Magical Express Departure

[Melissa1977]

When leaving Disney, typically how many hours before your departure flight does the Magical Express pick you up?

 

[dixielanfan73]

3 hours for domestic flights

 

[maxiesmom]

4 hours for international flights.

 

[mjmgsssp]

These times are usually because the ME will stop at multiple resorts.

 

[Melissa1977]

thanks everyone. we currently have an 11:55 domestic flight out of MCO. I originally thought that was a "later" flight but now i'm second guessing it. We will be up late the night before for the Christmas Party and if the ME picks us up roughly 8:55 that doesn't give us much time to sleep in unless we get everything packed up the day before. i could change our flight (Southwest) to a later flight but the later flight isn't until 4:30. We go back to work and school the next day so sleeping in might help with the rest of the week....hmmm...decisions decisions.

 

[Love_the_Mouse]

Do you have to get on the bus at the time they give you? Or could you leave a half hour later if you wanted?

 

[sam_gordon]

Do you have to get on the bus at the time they give you? Or could you leave a half hour later if you wanted?

Yes to both. IF you want to use DME to get back to the airport, you need to be on the bus they tell you. However, you can leave a half hour later, you just need to arrange your own transportation.

Also keep in mind, the time the bus leaves your resort is actually 3 hours (4 international) +/- 15 minutes. Plus you are supposed to be waiting at the DME stop ready to board the bus 15 minutes before your assigned time. So an 11:55 flight departure could mean being at the DME pickup location at 8:25am.

 

[Huff]

As stated it's typically around 3 hours before. Sometimes this can get changed without notice! We had a 3pm DME departure time for a 6pm flight. We left the parks and arrived back at our resort at 2:30. Grabbed some snacks then headed for the bus. We were then told sorry, bus is full. Wait for next one. 20 minutes later another arrived and again we were told we couldn't board and to wait further. A 3rd bus arrived after another 20 minutes and we boarded.

 

[purple figment]

If you miss your assigned bus, it will be your responsibility to get to the airport. There might not be another bus since the DME is scheduled according to demand - if no one is leaving from your resort there won't be another bus. Even if another bus arrives, there might not be room for you.

The time on the paperwork you will receive the morning before is the time the bus is scheduled to leave your resort so you'll need to be at the DME bus stop 15 minutes earlier.

 

[sam_gordon]

As stated it's typically around 3 hours before. Sometimes this can get changed without notice! We had a 3pm DME departure time for a 6pm flight. We left the parks and arrived back at our resort at 2:30. Grabbed some snacks then headed for the bus. We were then told sorry, bus is full. Wait for next one. 20 minutes later another arrived and again we were told we couldn't board and to wait further. A 3rd bus arrived after another 20 minutes and we boarded.

This shouldn't happen. If your assigned bus says they don't have room for you (and it's possible it wasn't your assigned bus, but one running late, or you were late and didn't realize it), IMMEDIATELY go to guest services for your resort, explain what happened and insist on transportation. I would not wait for another bus hoping there's room. Worst case is to call a cab/uber/lyft and just eat the expense.

 

[goofy4tink]

This shouldn't happen. If your assigned bus says they don't have room for you (and it's possible it wasn't your assigned bus, but one running late, or you were late and didn't realize it), IMMEDIATELY go to guest services for your resort, explain what happened and insist on transportation. I would not wait for another bus hoping there's room. Worst case is to call a cab/uber/lyft and just eat the expense.

Have to agree. The only time you might have to wait through several 'full' buses would be if you missed your original bus. If DME overbooked buses, then those bumped from A bus, should automatically be allowed on the B bus, while the B bus people would be bumped to C bus.

I am always telling people to arrive at the DME bus stop 15-20 mins prior to the scheduled time. We had a 12:30 departure time last Wednesday. We had plenty of spare time and were relaxing in the Customs House at OKW. At 12:10, I told my dh it was time to go..he said we had plenty of time. Um, no. We got outside, sat down on the bench, and at 12:15 the bus rolled up! And it was fairly full!!! We left shortly before the 12:30 mark. 12:30 is when the bus departs, not when you should arrive at the stop!!!!

 

[Huff]

IMMEDIATELY go to guest services for your resort, explain what happened and insist on transportation.

