Magical Express questions

[MaryannF]

We have always rented a car at the airport but when we go in February my DH wants to take the Magical Express bus to the resort and then rent a car for a few days from Alamo at the car care center. I have a few questions...
1. Can you pick your luggage up when you land in Orlando and take it with you to the bus?
2. How many resorts do you typically go to before you get to Pop Century?
3. When you are checking out and you have a 7am flight what time does the bus pick you up at the resort? We like to be at the airport 2.5-3 hours in advance of our flight.
Thanks for any input.

 

[ABCanada]

1. Can you pick your luggage up when you land in Orlando and take it with you to the bus?

Yes just do not put the tags on.

2. How many resorts do you typically go to before you get to Pop Century?

Whenever we have shared a bus it was always earlier than our stop. I think it might have been the first one. The routes do depend on how busy they are.

3. When you are checking out and you have a 7am flight what time does the bus pick you up at the resort? We like to be at the airport 2.5-3 hours in advance of our flight.

I think they pick up four hours before your flight for Canada. It might be 3 hours. It is earlier than we would normally go but we do carry on.

 

[Disneylover99]

2. It was just AofA and Pop last month on the ME heading to the resorts. AofA was dropped off first and Pop was dropped off next.

 

[darwinsrule]

For flights within the US pickup is 3 hours before the place departs, for international flights, and that includes Canada, it was 4 hours. Not sure what time they will suggest with a 7 am flight.

We were at AoA at the end of August and drop off was AKL, AoA and then Pop. Pickup was strictly AoA.

 

[MaryannF]

Thanks!

 

[dis_guy]

Typically, POP, AoA, and CBR are on the same bus. The drop off order is anyone's guess. Have fun!

 

[mcoaddict]

Have you looked into car rental costs on property?

We wanted to do the same thing once but then when we went to rent a car it was super expensive. It would have been the same for 2 days on property as what we usually pay for over a week when we get a car from MCO. We decided it wasn't worth it and didn't end up renting the car.

 

[Lizziejane]

Don't rule out the possibility of a good on-site deal for a rental car.

Last time we visited, we decided to use DME and rent from the Dolphin. The prices were a little higher on-site all along, but we were ok with that. Two days before we left home, I got a great deal at the Dolphin - I think we paid something like $200. Perhaps the price was lower because we only needed a 5-day rental vs. 7 if we were driving ourselves. We sure loved the convenience of DME, though, so we're doing the same thing this January.

I just re-priced our week in January, and right now, a pick-up at the airport for 7 days is $200 more expensive than a 5-day rental from the Dolphin. (This is for a minivan).

 

[MaryannF]

I tried every rental agency at the airport with different discount codes and found that I could rent a car from Alamo at the Dolphin for a lot less. We will pick the car up the morning after we land and deliver it back the morning before we leave.