Magical Express a mess this morning!

[maxiesmom]

Here is the web page on the matter. There is no mention of a promise to get you to the airport at any particular time or leave at any particular time. Only when you get the note the day before do they tell you that you should be at a bus stop at a certain time for them to guarantee your timely delivery.

Here's another overview that also makes no mention of when they promise to pick you up or promise to deliver you.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/magical-express.htm

Yes there is. It states they will pick you up approximately 3 hours before your flight. Approximately as in "not exact, but close enough to be useful" as defined by Wikipedia. The did not show up approximately 3 hours before the OP's flight.

 

[vacationclub]

Do you disagree with any of the following:

*Disney told the OP what time to meet the DME bus.
*Disney requests you be there 15 minutes before your assigned time.
*The OP was only told their bus would be "late".
*The OP's bus NEVER SHOWED UP.

*Disney told the OP what time to meet the DME bus.
Yes, I agree
*Disney requests you be there 15 minutes before your assigned time.
Yes, I agree
*The OP was only told their bus would be "late".
Yes, i agree
*The OP's bus NEVER SHOWED UP
Trick question. The bus Disney originally intended for the OP did not show up according to another driver. But a bus did show up that took them to the airport. They made it OK regardless of the fleet number on the side of the bus.

Now, are you OK with Disney saying "We will provide you with a ride to the airport provided you are at the bus stop 15 minutes before 'x' time" and then not sending a bus for the OP to get on?

Another trick question. If no bus was ever provided for the OP, then of course yes, that's a problem for the OP. If Disney had to figure out how to compensate for bus number 45678 not showing up, and instead have bus number 68547 do the job instead, that's Disney's problem.

Again, the bus they road was NOT their assigned bus, it was NOT sent for them, and they were fortunate a later bus had enough room. And you see no problem with this?

Since everything worked out fine, and Disney compensated for the original problem, no I don't not see any problem with this. Disney did not promise they'de ride on bus 45678, or on bus 068547, they promised to get them to the airport. They did.

Please tell us... at what point would YOU "give up" on ME and make other transportation arrangements? 2 hours before your flight? 1 hour before your flight? 30 minutes?

Good question that no one has raised, and completely hypothetical. But, I guess I'd actually make a phone call to the number on my DME paperwork first and see what they suggest, then ask the manager guy if I they could put me into a cab just like he put someone else into a cab earlier and see what he says. Without knowing the answers to those things first, I'm not sure exactly how I'd proceed, but 2 hours may be the time to make a call one way or another. The OP was not at 2 hours yet, so really it's a moot point in relation to this conversation, but an interesting side bar none the less.

 

[vacationclub]

So you won't answer any of the questions I asked?

I actually have a couple points...
1) The OP's bus NEVER SHOWED UP. I'm amazed you don't see that as a problem.
2) DME travelers are basically forced to stay AT the DME pickup area from 15 minutes before their scheduled pickup until the bus arrives, no matter how late.

Say what? I just answered them. Do you think I'm sitting here in front of the computer checking for secondary posts to me to reply to within minutes? I was posting one reply to you while you were onto another post. Be patient, I'll eventually catch up....

The OP took a different bus and still made it to the airport on time. It's not like they were promised a stretch limo and had to settle for a town car. It doesn't matter which bus shows up, they are all alike.

Yes, they are forced to stay at the bus stop if they want to catch the bus. They are forced to stay on the bus once the get picked up. Both those basic conditions must be met in order to take DME.

 

[vacationclub]

Yes there is. It states they will pick you up approximately 3 hours before your flight. Approximately as in "not exact, but close enough to be useful" as defined by Wikipedia. The did not show up approximately 3 hours before the OP's flight.

The Motor Coach is scheduled to pick up guests approximately 3 hours prior to their flight departure.

Just like when they say that certain acts are "scheduled to appear" on the Grammy Awards, it means that we are planning on this, but not guaranteeing it.

The entire point you're making is still moot. They made it to the airport on time. They probably even went to the bathroom.

 

[Planogirl]

This is one strange thing to argue about but it is the DIS. I personally wouldn't like to wait for 50 minutes without someone telling me SOMETHING. I think that that is poor service.

