DME Outbound to ORD Q

[howaboutme]

Hello,

This will be our first time so I am wondering about the DME's rule about getting on the bus 3 hrs prior to scheduled flight. What does that actually mean? My understanding is that DME is ongoing with buses at intervals so is the 3 hr rule just a guideline? What happens if your flight is at Noon and your DME departure is 9am but you miss it and get on the next bus, which (for this purpose) is 9:20am. What happens? I assume nothing, right? Ultimately, it is our job to get to the airport on time...

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alesia]

Your understanding of how DME works is wrong.

For your return flight, you are assigned a bus and you need to be on that bus. The DME buses are not on a continuous circuit - they only go to resorts when there is a scheduled pickup. If you miss your bus, there may not be another one for hours. Or, even if there is one, there may not be room for you.

Intentionally missing your bus would be incredibly foolish. Security lines at MCO can be unbelievably long. You don't want to push it. If you really, really don't want to be on the bus 3 hours before departure, you'll need to pay for a cab.

 

[howaboutme]

Your understanding of how DME works is wrong.

For your return flight, you are assigned a bus and you need to be on that bus. The DME buses are not on a continuous circuit - they only go to resorts when there is a scheduled pickup. If you miss your bus, there may not be another one for hours. Or, even if there is one, there may not be room for you.

Intentionally missing your bus would be incredibly foolish. Security lines at MCO can be unbelievably long. You don't want to push it. If you really, really don't want to be on the bus 3 hours before departure, you'll need to pay for a cab.

Thank you.

Note that my purpose for posting this question is for a better understanding of DME not to circumvent any requirements out of foolishness.

 

[goofy4tink]

Let's say you have that flight at noon, and have been given a DME pick up time at 8:50. You're at BC (for instance). You decide to squeeze in breakfast at Cape May...7:30 ADR should be plenty of time.
But, there's a hold up getting seated, the characters are on the slow side. You finish eating at 8:35. You've got 25 mins, so run to the restroom while the rest head to the gift shop...that one last check. You find the kids in the store, arrive, out of breath, at the DME bus stop at 8:52. Hey, it's only 2 mins, right? That bus is probably gone. The time you are given us the time the bus leaves the resort. You need to be at the bus stop, ready to leave, 15 mins prior to p/u time.
Ok, I'll just get on the next bus at 9:20. Well, two issues here...
1. There may not be a bus at 9:20. If there are no guests departing the resort at this time, no bus is scheduled.
2. Even if there were to be a bus at 9:20, it could very well be full! And it certainly wouldn't be fair to bump someone who was scheduled for that bus, so your family could get on. Yes, I've seen guests suggest that!

If you miss your assigned bus, you 'might' be able to hop on the next one. But..that's nothing I would count on. You would now be responsible for getting a cab, and paying for it, to get you back to MCO.

And there you have it.

 

[howaboutme]

Let's say you have that flight at noon, and have been given a DME pick up time at 8:50. You're at BC (for instance). You decide to squeeze in breakfast at Cape May...7:30 ADR should be plenty of time.
But, there's a hold up getting seated, the characters are on the slow side. You finish eating at 8:35. You've got 25 mins, so run to the restroom while the rest head to the gift shop...that one last check. You find the kids in the store, arrive, out of breath, at the DME bus stop at 8:52. Hey, it's only 2 mins, right? That bus is probably gone. The time you are given us the time the bus leaves the resort. You need to be at the bus stop, ready to leave, 15 mins prior to p/u time.
Ok, I'll just get on the next bus at 9:20. Well, two issues here...
1. There may not be a bus at 9:20. If there are no guests departing the resort at this time, no bus is scheduled.
2. Even if there were to be a bus at 9:20, it could very well be full! And it certainly wouldn't be fair to bump someone who was scheduled for that bus, so your family could get on. Yes, I've seen guests suggest that!

