Disneys's Magical Express

[tjmw2727]

I am stunned and I hope you documented your experiences so you can put it in writing.

I have used DME over a dozen times and my longest trip was 90 minutes from check in to the resort and its usually about 70 minutes. This includes Easter week and Christmas Eve, two of the busiest WDW travel times.

I have seen the queue area wrapped around so far it looked like a 2 hour wait for space mountain. In reality the check in is quick and often the entire family is in line and only one person needs so this inflates the look of the line, also they have lots of CM's so it moves very quickly. The longest I have waited in line to check in was 10 minutes and I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes on the bus.

All the DME buses make 3 stops so unless you are the first you will stop at one maybe two other resorts prior to yours.

Normally I wouldn't complain about a free service but in your case I would definately send a letter with details and documentation. If not for you, then for future guests and also for those at WDW who attempt to make DME a good experience. I would include a copy of your itinerary showing your landing time and then your check in time at the resort. It should be printed on your check in folio.

I would also like to respectfully disagree about your advice to skip the yellow tags and get your own luggage. IMHO the luggage delivery feature is the best part of DME and I have had great experience with that feature as well.

The slow trips I have experienced were due to folks who did bring their own bags onboard. The driver has to take time to stow them all at MCO and then unpack them at the resorts. This can add time at MCO and then andother 10/15 minutes per resort. So if your the last stop you have added over 30 minutes to the trip for folks who didn't use the luggage delivery feature.

Lastly, after waiting and hour to check in I would have hailed a cab and spoken to a mgr upon arrival. Even after a 2 hour wait to check in I can't imagine how it took you over 5 hours since the trip itself with 2/3 stops should be under an hour. Although IMHO even three hours is too long.

I will say that for those considering DME to read lots of threads before making a decision as the OP's situation does seem to be isolated.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

Hi i was told to bring my bags down to front desk day before leaving had a bellhop help me then told could not check them in until departure stored them at front desk the front desk helped me to the bus i gave the bus driver my last 4 dollars for putting othem on bus noticed no one else tipped there was no other passengers but one family i was helped with luggage on way to hotel so thought would get help on way backbut i guess once trip over you are on your own i had a 10 dollar bill the bus driver changed it but machine was not taking money had someone told me noone to help i would have gotten a taxi but the nice guy from united helped me i will never tip again and my friends wont either

I agree that if the DME driver doesen't assist me than I don't tip.

I would suggest that in the future you come up with a way that you can manage your kids and your luggage.

Since I travel as the solo adult with my two kids I am making what I hope will be a helpful suggestion, please don't take as a flame.

I travel at least 6 times a year alone with my kids and have since they were toddlers. You just can't count on help - and as you described its an awful feeling to be stuck in a situation you can't manage.

I bring only what I can manage by using rolling cases one large and one or two smaller cases that the kids can roll. I check all but 24 hours of necessities and some items for the flight and then I let DME deliver everything. If you want some suggestions prior to your next flight I would be happy to try and help.

Also if you fly a participating airline then you can have everything checked through at your resort and board the DME bus with just your carryons

TJ

 

[hsmamato2]

I know many here are big fans of ME,but I tried it once,and HATED it.....won't bother again- it just took to long,too many hundreds of people in lines....rental car is so quick and easy- I'm spoiled just a bit

 

[hsmamato2]

I wish.....my experience was a LONG wraparound line that took at least an hour to get to the place where they look at your tickets and send you to the long bus line........it wasn't quick,or efficient. I don't think it's isolated- I think it happens,as my Mom,who was with us and had used it before warned me about the waits.
The trip back,was great though....

 

[dburg30]

I know many here are big fans of ME,but I tried it once,and HATED it.....won't bother again- it just took to long,too many hundreds of people in lines....rental car is so quick and easy- I'm spoiled just a bit

Yep, I'm spoiled a bit too But the exact opposite of you. Some people want the control of when and where they go, some people like the freedom of letting someone else doing the driving / navagating I'm one of those. I didnt think I'd be able to do it, but being able to drag my dead tired behind on the bus, not having to worry about where we parked, how to get out of somewhere that I'm not familiar with etc etc makes DME and also park buses one of the best parts of both of my trips in the last year..