I also want time at the airport for eating, drinking and shopping. I appreciate those who commented on when to just grab a taxi if this comes up.

 

[macraven]

i don't have a dog in this fight but wanted to say i used the ME one time.

the one time wasn't without issues.

so, since then, i use car service.

 

[maxiesmom]

The Motor Coach is scheduled to pick up guests approximately 3 hours prior to their flight departure.

Just like when they say that certain acts are "scheduled to appear" on the Grammy Awards, it means that we are planning on this, but not guaranteeing it.

The entire point you're making is still moot. They made it to the airport on time. They probably even went to the bathroom.

I wasn't making that point. The point is Disney does give you a pick up time, and they should stick to that time too. Your interpretation of approximate seems to be generous to a fault. Pretty much to the point of it not making any sense.

Telling their guests to be at the bus stop at a specific time for pick up, and then not showing up for almost a hour IS bad service.

 

[vacationclub]

I wasn't making that point. The point is Disney does give you a pick up time, and they should stick to that time too. Your interpretation of approximate seems to be generous to a fault. Pretty much to the point of it not making any sense.

I wasn't making any interpretation of "approximate", I was making an interpretation of "scheduled" which is why I put it in bold and then referred to it.

Telling their guests to be at the bus stop at a specific time for pick up, and then not showing up for almost a hour IS bad service.

Yep. Just like telling them to come to the park and ride the ride, then they have to wait 2 hours to get on it. Or that the monorail starts at 7:30 but didn't pick you up until 8:00. Or, every 15 minutes a bus for a resort or park comes by, but it's been longer than that. It happens.

In the end, they got to the airport. It wasn't the ideal situation, Disney had problems that day. But bad service? The service was to get you to the airport comfortably. In order to do that they build in extra time JUST IN CASE. Guess what....that "just in case" actually happened, but they still delivered them to the airport. Why people are hung up on the exact time they got on the bus, instead of the fact that they made a flight with no issues, is beyond me. Even the OP didn't make that complaint, it was only about the level of intel they were receiving.

As I stated earlier, if there was a breakdown, or an accident, or the driver got sick, or a traffic jam, or who knows what else could happen....those events could have also caused the OP to get to the airport later than being super early. But because the OP heard from another driver that "their bus was never dispatched", then suddenly getting to the airport later than normal is a massive failure, dropping the ball, and bad service. Had the OP never heard this comment from that driver, and perhaps assumed the lateness was from all of the above mentioned possibilities, this thread might not exist. Then again... it is the DIS.

If there was one single thing that I would mind the least in terms of waiting while at Disney...it would be leaving Disney. It's the other waits that I don't really like. (waiting for DME to get me there, waiting for my room to be available, waiting for dinner, waiting for a ride, waiting for a bus to the parks or back to the resort...........). All of those waits dig into my vacation. This wait did not. But it did cause some stress for a little while.

 

[Brit_Jude]

I am going to make a general apology here to the majority of posters. I am removing my moderator hat for a moment.

My response to the above??? Yeah, whatever. No need to argue any points. That doesn't mean you're right..it means I don't care. Your points are no more valid than anyone else's. It's all about perspective.
So again...whatever.

Hat back on.

 

[kaligal]

Only on the DIS would we hit 133 posts because a bus wasn't on time.

Honestly, if people are that concerned about their time, they should skip the bus and pay for some more reliable form of transportation.

 

[vacationclub]

Only on the DIS would we hit 133 posts because a bus wasn't on time.

Honestly, if people are that concerned about their time, they should skip the bus and pay for some more reliable form of transportation.

 

[jenrose66]

The Motor Coach is scheduled to pick up guests approximately 3 hours prior to their flight departure.

Just like when they say that certain acts are "scheduled to appear" on the Grammy Awards, it means that we are planning on this, but not guaranteeing it.

The entire point you're making is still moot. They made it to the airport on time. They probably even went to the bathroom.

No, no, no that's just a ridiculous statement to make. I would never agree to use a service that says "oh we are scheduled to do what we promised you, but we can't say for sure that we will" They set the expectation that you will be picked up approximately 3 hours before your flight and that is what Disney should ensure happens...

