Hey, stop picking on Magical Express!

[MenashaCorp]

It never ceases to amaze me how serious people can get about a place of escape and recaptured childhood.

 

[GinnyFavers]

Ok, so you never even used it?! I would hold off on forming an opinion on something I've never used.

Oh give me a break. Why would I have to use it to know I don't want to be at WDW without a rental car?

I've been at WDW without a rental car, traveling via Mears, my very first trip back in 1996 and that wasn't for me.

How is ME so different?

I seriously don't think there's anything mystic going on that I can't imagine, that I have to see for myself. Is Mickey himself on there handing out gem stones? That might sway us.

I'm happy for people that like it. I totally understand why some people do. But Joe and I still have fun calling it Tragic Express.

Oh, I give up. 2+2=5, We are at war with Eurasia, Eastasia is our ally, ME is a wonderful free service everyone will enjoy...

Joe says he'll try it if the Princesses ride it naked. Have you ever ridden a bus naked? Do you have an opinion about it without having tried it?

 

[AnneMT]

I come round that Route 417 every weekday past the airport to Celebration. If you arrive on a Friday - be prepared to wait in the toll booth lines, otherwise take the Magical Express!!

Plus, it's free!

 

[vascubaguy]

I can't say that I "love" it, but I do appreciate it. It makes travel much more convenient.

I have used it a few times now and always had a good experience. We never had to wait long to get on a bus and the commute wasn't that bad (even when we were the last to be dropped off).

My only major complaint is the lack of airlines that are participants in the return part of the trip. I'd love it if Southwest was part of that so I didn't have to wait in the hellish lines at the airport to check my bags.

We'll be using it again in a few weeks.

 

[Cruz Family]

Oh give me a break. Why would I have to use it to know I don't want to be at WDW without a rental car?

I've been at WDW without a rental car, traveling via Mears, my very first trip back in 1996 and that wasn't for me.

How is ME so different?

I seriously don't think there's anything mystic going on that I can't imagine, that I have to see for myself. Is Mickey himself on there handing out gem stones? That might sway us.

I'm happy for people that like it. I totally understand why some people do. But Joe and I still have fun calling it Tragic Express.

Oh, I give up. 2+2=5, We are at war with Eurasia, Eastasia is our ally, ME is a wonderful free service everyone will enjoy...

Joe says he'll try it if the Princesses ride it naked. Have you ever ridden a bus naked? Do you have an opinion about it without having tried it?

IMHO with some of your comments I would have thought you had tried it and had a horrible experience. If its not for you because you want a rental then maybe that is what you should have said. Most everything else was assumptions on your part. If I am not mistaken you talked about the long wait in the ME line, and you never even saw nor waited in one. Well from my personal experience I was through the ME line and boarded a bus in a very short time. I probably wouldn't have even got my luggage yet! And I dont know about you but I have had long waits at car rental desks as well as had to call for my town car (not fl tours) that hadn't showed up.
I just think it is much more productive to give your opinions about something based on an experience rather the assumption. Esp. when other people are relying on it to plan their vacations.

 

[aprince&princess]

On our first trip staying in a Disney hotel we rented a car because we were worried that the buses would take forever to get to the park each morning. The rental car sat in the parking lot for the entire 9 days we were there. The next two trips we had a car service drop us off and pick us up. On one of those trips we were picked up two hours ahead and spent a long time in line to go thru security. So 3 hours ahead for the orlando airport is fine with us.

On our last trip (and again next week yeah!) we took ME. We landed in the morning and walked right up to the ME counter. There was no line and we were told to go right to the bus. So it was very quick. The bus was mixed for deluxe and moderate resorts. We were staying at the Boardwalk and made a stop at the Caribbean Beach Resort first. So I would imagine that the they aren't always separated by category and deluxe isn't always first. But it wasn't a long time. Considering that we didn't have to look for luggage or pick up a rental car. We were in the park early enough for lunch.

As for luggage not being there right away. I'm not sure how long it took. We checked in, left all of our carryon things and winter coats with the bellhop at lunch time and headed to the park. When we returned around 9pm all of our luggage was in our room. We weren't really in a rush to get it because we packed one pair of shorts for everyone in our carryon bag. Didn't need anything till bed time.

We thought it was wonderful. And wished our luggage could just magically appear back at home.

