Day you leave Disney??

[samiandsky]

So, the day you leave Disney, what do you do?? Our flight doesn't leave Orlando until 5:20 p.m. on Monday......so....... my question is this. Check out time is 11:00 a.m. - if we are using the Disney Magical Express Bus, when do they come to pick us up at the hotel? How many hours before our flight leaves the Orlando airport?? Am I limited to just sitting around the lobby all day long on our departure day? I'm confused by what time the Disney Magical Express picks you up, and if we would have time to go to a park that day or not....

What have others done in the past???

I could do a character breakfast that morning, but it still leaves me with a huge gap of time right?

Does anyone have any insight on how many hours before your flight leaves that DME picks you up? And what do you do with your baggage if you have to be out of your room by 11:00 a.m.?

I'm trying to figure this all out before we leave in 2 weeks...so help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[boomhauer]

ME will pick you up around 2:30.

You could do a character breakfast I suppose. You could go to MGM for a few hours. That park could be done in that amount of time.

You could go to Downtown Disney, have lunch, do some shopping. Go to Boardwalk, have lunch, shop, play mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens.

On our longer trips, we always leave first thing in the AM so we don't have that dilemma. It always upsets me to leave Disney, but it's much easier when everyone is still asleep and not having fun in front of you.

In May, I'll only be there for 6 nights, so I'll fly out later at night so I can have a good full day at the park before leaving.

 

[All Morganic]

We went into Down Town Disney and let the girls shop for souveniers. We used up the last of our CS meals at Early of Sandwich (yummy!) and went to Goofys Candy Company and used up the 15 snack credits we had remaining.

ME picked us up at noon (flight at 3:00), so we didn't have any time to cram in any last minute park action

 

[beattyfamily]

We usually go back to MK! Our favorite park.

We've also done a character breakfast and then MK!

Have fun planning!

 

[samiandsky]

Not I'm intriqued..... you can use your snack credits at Goofy's Candy Company? Isn't that the candy store by the jungle themed restaurant at Marketplace?? I can't recall.... but that's an idea.

I still dont know what time I'll have to be back to the hotel to be picked up by the Magical Express Bus... to go back to the airport.

I hate leaving Disney too! Our trip in 2005, we stayed for 14 days... this time, it's only Monday thru Monday.... so I'm bummed. But at least we get to go I keep telling myself.

Plus, I'm wondering what to do when we can't check in until 3 p.m. - our flight arrives in Orlando at 9:52 a.m. - so I'm assuming we will be at our hotel around noon time...

I didn't plan as well with the flights, as I went with the cheapest airline tickets versus flight time convenience.... round trip was 150.00 per person... so I took what they had available...now I just have to plan around it.

So again...does anyone know what time the Magical Express Bus picks you up from your hotel??? to take you back to the airport???

 

[boomhauer]

If your plane departs at 5:20, ME will pick you up around 2:30.

As for checking in, that's simple. Your flight arrives at 9:52AM, you'll be at your resort by around 11:00 - Leave your luggage with the resort and go to a park.

Either that or go to Downtown Disney or Boardwalk and have a ncie lunch.

 

[All Morganic]

Not I'm intriqued..... you can use your snack credits at Goofy's Candy Company? Isn't that the candy store by the jungle themed restaurant at Marketplace?? I can't recall.... but that's an idea.

I still dont know what time I'll have to be back to the hotel to be picked up by the Magical Express Bus... to go back to the airport.

I hate leaving Disney too! Our trip in 2005, we stayed for 14 days... this time, it's only Monday thru Monday.... so I'm bummed. But at least we get to go I keep telling myself.

Plus, I'm wondering what to do when we can't check in until 3 p.m. - our flight arrives in Orlando at 9:52 a.m. - so I'm assuming we will be at our hotel around noon time...

I didn't plan as well with the flights, as I went with the cheapest airline tickets versus flight time convenience.... round trip was 150.00 per person... so I took what they had available...now I just have to plan around it.

So again...does anyone know what time the Magical Express Bus picks you up from your hotel??? to take you back to the airport???

Yep, that's the one. They had lots of thing you could use your snack credits for (mostly in the display case) but we mostly got the Micky Mouse rice krispy treats (to give as gifts to all of our DD's little friends!) They traveled well too.

ME picks you up from your hotel appx. 3 hours before your flight. They'll leave you a form hanging on you room door a day or two before with the exact time. Have fun!

 

[clkelley]

On your arrival day and your departure day, your carryon luggage will be stored by Bell Services.

