Has Anyone Ever Missed the Magical Express Bus Back to the Airport?

[Yensid67]

Hi All,

Has anyone ever missed the Magical Express Bus back to the airport on your day of departure? If so, what happens?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm sure it has happened, but it hasn't happened to me. If it did happen to me, I would hail a cab. You can't count on getting "the next" bus, because (a) one might not come in time, and (b) all of its seats might already be spoken for, and if they let you on, some other family won't get to go.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

If you fail to board your assigned bus they may try to reassign you if they can, if not, you are on your own to pay for a cab or arrange other transportation.

 

[dudspizza]

If you fail to board your assigned bus they may try to reassign you if they can, if not, you are on your own to pay for a cab or arrange other transportation.

This is exactly right.

There was a thread a while back where a family missed the bus because they had sick kids and were late. They raised holy heck and were put on a bus.... a couple of people that were scheduled for that bus could not get on.... what a mess.

Moral of the story, be early to the ME bus stop ready to go. You must be there at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time and ready to board the bus. It doesn't mean you are in line at RAC 15 minutes before.... it means ready to board.

Duds

 

[CR88]

Hi All,

Has anyone ever missed the Magical Express Bus back to the airport on your day of departure? If so, what happens?

Thanks for the help.

It may depend on when you go and how packed the busses are. We usually go during slower times such as April/May and November/December. When we have missed they just put us on the next one, there are usually plenty of open seats. This last time there were only two other families on the bus with us. That being said, we always go when it is slower and we have only missed once due to a bus issue while trying to get back to the resort. But when we did, they said it wasn't a big deal at all and just put us on the next one. We were planning to take a taxi but they said it was no problem to get us on the next one.

 

[disneychic2]

DH and I missed our bus a couple of years ago while at OKW. We went to a park for a while and then waited 30 minutes for a bus to bring us back to OKW. Then, we pulled in and saw the ME bus there, but because the buses for OKW go to six hundred bus stops, by the time we got back around, we saw it pulling out. We had allowed an hour to get back in time, but that wasn't enough. We were able to get on the next bus, no problem, but we just made it to our flight since there were such long lines for security. This was in September and the ME buses were not crowded at all. We now allow more time to get back for ME!

 

[dudspizza]

The big thing is to not assume you can get on the next bus. The busses make multiple stops and have a passenger count to keep to. At busier times it would mean you take a cab if you miss your scheduled ME bus.

 

[tjmw2727]

You do have a "reservation" for a specific bus at a specific time when returning to the airport as opposed to the inbound where the buses are pretty continuous.

A few pp's have been lucky in catching the next bus but be aware that if there are no passengers leaving your resort in the next few hours there may not be a next bus for many hours.

If you miss your 10 am DME bus and the next one isn't due at that resort until 2pm you are looking at a $60 cab ride. OTOH if the bus is full with folks with reservations for that bus then again you won't be able to ride - your voucher will say which DME bus you have a reservation for.

We usually arrive at the DME stop ready to go at least 15 minutes early, missing a flight home isn't the way I want to end my vacation.

 

[Lucky St. Louis]

We missed our ME bus by about 2 minutes. No one could tell us if another bus was coming and when so we just took a cab to the airport. We've always made sure to be early for our bus ever since!

 

[Missytara]

I think it is good to note that ME works very much like an airline schedule. The time you are given is when the bus is leaving, not boarding.

So being there about 15 minutes early is crucial. Especially last year, when a family of ten was on our bus and they insisted they bring ALL of their luggage back to the airport.

It appeared as though we were going to spend more than a few minutes waiting for all of their luggage to be loaded onto the bus. I was by myself and the previous bus was about ready to leave with one empty seat, so I was placed on that bus and on my way with just a small carry-on.

 

[TDC Nala]

I missed one at Saratoga Springs once. The SSR bell services called Mears and asked for another bus to swing by for me because they didn't have another pickup scheduled at SSR. I don't know if they do this for everybody. If they can't find a bus in the area with space for you, you are probably going to be taking a taxi.

 

[kmermaid]

My last three trips (Jan, Nov & Jul) our ME bus has been completely filled when returning to the airport. So full in fact that some little ones were sitting on parents laps.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Especially last year, when a family of ten was on our bus and they insisted they bring ALL of their luggage back to the airport.

I don't know the specific situation, but they may not have had a choice. Not all airlines participate in RAC, you can also be ineligible for RAC or could be down.

 

[crashbb]

I don't know the specific situation, but they may not have had a choice. Not all airlines participate in RAC, you can also be ineligible for RAC or could be down.

I was about to post the same thing. I have to bring "ALL" of my luggage on the bus. I don't live in the US and I, thus, cannot use RAC.

 

[seashoreCM]

Shoot to BE back at your resort an hour before your Magical Express bus time to the airport.

You must be at the DME platform, kids and carryons and all, 15 minutes before the time on your confirmation.

Being in the resort airline check in line does not count as punctual for DME. Skip that step if you are running late.

we have only missed once due to a bus issue while trying to get back to the resort.

Take a taxi from the park back to your resort.

 

[Yensid67]

Thank you all for your insight and advice to my original post. I've never missed a ME bus, but I was just wondering what would happen if I did.

 

[paults]

how about this, if your bus shows up and they are full ( because the driver let someone on that should not be there) and it's your bus who pays to get you to the airport if there is no other bus coming soon

 

[maxiesmom]

how about this, if your bus shows up and they are full ( because the driver let someone on that should not be there) and it's your bus who pays to get you to the airport if there is no other bus coming soon

I've actually seen that happen a few times. They either call for another bus, or they get you a taxi.

 

[tanker]

They either call for another bus, or they get you a taxi.

I had a situation where our bus never showed. They told me that if they couldn't get another bus in time for us to get to the airport then they would pay for a taxi.

 

[sewingmolly]

We missed our ME bus in March. We knew our flight was delayed, so we weren't in a hurry to get to the airport. There was room on the next ME bus for us, but we were prepared to take a taxi if there wasn't.

I think this is an excellent question. It's always good to have a Plan B. Yes, Plan A is make it back to the resort in plenty of time, but sometimes Plan A doesn't happen.