Express Magic

[hamlet35_2000]

I read somewhere that the bus will take you to your resort or to one of the parks, if this is true, can you pick up your tickets and stuff at guest services at the MK?

Also, can we take the bus from any of the resorts, or do we have to go all the way back to the Pop Century to get the bus to the airport, or are there other options?

Thanks for all the info you can provide-- haven't been in awhile and there is a lot of new stuff to learn about before I leave in a month.

 

[Gina35]

From what I've heard, you have to go to the airport directly from the resort.
I've asked a similar question and was told that you must return on the van from the resort in order to have Magic Express. Likewise, the van will take guests from the airport to the resort (with luggage following on other transport). Will be going in August, and that's the info we're going on....altho' we don't know 1st hand.

 

[kaytieeldr]

There's TONS of information about Magical Express on the Transportation message boards, including several threads 'stuck' at the top of the page...

But no, you can NOT take Magical Express to a park. The bus will NOT drop you off at any theme park; you need to ride it to and get off at your resort. Check in, THEN go use Disney inter-park transportation to get around.

You can check with the Magical Express people when you arrive, but I'm reasonably certain you have to go back to the airport from your resort as well (not from another resort or a park).

I'm a little confused at the mention of vans in the response above; Disney's Magical Express uses coach-style buses, not vans.

 

[hamlet35_2000]

I should have thought to look at transportation before I asked the question because I looked at the resorts threads and didn't find anything and was quite surprised. Going to have a look now! Thanks again.

 

[CleveRocks]

Disney's Magical Express (DME) is two things, both free. It is bus transportation from MCO (Orlando International Airport) to YOUR Disney resort (resort is Disney-speak for hotel) when you arrive and bus transportation from YOUR resort to MCO when you leave; AND it's an automatic transfer of luggage to the inside of your resort room. If you make reservations for DME, about 3 weeks before you leave you'll get special luggage tags, you put one on each piece of checked luggage before you leave, and after you check in your luggage at your home airport you won't see those bags again until they're inside your resort room. You get to totally skip baggage claim! The checked luggage is transported separately from you, and it will arrive a few hours after you do. The neat thing is you don't need to wait for it, it will "magically appear" inside your resort room whether you're in the room or not!

In addition, at the end of vacation, people flying on certain airlines get to check their luggage in at their resort and not see it again until it's at their home airport's baggage claim. Those not flying one of those airlines take their luggage to the DME bus, where the driver loads it and then returns it to you when you get to the airport, and then you check in with your airline like normal.

It's a great system, and as Ronda said, there's a lot of information about it on the Transportation forum, specifically in several "sticky" posts at the top of the forum.

 

[Gina35]

As I said, I didn't know very much about the system, so when I called DVC customer service, they gave me a brief run-down, during which they used the term "van." I suppose they WOULD need a bus, esp. with the larger crowds this time of year. Anyway, I was asking b/c we were hoping to check our bags in the am and then go off for the day (relatives who live right outside Orlando)...and go on to the airport ourselves. I was told that you MUST leave on the "van"/bus from the Dis resort to the airport (just as you must come directly from the airport to your resort). Thanks for the tip about the transportation forum!

 

[CleveRocks]

As I said, I didn't know very much about the system, so when I called DVC customer service, they gave me a brief run-down, during which they used the term "van." I suppose they WOULD need a bus, esp. with the larger crowds this time of year. Anyway, I was asking b/c we were hoping to check our bags in the am and then go off for the day (relatives who live right outside Orlando)...and go on to the airport ourselves. I was told that you MUST leave on the "van"/bus from the Dis resort to the airport (just as you must come directly from the airport to your resort). Thanks for the tip about the transportation forum!

When your vacation is done, if you check your luggage with Resort Airline Check-In you are permitted to get your bodies back to the airport any way you darn well please. For the way BACK to the airport, there's NO REQUIREMENT that you ride the DME bus in order to have your luggage handled. The confusing thing about this is it's exactly opposite of the rules about arriving at MCO and WDW.

So go ahead, get to the airport any way you like. Disney really couldn't care less.

 

[goofy4tink]

Exactly what Eric said!!!!

 

[seashoreCM]

Currently you may ride ME only from MCO to your resort on check in day and from your resort to MCO on check out day. You need not board or have gotten off of a plane.

It is a good idea to aim to be back at your resort at least a full hour before your bus time back to the airport.

Some resorts require lead time, as much as 45 minutes, for the bellhop to get your luggage before you return home.