DME Questions

[DenLo]

We've never used DME and my DBIL who is joining us for our next WDW vacation will be. We sort of forced him to get his airfare today since it's only 35 days until we check into BLT. He's definitely not a plan ahead type like we are. We called MS and gave them his flight information today.

What does he needs to know? Well be staying at BLT for his arrival. Then we switch to BWV, so he'll depart from there. Here's some questions I've thought of:

1. Roughly how long does it take between his afternoon arrival at MCO to get to BLT. His flight gets in around 2:35 PM so is it reasonable that he be at the resort by 4:00 PM?

2. For his return flight, he will be set up for a bus pick up time but will he have time to join us for lunch that day since his return flight isn't until 2:55 PM? How early are you usually scheduled to take the bus before your flight?

3. I know that you can check luggage for some of the airlines at the resorts. Which air carriers do that and is it different for each Disney resort? He'll be flying JetBlue if that matters.

 

[RobDoc]

We've never used DME and my DBIL who is joining us for our next WDW vacation will be. We sort of forced him to get his airfare today since it's only 35 days until we check into BLT. He's definitely not a plan ahead type like we are. We called MS and gave them his flight information today.

What does he need to know? Well be staying at BLT for his arrival. Then we switch to BWV, so he'll depart from there. Here's some questions I've thought of:

1. Roughly how long does it take between his afternoon arrival at MCO to get to BLT. His flight gets in around 2:35 PM so is it reasonable that he be at the resort by 4:00 PM?

2. For his return flight, he will be set up for a bus pick up time but will he have time to join us for lunch that day since his return flight isn't until 2:55 PM? How early are you usually scheduled to take the bus before your flight?

3. I know that you can check luggage for some of the airlines at the resorts. Which air carriers do that and is it different for each Disney resort? He'll be flying JetBlue if that matters.

1. - It's approximately a 30 minute ride from MCO. It could take up to an hour depending on how many resorts the bus stops at before your resort. With a 2:35 arrival, I'd expect to be off the plane by 3:00, check in at DME by 3:30 and to the resort around 4:15 all based on how smoothly everything works.

2. - The return trip on DME will be scheduled for 3 hours before the flight. With a 2:55 flight, his pickup will be around noon and I'd be there 15 minutes prior.

3. - Jet Blue is one of the participating airlines, so he can check bags right at the resort before the DME bus. I'd get that taken care of well before the scheduled DME trip back to MCO.

Current Resort Airline Check-In Participating Airlines (Domestic only):
American Airlines
Continental
Delta
jetBlue
United
Alaska Airlines
AirTran Airways
US Airways

 

[DenLo]

Thanks for the information WebmasterDoc.

 

[LisaS]

I'd be there 15 minutes prior.

This is very important. The time listed in your DME packet is the time the bus will depart from that stop. If the bus fills up it will leave the stop early, possibly leaving scheduled passengers behind. This almost happened to us once at OKW. We were there 20 minutes early and the driver was just about to leave because the bus was full. I asked the driver which bus it was (thinking it was the previous bus leaving 10 minutes late) but it was our scheduled bus leaving 20 minutes early! I asked how it was possible for there to be no seats left when we were scheduled to be on that bus and were there 20 minutes in advance. I didn't get an answer but he did double check, found there were exactly 2 seats left and let us board. Ever since then we show up at least 20 minutes in advance just in case.

 

[DenLo]

This is very important. The time listed in your DME packet is the time the bus will depart from that stop. If the bus fills up it will leave the stop early, possibly leaving scheduled passengers behind. This almost happened to us once at OKW. We were there 20 minutes early and the driver was just about to leave because the bus was full. I asked the driver which bus it was (thinking it was the previous bus leaving 10 minutes late) but it was our scheduled bus leaving 20 minutes early! I asked how it was possible for there to be no seats left when we were scheduled to be on that bus and were there 20 minutes in advance. I didn't get an answer but he did double check, found there were exactly 2 seats left and let us board. Ever since then we show up at least 20 minutes in advance just in case.

