Magical Express Question

Cinderella822

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 4, 2000
I've never used this before and would like to consider it. However, once off the plane, I want to get the most out of the rest of my day. Just wondering how long is the wait for the bus at the airport? Is it usually there waiting to pickup? Are there designated busses depending on the hotel? In other words, what is a rough timeframe of how long from deplaning to arriving at the resort? Also, can I just use it one way, like from the hotel to the airport?
 
The ride itself is about 40-45 minutes from MCO to your resort (we just stayed at Pop Century last week). We deplaned, walked to Magical Express area, tapped our magic bands and walked to the Pop Century line. To our delight, the bus was there waiting for guests.
In previous trips to WDW, we have waited a very short while for our bus, no more.than 15-20 minutes at most. This service is well worth it considering the money it would cost to go to and from the airport. We love using it and wouldn't think about not using it. We've used it for each of our trips to WDW, dating back to our first trip together 13 years ago.
 
Generally speaking, it will take about 90 minutes from the time you get off the plane to arrival at your resort. That said, it can be as little as 60 minutes and as much as 2 hours (or even more in extreme situations).

And yes, you can choose to take it one way only if you so desire. You still have to make a reservation, but just for the one way.

Steve
 
The general rule of thumb is that if you are landing on a domestic US flight, it takes about 90 minutes from landing to arriving at your resort - that may vary but it's a good ballpark to use.

The number of stops an individual bus makes from the airport will vary based on how many other guests are taking the ME to Disney from the airport in the same timeframe. You have to reserve the ME ahead of time, so they will have an idea of the flow of guests and know how many buses to put into service and how to route them. When you get to the area for Magic Express at the airport they'll scan your band or check your reservation, and then point you to the line that boards a bus for your resort. It's really easy.

Yes you can use it only one way - we are doing that on our August trip, because we'll be staying at a different hotel before the Disney portion of our trip. We're only taking it from the hotel back to the airport on departure day. When you call to make your DME reservations you just need to let them know what you need to set up.
 


Ok, thanks everyone for the info. We get in about 2 pm and I want to get to the parks as soon as possible. Haven't been there in over 10 years! I may use Lyft or Uber and then use their bus back to the airport at the end.
 
Since they'll handle your bags that'll save you at least 15-20 minutes hassle, and then you don't have to lug then to your room, so I'd guess its a draw on time compared to hauling an uber. Definitely cheaper!
 
If you are not planning on taking Magical Express to your hotel. You will have to pick up your luggage from baggage claim, get your Uber\Lfyt, and then drop your luggage at the hotel. Th ere is no place for you to safely store your luggage (other than hotel) while you enjoy the parks. With new rules concerning bag sizes, a suitcase will not get thru park security.

with taking Magical Express you will receive yellow tags and when getting off plane, you head straight to Magical Express and board bus to your resort. (Your luggage will magically appear in your resort room). Cost for Uber? Magical Express FREE. Time saved "minimal" .
 
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I'm considering getting the best of both on my next visit by tagging my bags for Magical Express but using ride share to get to the hotel. We will probably have a carry-on bag so it is likely that we will not go directly to a park but would still save time by going to the hotel to store our carry-on.
 
For reasons I can't begin to fathom, there are multiple people in this thread claiming that taking an Uber from the airport as opposed to Magical Express will save little or no time. That's just not even remotely close to true -- even if you're forced to check luggage, which I recognize is required for a lot of people.

Magical Express is free, yes, but it's remarkably inefficient. It involves waiting to check in, waiting to board the bus and waiting once you're on the bus. It involves a long route to Disney property at unnecessarily slow speeds (because you're riding a giant bus). It involves -- potentially -- waiting as the bus stops at multiple other hotels before arriving at yours. It's not a fast process. There's nothing wrong with that! It's incredibly convenient, and like I said, I understand the luggage transfer service is incredibly valuable for some, even though it couldn't be less relevant to my family and me.

An Uber is a 30-minute ride from the time you sit down in the car until you arrive at your hotel -- maybe 35 minutes with traffic. There's no waiting at any point. If you have no checked bags, just call it as you're boarding the monorail and it'll be pulling up when you arrive at curbside. If you do have a checked bag, call when the luggage starts arriving on the carousel.

People should absolutely do what works best for them. I value time over anything else on vacation, and I just don't think it's honest to tell somebody that Magical Express and Uber are comparable in that department.
 
It involves a long route to Disney property at unnecessarily slow speeds (because you're riding a giant bus).
Did you mean to say "...at a safe, legal speed while not attempting to outrace speeders"? Buses can and do exceed the speed limit. Size doesn't matter. Power does.
An Uber is a 30-minute ride from the time you sit down in the car until you arrive at your hotel -- maybe 35 minutes with traffic. There's no waiting at any point. If you have no checked bags, just call it as you're boarding the monorail
No. Unless unless you're willing to pay the no-show charge because your driver was prompt and you weren't outside at the pickup point and 100% ready to enter the vehicle when it arrives.
If you do have a checked bag, call when the luggage starts arriving on the carousel.
Again, no. No. Unless unless you're willing to pay the no-show charge because your driver was prompt and you weren't outside at the pickup point and 100% ready to enter the vehicle when it arrives.
 
Did you mean to say "...at a safe, legal speed while not attempting to outrace speeders"? Buses can and do exceed the speed limit. Size doesn't matter. Power does.

No. Unless unless you're willing to pay the no-show charge because your driver was prompt and you weren't outside at the pickup point and 100% ready to enter the vehicle when it arrives.