 

[PDJPrinceCharming]

I usually have zero problems with DME & when I went to the Columbus Airport last Monday everything was fine after I checked in with Delta. However as I was leaving Sunday, there was a big problem. I had done the Airline Resort Check-In at ASMu & was told by the CM that there is nothing else I needed to do so when my plane landed in Columbus, my luggage was nowhere to be found. Frantically me & my friend Greyson went to check on the whereabouts but they had no record so no luggage for me. The next morning I called ASMu & sure enough somehow they had forgotten it & it was sitting in their luggage room, they located it & told me they were sending it out immediately. Yesterday when I came home from work, there it was sitting on my porch with everything still intact. I will gladly use DME again when I go back on September 15 next year but i'm making sure that my luggage is on that bus headed back to the airport before I get on.

 

[disneyholic family]

I like magical express as well. Those lines at the rental desks can take hours (and hours).

and hours and hours and hours....
especially if you get in line right behind a huge virgin planeload of arriving Brits (or is that a huge planeload of virgin brits?.....

in any case that line at alamo was longer than i thought possible...

my mom and sister joined us later, each arriving separately on ME and had only great things to report about the service...and they're usually VERY critical of anything disney...

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We have used ME three times now without incident. Of course, the reason why is probably because we just bring carry-on and always have our luggage with us. We stayed 12 days during our most recent visit in August and it was a challenge trying to pack everything in such a small suitcase -- but somehow we did it!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I've used DME twice, and had good experiences both times. My luggage always showed up in a timely manner, I never had to wait more than maybe 15-20 minutes for pickup and load at MCO, the ride was pleasant and comfortable, I didn't have to worry about rentals, traffic, getting lost, my ride(towncar) not showing up, or any of the other inconveniences I had experienced before DME. I don't know why the guys criticized them (I'm guessing it's because of hearsay info they get from some of their clients), but I've never experienced any of the problems they spoke of. I really wish I didn't have to rent a car for my upcoming trip, because I really feel the DME adds to my overall WDW experience.

 

[njbeachbum]

We used ME the last time we were down in 2005 and had no problems at all. I love the podcast, but it bothered me that they were so critical of something that seems to work very well.

It also bothered me that they have a relationship with a towncar company, blasted ME, and didnt mention the relationship. Not a big deal, it just hit me the wrong way.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Me? I like National's Emerald Aisle.

Grab the luggage, head to the garage, grab a car, and go.

I think when I'm there, the only times the car isn't used - if we're at a Magic Kingdom resort and we go to the Magic Kingdom - same idea for an Epcot resort and Epcot.

It's highly unlikely that I'll ever use Magical Express because it's just not for me.

 

[adriannelane]

We have only used ME once and were pleased. This time, however, our plane gets into MCO at 10:30 p.m. Does anyone know if they will deliver our luggage in the morning because of the late hour? Or are they going to come 3 hours later at 1:30 in the a.m.? I would love any advice. Thanks

 

[raidermatt]

We've used ME a couple of times now and its worked well for us. We come in from the west coast, so by the time we land and get to the counter things have slowed down a lot and we haven't had to wait long for a bus. 10-15 minutes. We were the first stop once, and the 2nd stop the other time. All in all, not bad, HOWEVER, I can see how things might be very different if you land at MCO earlier in the day.

The biggest benefit for us is the luggage service. We have 2 kids, usually stay for a couple of weeks, and I bring golf clubs, so we have some major luggage. Not having to deal with it at MCO, AND being able to check it at the hotel when leaving are major plusses.

So I'm sure we will continue to use ME.

However, we will also probably rent a car once we get to WDW, because we were losing at least an hour a day to the bus service, and to a lesser extent the boats. Our vacation time at WDW is too valuable to put up with that, and it really started to get to me on our last trip.

 

[raidermatt]

We have only used ME once and were pleased. This time, however, our plane gets into MCO at 10:30 p.m. Does anyone know if they will deliver our luggage in the morning because of the late hour? Or are they going to come 3 hours later at 1:30 in the a.m.? I would love any advice. Thanks

I think they will do whatever you ask them to. They'll deliver it that night if you want, or they will hold it until the morning. Just make sure you let them know.

 

[aprincesswannabe]

ME has been great for us. Because we are FAR from the world and don't know our way around AT ALL we are quite comfortable with using this service. Sure - you wait to get on the bus; you wait for the bus to fill; you wait to get to your resort. Then you wait at the concierge desk to get checked in; you wait in line to get on your first ride; you wait for the parades; you wait for the fireworks... Sometimes I think that WDW is all about learning patience while you wait.

Why would you need a rental car to LEAVE WDW when you've waited so long to get there in the first place?

I hope they continue ME for a long time!

 

[adriannelane]

Thanks for your tip. I'll be sure to tell them to wait until the morning!