DME - anyone have a long wait?

[goofy4tink]

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.

Yeah, I used GPS while at WDW once. I ended up going into Epcot vs staying on the highway to get to Sanford!!!! Too funny. Thank heavens I had an AP and didn't have to pay for parking!!! But, the road I was supposed to be on was just above me.....GPS had missed it because the two roadways were so close!!!

I don't have an issue driving in new areas. What I do have an issue with is that car that is speeding down I4, going about 70, when Mabel yells "Henry, that's our exit!!!'' and Henry tries to skip over three lanes of traffic in order to not miss his exit!!! Drives me nuts....I've been in buses when that's happened...still can't figure out how the driver kept his mouth closed!!!! That car missed us by about a foot!!! Heaven forbid anyone go to the next exit and go back to the correct one!!

Yep, everyone has their own preferences...and that's as it should be!!! Hopefully, this board tries to give the pros and cons of all the options.

 

[Paticake]

Longest wait was for a late flight that ended up delayed from weather and we arrived around 1:30am. Didn't get to the resort till 3:15am. Everyone was exhausted and the driver just kept talking. I think they just wanted to fill the bus up. GRRRRRRRRR. Usually we don't have more than 20-30 minutes and occasionally it is a walk on. **** 2 weeks from tomorrow it will be a walk on! Let's hope

 

[Shanti]

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.

Thanks for the numbers!!! I'm debating this myself, for our trip in 2 weeks. Have our luggage tags but also town car reservation, which I'm tempted to cancel. Thing is it's a short weekend trip & I don't want to waste hours for the bus, & we arrive at 8:50pm and will be starting early next morning. But also love to check bags & get them later at our resort- my favorite perk! Also like the bus ride to the World which gets you in the mood. We did a town car once (to Disney) during which the driver tried to sell my son on Universal Studios. Hello?

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Last summer we landed at a little past 9pm. We walked right on the bus and left within 5 minutes. Made it to our resort about an hour after we got off the plane. Quickest time ever, longest was around an hour and fifteen minutes from the time we left the plane.

 

[goofy4tink]

Longest wait was for a late flight that ended up delayed from weather and we arrived around 1:30am. Didn't get to the resort till 3:15am. Everyone was exhausted and the driver just kept talking. I think they just wanted to fill the bus up. GRRRRRRRRR. Usually we don't have more than 20-30 minutes and occasionally it is a walk on. **** 2 weeks from tomorrow it will be a walk on! Let's hope

I realize that arriving at your resort at 3:15am isn't fun...not a bit! But, in all reality, we all say you can figure on up to 90 mins, from gate to resort. Most times are around 75-80 mins. And when arriving late at night, all bets are off. You could get lucky and get on a bus that was ready to leave. Or, you could get on a bus that still had 20 mins to wait at the airport, and then be the last stop. I'm not making excuses here, just trying to point out what 'can' happen. 10 mins from the gate to DME area, then wait in line for 15 mins, get on the bus, wait another 15-20 mins. 30 mins to the first resort stop...and addtl 15-20 to get to the last resort. Not a fun thing in the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention having to wait and get your bags!!! Not fun at all.

 

[Shanti]

I realize that arriving at your resort at 3:15am isn't fun...not a bit! But, in all reality, we all say you can figure on up to 90 mins, from gate to resort. Most times are around 75-80 mins. And when arriving late at night, all bets are off. You could get lucky and get on a bus that was ready to leave. Or, you could get on a bus that still had 20 mins to wait at the airport, and then be the last stop. I'm not making excuses here, just trying to point out what 'can' happen. 10 mins from the gate to DME area, then wait in line for 15 mins, get on the bus, wait another 15-20 mins. 30 mins to the first resort stop...and addtl 15-20 to get to the last resort. Not a fun thing in the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention having to wait and get your bags!!! Not fun at all.

What qualifies as "late at night" in relation to DME? We're scheduled to land at 8:50pm on a Friday. Will that also be unreliable?

 

[goofy4tink]

What qualifies as "late at night" in relation to DME? We're scheduled to land at 8:50pm on a Friday. Will that also be unreliable?

8:50 isn't close to 'late at night'!! It's not a question of reliability when arriving later in the evening. And when I say later, I mean around midnight on. The numbers of guests arriving start to slow down around 10-11ish. And that means buses may wait longer for riders to arrive....and that means longer wait times for those already on the bus.
I arrive around 8-8:15 in two weeks. I'm not concerned about the length of time it will take. I should be at BW around 9:30.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Never had a long wait before but Tuesday before thanksgiving around dinner time there wasn't a big crowd but there were car accidents on all the routes to DW so we had a long wait because busses couldn't get through. Random bad luck.

 

[LashwayFamily03]

If my flight is scheduled to land at 6:30pm, do you think I'd be "safe" making a 9pm dinner reservation at Boma (staying at AKL)? That gives us 2 1/2 hours to get from the gate to resort, get checked in and into restaurant. We really want to do dinner at Boma first night as part of a surprise for DD & her BF who have no idea we are staying at AKL.

 

[ELSA711]

I'm hoping not long. We land at 4:50pm and want to make the 9pm Fantasmic!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

We have landed anywhere from 1pm to 6pm in our trips using DME. Our routine is: Take shuttle to terminal and hit the restrooms. Make our way down to DME and check in and get in line for our bus. Have waited 10-30 minutes and usually are at the resort within 90 mins of walking off the plane. Sometimes, it is shorter, sometimes it is right at 90 mins. We usually have 2-3 carry-on bags and usually fly in on Mondays when we go.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

Hijacking the thread for a sec, but when do your Magical Express docs arrive? We leave a month from Thursday.

 

[boufa]

Hijacking the thread for a sec, but when do your Magical Express docs arrive? We leave a month from Thursday.

I got mine about 2.5 to 3 weeks out. They used to send them to TA's to forward, but I got mine directly from Disney, not my TA.

 

[PSULion]

Hijacking the thread for a sec, but when do your Magical Express docs arrive? We leave a month from Thursday.

We also got ours about 2.5 weeks before trip. They used to send them a lot earlier, so at a month out I called. They were able to tell me that they had just been sent to the printer. Made me feel better. Wouldn't hurt for you to call... It just took a minute.