Help re: Magical Express/Car Rental

[PirateMommy]

My apologies if this has been asked already, but I didn't find the answer via a quick search.

We are flying into MCO and renting a car for three days at the beginning of our trip - OH simply has to see NASA and then we are staying at Universal to do the Harry Potter park. Currently, I have a car reservation to pick up and drop off the car at MCO.

I had hoped to then hop on the Disney Magical Express from MCO and take that to our WDW hotel, but I think I read somewhere that you can't take ME if you aren't flying in on that day. Now I can't find that info anywhere - is this true?

And if so, surely others have done this before? Have you ever rented at MCO, and then dropped off at the Disney Car Care center, and can you then get a ride to the hotel (which is what I am leaning towards)?

 

[sam_gordon]

As long as your name is on a reservation at a Disney resort, you are entitled to (up to) two trips on ME... one from MCO to your resort and one from your resort to MCO.

ME does NOT compare what flight you are on. So you can rent a car, go see NASA, return the car to MCO, then hop on ME for the ride to the resort. Simply make your reservation for ME and give them any flight number, any airline around the time you'll be returning your car.

As far as renting at MCO and dropping off at the car care center. We just did this four weeks ago. We then used ME to get back to the airport when our trip was done. No problem.

 

[PirateMommy]

Thanks!! I knew someone here would know the answer - and I got both questions answered.

I'll have to keep watching the car rental sites. I currently have a really, really good rate with Enterprise (picking up and returning to MCO), and Alamo's was over $100 more.

 

[purple figment]

Alamo's was over $100 more.

Well, if Alamo's rate drops down you can return the car to the Car Care Center or to the valet at the Dolphin at any time day or night.