DME - anyone have a long wait?

[Boopuff]

Every time I've flown into Orlando and taken DME I've gone to the line we haven't had to wait very long. However, we've always flown the first flight in the morning. I'm guessing that as the day progresses the lines grown longer. What's the longest wait? This time we're arriving around 11:00 (plane on the ground not including walk to DME)

 

[maxiesmom]

11 pm? That late I've had it take 2 1/2 hours to make it to my resort before. And that was before you had to stop and pick up your checked bags, which you will have to do.

 

[lustergirl]

Never..

 

[ncc1701]

We had a long wait the one time we came in on a Saturday morning around 10:30am. We had to wait for the 3rd bus . Usually we have either gotten on the 1st or when we got the 2nd the 1st bus was just loading when we got in to line. Normally we arrive on a Friday morning between 9 and 11.

 

[Jesskamb]

I was wondering about this too! We'll be arriving tomorrow at about 3:00PM and I have no idea what to expect wait wise.

 

[pregnantw4thprincess]

Also wondering this

 

[jsantini]

I've also been wondering. Our flight this time gets in at 10:30 pm-- debating between renting a car that night or renting it later in the trip after the Disney portion is done.

 

[G719]

11 pm? That late I've had it take 2 1/2 hours to make it to my resort before. And that was before you had to stop and pick up your checked bags, which you will have to do.

What caused the trip to take so long? Did you have to wait to get on the bus or wait for more people so the bus would leave?

 

[pampam]

I too, have had to wait at least 2 hours. It was a late flight, and we were waiting for a bus with a wheelchair lift.

 

[Minnesota!]

We had to wait on the bus for a while last time....it was late at night so I am sure they were hoping to fill it a bit more. No worries, though...we were still riding high on being there

In August, midday, once, we had a longer wait, in line. There was a huge family reunion in front of us and I think they were trying to coordinate everyone getting on one bus, etc. It was a little frustrating (for me) just because it was SOOOO noisy and I don't do well with noise in a contained place like that. But, 30 minutes or so....and it was doable.

 

[GreatLakes]

The longest wait I had to board the bus was about an hour. It was late and they just weren't running a lot of buses so we had to wait. They also combined three resorts on the same bus and I was the third. The bus went to AKL, then CBR, and finally dropped me off at POP.

DME, much like the on property buses, are a convenience but not a time saver. If you are looking for the most efficient way to get from the airport and around property you will have to rent a car.

 

[Donald Duck888]

We just returned from Disney last week and DME worked great for us no long waits on either end. One caution however, when we were leaving resort back to the airport when we showed up there were 2 people sitting waiting in the DME waiting area. After about 15 minutes they came over to us and asked when we were scheduled to be picked up. Well it seems they were supposed to be picked up an hour before our bus but theirs never showed up so they ended up put onto our bus an hour later. Hopefully it did not mess too much up for them at the airport.

 

[DaddyRobbinDisney]

Is it pretty common that they are running more busses the busier the season? We are going for spring break in early march....

 

[dis_guy]

We had a long wait the one time we came in on a Saturday morning around 10:30am. We had to wait for the 3rd bus . Usually we have either gotten on the 1st or when we got the 2nd the 1st bus was just loading when we got in to line.

This has been our experience on two different Saturdays at different times of the year. Most often we get to MCO in the early evening and have never seen big crowds like that regardless of what day of the week it was.

 

[goofy4tink]

Figure on it taking at least 90 mins total, from the gate to resort. The buses all stop at 3 or 4 resorts, so if your's is the first stop, you're ride time will be shorter than those at the last stop...obviously.
I haven't had a huge difference in times of day...but I generally don't arrive after 5pm. In three weeks I'll arrive at 8, so will see how that shakes out.

I will say that one Dec Sat, we arrived at the same time a ton of Pop Warner families did. The line to checkin at the counter (back when you checked in at the counter!!!) was back to the furthest car rental counters. But, we waited just 25 mins before heading to the bus line...that was a 15 min wait, then onto the bus and away from the airport. So, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be when we saw the line!!!!

 

[AngiTN]

I've never had a horribly long wait once boarding the bus
We've arrived at all hours, from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM
When we arrived at 7:00 AM we were the first to board our bus
The driver informed us we'd either wait 30 or for the bus to be full, which ever came first.
We were told their goal is to depart within 30 min of the first person boarding.
And we never have never waited more than 30 min to depart

 

[NYHeel]

Another reason why I don't stay on site and always rent a car. I can't deal with waiting long amounts of time for buses or on buses. I take a bus from work every day and the last thing I want to do on vacation is take more buses. The good news is that as bad as the Port Authority in midtown Manhattan is you usually don't wait 30 minutes for a bus.

We're flying out in a little under 2 weeks. My goal is to be at my place within 45 minutes of getting off the plane, but definitely within an hour. Place is 25 minutes or so away from MCO and I'll use Alamo's online check-in to avoid the counter. We're not checking any bags to save time (each person gets one carry-on) so figuring about 10 minutes to walk from gate to rental car plus 10 minutes getting the car and paperwork settled (even without counter) and then 25 minutes drive. We're getting in around 9 PM so need to get to our house as quick as possible so the kids can get to sleep for Epcot rope drop the next day.

 

[AngiTN]

Well there is no requirement to use ME even if you stay on site.
You can always rent a car

 

[goofy4tink]

Some times I've had.......
DME.....between 60-85 mins.
Car service....carry on only.....45 mins
Car service....checked bags...60 mins.
Mears.....carry on only....95 mins.
Rental car.....checked bags.....65 mins

Not every method is going to be right for everyone. I have no issue with buses. I don't mind waiting for them. I dislike driving in not so familiar areas, with others that have no idea where they're going....it's scary. I prefer to let Disney do the driving! But, others prefer to drive themselves.

 

[NYHeel]

Some times I've had.......
DME.....between 60-85 mins.
Car service....carry on only.....45 mins
Car service....checked bags...60 mins.
Mears.....carry on only....95 mins.
Rental car.....checked bags.....65 mins

Not every method is going to be right for everyone. I have no issue with buses. I don't mind waiting for them. I dislike driving in not so familiar areas, with others that have no idea where they're going....it's scary. I prefer to let Disney do the driving! But, others prefer to drive themselves.

Yes, everyone has their own preferences. I like to be in more control, especially on vacation. I take a bus from work everyday so on vacation I like that I can actually drive and not have to wait around. Also with all the GPS apps I don't mind driving in new areas.

We happen to be getting in late on our arrival day, about 9:00, so I really want to hustle to our house rental and try to get the kids to bed as quickly as possible. It's why we're planning on going with all carry ons. Anything to save a few minutes.