Magical Express question

[troyseyfert]

Probably many of you have this same frustration: I don't understand why we have to leave 3 hours before our departure when we will be checking in for our flight at the hotel (therefore, bypassing the lines) and since we won't be stopping anywhere else (we're staying at POP century )

So, what I'm wondering is if you can show up an hour later for the magical express or if you HAVE to go 3 hours beforehand???

What are they going to do? Refuse to take you back to the airport????

Let me know any suggestions or tips on this...thanks!

 

[maxiesmom]

You are scheduled for a certain ME bus. The bus only comes by the resort when people are scheduled to be picked up, so there may not be another bus an hour later. And even if there is, it may already be booked full, so if you miss your scheduled bus you can't count on just hopping on the next one. And if you miss your scheduled ME bus and the next one is full, you are on your own. Disney has no obligation to get you to the airport if you miss your bus.

I know 3 hours seems like a lot of time, but your ME bus will most likely go to other resorts for more people. So there goes a chunck of the 3 hours. Plus MCO suggests you are at the airport 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to leave. It can take quite a while to get thru security at MCO, the lines are usually pretty darn long!

Trust me, 3 hours is not horribly excessive to get picked up, make the rounds to other resorts, get thru the traffic, get dropped off at one of the 2 stops ME makes at the airport, and get thru security to your gate. I would much rather sit at the airport a few extra minutes than end up struggling to make my plane.

 

[clanmcculloch]

If the bus that you try to hop on rather than your regularly scheduled bus is full then yes they can refuse to take you back to the airport. You'll then be responsible for cab fare to get yourself there. If you really want to take a later bus, I would urge you to try to arrange it ahead of time rather than risk not getting a spot on a bus. If you're told that you can't take a later bus, I would urge you to either plan to be on the bus that you're scheduled to be on or arrange alternate transportation ahead of time.

You're not bypassing security. That line can take quite a while at MCO depending on the time of day and time of year.

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to add that even if you decide to use a towncar company, which costs about $60 one way, that will only gain you about half an hour. They would rather get you to the airport in plenty of time too. Not good business to have your customers missing their planes!

 

[Kae]

When the boards talk about Pop not sharing a bus they mean to the parks , not DME. Most DME busses go to 3 resorts.

Kae

 

[metime]

Keep in mind the airport in orlando is very very busy. The security line alone is always waaaaay longer than any other airport I have been to inlcuding: dulles, atlanta, new york, Boston, manchester,providence, and ohare. Our flights range in times but unless it is later in the evening plan on lines.

 

[ljcrochet]

I have used Magic Express back to the airport twice. The first time with the 3 hours before our flight, the line for security was so long, we walked right to the gate as they were loading the plane. I can't imagine what would have happened if we took a later bus.
Yesterday, we had a 12:25 pick up for a 3:10 flight. We did not finish picking people up at the last hotel (3 stops after ours) till after 1. I joked that people at the last hotel that were on our flight would have been the bus before ours.

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes, the can refuse to take you to MCO!! Let's say you have a 3:30pm flight. You are given a pickup time, for DME, at 12:30pm. But, you don't want to go then, you want to go at 1:30pm so you don't have so much time at the airport.
So....you miss the 12:30 bus. Then you show up at the DME bus stop at 1:20, all ready to hop on the bus. One of three things is going to happen...
1. you get a nice driver who says, sure hop on.
2. You find the bus if completely full and there is no room for you, so no ride.
3. The bus has no reason to stop at your resort because there is no one there who needed a ride at this time, so the bus doesn't stop there.

I have seen all three things happen. Do you want to take a chance that numbers 2 or 3 could happen for you??

The bus makes more than a few stops...it takes guests longer to board simply because many have bags to stow. Unlike DME arriving at MCO, baggage handling back to MCO isn't always provided based on your departing airline. Then, there could be traffic along the way. Add to that the bus has to stop on both sides of the airport, which makes for a longer ride for those on Side B.....yes, you do need the 3 hrs.

As already noted....the DME return bus, from POP, will make stops. It will stop at AKL, CSR and possibly other resorts. There is no such thing as a DME bus that only makes one stop.

If you miss your designated pickup time, Disney is under no obligation to provide alternate means of transportation to MCO for you. You are given a time, you are expected to honor that time. They can, and do, refuse to take non-scheduled passengers to the airport.

 

[seashoreCM]

You may not intentionally reserve a bus time back to the airport less than 3 hours before your flight. But once in awhile the reservationist CM is not paying attention and the request slips through and is granted. If you miss your plane here, it's not Disney's fault.

... What are they going to do? Refuse to take you back to the airport???? ...

The parrot with the patch over one eye (trivia question: find him) [color=#cococo](hint: He's at Magic Kingdom) [/color]says yes.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disscav.htm

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Probably many of you have this same frustration: I don't understand why we have to leave 3 hours before our departure when we will be checking in for our flight at the hotel (therefore, bypassing the lines) and since we won't be stopping anywhere else (we're staying at POP century )!

It's really 3 hours plus or minus 15 minutes, because there are usually 2 pickups scheduled each hour at each resort, if there are guests who need to go back to the airport. I think that's reasonable. I would not want to cut it any closer.

Disney doesn't want to have guests missing their flights.

Keep in mind that flights board 30 minutes before scheduled departure.

If you leave 3 hours before your scheduled departure on a DME motorcoach, and the motorcoach makes no other stops, and you get off at the first stop at the airport, then you'll be at the airport 2 hours before boarding. You still have to go through security and navigate the airport before you get the gate. You'll have enough time for a meal at the airport.

If the motorcoach makes additional stops (which is common), there are traffic delays, and there's a long line at security (not unusual at MCO), you should still get to the gate before boarding begins, but you would not have much time to eat.

