Fastest transportation from MCO to WDW

[MommyJack]

Another advantage to the car service is that they will do a 20 min grocery stop. It will add some time to the trip, but it's nice to be able to pick up some snacks and things to keep in your room.

 

[Edd]

For your group you will need an SUV or Van. A towncar is to small. A little hint about Mousesavers the prices you see on their site are not the prices you can find if you shop around a little.

You can find transportation to WDW for approximately $100.00 round trip, town car or SUV. This price also could include a grocery stop. The price is below the taxi rates, which are inflated by the Mears Transportation and taxi company to pay to put their vehicles on the road.

 

[piglet33]

Think of all the time you will use up retrieving your baggage from baggage claim, dragging it down to the rental car place, filling out paperwork and picking up the keys, etc. Probably the same amount of time.

Question - I thought you could book ME so your luggage can get to your resort without you having to bother with it, and then you take a rental car to the resort. I know Disney doesn't advertise this, but it can still be done, right?

 

[Edd]

Yes, it can be done. People do it everyday.

 

[scotty s]

Thanks for all the help. Just reserved a Limo with FL Tours. Kids will love that!!

 

[fairyprincess1]

FL Tours has been great - we have taken them the last 2 trips & have them booked for our upcoming trip. I love that we can stop for groceries so we don't have to pay crazy Disney prices for water & such.

 

[Jestocost]

Question - I thought you could book ME so your luggage can get to your resort without you having to bother with it, and then you take a rental car to the resort. I know Disney doesn't advertise this, but it can still be done, right?

Yes, it can be done. People do it everyday.

Please review the thread at the link below for more than you ever wanted to know about this topic. I know Edd is very familiar with the issue.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2015788

 

[Lewisc]

A car service, on average, won't save that much time. Diane already provided the numbers. A car service might save 20-30 minutes if you don't have to pick up checked luggage. It might save 10 minutes if you wait to pick up your checked luggage.

A car service is more predictable. A car service will rarely take longer then 30-45 minutes to drive you from MCO to WDW. There is the occassional poster who took 2-3 hours with DME.

 

[TagsMissy]

Car service, without a doubt, is the quickest way to WDW. Using car service you can get there in approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the procedure you use. If you are arriving at 11:55 am you are arriving at a peak hour. If it is during the season you will be waiting around a while for the DME. A car service driver picks you up at the escalator, accompanies you to the carousels to pick up your luggage or leads you straight downstairs to his vehicle which is about 75 feet from the carousels, loads you and your luggage into the vehicle and you are headed to WDW. If you are in a hurry you could possibly get to WDW 45 to 60 minutes before any bus can get you there.

If you use DME are arrive on Southwest or Jet Blue you will be walking about 3/4 of a mile before you get to the DME counters, which are on the other side of the terminal and at the opposite end. If you arrive on U.S. Air or United you go right downstairs to the DME. Using the car service you walk to your vehicle which is parked one story below the carousels on the inside of the terminal.

Arriving during peak hours means you will be standing in line longer for the busses. The peak times run something like this. 11:30 am to 1:30 pm for the morning, 3:30 to 6:00 for the afternoon and 8:00 to 11:00 for the evening. If you arrive those times your bus transportation may be longer due to the passengers coming in at those times.

There is a slight flaw.. I would say arriving at that time *might* or *could* result in a line but it doesn't exclusively automatically mean there will be a line.

Last summer we got there approx noon and there was maybe 1 or 2 people at the counter, we had our docs so we went straight to the queue and was on our bus in 5 minutes or so and left maybe 10 or so minutes after that during this supposed busy time with long lines.

 

[Edd]

The above may be true for that one period of time. Many people come here 2 to 4 times a year and take the DME out and the DME in. They definitely can give their experiences for that period of time. There are others who are around the transportation quite a bit more, 5 to 15 times a week or maybe a couple hundred times a year. Those can see how the transportation is working in all periods of the year. There are some slow times and there are times when there is some waiting to be experienced, but they are unpredictuable.

