Does DME have a pattern?

[shelly3girls]

How exactly does the hotel drop off work with DME? Do all the hotels ride the same bus? Is there a specific drop off pattern? We are staying at the BCV and taking an early flight arriving at 9:15am. Any idea of how long it should take to get to the hotel?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

How exactly does the hotel drop off work with DME? Do all the hotels ride the same bus? Is there a specific drop off pattern? We are staying at the BCV and taking an early flight arriving at 9:15am. Any idea of how long it should take to get to the hotel?

Guests going to two, three, or four resorts are combined on a motorcoach, based on actual demand as guests check in. The resorts tend to be near each other, such as POFQ, POR, and SSR. The driver goes to the resorts in an order that minimizes driving and time spent on the motorcoach.

There's a large fleet of DME motorcoaches. At most times of the day, there's a motorcoach from the airport to WDW dispatched every few minutes. However, depending on your timing, the next motorcoach to your particular resort might leave almost immediately, or you might have to wait 20 minutes or so.

Contrary to some of the misinformation that's been posted, they don't wait for a motorcoach to fill up before dispatching it. It's possible for every seat to be occupied, but it's far more common for half the seats to be empty.

I've gone from the arrival gate to the resort in less than an hour. The longest it ever took me was 90 minutes (we must have just missed a dispatch to our resort, and we stopped at two other resorts on the way).

 

[goofy4tink]

When we stayed at BCV, we stopped at the Dolphin (yes, I realize the Dolphin does not participate in DME but there were folks on it that had paid for the ride via Mears), YC, then BC, and then it was going on to BW. It does not automatically stop at the S/D unless there are paying passengers. And it can stop at CBR also.

 

[turning40withMickey]

When we stayed at BCV, we stopped at the Dolphin (yes, I realize the Dolphin does not participate in DME but there were folks on it that had paid for the ride via Mears), YC, then BC, and then it was going on to BW. It does not automatically stop at the S/D unless there are paying passengers. And it can stop at CBR also.

I am staying at the Dolphin in August, didn't realize I could pay to get dropped off at the dolphin on the DME. Do you have any advice for me on who to contact about that? Mears? Wonder how much S/D occupants have to pay for the "free" DME? Discount at Dolphin is probably worth it!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I am staying at the Dolphin in August, didn't realize I could pay to get dropped off at the dolphin on the DME. Do you have any advice for me on who to contact about that? Mears? Wonder how much S/D occupants have to pay for the "free" DME?

See Mears Transportation Shuttle Services at http://www.mearstransportation.com/ShuttleServices.htm

If you use Mears Transportation to go to the Swan/Dolphin, there's no guarantee you'll actually be on a DME motorcoach. Disney provides DME motorcoach transportation to those Disney Cruise Line guests who have land accommodations at the Swan/Dolphin as part of a land and sea package. Those guests check in at the DME "Disney Welcome Center" and they travel with other DME guests. Disney contracts with Mears to operate the DME motorcoaches.

However, passengers who use the regular Mears Shuttle service, which picks up on the "A" side and the "B" side of the airport, are likely to be on a Mears shuttle, and might stop at off-site hotels before continuing to the Swan/Dolphin. So don't count on a DME motorcoach.

 

[goofy4tink]

See Mears Transportation Shuttle Services at http://www.mearstransportation.com/ShuttleServices.htm

If you use Mears Transportation to go to the Swan/Dolphin, there's no guarantee you'll actually be on a DME motorcoach. Disney provides DME motorcoach transportation to those Disney Cruise Line guests who have land accommodations at the Swan/Dolphin as part of a land and sea package. Those guests check in at the DME "Disney Welcome Center" and they travel with other DME guests. Disney contracts with Mears to operate the DME motorcoaches.

However, passengers who use the regular Mears Shuttle service, which picks up on the "A" side and the "B" side of the airport, are likely to be on a Mears shuttle, and might stop at off-site hotels before continuing to the Swan/Dolphin. So don't count on a DME motorcoach.

Yep, exactly what 'HH' said. You could be put on a DME bus or you could be on a regular shuttle bus. No way of telling beforehand. If there are more than two of you traveling, I would go with a towncar and pay a bit more but have a car to myself.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Actually...if I'm not mistaken, the only way you'll see a DME coach dropping off at the Swan/Dolphin is because they particpate in DCL... so it's a Land/Sea package. Guests who pay for a Mears Shuttle will typically board a shuttle van.

 

[shelly3girls]

Thanks everyone, we are definitely going to try DME!