I can't believe how far off topic this post has got. OP, I feel your pain. The majority of people believe that magical express will get them to the airport 2 hours before their scheduled flight because that is what they promise to do. Obviously, ME has been having some problems with this as referenced with your story, my similar story from last year, and other stories on this thread. Disney needs to take care of this and make sure that buses are picking up guests on time as promised.

While getting to the airport with less than an hour before your flight would not bother some people...it would make the majority of others very nervous and it shouldn't be happening.

 

[vacationclub]

No, no, no that's just a ridiculous statement to make. I would never agree to use a service that says "oh we are scheduled to do what we promised you, but we can't say for sure that we will" They set the expectation that you will be picked up approximately 3 hours before your flight and that is what Disney should ensure happens...

The didn't promise to pick you up 3 hours before. As you just said, they set an expectation. They do that so you will BE THERE when they get there.

I can't believe how far off topic this post has got.

when did it get off topic? It's been dead on all along. Directly discussing what happened (or didn't happen).

The majority of people believe that magical express will get them to the airport 2 hours before their scheduled flight

There's that poll of people again. How does everyone have the time and resources to conduct scientific polls all day long. Oh, wait....they didn't.

because that is what they promise to do. .

the second reference to a promise about a time pickup or time delivery. Please show us where the "promise" is posted in Disney's literature.

Obviously, ME has been having some problems with this as referenced with your story, my similar story from last year, and other stories on this thread. Disney needs to take care of this and make sure that buses are picking up guests on time as promised.

There is an old saying..."you only hear about the bad news". As someone who's taken DME many, many times I've never had this happen. How does that figure into your data collection?
And please stop referring to promises when there is no promise.

While getting to the airport with less than an hour before your flight would not bother some people...it would make the majority of others very nervous and it shouldn't be happening.

Did you OP say anything about getting to the airport with less than an hour before their flight?

 

[jenrose66]

The didn't promise to pick you up 3 hours before. As you just said, they set an expectation. They do that so you will BE THERE when they get there.



when did it get off topic? It's been dead on all along. Directly discussing what happened (or didn't happen).



There's that poll of people again. How does everyone have the time and resources to conduct scientific polls all day long. Oh, wait....they didn't.


the second reference to a promise about a time pickup or time delivery. Please show us where the "promise" is posted in Disney's literature.

There is an old saying..."you only hear about the bad news". As someone who's taken DME many, many times I've never had this happen. How does that figure into your data collection?
And please stop referring to promises when there is no promise.

Did you OP say anything about getting to the airport with less than an hour before their flight?

I PERSONALLY arrived at the airport less than an hour before my flight...and I also have used ME many times prior to that experience with no problems, as a matter of fact I was always happy with the service. However, I have seen many threads about people who have recently experienced being dropped off at the airport with little time to spare which would lead me to believe that Disney's ME service is slipping.

 

[sam_gordon]

In the end, they got to the airport. It wasn't the ideal situation, Disney had problems that day. But bad service?

I'm glad you at least acknowledge the bolded.

As I stated earlier, if there was a breakdown, or an accident, or the driver got sick, or a traffic jam, or who knows what else could happen....those events could have also caused the OP to get to the airport later than being super early. But because the OP heard from another driver that "their bus was never dispatched", then suddenly getting to the airport later than normal is a massive failure, dropping the ball, and bad service. Had the OP never heard this comment from that driver, and perhaps assumed the lateness was from all of the above mentioned possibilities, this thread might not exist. Then again... it is the DIS.

Here's my key... even if the OP didn't hear that comment, they KNEW the bus wasn't assigned to them. Let's review the timeline provided by the OP...

Pickup time assigned for 6:45.
OP shows up at 6:15 (ok, earlier than Disney says, but no problem).
6:40: 6:15 bus shows up. No room for anyone other than 6:15 passengers
7:00: Manager type finds international passengers and puts them in a cab. We have no idea what time their flight is or their assigned pickup.
7:00-7:35: OP's DH is told (upon request) the bus will be there 'soon'.
7:35: 7:15 bus shows up. Manages to get all guests on that bus.

Now, we know the driver of the 6:15 bus WAS driving the 6:15 bus since he could only take those passengers.
We don't know if the 7:15 driver made an announcement that he was the 7:15 or if the OP asked. I'm guessing one of the two happened, because if it WAS the bus dispatched for 6:45, there wouldn't be a reference to it being the 7:15 bus.