I don't think I stated they were automatic times there would be delays, but based on experience, those are the times when there may probably be delays in the transfer system. Of course if you come during the off season, January, early part of February, late August or September and first two weeks in December. you may not experience it and may walk directly to your bus and straight to WDW. I would seem to think walking straight to the bus around noon could have been a slow time of the year as I have seen the lines pretty long at or about the same time period on other days during the busy season. During the high season the trip from MCO to WDW takes much more time.

And like Lewis posted. A car service is much more predictable and can give you a few extra hours at WDW, plus a few extra benefits not provided by DME; Car seats for the young children, grocery and liquor stops, knowledgeable, helpful and likeable drivers and more time when you plan to return to MCO for the trip back home. Plus, it is the quickest way to WDW without a doubt.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I should have been a liitle more specific on a few things. We are a party of 6 with the youngest being 13. The plan is to only have carry on luggage but may end up with 1 checked bag. How much would a towncar (average) run me to haul us to WDW?

We've used Happy Limo many times to PC and always had good service and upgrades at least one way. Mousesavers offers coupons but must be RT to use the coupon.
Here are their rates:
http://www.happylimo.com/orlando_limousine_rates.html

 

[OKWAnneMarie]

Our last trip in February, flew Jetblue, no checked luggage, used Thrifty Rental Car, arrived at Old Key West 45 minutes after getting off plane. Not bad.

 

[LovintheLodge]

Now I'm not sure what is best to do. My family is headed to WDW in August and haven't been there in 5 years. Last time we got a rental car and my husband wants to do the same now. But I would like to use DME (and use Disney transportation during our visit). We are currently set for DME. We may rent a car for a couple of days at the Dolphin hotel for a possible off-site trip and also for those days when quicker transportation times is nice (resort to resort travel for dining, Downtown disney, etc).

I want to buy some water and snacks and understand there is a Hess station across from the BWI that many people on this board suggested. Now I'm wondering if just getting a rental car would be best?!? decisions, decisions...

 

[SnackyStacky]

I think it all comes down to a personal preference.

I'm type-A, OCD and like to be in control. I prefer to wait at the baggage claim area, get my bags, and rent a car.

I've used Magical Express only once, and it just wasn't for me. We arrived late in the evening - probably 9pm - 10pm, with a tired, hungry 17 month old. We were cruising, and I didn't want to risk a problem with the airline, DME or the resort misplacing our bags when we had to leave the resort early the next morning. So I got our luggage. I will say that it was a breeze to check in and we walked right onto a bus. We then had to sit on the bus and wait a designated period of time to try and fill the bus. I'm SURE this was a result of our late arrival, and the need to get as many people on the bus as possible - but it's little unknowns like that that make me not want to use DME. And that's truly a personal preference. I think DME is absolutely as efficient as it possibly can be, and I have no gripes about it. It really just doesn't work for me.

I've also used a car service, only once. Had a FANTASTIC experience. But it leaves me without a car on property.

In the end, I really much prefer to drive myself to the parks. To me, it truly is part of the fun. I completely understand and respect people who feel differently and prefer to ride the busses.

If I didn't care about that, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Magical Express. And like goofy4tink, if I had a little budget cushion, I'd spring for a town car.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Now I'm not sure what is best to do. My family is headed to WDW in August and haven't been there in 5 years. Last time we got a rental car and my husband wants to do the same now. But I would like to use DME (and use Disney transportation during our visit). We are currently set for DME. We may rent a car for a couple of days at the Dolphin hotel for a possible off-site trip and also for those days when quicker transportation times is nice (resort to resort travel for dining, Downtown disney, etc).

I want to buy some water and snacks and understand there is a Hess station across from the BWI that many people on this board suggested. Now I'm wondering if just getting a rental car would be best?!? decisions, decisions...

The other option is to take DME and have any groceries you want (water, snacks, etc.) delivered to your room. We used Garden Grocer last year, and it worked out great. Our order was waiting at bell sevices when we arrived at the resort, and they even kept the milk in the fridge for us.