 

[tjmw2727]

Yep, I'm spoiled a bit too But the exact opposite of you. Some people want the control of when and where they go, some people like the freedom of letting someone else doing the driving / navagating I'm one of those. I didnt think I'd be able to do it, but being able to drag my dead tired behind on the bus, not having to worry about where we parked, how to get out of somewhere that I'm not familiar with etc etc makes DME and also park buses one of the best parts of both of my trips in the last year..

That's how I feel as well, especially as I said as the only adult in a party of 3. We travel alot for skating competitions which means navigating through unfamiliar cities either in a rental or sometimes in my own car and even with navatation system I find it stressful.

For both DH and I part of being on vacation is not having to drive

TJ

 

[bookmama]

i think your time was so long because of the season. it's really crowded right now. when we went last year it took about 20 minutes for us to get on ME. don't take it so hard. I hope the rest of your vacation is better.

 

[dburg30]

i think your time was so long because of the season. it's really crowded right now. when we went last year it took about 20 minutes for us to get on ME. don't take it so hard. I hope the rest of your vacation is better.

The OP had a much worse time then 20 minutes. Even an hour to get people on to buses heading to resorts would be too much. I mean, it would be like every flight in was NOTHING but DME people it seems.. Guess it could happen, but I to hope the OP let disney and DME know about that day, so they can investigate..

 

[shelly3girls]

No.

Some people think that they're outsmarting Magical Express by throwing away the yellow tags and claiming their bags at baggage claim. By doing so, they're typically delaying their arrival at their resort by 30-60 minutes. (I had to wait a full hour for my bags at baggage claim at Orlando International last year when I wasn't going to WDW.) And they have to carry their bags across the huge airport, possibly from one corner to the other. And they have to deal with their bags at the resort. Every time anyone assists them with the bags -- at the airport, on the DME bus, and at he resort -- tips are customary.

I wouldn't say "outstmarting." Some people want immediate access to their luggage and choose not to let DME handle it. We have used DME several times now and it always takes several hours to receive our luggage. One night we arrived at 8pm and still did not have our luggage by 1am. We did not get them until 10am the next day. We choose to carry our own luggage so we do not have to carry pjs and a change of clothes in our carry-on. If we arrive in the morning then we let DME handle it.

 

[dburg30]

I wouldn't say "outstmarting." Some people want immediate access to their luggage and choose not to let DME handle it. We have used DME several times now and it always takes several hours to receive our luggage. One night we arrived at 8pm and still did not have our luggage by 1am. We did not get them until 10am the next day. We choose to carry our own luggage so we do not have to carry pjs and a change of clothes in our carry-on. If we arrive in the morning then we let DME handle it.

Here's the standard disclaimer of what if your airline misplaces your luggage and you dont have your PJ's or some other carry on for the first part of your trip?

 

[Maine-iac]

The OP had a much worse time then 20 minutes. Even an hour to get people on to buses heading to resorts would be too much. I mean, it would be like every flight in was NOTHING but DME people it seems.. Guess it could happen, but I to hope the OP let disney and DME know about that day, so they can investigate..

If the problem was that so many people were leaving to go back to the airport then maybe it was because most schools are getting ready to open. Maybe a lot of families heading home.

 

[Maine-iac]

Who likes to wait in line for 2 hours or more to check in to ride this bus?

Well yes the more lines you stand in the longer you will wait. But this is done so that only those with verified DME vouchers can get on the buses. Other wise you would have every Tom, Dick and Harry and their families trying to slip in to get on the buses. Now that would really hold up the lines.

I agree your wait was way to long. I hope this was just an isolated incidence.

 

[SurfinTX]

My only use of the system last year was o.k. We arrived about 9:30 am local on a Sat. during Spring Break and had the typical problems navigating an unfamilliar airport. Once getting to check-in, it took about 30 mins to get in the bus line. We had to wait for a second bus for POR/POFQ so tack on 20 mins in line. After that we were the second stop, no biggie. I would say a so-so experience but nice not have to deal with a rental when staying onsite.

I think after getting our cards we arrived at MK at noon.