If you miss your assigned bus, you 'might' be able to hop on the next one. But..that's nothing I would count on. You would now be responsible for getting a cab, and paying for it, to get you back to MCO.

And there you have it.

Thank you, very helpful. Appreciate all the help.

 

[AngiTN]

We no longer use DME because 3 hours at MCO is too much. I don't want to sit at the gate for 2 hours, and we did for a couple of flights. I'd rather stay at the parks 2 hours longer.

Plus, I know everyone says the time given is the time they bus leaves but that has never been our experience. We've waited past the pick up time each time.

Just too much waiting around for DME. We spend $25 to return on Uber/Lyft instead. We always plan our last day at Epcot so we can store our bags in their big lockers outside the gates. Super easy and we get a few more hours of park time since we don't have to plan the time to get back to the resort either

 

[bumbershoot]

On the other hand, we leave in a car around the same time as dme and have barely gotten through security on time.

I always walk into an airport two hours early and MCO is no exception. I have no problem with dme timing.

 

[AngiTN]

We've flown out of MCO 6 times this year and left Disney 2 hours before the flight each time. And were at our gate an hour before departure each time. I feel comfortable with it. Others may not. If we checked bags at MCO I would probably add time to get bags checked but we use RAC. We have PreCheck but even without we would have been ok. With it we have had no wait for any of our flights.

 

[goofy4tink]

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, security can be lengthy..up to 25+ mins! If your DME bus picks you up first, then goes to 3 addtl resorts, that's another 20+ mins before you get on the road to the airport. MCO tells us to arrive at least 2 hrs prior to departure..which is why DME gives up p/u times 3 hrs prior to said departure. If you are the first resort, it's going to take you longer, if you're the last resort, it will take you just 30 mins once you board the bus.
If you leave the resort 2.5 hrs prior to departure, you stand a chance of getting hung up in security. For me, I would rather leave the park 45 mins earlier and sit at the gate, relaxing vs worrying about being late. For me, there is nothing worse than stressing about time when I'm leaving WDW. I have seen way too many people rushing to get through security, yelling that their plane is boarding in 15 mins!!! Or that stupid woman who stood in the line at the coffee shop, getting that last minute cup of coffee as the airline called her name to board. She then started telling people that she needed to get to the front of the line!! Yeah, no one was giving that a shot!!!

It all depends on what your comfort zone is. If you don't mind possibly rushing around, then sure, leave your resort 2 hrs to 90 mins prior to departure. Note..I said 'possibly' before all you naysayers jump all over me saying that you don't need 2 hrs!!

 

[maxiesmom]

One trip I was on the DME bus for a hour before we even headed to the airport. So there is a reason they pick you up 3 hours ahead.

That was the last time I used DME to the airport. I know how security can be at MCO and I was freaking out the whole time we would miss our flight. As it was, we were at the gate maybe 20 minutes before boarding. Too close for comfort for me at MCO.

 

[howaboutme]

This is very helpful, thank you all. I figure DME is similar to taking Super Shuttle or another ride share where it's safer to get people there early as opposed to be late and then be responsible for that. I understand how it all works now.

 

[AngiTN]

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, security can be lengthy..up to 25+ mins! If your DME bus picks you up first, then goes to 3 addtl resorts, that's another 20+ mins before you get on the road to the airport. MCO tells us to arrive at least 2 hrs prior to departure..which is why DME gives up p/u times 3 hrs prior to said departure. If you are the first resort, it's going to take you longer, if you're the last resort, it will take you just 30 mins once you board the bus.
If you leave the resort 2.5 hrs prior to departure, you stand a chance of getting hung up in security. For me, I would rather leave the park 45 mins earlier and sit at the gate, relaxing vs worrying about being late. For me, there is nothing worse than stressing about time when I'm leaving WDW. I have seen way too many people rushing to get through security, yelling that their plane is boarding in 15 mins!!! Or that stupid woman who stood in the line at the coffee shop, getting that last minute cup of coffee as the airline called her name to board. She then started telling people that she needed to get to the front of the line!! Yeah, no one was giving that a shot!!!

