Disney picks you up at the airport

[MMfan101]

I have seen the new WDW planning dvd. They said that disney can pick you up at the airport if you stay in a WDW resort. Now does this cost money and do you have to call and tell them your flight # ect.?

 

[scanne]

If you're staying at a Disney resort the Magic Express is free. I'm not clear on the details as we are not using it this trip but we will be using it in October. I'm sure someone will have more specific info for you!

 

[ziggystardust]

First off, WELCOME!

The magical express is a free service. When you book your trip they ask you if you are flying or not. If you are they will ask you for all your details. I also have not tried the service yet. You will receive luggage tags too.

If you look over on the transportation board, I'm sure there are a few threads about it there. Also check out mousesavers.com, do a search for it, theres a bunch of info there!

 

[CleveRocks]

Disney's Magical Express (DME) is a FREE service for ALL guests at WDW resorts. If you booked directly with WDTC, call them to make sure you're registered for DME. If you booked through a travel agent, make sure the travel agent does it for you (mine didn't, and I had to teach her about it!).

I had great experiences with DME. A few weeks before you leave, you'll get a DME booklet that explains everything. Among the items in the booklet are your DME luggage tags (stciky yellow paper that you attach to your luggage handles). When you check in your bags at your home airport, you won't see them again until the "magically" appear in your hotel room. When you land in Orlando, you can just ignore the whole idea of baggage claim. After you get off the airplane you go to the DME desk, where you will check in and they'll tell you which queue to get in for the bus to your resort.

Each bus will make up to a max of 4 stops. You can carry your carry-ons or put them in the luggage hold of the bus. You get to your resort to check in. If your room's not ready, you can have Bell Services store your bags for you and you can get on with the fun of your vacation! Your bags will be delivered to your room whether or not you're in the room.

The best advice I can give is pack in your carry-on everything you'll need for your first day. The luggage has sometimes taken 3-4 hours or more to arrive. I've read of (in my opinion) naive people who packed EVERYTHING in their suitcases and then were angry because the things they needed right away were in their suitcases. In my 15 years of traveling as an adult I've always packed necessities in my carry-on just in case the airline loses or delays my luggage. My luggage arrived 4 hours after I arrived at my hotel, but I was in the pool with my kids having a blast at the time, because we packed bathing suits, changes of clothes, medications, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. in out carry-ons.

On the way back to the airport, you'll be picked up about 3 hours before your departure flight. If you are using an airline on the "participating" list, you can actually check your luggage at your hotel lobby, and then not see it again until you reach your home airport (you can also get your boarding passes for your flight so you won't have to check in at the airport). If your airline is not one of the participating airlines, you bring your luggage to the bus with you, the driver loads it, and you get it again when the bus gets to the Orlando airport; at that point, you check in or do curbside check-in just like any other flight you'd get.

It's useful and FREE, and not all that complicated once you have the basic info down.

ENJOY!

-- Eric