Disney Magical Express or otherS?

[alebisi]

Hi, I would like to go in November to WDW I wanted to ask you is it better to take Disney Magical Express, or other buses? I have seen some of them go even to supermarkets. You have to consider that we are going from Italy to Orlando, any advice?

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you're staying onsite, your only bus option is Magical Express, and you'd need to make your reservations in advance. It's free.

If you're staying offsite (or at the Dolphin, Swan, Shades of Green), you could use the Mears Shuttle - which could end up being a bus or a van, depending on need. It costs.

You could take a taxi.

You could book a car service. Both cost.

The car service will probably include a free stop at a grocery store in the price. A taxi won't - you'll pay extra for "wait" time.

The Orlando-area public bus system MIGHT go to a supermarket - you'd need to first get to some location where it picks up. See www.golynx.com.

 

[alebisi]

If you're staying onsite, your only bus option is Magical Express, and you'd need to make your reservations in advance. It's free.

If you're staying offsite (or at the Dolphin, Swan, Shades of Green), you could use the Mears Shuttle - which could end up being a bus or a van, depending on need. It costs.

You could take a taxi.

You could book a car service. Both cost.

The car service will probably include a free stop at a grocery store in the price. A taxi won't - you'll pay extra for "wait" time.

The Orlando-area public bus system MIGHT go to a supermarket - you'd need to first get to some location where it picks up. See www.golynx.com.

I'm definitely staying onsite.. but I don't know if it's convinient for me .. I mean stopping at Publix it's more convinient for water and snacks.. I don't know really what to do...

 

[bleeps]

Hello! We go to WDW every year, we always stay on site, and we NEVER use the Magical Express bus service. We always book separately and pay for a town car (basically a very nice taxi that you reserve in advance) through Tiffany Town Cars of Orlando. If you book with them, you can include a free stop at a grocery store on the way to your resort from the airport.

We pay this extra money every year so that the driver is ready and waiting for us at the luggage claim area and we get right in and GO. We don't have to wait for a bus full of people to get themselves settled. On the way back to the airport at the end of the trip, we do not have to worry about catching the bus or adhering to the bus schedules (which may require you to leave for the airport hours earlier than you normally would).

A vacation to WDW isn't cheap, but adding on the cost of our private airport transportation is money well spent in terms of time and aggravation saved.

 

[goofy4tink]

And yet another option.....ride DME but have groceries delivered to your resort by a grocery service. I've used gardengrocer.com as well as wegoshop.com...Both have been great. For a small delivery charge (usually around $10-15) you can order pretty much what you want. Then, the order is delivered right to your resort. You don't have to pay over $100 for a towncar or take the time to wander around an unfamilier grocery store.
Just a thought.

 

[bgirl29]

Another option is to use the ME for your transportation to Disney and then use one of the grocery delivery services to purchase your snacks. gardengrocer.com or I think wegoshop or a couple of them that will deliver the food right to your resort. Bell services will recieve the food for you and keep any items that need to be refrigerated cold.

OK I started that and then mydaughter woke up so goofy4tink had my same answer while I was getting DD on the bus. Great minds think alike!

 

[alebisi]

Another option is to use the ME for your transportation to Disney and then use one of the grocery delivery services to purchase your snacks. gardengrocer.com or I think wegoshop or a couple of them that will deliver the food right to your resort. Bell services will recieve the food for you and keep any items that need to be refrigerated cold.

OK I started that and then me daughter woke up so goofy4tink had my same answer while I was getting DD on the bus. Great minds think alike!

awesome Idea I'm totally doing it

 

[CleveRocks]

Here are 3 websites:

www.goodings.com (a local supermarket that delivers)

www.gardengrocer.com (a stand-alone delivery service)

www.wegoshop.com (a stand-alone delivery service)

Even if I were renting a car, I'd take advantage of one of the grocery delivery services. I have no desire to waste my vacation time wandering around an unknown market, shopping, waiting in line, etc.

 

[dburg30]

We pay this extra money every year so that the driver is ready and waiting for us at the luggage claim area and we get right in and GO. We don't have to wait for a bus full of people to get themselves settled. On the way back to the airport at the end of the trip, we do not have to worry about catching the bus or adhering to the bus schedules (which may require you to leave for the airport hours earlier than you normally would).

Granted I've only gone to WDW 2 times, but I've never had to wait on a full bus to goto the resort. I dont think I've waited longer then 5-10 min MAX for the bus to leave for the resort, so I get off the plane, take the shuttle thing to the main part of the airport, get to the correct side or orlando, take the elevator down and walk to the DME desk, where I've not had more then a 2 person wait for. On the way TO the resort, I just dont see how it can be much faster, with the exception of the no stop for water / snacks etc. I've used staples to get water, but I've also heard that the sites above are very good also for more normal food items.