It all depends on what your comfort zone is. If you don't mind possibly rushing around, then sure, leave your resort 2 hrs to 90 mins prior to departure. Note..I said 'possibly' before all you naysayers jump all over me saying that you don't need 2 hrs!!

Which is another reason why we've dropped ME from our return trips.

Since we'd know if we don't get PreCheck on a flight we have time to make a change in our regular timeline too.

We are comfortable with little to no wait time at the airport, provided we are on American or Delta, since we already have our seats. If we are on a Southwest flight where we need to line up we do alter things a bit. Now that we are flying out of our local airport we haven't been on Southwest, just AA and Delta here.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Hello,

This will be our first time so I am wondering about the DME's rule about getting on the bus 3 hrs prior to scheduled flight. What does that actually mean? My understanding is that DME is ongoing with buses at intervals so is the 3 hr rule just a guideline? What happens if your flight is at Noon and your DME departure is 9am but you miss it and get on the next bus, which (for this purpose) is 9:20am. What happens? I assume nothing, right? Ultimately, it is our job to get to the airport on time...

Thanks in advance.

All seats for the return trip are "assigned" so to speak versus arriving DME where they just fill the bus and then send it on its way.
We have been on return DME buses with empty seats and ones where EVERY seat had a body.
When DME buses were running late (and this can and does happen), we have been offered seats on an earlier bus (the driver knows how many passengers are "supposed to be" on his run.) But you cannot count on seat vacancies if you are late.

If you don't have TSA PreCheck, security can be lengthy..up to 25+ mins! If your DME bus picks you up first, then goes to 3 addtl resorts, that's another 20+ mins before you get on the road to the airport. MCO tells us to arrive at least 2 hrs prior to departure..which is why DME gives up p/u times 3 hrs prior to said departure. If you are the first resort, it's going to take you longer, if you're the last resort, it will take you just 30 mins once you board the bus.
If you leave the resort 2.5 hrs prior to departure, you stand a chance of getting hung up in security. For me, I would rather leave the park 45 mins earlier and sit at the gate, relaxing vs worrying about being late. For me, there is nothing worse than stressing about time when I'm leaving WDW. I have seen way too many people rushing to get through security, yelling that their plane is boarding in 15 mins!!! Or that stupid woman who stood in the line at the coffee shop, getting that last minute cup of coffee as the airline called her name to board. She then started telling people that she needed to get to the front of the line!! Yeah, no one was giving that a shot!!!

It all depends on what your comfort zone is. If you don't mind possibly rushing around, then sure, leave your resort 2 hrs to 90 mins prior to departure. Note..I said 'possibly' before all you naysayers jump all over me saying that you don't need 2 hrs!!

I totally agree with goofyfortink. We just flew out of MCO 2 weeks ago. The security lines were pretty much an hour long!! I have been there when there was no one in the security line and when they have gone out beyond the stanchions! The problem is there is no way to know how busy it will or will not be. With our flight 2 weeks ago, we barely got to the gate 15 minutes before boarding and our flight was delayed 15 minutes. LOL
Keep in mind (depending on who you fly, we mostly fly SW) that even though your flight may be at 2pm, they start boarding 20 (or is it 30 minutes?) prior to flight departure time. So they would start boarding at 1:30 (1:40 at the latest) for a 2pm departure. Which takes another chunk of time off of that 3 hours...

 

[jdisnut]

I assign great value to my time, especially on vacation. I don't have the opportunity to vacation as much as I would like, so every second I can spend on Disney property matters to me.

As a result, I would never even consider using Disney's Magical Express back to the airport at the end of the trip. Doing so saves you a few dollars, but it makes you to waste a good 60-to-90 minutes of your final moments on a bus and sitting at an airport. No thanks.