On your arrival day, if you use the yellow tags, your luggage will arrive in your room some time later that afternoon.

You can arrive, give bell services your carryon stuff, go to the check-in desk and get your room keys and park tickets, then go enjoy!! If your room is not ready when you arrive, they will give you a phone # to call to find out your room # later that afternoon. You can then go to your room at any time after the room # is released without dropping by the desk again.

On your departure day, if you can use Resort Airline Checkin, you take your luggage to the RAC desk, check it with them and get your boarding passes. Give your carryon luggage to bell services then enjoy the day. Go to a park, DTD, anywhere at Disney you like. Just be sure to be back at your resort about 30 minutes before the time your Magical Express information tells you. (In your case, you probably need to be back by 2pm, for a 2:30 pickup.)

If you can't use RAC, then give all of your luggage to Bell Services and do the same as above!!

 

[clkelley]

So, the day you leave Disney, what do you do?? Our flight doesn't leave Orlando until 5:20 p.m. on Monday......so....... my question is this. Check out time is 11:00 a.m. - if we are using the Disney Magical Express Bus, when do they come to pick us up at the hotel? How many hours before our flight leaves the Orlando airport?? Am I limited to just sitting around the lobby all day long on our departure day? I'm confused by what time the Disney Magical Express picks you up, and if we would have time to go to a park that day or not....

What have others done in the past???

I could do a character breakfast that morning, but it still leaves me with a huge gap of time right?

Does anyone have any insight on how many hours before your flight leaves that DME picks you up? And what do you do with your baggage if you have to be out of your room by 11:00 a.m.?

I'm trying to figure this all out before we leave in 2 weeks...so help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Have you reserved Magical Express yet?? Do you have your package and yellow luggage tags?? If you have it, read through that material, it should explain a lot of this. If you havn't reserved Magical Express yet, then call and do it now, if you have reserved and havn't gotten your tags and vouchers yet, call them now and find out where they are and make sure you are in the system!!

 

[samiandsky]

Carol, I guess I will have to call. ANYONE have a # for me? Maybe I should give them another week? We booked our trip a week and a half ago. Flying out Monday, Feb 26th, coming home Monday, March 5th....
I haven't received ANYTHING from Disney except for an email confirmation from their reservations department stating our hotel, dates, and meal package confirmation.
I even ordered Pirate and Princess tickets that they are supposed to be sending, and I haven't received a SINGLE thing...
should I be nervous???

 

[clkelley]

The direct # for Magical Express is (866) 599-0951.

Give them a call and make sure you are in their system. They will then be able to let you know if the tags and bus vouchers have been sent, or if they are not able to send them, give you instructions on how to proceed without the tags and vouchers.

 

[CleveRocks]

I'll just try to consolidate a bunch of the above info.

Your flight arrives at 9:52 a.m. You could easily be at your resort by 11 or 11:15 a.m. Go check-in at the front desk. You may well get your room at that time. Disney doesn't make you wait until 3:00 p.m. -- if a room is ready for you, it's yours!

Any halfway decent hotel in the USA will store your bags before your room is ready as well as after you check-out of your room, and WDW resorts are no different.

And if you do get your room early, PLEASE don't hang around in your room waiting for your DME luggage to be delivered -- it "magically" appears inside your room whether you're in there or not. Go out and have fun!

Now, for the trip home ....
Early in the morning on the day BEFORE your departure day, you will receive DME info in an envelope hanging by a string from your door knob. In there will be your DME bus pick-up time. It's usually scheduled to be about 2.75-to-3 hours prior to your flight time (as Boomhauer pointed out to you in the very first reply to your post). Someone else suggested being there 30 minutes before your pick-up time, which isn't a bad idea, especially if you're having your bags stored for you.

Please post back with any other questions!

 

[goofy4tink]

You've gotten some very good info here. Check and see if your airline is a 'participating' airline and then you can check your bags right at your resort the morning of your departure.
And yes, your bus will pick you up around 2:30ish...be there about 2:00 so you can retrieve your carryon (and checked luggage if not flying home on a participating airline).
You could head to a character breakfast on your departure day...depends on what park you like best....Crystal Palace in MK has a good one, Donald's Breakfastosaurus in AK is good also. Or you could do Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary, or Stitch and Lilo at 'Ohana in the Polyenesian.
Or...grab something at your resort and then head to DTD to do some last minute shopping, but be sure to leave plenty of time to return to your resort..it can take awhile from DTD.
If a particular park has morning EMHs...even better. Head to that park for a few hours.