HORROR STORIES w/Magic Express

[Unregistered]

Hi there.

I keep hearing horror stories about Magic Express - how awful and long the lines were to get a shuttle, how unorganized, and how some people just wound up calling a cab.

We arrive on a Sunday morning, is it going to be as horrendous as it sounds? How long did it take anyone to get on one? Are the printed with the hotels on them or do you just get any one that is there?

 

[goofy4tink]

Not sure what 'horror stories' you're talking about. You might want to head over to the Transportation Board and check out all the DME posts there. Most people are quite happy with the service.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

If it will make you feel any better, our experiece with DME last December was great! Probably 2 minutes waiting at the desk and no wait at boarding the bus. When we got to our room, we had been there about 15 minutes when our luggage arrived. It works great!

 

[helenk]

Most people have been quite happy with Magical Express. I have not heard of anyone having to take a cab. Maybe when it first started but really I used it 2x last year and it was fine. The lines may be long but everything went fast, there are plenty of CMs at the counters, the buses were running one right after the other.
We did have a bit of a wait on our way back to the airport, the bus was 20 minutes late picking us up. But since they pick you up 3 hours prior to your flight we still had plenty of time to check in, we even had time to sit and eat dinner before our flight left.

 

[Showe]

We use ME in February and had absolutely no problems. We had a 10-min wait at the desk - 10-wait for the bus and we were at SSR in less than one hour tops. Luggage all arrived safely some 2-3 hours later. In fact, luggage was in our room when we returned from our day at the pool. I would totally recommend and do ME again !!

 

[taekwondo mom]

We used ME in April .. no problems.

 

[Renee1061]

The only problem we had was totally beyond ME's control. There was a major accident on I-4 and it took probably an hour and a half to get from I-4 to our resort.

Other than that, Disney's Magical Express was, indeed, magical.

Renee

 

[Boncho]

My sister and her family just got back and she didn't have a problem at all with ME.

 

[mrslur]

An unregistered guest with n/a posts seems very suspicious. Do you perhaps work for a town car service?

 

[Julylady]

We took Magical Express three times in the past year and the service has been wonderful! Prior to ME we tried three different limo companies and were unhappy with ALL of them.

My "directionally challenged" (they refuse to read anything mailed to them or follow any directions or signs) DB and DSIL also took Magical Express this past January. They made it to the hotel without incident and that's saying something!

 

[Unregistered]

i used it last yr and it was great going from MCO-WL . going back was another story. i coulndt check the luggage in at WL becasue the computer was down for DELTA so we had to deal with our luggage ourselves. We are using it again this august the only thing i dont like is again going back since we are flying southwest i cant check my luggage in at the resort i have to do it myself at the airport.

 

[disneyobessed]

i used it last yr and it was great going from MCO-WL . going back was another story. i coulndt check the luggage in at WL becasue the computer was down for DELTA so we had to deal with our luggage ourselves. We are using it again this august the only thing i dont like is again going back since we are flying southwest i cant check my luggage in at the resort i have to do it myself at the airport.

I wrote this.. no clue why it doesnt show my username..

 

[CJLKIM]

i used it last yr and it was great going from MCO-WL . going back was another story. i coulndt check the luggage in at WL becasue the computer was down for DELTA so we had to deal with our luggage ourselves. We are using it again this august the only thing i dont like is again going back since we are flying southwest i cant check my luggage in at the resort i have to do it myself at the airport.

Our ME experience was fabulous - and no problems with using Southwest. Everything went very quickly and was quite painless (especially for first time travelers).

 

[disneyobessed]

Our ME experience was fabulous - and no problems with using Southwest. Everything went very quickly and was quite painless (especially for first time travelers).

did you have to bring your own luggage to the airport from the resort? or were you able check it in at your resort?

 

[CJLKIM]

did you have to bring your own luggage to the airport from the resort? or were you able check it in at your resort?

Since SW is a non-participating airline we had to take our own luggage and check it in but the check-in was so close to where we got off the bus that it wasn't anything major. The driver physically unloaded all the bags right on the curb all in a neat little line so as you exited the bus you could walk over and pick yours out of the lineup. Some people used the porters while others just took their own bags to check-in.

We actually got there early so we sat down and relaxed near SW's desk until we hit the 2-hour window for checkin. After that we went and got something to eat and browsed through the shops until boarding time.

Seriously, we had never traveled until last fall and, in fact, I had never even been in an airport. Don't fret! It'll be fine...

 

[JayS]

I've seen mention that you can check your baggage at the hotel for some airlines (Delta) but not others (Southwest). I tried to look up ME on Disney's site , but did not find much...

Can anyone tell me what airlines are part of the program? OR better yet, where does Disney list the same? Since our trip is (exactly) 500 days away, we won't be able to book air right away and that list could change....

Thanks!

 

[Eeyore4me764]

Hi Everyone,

Just so I have it right. If you fly southwest and use the ME when you arrive in Orlando, Your luggage will be picked up for you and transported to your resort? Its on your return that you have to check your own luggage at the airport? I also wanted to get my boarding passes 24 hours before we leave; will be bringing our laptop; but anyone know where we could print them out?

Any help would be appreciated.....Thanks....

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Hi Everyone,

Just so I have it right. If you fly southwest and use the ME when you arrive in Orlando, Your luggage will be picked up for you and transported to your resort? Its on your return that you have to check your own luggage at the airport? I also wanted to get my boarding passes 24 hours before we leave; will be bringing our laptop; but anyone know where we could print them out?

Any help would be appreciated.....Thanks....

Unfortunately, I can't help you with the printing thing. If I take my computer on vacation with me, then it just makes me think of work. YUCK!!!

However, you are correct on the first part. The Magical Express will pick up your luggage from the Orlando airport and deliver it to your room, regardless of the airline you fly. You just need to get on the bus and head to your resort. But on your return trip, you can still take their bus to the airport, but you'll have to check your own luggage. I was confused by that myself last fall, and had to call Disney 3 times to confirm how it worked. And I was still nervous on the flight down there how it all worked.

 

[princessblueeyzes]

We used DME last August and loved it- no worries about anything except checking into the hotel and enjoying our vacation!

 

[princessblueeyzes]

Hi Everyone,

Just so I have it right. If you fly southwest and use the ME when you arrive in Orlando, Your luggage will be picked up for you and transported to your resort? Its on your return that you have to check your own luggage at the airport? I also wanted to get my boarding passes 24 hours before we leave; will be bringing our laptop; but anyone know where we could print them out?

Any help would be appreciated.....Thanks....

When we went last August and we flew back on Southwest, we went to the check in desk and asked the lady there to print out our boarding passes for us- we gave her our reservation number and our names after a couple of minutes she came back out with them. I am not sure if they do this at every Disney hotel, but I would call and ask the guest services where you are staying if that is an option.
HTH.