My job situation forces me to spend 125-to-150 nights per year on the road, and I never arrive to any airport much more than one hour before my scheduled departure. With TSA PreCheck, there's simply no reason to -- and I say that with the knowledge that MCO has perhaps the longest security lines of any airport in the nation. Therefore, I just call an Uber around 100 minutes before my flight, and I'm good to go.

But that's just me.

 

[stitchlovestink]

The people (on this thread) who choose to arrive later though have all stated they have TSA Precheck. I would venture to say that more people do not have TSA PreCheck than do. And the PreCheck line is MUCH quicker! So it's not a fair apples to apples time comparison for those that don't have the ability to use the quicker PreCheck line. People could potentially miss their flights by heeding the advice to allow less time. TSA won't let you jump to the front just because you are late or cutting it too close. We have seen people miss their flights because security was backed up and they didn't allow enough time. Do you want to have to deal with possibly trying to get on another flight if you miss yours? And the potential added costs for the new flight?
Me, personally, I don't want to end my vacay that stressed worrying will we make our flight or not... I will sit at the gate for a few extra minutes for the peace of mind.

 

[AngiTN]

The people (on this thread) who choose to arrive later though have all stated they have TSA Precheck. I would venture to say that more people do not have TSA PreCheck than do. And the PreCheck line is MUCH quicker! So it's not a fair apples to apples time comparison for those that don't have the ability to use the quicker PreCheck line. People could potentially miss their flights by heeding the advice to allow less time. TSA won't let you jump to the front just because you are late or cutting it too close. We have seen people miss their flights because security was backed up and they didn't allow enough time. Do you want to have to deal with possibly trying to get on another flight if you miss yours? And the potential added costs for the new flight?
Me, personally, I don't want to end my vacay that stressed worrying will we make our flight or not... I will sit at the gate for a few extra minutes for the peace of mind.

I have repeatedly stated that my time is based on having PreCheck (and NOT checking bags at MCO).
Even if I didn't have PreCheck I'd not use ME because I don't want to spend the time traveling to the Resort from the park. I'd still want to leave from the park via Uber/Lyft. Be it 3 hours before or 2 hours before.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have TSA PreCheck, and I normally check my bags through RAC. So, yes, I'm spending an addtl hour at MCO that I probably don't need to. BUT...my dh doesn't have TSA precheck, and although he usually gets it when on the same reservation I am, that's not a sure thing!! When I use a car service to return to the airport, I have them pick me up 2 hrs prior to my flight...always have, always will. That saves me 30 mins over DME..and costs me about $65!
If I had some huge reason to spend as much time as possible in a park prior to departing for the airport, then I wouldn't have any carry on bags with me, and I would have a car service pick me up at the closest resort....CR for MK, BW for DHS, BC for Epcot, AKL for AK. I would book that car for 90 mins prior to departure...having already checked my bags and having precheck! But, it would have to be a really good reason to be staying that long. You just never know what's going to be happening on 4, traffic-wise!!! And even precheck lines can back up!! That would be my luck....waiting until 90 mins prior to departure to leave WDW, having a huge tie up on 4 due to an accident and then having a long line at security..getting to my gate as they are boarding! Will I still get on the plane? Sure, but I hate being harried!!! Much better to sit down and read a book for 45 mins, at the gate.

 

[Minnesota!]

For us, we love to people watch. We routinely get to the airport way too early for normal people. One time, we were told we were TOO early, so we sat in the main terminal for a few hours before we could even check in.

Anyway, I am all good with being at the airport for hours. In April, we took a DME bus that was quite a bit earlier than our scheduled one (cuz we were sitting outside 90 minutes before our pick up, ha!), and we then stopped at 3 - 4 more places. Then security was AWFUL. Even though we were about an hour early on the DME, we still cut it SUPER close to our gate. Had we taken the original one, and made the same stops/met same security line...we would have missed our flight.