Again, no. No. Unless unless you're willing to pay the no-show charge because your driver was prompt and you weren't outside at the pickup point and 100% ready to enter the vehicle when it arrives.
Have to agree. Once luggage starts coming out, I've often had to wait up to 10 mins for my bags to show. That gets me a no show charge.
Here are some of my 'average' times with various modes of transport...gate to resort....
1. DME.....between 55 and 85 mins...depending on wait times at each point. Usually closer to 75 mins.
2. Car service with checked bags.....60 mins
3. Car service, carry-on only...45 mins.
Mears shuttle, checked bag....close to 2 hrs.
4. Rental car with checked bags......45 mins.
5. Uber carry-on....45 mins (dh's experience, not mine).
 
I vote for Magic Express also. Its free, someone else does the driving and you don't have to bother with handling luggage. We find that an enjoyable part of a relaxing vacation, it isn't a race for us to see how fast we can get to our hotel.
 
Magical Express FREE. Time saved "minimal" .

Uber/lyft/towncar are all going to be faster.

You can still schedule DME for your luggage but the above mentioned will be waiting on you and go directly to your resort.

We are coming in 2 days earlier so we don't even have the option at this point though for DME.
 
Uber/lyft/towncar are all going to be faster.
As people have tried to explain, and as goofy4tink has provided actual experience - not substantially faster.
You can still schedule DME for your luggage
No. You cannot schedule DME for [just] your luggage. Magical Express is a person transport service that, for convenience, also moves luggage but separately. You can, as the dedicated pinned thread advises, let DME move your luggage while you use a different mode.

This is an important distinction. Feel free to provide accurate information, but please avoid misinformation.
We are coming in 2 days earlier so we don't even have the option at this point though for DME.
True for anyone staying offsite - but not for anyone staying at two separate Disney-owmed properties.
 
This is an important distinction. Feel free to provide accurate information, but please avoid misinformation.

Really? Lol

You schedule DME for your flight, put the tags on your bag, and then you are done. Like you said you take a different mode of transportation so yes you can schedule DME for your luggage. The only thing you give Disney is your flight number.

as goofy4tink has provided actual experience

45 mins (car service not need to get bag) vs 75 mins (DME typical) is a while. Not to mention with DME there are outliers of even longer (or possibly shorter).

Now add in a direct ride to the park (if you checked all your bags) or a 2 stop trip (dropping carryon with bellstaff) and you are going to be at the park even faster not needing to wait on a Disney bus for the parks.

This also doesn't account for your group going to a grocery store which you could do on the way to the hotel with a car service.

So yes it will be fast it's then your choice if the extra time is worth the premium and ease.
 
Really? Lol

You schedule DME for your flight, put the tags on your bag, and then you are done. Like you said you take a different mode of transportation so yes you can schedule DME for your luggage. The only thing you give Disney is your flight number.



45 mins (car service not need to get bag) vs 75 mins (DME typical) is a while. Not to mention with DME there are outliers of even longer (or possibly shorter).

Now add in a direct ride to the park (if you checked all your bags) or a 2 stop trip (dropping carryon with bellstaff) and you are going to be at the park even faster not needing to wait on a Disney bus for the parks.

This also doesn't account for your group going to a grocery store which you could do on the way to the hotel with a car service.

So yes it will be fast it's then your choice if the extra time is worth the premium and ease.

According to Disney, you can not book just luggage transfer with DME. Period. When you give them your flight info, you are booking a ride on the bus, from MCO to your resort. Having your tagged bags handled and showing up in your room is a perk of booking a ride on DME.
Obviously, many have done exactly this....booked DME, tagged their bags, taken a rental or uber to their resort. But, to say they are booking luggage transfer is incorrect.
 
According to Disney, you can not book just luggage transfer with DME. Period. When you give them your flight info, you are booking a ride on the bus, from MCO to your resort. Having your tagged bags handled and showing up in your room is a perk of booking a ride on DME.
Obviously, many have done exactly this....booked DME, tagged their bags, taken a rental or uber to their resort. But, to say they are booking luggage transfer is incorrect.

Tomayto, Tomhato. It is exactly what you are doing. Since you are the second one to point this out as a place you would be confused I will change my phrasing moving forward.
 
No. Unless unless you're willing to pay the no-show charge because your driver was prompt and you weren't outside at the pickup point and 100% ready to enter the vehicle when it arrives.
When you call for an Uber or Lyft, you see the estimated time of arrival for the driver. It's really not hard to plan it so you are arriving at the curb just before or as the car is pulling up to the curb. When arriving home form a work trip back at EWR, I simply call for the Lyft when I step off the jet bridge and reenter the terminal. If, for some reason, I see that the driver is going to be unusually quick at arriving to the curb, I just immediately cancel the ride for no penalty. I totally appreciate that you (and many others) really love the service Magical Express provides. It's a great service in many ways. Speed and efficiency simply aren't strong points. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but for people like myself who consider efficiency the single most important priority by a wide margin, it's good to have accurate information.

Everything at Disney -- literally every decision you make on your vacation -- is a choice between saving time and saving money. Magical Express is no different. You said that Magical Express isn't "substantially" faster. Well, that's all a matter of perspective. An Uber ride from the airport to Disney property typically costs about $35, according to the company's fare estimator. My time off is precious, and my family's Disney trips are rarely longer than a weekend. I consider my time more valuable than $35 a half-hour. Far more valuable.

(By the way, as for this point about whether you can book luggage transportation, it's a semantical argument. Yes, you are booking a ride on the bus, but since your bags will travel whether or not you take it, there's clearly no difference in how you describe it. The reality is you can have Magical Express take your bags but not take you. That's all that matters in this conversation.)
 
Tomayto, Tomhato. It is exactly what you are doing. Since you are the second one to point this out as a place you would be confused I will change my phrasing moving forward.
Neither of us is confused. You made an erroneous claim which could easily confuse somebody new to Magical Express. Because transportation is such a serious matter, accuracy is both necessary and appreciated.
 

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