listed in our room reservation. Anyone know if she can ride with us there and back without have a reservation at a Disney Hotel? Thanks

Unfortunately, you must be listed on a resort reservation in order to use ME.

 

[Alesia]

Anyone ever use a courtesy ticket to ride the magical express? We are a family of 5 going to Disney. We will be taking the Magical express to POP but my oldest daughter will not be staying there as friends will be picking her up when we get there so she is not listed in our room reservation. Anyone know if she can ride with us there and back without have a reservation at a Disney Hotel? Thanks

She cannot. She can get a ride on the mears shuttle, though.

 

[seashoreCM]

There is a Mears shuttle desk near the Magical Express welcoming area so your daughter can accompany you most of the way.

Mears does not take advance reservations to Disney's resorts although they do take reservations to other locations. But DD can buy a ticket at the counter. It is possible that she may have to wait longer for a shuttle than you do. It is alwo possible that, if she buys her ticket from the counter near DME she might ride the same bus you do since Mears owns and operates the DME buses.

Going home she can (and must) make a separate advance reservation to ride Mears' shuttle if she plans to come your resort that day. Her departure back to the airport may be different from yours via DME.

 

[goofy4tink]

Anyone ever use a courtesy ticket to ride the magical express? We are a family of 5 going to Disney. We will be taking the Magical express to POP but my oldest daughter will not be staying there as friends will be picking her up when we get there so she is not listed in our room reservation. Anyone know if she can ride with us there and back without have a reservation at a Disney Hotel? Thanks

Nope. Only guests that are listed on a WDW resort reservation are allowed to ride the bus. As already mentioned, she can go to the Mears counter and pay to ride the shuttle to Pop. In all likelihood, she will be put on a DME bus to Pop. I would go with her, to the Mears counter, and wait and see how she will be taken to Pop. Then, if she is on a DME bus, you can all go together.
Not sure how the return would work. I guess she could book round trip when she is right there. But not sure how it would work for her going back to the airport.

 

[Kellykins1218]

We added my husband & son to our reservation at the last minute. When we got to the DME desk we informed them that we had just added them to the reservation and they didn't give us a hard time at all. They didn't even check anything even though we hadn't called DME beforehand. From what others are posting, this must be unusual, but they really acted like it was no big deal.

 

[Alesia]

We added my husband & son to our reservation at the last minute. When we got to the DME desk we informed them that we had just added them to the reservation and they didn't give us a hard time at all. They didn't even check anything even though we hadn't called DME beforehand. From what others are posting, this must be unusual, but they really acted like it was no big deal.

But the OP's daughter is not on the reservation and they're not adding her to it. Someone who doesn't have a resort reservation cannot ride magical express.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The daughter would need a DME travel booklet to get on the bus.

 

[SteveMouse]

Unless they are staying In a room/suite with capacity of 5 or more she couldn't be added. She would also have to have the same items (tickets,dining plan) if the family booked a package.

 

[goofy4tink]

We added my husband & son to our reservation at the last minute. When we got to the DME desk we informed them that we had just added them to the reservation and they didn't give us a hard time at all. They didn't even check anything even though we hadn't called DME beforehand. From what others are posting, this must be unusual, but they really acted like it was no big deal.

That is, indeed, very unusual. How did your dh and ds get on the bus?? I assume (knowing full well what happens when I do that) that they were printed up vouchers. And this would mean that the DME had to go into the reservation and could see them on the reservation.

But, I have to advise against assuming that you can walk up to the DME counter and tell them you have a reservation and want to ride the bus. DME is under no obligation to allow you to get on that bus!!! In fact, there is info stating that you must have a DME reservation already made in order to ride the bus...that you are not allowed to decide, while in the air, that you want to get on the bus.

 

[seashoreCM]

We added my husband & son to our reservation at the last minute. When we got to the DME desk we informed them that we had just added them to the reservation and they didn't give us a hard time at all. They didn't even check anything even though we hadn't called DME beforehand. From what others are posting, this must be unusual, but they really acted like it was no big deal.

The welcoming area CM was careless and did not verify things, or jumped to the conclusion that the whole family had made appropriate reservations.

For Magical Expres, when in doubt, make the reservation. You can always cancel a reservation if you change your mind although I would not use the six dollar a minute Airfone in the seat back.

The sole purpose of advance reservations for DME was to placate the operators of other transport (livery) services, and advance reservations were written into the operating rules for DME at MCO. But I am led to believe that if someone, including a shill from another livery serivce, argued with the CM at length and so bamboozled and flimflammed the CM so as to let someone sneak aboard DME, a violation against DME would not stick.

 

[sam_gordon]

The daughter would need a DME travel booklet to get on the bus.

But you can get the booklet at the DME desk, right?

 

[Alesia]

But you can get the booklet at the DME desk, right?

Not if you don't have a resort reservation.

 

[SteveMouse]

You still need the reservation in the system. You can't do that at the desk. I don't know how much advance time you need to give (eg calling from upstairs in MCO).

 

[sam_gordon]

Not if you don't have a resort reservation.

Right. As long you have a resort reservation, you can get a booklet onsite.

 

[Alesia]

Right. As long you have a resort reservation, you can get a booklet onsite.

You also have to have a reservation for DME.

In anycase, the OP's daughter does not have a resort reservation, so she cannot get a DME reservation.

 

[seashoreCM]

When family members arrive at different times, they can make copies of the booklet so each group has one.