You'd think the driver would have a check off list and if someone is missing that he could not leave until the scheduled time. But just in case it does sound like a good idea to be there 20 minutes early. Thanks.

 

[LisaS]

You'd think the driver would have a check off list and if someone is missing that he could not leave until the scheduled time. But just in case it does sound like a good idea to be there 20 minutes early. Thanks.

The problem in this case is that the bus was full. I don't know why -- perhaps the driver allowed some passengers who had missed an earlier bus to board this one? But there was no reason for the driver to wait for additional passengers because they would not have been allowed to board since they don't allow people to stand on the DME bus.

We did see people running for the bus as it pulled away. The driver did call in for them to send another bus but I have no idea whether/when it showed up. It was an eye opener for us to realize that having a reserved spot on a bus is no guarantee that you will be able to board that bus, even if you are there in plenty of time. We just decided that we want to be there at least 20 minutes early to improve our odds of boarding our assigned bus.

 

[DenLo]

Just a double check, is there anything else, that has not already been mentioned in the posts above, that my BIL might need to know regarding using DME? TIA.

 

[5forDiz]

And if a Disney Cruise Line bus pulls up ask if in fact if it is Magical Express to MCO; I kid you not! this is what happened on Tuesday at SSR to my DSis : we were all waiting to see her off on Magical Express at 10:30 am when up pulls a Disney Cruise Line bus ( four other people waiting climbed aboard - the driver exited the bus and went into SSR's Carriage House for a few minutes, never any mention that his bus was ME or any other indication that it was ). Well luckily we decided to just double check with the driver when he came out of Carriage House and yes that DCL bus was Magical Express ; driver seemed quite amused that we didn't know that sometimes DCL buses are substituted for actual ME buses

 

[LisaS]

Just a double check, is there anything else, that has not already been mentioned in the posts above, that my BIL might need to know regarding using DME? TIA.

Take a look at the Transportation board. There are lots of threads about DME there including a couple of sticky threads.

 

[DenLo]

Thanks for all of the posts, I'll check out the transportation board as well.

 

[paults]

The problem in this case is that the bus was full. I don't know why -- perhaps the driver allowed some passengers who had missed an earlier bus to board this one? But there was no reason for the driver to wait for additional passengers because they would not have been allowed to board since they don't allow people to stand on the DME bus.

We did see people running for the bus as it pulled away. The driver did call in for them to send another bus but I have no idea whether/when it showed up. It was an eye opener for us to realize that having a reserved spot on a bus is no guarantee that you will be able to board that bus, even if you are there in plenty of time. We just decided that we want to be there at least 20 minutes early to improve our odds of boarding our assigned bus.

LIsa wait a minute you said the bus was full but he checked and saw that there were 2 seats left so it wasn't full and he should not leave till the scheduled time. right I'm I reading this wrong.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I've been early for my ME bus and have been allowed to take the earlier bus. This was about 20 minutes or so. The driver knew it wasn't my bus. That's how an overflow could happen on a later stop of the bus on the way to the airport.

 

[LisaS]

LIsa wait a minute you said the bus was full but he checked and saw that there were 2 seats left so it wasn't full and he should not leave till the scheduled time. right I'm I reading this wrong.

When I showed the driver our voucher and asked if it was our bus he said it was but that the bus was already full. I asked how could that be when we were scheduled for this bus and were there in plenty of time. He told us to wait a minute and he boarded the bus. When he came back out he said there were 2 seats left near the back of the bus. The seats weren't together but that was not a problem.

I think the buses run every 30 minutes so it would seem more likely that it was the prior bus running 10 minutes late rather than my bus being 20 minutes early. That would explain why the driver was so keen to get going. However the driver responded affirmatively when I asked if it was the X:XXpm bus (can't remember the time) and he checked my voucher and confirmed it was the correct bus. Since then I've been on other DME buses that left early but it was just 5 minutes or so and I think it was because all assigned passengers were on board.