Now, on the way BACK to the airport, they were much more full. But I still was on the bus within 15 min of my pick up time. Yes, they do pick you up 3 hours before your flight time, BUT most people will suggest you dont 'push your luck' and wait too long to get to the airport. Now, I'll admit that I didnt have to wait more then 5 minutes for security on either of my trips, so I had plenty of time at the airport, BUT do you REALLY want to chance running into some issue, be it traffic, or some security problem or whatever by getting an extra hour or so at a park? I just dont want to even worry about chancing something happening so I'll always try to get to MCO 2 hours before my flight, so even with a limo / taxi / whatever, you still need to allow about 30 minutes for the trip.

 

[bleeps]

Granted I've only gone to WDW 2 times, but I've never had to wait on a full bus to goto the resort.

Great that DME works so well for you, and by all means if it's not broken, don't fix it! We've found that the private town car works best for us, that's all -- to each their own.

 

[CleveRocks]

Hello! We go to WDW every year, we always stay on site, and we NEVER use the Magical Express bus service. We always book separately and pay for a town car (basically a very nice taxi that you reserve in advance) through Tiffany Town Cars of Orlando. If you book with them, you can include a free stop at a grocery store on the way to your resort from the airport.

We pay this extra money every year so that the driver is ready and waiting for us at the luggage claim area and we get right in and GO. We don't have to wait for a bus full of people to get themselves settled. On the way back to the airport at the end of the trip, we do not have to worry about catching the bus or adhering to the bus schedules (which may require you to leave for the airport hours earlier than you normally would).

A vacation to WDW isn't cheap, but adding on the cost of our private airport transportation is money well spent in terms of time and aggravation saved.

I'm glad you found something you like, and I don't want to try to change your mind. But I do want to comment on what you said for the sake of others reading this.

It is not accurate to characterize a car service as getting you to your resort faster than Disney's Magical Express. In fact, if you make a grocery stop on the way to your resort, DME would almost definitely get you to your resort faster than that. And you can arrange a grocery delivery that gets you groceries cheaper than WDW prices AND won't take any precious time away from your vacation.

You talk about your driver waiting for you at baggage claim and you just get in and go. But you leave out the fact that you must wait at baggage claim for your bags, and then wait a couple minutes for the driver to get the vehicle from the garage after he/she does the meet and greet. Your wait at baggage claim is roughly equivalent to my wait for a bus and for perhaps a stop or two before mine. I don't have to wait at baggage claim, and there is the major trade-off that keeps the times roughly equivalent.

Car services are a great service for those who desire that level of service ... personalized and private. But those who are concerned ONLY about time are short-changing themselves by falsely assuming that a car service must definitely be faster than DME in getting you to your resort.

Also, in your post, you state what I'll characterize as 2 exaggerations regarding going back to the airport. First, you state you "do not have to worry about catching the bus or adhering to the bus schedules." Well, since you are taking a car service back to the airport and not a taxi, you still must adhere to the car service's schedule. It's not like you're catching a cab and can do it whenever you want. The car service will ask you your flight time and will tell you when they want to pick you up, so you still are beholden to some sort of schedule. You then state that using DME to go back to the airport "may require you to leave for the airport hours earlier than you normally would." DME schedules pick-ups for about 2.75-to-3 hours prior to flight time. Most car services will schedule you 2.5 hours prior to flight time, and at the very latest 2 hours prior to flight time. So at most, it would be a 1 hour differential, and more likely a 30 minute differential. Your saying DME makes you leave HOURS earlier than you want is an exaggeration.

I just wanted to set the record straight for others who are trying to gather information and make up their own minds. I know that you are happy with what you do, and I'm glad you are.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to agree with Eric on this one. A towncar does not automatically get you to your resort faster than DME. Here is the breakdown of some of my trips from MCO to the resorts.

Going to BW, DME....55 mins
To POP, DME.....85 mins (last of three stops, much luggage at each stop)
To POP, DME....60 mins (two times)
To POP, Towncar, carryon only...45 mins
Polynesian, towncar, checked bags......65 mins
CR, towncar, checked bags.....60 mins
BC, DME....55 mins
Dolphin, checked bags, towncar....65 mins

So, while DME can take up to 90 mins, it usually doesn't. It is closer to a 70 min average. With a towncar, you have to wait for your bags and then either walk to the car lot with your luggage or wait for the driver to drive the car around to you.
Yes, DME is not for everyone. But, to say that it takes longer to get to the resorts using DME is just incorrect. The times really are comparable. But, there are plenty of people who like the privacy, specialness of a towncar service. Others feel it's no big deal to ride the bus with other families. To each his own.