Magical Express Return Time Question

[jerseygirl18]

Hi everyone,

I'm crossing my t's and dotting my i's...TWO days until our stay at the Poly and I'm SOOO excited!

Does anyone know about what our Magical Express pick up time will be? I'm trying to figure out if we will have time to eat dinner in the park before leaving. Our return flight home leaves MCO at 8:48 PM and we're staying at the Poly. We plan on being at Epcot on our return trip day. If I can get an ADR about 3:30 do you think that's cutting it too close?

Also, resorts will hold bags after we check out at 11:00, correct? Seems like a dumb question but you never know...

 

[DisneyMomx7]

ME pick up times are usually 3 - 31/2 hours before your return flight. I think that would be cutting it pretty close.

Bell services will hold your carry on bags for you.

 

[beansmom]

^ yup, 3 hours.

 

[jlk806]

Honestly we will never use ME for our return flight again. It picked us up exactly 3 hours before our flight at Kidani, we were the 1st stop. Our bus then made stops at Jambo House, Saratoga Springs, Yacht&Beach Club, & Carribbean Beach, stopped for a long time at each stop, the driver was very slow in loading the bus. Our 2 year old was so restless and driving us crazy each time the bus would stop for a long time he couldnt understand why we werent getting off. We finally got to the airport 1 hour 20 minutes before our flight (1 hr 40 min after we left our hotel!) and had to run after we were finally allowed off, thankfully we stopped at our terminal first, made it through security, and ran to our gate less than 5 min before they began boarding. Family members on the same flight who had stayed at Pop Century said their ME bus stopped at the other terminal first so they didnt get to the gate until they were about to call for final boarding.

We were starving the whole way home we had planned to get something to eat at the airport as we have always had time to do in the past. All the snacks we had with us went to our 2 year old because we didnt want him to be hungry. It was pretty much a disaster to end an otherwise wonderful trip and we will NEVER do it again! It is worth the $60 or whatever for a taxi to pick us up and drive us directly to the airport and know we will make our flight with plenty of time and not have to sweat like we did this time.

But to answer your question, I think a 3:30 adr anywhere but at your hotel would be close.

 

[mom2travel]

I'm pretty sure that almost every time we've stayed at WDW since ME started we were given a ME pick-up time almost exactly 3 hours from our flight time.

When we stayed at the Poly a couple of weeks ago, we had a 5pm flight and were given a 2:15 ME time. We had a 12:05pm ADR at Rose and Crown at Epcot. We ate our lunch, walked to the monorail (not too quickly), got off at TTC and arrived at Poly to pick up our bags about 2pm.

You can definitely leave your bags with bell services; they ask that you pick them up 15 minutes before your ME time, so they can pull them from storage.

If you factor in an hour to eat and an hour to get back to the resort from Epcot (which should be ok unless there are monorail problems - in which case you could take a cab from Epcot to Poly) then figure 3 hours and 15 minutes before flight time to retrieve your bags from bell services and 2 hours at least from then for your ADR time.

 

[maxiesmom]

Keep in mind that you need to be out at the Magical Expres bus stop, with all of your bags, 15 minutes before the scheduled pick up time. Busses do come early, and if no one is waiting, or they pick everyone up waiting, they leave. They do not wait around until the scheduled time to leave.

You need to be back at the ME bus stop all set to go by 5:30. You could probably swing it if you use a taxi to get back to your resort. But you would have to keep an eagle eye on the time during your meal. Not very relaxing or enjoyable, imho.

 

[Missytara]

Hi everyone,

I'm crossing my t's and dotting my i's...TWO days until our stay at the Poly and I'm SOOO excited!

Does anyone know about what our Magical Express pick up time will be? I'm trying to figure out if we will have time to eat dinner in the park before leaving. Our return flight home leaves MCO at 8:48 PM and we're staying at the Poly. We plan on being at Epcot on our return trip day. If I can get an ADR about 3:30 do you think that's cutting it too close?

Also, resorts will hold bags after we check out at 11:00, correct? Seems like a dumb question but you never know...

I would honestly make an ADR at the Poly, so you are already there at the resort. If your ADR is at 3:30 pm and you should figure an hour to get back to the resort from Epcot before your ME time, you would have to leave Epcot at 4:45 pm. That only leaves about 30 - 45 minutes for dinner.

Your ME bus will leave sometime between 5:45 and 6:00 pm. You should be waiting 15 minutes before your ME departure time; the time they give you is when the bus departs, not arrives.

If you are on a participating airline, you may check your bags with RAC no more than 12 hours before your departure time at the RAC desk. They can send your bags off to the airport.

If not, factor in about 10-15 minutes for the Baggage Services to retrieve your bags; sometimes they are already busy with other issues and cannot assist you right away.

 

[FireDancer]

I just came back on Sunday and my pickup time was less then one hour before my flight was to leave. I called the M.E. number and they moved me up to a pickup exactly 3 hours before my flight.

I have never had to stop at another resort when using M.E. on the return trip. We always go right from the resort to the airport even with an almost empty bus.

 

[Missytara]

I just came back on Sunday and my pickup time was less then one hour before my flight was to leave. I called the M.E. number and they moved me up to a pickup exactly 3 hours before my flight.

I have never had to stop at another resort when using M.E. on the return trip. We always go right from the resort to the airport even with an almost empty bus.

But that is not normally the case.

Check out the transportation board about what could go wrong if you are not on the bus three hours before your pick-up time.

And honestly, if you were scheduled one hour before your departure, that was either an oversight on their part, or they had an incorrect flight no.

 

[maxiesmom]

I just came back on Sunday and my pickup time was less then one hour before my flight was to leave. I called the M.E. number and they moved me up to a pickup exactly 3 hours before my flight.

I have never had to stop at another resort when using M.E. on the return trip. We always go right from the resort to the airport even with an almost empty bus.

In my experience we usually do have multiple stops on the way back to the airport. Only a couple of times have we gone directly from my resort to the airport.

 

[dburg30]

Unless they were at SSR then there probably wouldnt be any other stops. I've had both. having stops and being the last stop. I wonder why they initially had the pickup time only an hour before. Did your flight number change and wasnt reported or what happened?

 

[FireDancer]

Unless they were at SSR then there probably wouldnt be any other stops. I've had both. having stops and being the last stop. I wonder why they initially had the pickup time only an hour before. Did your flight number change and wasnt reported or what happened?

No, I had the same flight since I booked the trip. I think they just made an error. It was simple to correct though. The letter they put on your door includes a phone number to call if the pickup time is not at least 3 hours before your departure. I called and changed it. I think it took a total of 5 minutes including hold time.

Every time I have used M.E. I have stayed at POP. I had other stops on the way from the airport but so far I am 100% for going right from POP to the airport. Also, every time the bus was empty when it arrived so they didn't hit other resorts first. All 3 times we were the only stop. Maybe I am just lucky or maybe POP is just a stand alone for the return trip. I can only relay what my experience has been.