So, we have a 6:15 bus and a 7:15 bus. No bus at 6:45 (for WHATEVER reason). That's odd because the OP (and presumably other guests) were told their bus would be there at 6:45. THAT'S where my problem with this whole thing is. Disney told the OP (and other guests) a bus would be dispatched to pick them up. It either wasn't, or hit enough of a delay to not make it to the resort until at least 50 minutes after the scheduled time.

Now, I'm assuming the 6:45 driver, if experiencing some kind of extended delay, would have contacted Dispatch at SOME point during that 50+ minutes.

To me, Disney failed in one of two ways... either not dispatching a 6:45 bus, or, if one had been dispatched and experienced some kind of extended delay, let the guests know when they WOULD be picked up. Granted, everyone was able to get on the 7:15 bus. If Disney would have even been able to relay THAT to the guests, that would have given them some options... grab a snack, go to the bathroom, or, if their stress level was that high, arrange for other transportation.

Sure, presumably the OP knew there was going to be a 7:15 bus, but how would they know there was room for them?

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Disney to communicate what their plans are once a decision has been reached.

I don't think it's wrong to let Disney know a guest was not satisfied on how something was handled.

If there was one single thing that I would mind the least in terms of waiting while at Disney...it would be leaving Disney. It's the other waits that I don't really like. (waiting for DME to get me there, waiting for my room to be available, waiting for dinner, waiting for a ride, waiting for a bus to the parks or back to the resort...........). All of those waits dig into my vacation. This wait did not. But it did cause some stress for a little while.

I agree with you. The difference is if you're waiting for a ride, you won't be stranded no matter how long you wait. If you're waiting for dinner, it's not like dinner is going to take off and leave you. If you're waiting for a bus back to the resort or parks, the resort & parks will still be there whenever a bus DOES show up. If a DME bus is late enough, you can miss your flight. Will Disney reimburse you for that? Nope.

Now, sure, Disney is supposed to arrange for other transportation. But I would understand the concern of people waiting... "did we fall through the cracks? Are we still in Disney's system? Do they know we're waiting out here?" I'm glad you have confidence that Disney will "come through" 100% of the time. Others of us know Disney is made up of humans and will fail and mistakes will be made. The size of the mistakes is what's unknown.

 

[vacationclub]

I PERSONALLY arrived at the airport less than an hour before my flight....

Oh, ok. So you were..... ironically...going off topic. (The topic being the experience of the OP described in the thread title). Sorry to hear about your experience, but I'm curious to hear about the details of your experience that led to being that late since you've brought it up. Maybe another thread to avoid derailing this one...

 

[vacationclub]

I'm glad you at least acknowledge the bolded.

Here's my key... even if the OP didn't hear that comment, they KNEW the bus wasn't assigned to them.

So what? Is the bus supposed to have their name printed on the side?

Pickup time assigned for 6:45.
OP shows up at 6:15 (ok, earlier than Disney says, but no problem).
6:40: 6:15 bus shows up. No room for anyone other than 6:15 passengers
7:00: Manager type finds international passengers and puts them in a cab. We have no idea what time their flight is or their assigned pickup.
7:00-7:35: OP's DH is told (upon request) the bus will be there 'soon'.
7:35: 7:15 bus shows up. Manages to get all guests on that bus.

Now, we know the driver of the 6:15 bus WAS driving the 6:15 bus since he could only take those passengers.
We don't know if the 7:15 driver made an announcement that he was the 7:15 or if the OP asked. I'm guessing one of the two happened, because if it WAS the bus dispatched for 6:45, there wouldn't be a reference to it being the 7:15 bus.

So, we have a 6:15 bus and a 7:15 bus. No bus at 6:45 (for WHATEVER reason). That's odd because the OP (and presumably other guests) were told their bus would be there at 6:45. THAT'S where my problem with this whole thing is. Disney told the OP (and other guests) a bus would be dispatched to pick them up. It either wasn't, or hit enough of a delay to not make it to the resort until at least 50 minutes after the scheduled time.