Expect longer waits if you arrive at MCO between 8:30-10:00 a.m. due to the numbers arriving and departing at the same time.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

On my last trip I too was not thrilled with ME. We landed the weekend of Super Bowl and the airport was mobbed. We waited over an hour to check in at the desk, then another 45 minutes at the line for the buses. Finally, we got on the bus and stopped at a number of other resorts. I think, all together it too us almost 3 hours from landing to get to our resort. I can't imagine having no line at the ME desk. FWIW, I am taking ME again, simply because I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag, so me driving around Central Florida is NOT a good idea. Hopefully we'll have a better experience this time.

 

[clkelley]

So sorry you had problems. They must have gotten slammed in some unusual way. It really is quite fast most times.

We'll be using it again in a couple of weeks (Me at 6:30 in the morning and DH at 9:20 in the morning on a Saturday).

We'll let everyone know our experiences, good or bad.

 

[carrie6466]

I have to say April 1st was our first time using ME. Our plane landed at 10:30 and we didn't get to our hotel until 2:30 or so. We had no luggage to pick up. There was no line at the ME counter. We got on the line for our resort and were first on line. And no one else came to our line. We asked repeatedly why we were waiting and no one could answer. An hour after we got there (still no one else on line) another family came for our resort. We proceeded to wait more than another hour after that, discussing splitting a limo with the other family, when finally around 1:30or so there was a bus for our resort. They let us on and then proceeded to have us wait while they then loaded some people from another resort. It was 2:30 (or even a bit later) when we finally got on the check-in line at CBR.

We are going to give ME one more chance. Any problems on this trip and we will take a taxi, I will not wait another 3 + hrs.

 

[TDC Nala]

The OP had a much worse time then 20 minutes. Even an hour to get people on to buses heading to resorts would be too much. I mean, it would be like every flight in was NOTHING but DME people it seems.. Guess it could happen, but I to hope the OP let disney and DME know about that day, so they can investigate..

I would agree. A six-hour airport to resort time is completely egregious and should have been reported to customer service.

 

[esdras]

I wouldn't say "outstmarting." Some people want immediate access to their luggage and choose not to let DME handle it. We have used DME several times now and it always takes several hours to receive our luggage. One night we arrived at 8pm and still did not have our luggage by 1am. We did not get them until 10am the next day. We choose to carry our own luggage so we do not have to carry pjs and a change of clothes in our carry-on. If we arrive in the morning then we let DME handle it.

Here's the standard disclaimer of what if your airline misplaces your luggage and you dont have your PJ's or some other carry on for the first part of your trip?

We may have figured out the best way to handle this in terms of having essentials in your carry ons. Depends on how many are in your party though - this is for a family of four.

Carrry on #1: Maximum allowable size: Contains PJ's and Clothing for the next 48 hrs. in the parks. Also contains any additional sandals/footwear. Basically whether it would be a problem with DME or the airline itself - we're covered - literally and figuratively.

Carry on #2: Somewhat smaller than the previous: Contains all the "electronics". Cameras, camcorder, laptop etc. Usually use a "padded" backpack for this carry-on - works fine.

Carry on #3: Average tote bag size: Contains all the toiletries medications, etc. Since this is the bag that will have most of the stuff that the TSA is concerned about checking - it's all in one location.

Carry on #4: Another tote bag size: Contains all the miscellaneous stuff. Things to keep kids amused, snacks for the flight, etc.

Even showing up at the DME with these bags - only the one large carry-on needs to be stowed in the luggage compartment of the bus. The back-pack and two tote bags are easily taken on board and stored at our feet or on the luggage rack above.

I think there is a tendency for people wanting to have their own carry-on bag. I'm just not sure that this is the most efficient way for a family to pack carry-on bags. By assigning each bag a "category", I think you can take the same amount of stuff using smaller carry-on bags.

This is just my opinion for what works for our family - YMMV, of course.

 

[leebee]

Reading this thread is making me nervous about using DME on Wed 8/20, arriving MCO around 2:15 - almost as nervous as thinking about TSFay . I am not a huge fan of Disney transportation in general, and this is the first time I have been to WDW without renting a car. Perhaps I'll go check out Alamo right now .

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I did notice our longest line was on a Thursday. It took me about 15 minutes. Our bus wait this last time was the longest, about 15 minutes for that as well. We were still at YC by 11 AM. Of course once we are off of the plane I am sprinting to the ME area because I'm so happy to be back. I even tell DH and the kids to go to the bathrooms by ME while I wait in line.
Robin M.