If Disney scheduled DME pickups much less than 3 hours before scheduled departure, it's likely that some passengers would get to the gates too late to board the aircraft under the second scenario above.

 

[aubriee]

I posted this a couple of years ago right after it happened, but will do so again. One trip just as our DME bus was almost full loading, a family came running up saying they had missed their DME bus and had to get on ours or they would miss their plane. They were told the bus was going to be full and there were no seats for them. They started arguing and it came out they had intentionally missed their assigned bus, because they thought it was stupid to be picked up 3 hours before their flight and they thought they could just catch another bus. However, they got tied up in DTD and then the DTD bus was late picking them up, so they wound up being later than they meant to be. They were again told that our bus was too full to handle them. The dad got really irate and demanded that some of us be put off the bus, since our flights left later and we could catch the next bus. Both the driver and the guy with the clip board told him that wasn't happening. The dad finally jumped up on the bus, saying they would just stand then. He was told that wasn't happening, but then refused to get off the bus and was yelling at his family to get on. A resort manager finally came out and persuaded him to get off the bus. When we pulled out, the family was being escorted into the resort with the dad yelling and threatening. To top matters off, we got tied up behind a wreck on the way to the airport, then my drop off was the second one, then there was a long security line. I got to my gate just a few minutes before they started loading.

 

[seashoreCM]

I ...a family came running up saying they had missed their DME bus .... I got to my gate just a few minutes before they started loading.

I suspect Disney got stuck on this one. That guy wasn't going to get off the bus unless either Disney offered the family a free ride to the airport or Disney had him arrested. The latter would delay the bus and everyone else too much.

Maybe Disney needs a blacklist, of persons and families who would not be allowed back. This would include doing audits and cancelling reservations already made although I would not go so far as to advocate reneging on a reservation after the guest got there.

Or maybe an inverse complaint procedure. A few days after the trip is over, Disney sends a letter, using paper and snail mail, asking the head of the family for compensation. For example to be reimbursed for the cab fare that the resort concierge on second thought felt he should not have had to take out of the till.

 

[RebeccaDreamsDisney]

I heard that with international flights (IE: to Canada) you need to catch an earlier DME. Does anyone know if that's true? Just trying to plan and heard it was closer to 4hours for international flights. Thanks!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I heard that with international flights (IE: to Canada) you need to catch an earlier DME. Does anyone know if that's true? Just trying to plan and heard it was closer to 4hours for international flights. Thanks!

It's four hours for international flights.

Also, you can't use RAC for international flights.

 

[Boncho]

I heard that with international flights (IE: to Canada) you need to catch an earlier DME. Does anyone know if that's true? Just trying to plan and heard it was closer to 4hours for international flights. Thanks!

Ours was only three hours this year and two years ago it was about three hours and fifteen or twenty minutes. We were flying into Halifax.

 

[tkitty]

I really thought 3 hours was such a long time too. Our first ME trip, way back in 1999, got us to the airport with time to have a sit down meal. In 2006, with hightened security since 2001, took us every bit of the time given.
I accually found when We got to the airport, that my boarding pass was not with the other 5 that we had printed at POFQ! So I did the "panic and run through the airport" thing.
Thank goodness there was just enough time to spare.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Why leave 3 hours before your flight? Let me count the ways...

You arrive at the airport and some attentive TSA screener allowed a passenger to enter the sterile area with contraband. Because they cannot locate the passenger in particular, the entire terminal is emptied and ALL passengers are rescreened. Yeah, that's a fun one. I've personally seen it happen a dozen times.

You are driving to the airport and there's a 3-car accident. In your lane. 3 miles ahead. Bumper to bumper. Inching forward. Or, worse, an accident on the offramp RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED TO EXIT. Another fun one.

Your flight has been delayed or canceled and there are few seats on the only available alternative. Good thing you're there to a) discover the situation and b) take advantage of rebooking with counter personnel or reservations agents on the phone.

Why put yourself in a situation where you are pressed for time? Leaving early helps you make your flight when obstacles appear... and believe me, they do.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney has an agreement with MCO to get passengers to the airport 2 hours before their flight. DME takes about 30 minutes to drive from WDW to MCO. PP is correct, your pickup is scheduled for 2:46-3:15 minutes before your flight. That gives DME 15-30 minutes to stop at different resorts and to handle delays.

DME is a free service. Guests who don't like the scheduling are free to take a taxi or reserve a car service.

There is no guarantee a DME bus will stop at POP in 30 or 60 minutes. There might not be any guests scheduled for the bus. There is also no guarantee there will be room on the bus. Some guests have been accomodated on later buses but others have been told to take a taxi (at their expense).

Guests who want a later pickup time should arrange for their own transportation. That will allow you to end your trip in a theme park or another resort.

 

[goofy4tink]

I really thought 3 hours was such a long time too. Our first ME trip, way back in 1999, got us to the airport with time to have a sit down meal. In 2006, with hightened security since 2001, took us every bit of the time given.
I accually found when We got to the airport, that my boarding pass was not with the other 5 that we had printed at POFQ! So I did the "panic and run through the airport" thing.
Thank goodness there was just enough time to spare.

DME wasn't around in '99. They didn't come into being until maybe 2005 or so. Maybe 2004, but not before that.

 

[CleveRocks]

I really thought 3 hours was such a long time too. Our first ME trip, way back in 1999, got us to the airport with time to have a sit down meal. In 2006, with hightened security since 2001, took us every bit of the time given.

Disney's Magical Express launched on May 5, 2005, to coincide with the beginning of The Happiest Celebration on Earth.

I promise you, you didn't use DME in 1999.