Now, I'm assuming the 6:45 driver, if experiencing some kind of extended delay, would have contacted Dispatch at SOME point during that 50+ minutes.

To me, Disney failed in one of two ways... either not dispatching a 6:45 bus, or, if one had been dispatched and experienced some kind of extended delay, let the guests know when they WOULD be picked up. Granted, everyone was able to get on the 7:15 bus. If Disney would have even been able to relay THAT to the guests, that would have given them some options... grab a snack, go to the bathroom, or, if their stress level was that high, arrange for other transportation.

Sure, presumably the OP knew there was going to be a 7:15 bus, but how would they know there was room for them?

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Disney to communicate what their plans are once a decision has been reached.

I don't think it's wrong to let Disney know a guest was not satisfied on how something was handled.

I agree with most of this including the timeline, except you missed where the RAC told them about late buses that day, regardless of the fact that they are two different outfits. The OP did have some knowledge of issues, just not details.

I've actually already agreed with most of what you stated above, that Disney could have possibly re-assured guests that had their doubts, like the OP. But to give precise pick up times on the fly when perhaps they didn't know exactly what they were, or to give them reason to think they have more time that they really did to get a snack etc, would have been unnecessary or potentially dangerous.

I agree with you. The difference is if you're waiting for a ride, you won't be stranded no matter how long you wait. If you're waiting for dinner, it's not like dinner is going to take off and leave you. If you're waiting for a bus back to the resort or parks, the resort & parks will still be there whenever a bus DOES show up. If a DME bus is late enough, you can miss your flight.

The key words here are If, late enough, and can. The OP didn't miss a flight because they weren't late enough.

Will Disney reimburse you for that? Nope.

Do we know this for sure? If Disney got you to the airport so late that you missed the flight, you believe they will take no responsibility? Is that written somewhere?

Now, sure, Disney is supposed to arrange for other transportation. But I would understand the concern of people waiting... "did we fall through the cracks? Are we still in Disney's system? Do they know we're waiting out here?" I'm glad you have confidence that Disney will "come through" 100% of the time. Others of us know Disney is made up of humans and will fail and mistakes will be made. The size of the mistakes is what's unknown.

Yes, you are describing exactly what I mentioned earlier. But they had two separate interactions with DME that told them buses are on the way. The could have certainly asked if they had fallen though the cracks. But DME indicated they were coming. The only way lack of confidence comes into play here is if they OP simply didn't trust the guy they were talking to. I have no idea what they asked him, or how they determined that he wasn't trustworthy, but it's clear their stress was from doubting Disney. They had stress for 50 minutes (well maybe half that time) but once they were on the bus and it was on it's way to the airport the crisis was over. There a lot of could have's and what if's being proposed here, but they didn't happen, and aren't relevant.

So, I will restate my original post in this thread....they made it to the airport on time, and didn't seem to complain about no restroom time, only that they didn't get enough details about their buses status.

 

[goofy4tink]

Only on the DIS would we hit 133 posts because a bus wasn't on time.

Honestly, if people are that concerned about their time, they should skip the bus and pay for some more reliable form of transportation.

In all actualilty, most are responding to just one person. And discussion is fine here. BUT...
having said that 'discussion is fine here'.....there will be no nastiness, no name calling, no rudeness. Rather than just edit various posts, which I hate to do, I have just deleted them. And if another post quoted that deleted post, it was then, in turn, deleted. No infraction points have been given..yet.

Can we please try to keep it civil...or the thread will be locked.

 

[pampam]

How do I refuse posts from certain individuals? I can't find the icon to click on. Sorry

 

[seashoreCM]

Only when you get the note the day before do they tell you that you should be at a bus stop at a certain time for them to guarantee your timely delivery.

I assume this means that you are guaranteed to be on a flight home at no added expense to you. Disney would personally, er, corporately, er, make real magic come out of Magical Express to, make that happen. And that is all that counts.

Your role in the process is following the instructions which includes waiting on the platform from 15 minutes before a time printed on a sheet of paper and filling out and abiding by any paperwork that may be required if the crack you fell into was too deep.

By the way, I do not consider "force majeure" to be applicable to any of the events that the OP described even if there was a shortage of buses in Magical Express livery or drivers for them. Rather, it would still be a schedule irregularity.