I did go to guest services at POP. They told me they had nothing to do with DME and I had to speak with DME themselves. Not sure what went wrong but there were a few others delayed as well.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You're supposed to be able to get onboard your assigned bus. Maybe the driver let people on who shouldn't have been on that bus, or the buses were backed up and that bus wasn't your assigned bus (why would they stop at a resort at all if the bus was full?) I was on a bus once that left a family behind because they were not all together and ready to go when the bus was ready to leave (somebody had gone back into the hotel) and the bus was already running late because a Disney CM had asked the driver to wait for some people at the previous resort.

 

[winthropf]

I did go to guest services at POP. They told me they had nothing to do with DME and I had to speak with DME themselves. Not sure what went wrong but there were a few others delayed as well.

Translation: "I either don't know how to deal with this or don't want to deal with this."

Your paid contract for airport transportation is with Disney, not with Mears who operates Magical Express. That response would get a very stern "Manager. NOW." from me. Disney advertises and promises free airport transportation.

Sorry you got a lazy CM at POP.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

As stated it's typically around 3 hours before. Sometimes this can get changed without notice! We had a 3pm DME departure time for a 6pm flight. We left the parks and arrived back at our resort at 2:30. Grabbed some snacks then headed for the bus. We were then told sorry, bus is full. Wait for next one. 20 minutes later another arrived and again we were told we couldn't board and to wait further. A 3rd bus arrived after another 20 minutes and we boarded.

I expect you actually missed your bus. You got to the hotel 30 minutes before departure and then shopped? At 30 minutes all you really had time to do was go to the boarding area.


I think we are missing some details. And that's probably why Guest Services was not helpful. They put my boyfriend in a cab with no questions asked when the bus was 40 late. But the bell service guy told them he had now been waiting for over an hour. We were at loading 30 before his scheduled departure

 

[Melissa1977]

Thanks for all the replies. based on the info, i decided to change my 11:55 flight to 4:30 (LOVE SW for this reason!) to allow us a leisurely morning waking up after the late night at MVMCP. We may need to find something to do now after check out but its better then feeling the rush in the morning!

 

[tjmw2727]

As stated it's typically around 3 hours before. Sometimes this can get changed without notice! We had a 3pm DME departure time for a 6pm flight. We left the parks and arrived back at our resort at 2:30. Grabbed some snacks then headed for the bus. We were then told sorry, bus is full. Wait for next one. 20 minutes later another arrived and again we were told we couldn't board and to wait further. A 3rd bus arrived after another 20 minutes and we boarded.

That is unfortunate and wrong - unlike the inbound you are actually assigned a specific DME bus at a specific time for the return trip and the driver should be scanning vouchers and checking times to be sure the correct passengers are boarding. I have seen folks arrive early for their bus and try to board early and be denied as well as folks try and board the inbound bus (each DME bus runs only one way - to or from the airport) so its easy to get confused.

I agree with PP's that Pop should have offered you an alternate ride as the WDW resorts do have a liaison who keeps track of the DME buses. We have inquired at a few different resorts as to if our bus was running on time.

 

[seashoreCM]

Check your confirmation paper (delivered to your room morning of the day before the day you check out or obtained at the front desk at about said time prior to starting that day's park activities). If you notice an unfavorable change, then get it fixed on the spot and then pick the new confirmation as soon as that becomes available, possibly at 2 PM.

Magical Express may not make schedule changes without notice to you after that point.

If a family was not all together and ready to board their DME bus and the bus pulled in already late then the family was late and officially missed their bus.

... (DME is one way only) ...

Not true unless you choose to book it that way for a given vacation.[/SIZE]

 

[tjmw2727]

I meant the buses themselves run only one way - thanks for the correction and I clarified above (I hope).

The DME bus will either drop off or pick up passengers at the resort not both.

 

[Polydweller]

What people often misinterpret is the meaning of the your bus time. It means that is when the bus leaves, not when you need to be there to board. You need to be at the stop at least 15 minutes in advance as goofy4tink says. The OPs description of arriving at the resort at 2:30 and then shopping implies that they were aiming getting there for 3:00. But as the documentation says that is the departure time so that meant missing the assigned bus. At that point, if you have missed your bus, you either hope you are able to get on the next bus or arrange your transportation.

And no the front desk CMs can't help you. All scheduling is on Mears computers and they have no access to that and it is always your responsibility to get on the assigned bus. The lesson to be learned like air flights, be there far before the departure time.