How long are we talking? DME

[mrsltg]

Hi All-

My dh and I began going to WDW together 12 years ago. In those 12 years, we have gone 12 times. We have never, NEVER, not had a car. We are trying DME for our upcoming May trip. At first, it felt like an adventure. "Woohoo! Try something new!" Now, it feels a lot like stress to me . We're staying at the BWV, and I'm concerned it's going to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to the hotel. We arrive at MCO at 9:20 am on 5/11. Please, have mercy on my overplanning (and time controlling) soul, and give me a best and worst case scenario for the amount of time it's going to take for me to be standing in the lobby of the BW.

BTW - DH is still gung-ho for taking DME. It's just me that's questioning my Type-A sanity...

I appreciate your patience folks!

 

[sam_gordon]

Hi All-

My dh and I began going to WDW together 12 years ago. In those 12 years, we have gone 12 times. We have never, NEVER, not had a car. We are trying DME for our upcoming May trip. At first, it felt like an adventure. "Woohoo! Try something new!" Now, it feels a lot like stress to me . We're staying at the BWV, and I'm concerned it's going to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to the hotel. We arrive at MCO at 9:20 am on 5/11. Please, have mercy on my overplanning (and time controlling) soul, and give me a best and worst case scenario for the amount of time it's going to take for me to be standing in the lobby of the BW.

BTW - DH is still gung-ho for taking DME. It's just me that's questioning my Type-A sanity...

I appreciate your patience folks!

Best Case, you're walking into BWV at 10:30am.
(General) Worst Case, you're walking in at 11am.

The time frame is 70-90 minutes from when you walk off the plane. Of course, that's not a guarantee, but I'd have no problems "budgeting" the 90 minutes. Of course, if you choose to pick up your own luggage, add 15-20 minutes to that.

By the time you wait for your own luggage (to get a rental car), you're only saving maybe 15 minutes.

 

[mrsltg]

Thank you very much, Sam!

 

[kaytieeldr]

It hasn't ever taken any Guest forever to get from Orlando International Airport to their respective Walt Disney World resorts using Magical Express. If it had, there'd be people from the last almost eight years still riding around in unallocated DME buses.

 

[Minnesota!]

FWIW - when I went Feb 2012, we stopped at BC/YC, then BWV and then Pop. And we were at Pop within 75 minutes of landing.

I would say at the absolute latest you will be checking in at 11 - 1115. DME truly is wonderful!

 

[goofy4tink]

Stop worrying. Using DME may possibly take you about 20 mins longer than renting a car or using a car service. I've used all the possible methods of getting to WDW from MCO. Shortest time was when I hired a car service and I had no checked bags....I was at my resort about 45 mins after I got off the plane. When I had checked bags, it took me an hour total. Shortest time with DME? 55 mins. Longest time? close to 90 mins. But that was, by far, the longest time I've had. It is usually right around 70 mins average.

So, long story short? If your flight lands, ontime, at 9:20, you should be off the plane by 9:30-9:35ish. Which should get you to BWV by 11:00 at the latest.

 

[BSil]

I just hope you don't get a new driver like we got last summer. We had a bus that needed to make 3 stops, ours being last. We somehow ended up at Boardwalk with the driver getting out to ask directions. It was literally a 3 hour, what did you call it??? Adventure!

That being said my two prior uses it was super. It was about 70 minutes, and it is so nice not to see your bags until they show up in your room. If you are on site the DME is really a nice service.

 

[connie254]

Last time we went, we took the 6am flight down there, touched down at MCO at 7:55. We walked straight to the DME area, showed them our papers and was told to enter the lines w/o checking in. I looked around and we were the only ones there. I followed the roped off area to the end. The nice lady looked at our papers and escorted us to our bus. Again we were the only ones on the bus, and the bus took off. We were at Pop, checked in, dropped off our carryons in our room, which was ready(!!!),and back in a line to go to a park by 8:55. My friend had same flight, also stayed at Pop, arrived a day later and had lines at each area, and she didn't get on the bus to go to Epcot until 10:15

So it depends on several factors. Still I don't make any plans until 4-5 hours after landing. Then I become type A. There are too many variables in weather, traffic, just people in general to take into account.

 

[mrsltg]

I just hope you don't get a new driver like we got last summer. We had a bus that needed to make 3 stops, ours being last. We somehow ended up at Boardwalk with the driver getting out to ask directions. It was literally a 3 hour, what did you call it??? Adventure!

That being said my two prior uses it was super. It was about 70 minutes, and it is so nice not to see your bags until they show up in your room. If you are on site the DME is really a nice service.

Great. I just had a mini-stroke. It would have been full blown if I'd been on the bus with you! That said, I am NEVER rude and so would have been consoling the driver and asking if he'd like a bottle of water while silently praying for divine inspiration from the Disney direction gods...

So, from what everyone seems to be saying, I will not, in fact, have to start life all over again on a DME bus? Okay. I can handle this. I can't guarantee I'm not going to hop into a cab or commandeer a family vehicle from somewhere, but I'm almost positive I'll be sitting beside DH on the DME bus.

Thanks again!

 

[Alesia]

Realistically, you're looking at a less than 30 minute difference between taking DME and renting a car.

Yes, there are occasionally reports of longer than average trips, but that can (and does) happen with rental cars and cabs, too.

 

[figment814]

Tomorrow will be the first time I ever use DME to get to our resort, also BWV, so I'll let you know. I have used DME to get to the airport before but never the opposite and I am NERVOUS! But, I have had both good and bad experiences with rental cars and limos so I figure DME could go either way!

 

[goofy4tink]

I guess you could get a brand new driver, that has no idea how to get from point A to point B. But, it really doesn't happen very often. Most of the drivers are well trained before hitting the road.
Now...you could get a pokey puppy. There have been times when I have wanted to just tap the driver on the shoulder and say...'move over, I'll drive. I have an ADR tomorrow morning I don't want to miss!!!' Some of the drivers are incredibly safe drivers but seem to think that slow equals safe. I have had only one driver that drove a bit faster than I would have thought was appropriate. Most are great.
But getting lost?? That's really not acceptable. I would have felt the need to say something to someone when I got to the resort. An email or phone call to DME would have been appropriate as well.