Magical Express reviews please

[saratogagirl]

Claire, its a great service, we've not used it to return to the airport as we normally collect a car half way through the holiday. We have used it three times, once to Movies, once to French Quarter and once to Saratoga. They are friendly and efficient and we have never had to long a wait to get on a bus. When we went to French Quarter we were first drop off, I think I recall that we stopped at other hotels on the other two trips, maybe second drop off, it only added to my excitement, nosing at the other resorts, and taking in the sights from the coach. I will never forget the second time we used it, there must have been some right Disney nuts on there, as we drove through the "Welcome" sign, the passengers let out a collective whoop, it was great ...

 

[Cinderella2006]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2221814&highlight=magical+express

Ok look at post 5 and it gives you a pretty good idea of where to go. Ignore the suff about yellow tags as we in the UK do not get those. Hope that gives you a better Idea. We are ME virgins as well until Aug but I think having read that I feel a little bit better.

Thanks for that, will have a read through when i get a min

 

[Pegasus928]

What is the world coming to?

Not sure I understand this comment

Have you looked at the cost of a standard taxi from the airport. If you want to get there quick you won't need to worry about shop stops, and if there are only 2 of you I'm sure they could fit all your luggage in easily enough.
Alternativley you could get ME and sit right at the front - leaping out when it stops and leaving the other member of your party to grab the bags while you get first place in the check in queue.

 

[DisneyJo]

Alternativley you could get ME and sit right at the front - leaping out when it stops and leaving the other member of your party to grab the bags while you get first place in the check in queue.

That's exactly what we do, but TBH arriving at the time we do off UK flights the check in line is never very long anyway

 

[paulh]

That's exactly what we do, but TBH arriving at the time we do off UK flights the check in line is never very long anyway

and more often than not as there isn't a mass of people on the bus sometime they do less stops. we've sometimes been the only ones on the bus
Paulh

 

[Hilary]

Interesting thread

I'm looking at using ME for the first time next year and had read about UK visitors not having the luggage tags, so having to take your bags with you on the coach if you're on an international flight. This would be a plus factor for me, because I'd prefer not to wait 3 hours for my bags to catch up with me! However, we're flying with Continental via Newark - can anyone tell me whether that means we're no longer classed as 'international' by the time we arrive in MCO? Will we have luggage tags, or could we still choose to collect our own bags to take on ME with us anyway?

 

[Danauk]

I doubt you would have the tags as they don't send them to the UK any more. Even if you did you can still collect your bags yourself and get them loaded onto your coach.

 

[Hilary]

I doubt you would have the tags as they don't send them to the UK any more. Even if you did you can still collect your bags yourself and get them loaded onto your coach.

Thanks!

 

[fizz13]

thanks everybody, not often you hear positivity across the board so to speak. have cancelled my towncar and fingers crossed you are all right

 

[paulh]

I doubt you would have the tags as they don't send them to the UK any more. Even if you did you can still collect your bags yourself and get them loaded onto your coach.

What they do if you don't have tags (think they have stooped sending out to everyone not just UK) is they ask for your luggage labels ,they note them down ask for a description of the bag size, colour and then they will be able to get them to you,Me personally would always collect myself
Paulh

 

[scottishgirl87]

I would panic too much if I didn't collect my own luggage! It's bad enough that it always has to be last off

 

[Hilary]

I would panic too much if I didn't collect my own luggage! It's bad enough that it always has to be last off

I think we're all control freaks here, LOL!

 

[Mermaid2sea]

Do we in the UK get the luggage tags sent to us.??

 

[wifey]

No we don't get the perks of this service any longer as international guests ceased to get any of the labels months ago unfortunately. You have to sort out your cases at the other end either take them to the bus yourself or give them a description and flight details for your cases and hope they turn up before you turn in that night. BTW Virgin Airways luggage claim is on A side of MCO and ME is on the B side so make sure you get your bags and make your way to the correct location for the bus. It's all changed since we last went through there in '07. The bag checks are still the same I have no idea why VA changed sides.

 

[Mermaid2sea]

We are hoping to fly into MCO from Toronto. Do we go through 2 lots of luggage or 1. We will be with Air Canada.

 

[fizz13]

I was going to say 1 as i know flying domestically there is only 1 bag pick up, but from Canada I'm not so sure as theoretically you would need to go thorugh immigration, hhmm good question.
I am flying london to chicago to orlando so really looking forward to getting immigration out of the way before Orlando, and should be fast to get my bags.
seems you are all right that no luggage tags to the uk, I thought maybe booking with disney us instead of disney uk they would turn up but nope. looks like will grab my bags to take on the bus with me.

 

[Mrdudecool]

Hi,

We have been with the ME twice now. Both times have been good experiences to and from MCO.

Both times we have had the yellow dags to show our DD resort and both times have some left over so what we will do is use them and say we have yellow tags on as we are staying at the hotel which is convienient.

Both times we have easily checked in but we have been on domestics as did MAN-ORD-MCO. Both times we have also been on buses within minutes which never was a problem so we were at the resort quite quickly.

Using for our trip this August so hope it goes well again. I think it is a good service.

 

[VailaTigger]

Used ME in 2005 which was about the time they first introduced it. It was absolutely fine, no worries at all, a couple of smallish queues - one to get allocated to a bus, and then one to board the bus.

Loved the wee movie on the bus, and being able to sit back and enjoy the view, and to get a wee nose at some other resorts on the way to ours!

I'm remembering back a long way here, but I think the pickup to take you for your flight home was quite early...

We used the luggage service that time, and I wasn't expecting the 3 hour wait for my case. With all the travel stress (I worry... whether I need to or not!) and time difference, I was REALLY ready to go to sleep at about 8/9pm and had no jammies to do so till the cases arrived...

When we go in April, I'm probably going to use ME again when we arrive. We'll collect our hire car from the Dolphin the next morning (saves having to drive when you're really tired after a flight, try to navigate unfamiliar roads, and hunt through bags for toll money etc...). My other choice is the coach which Virgin runs (that's who we're travelling with), but they will charge our family of 4 about £50 for using this service.

I think we'll chance ME (even though we're arriving on Good Friday! ) and save the £50 for other things on the holiday. I will also take my cases with me on ME so I can go to bed when I want!! Going for the flight home isn't an issue as we'll be returning the hire car to MCO.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Used ME in 2005 which was about the time they first introduced it. It was absolutely fine, no worries at all, a couple of smallish queues - one to get allocated to a bus, and then one to board the bus.

Loved the wee movie on the bus, and being able to sit back and enjoy the view, and to get a wee nose at some other resorts on the way to ours!

I'm remembering back a long way here, but I think the pickup to take you for your flight home was quite early...

We used the luggage service that time, and I wasn't expecting the 3 hour wait for my case. With all the travel stress (I worry... whether I need to or not!) and time difference, I was REALLY ready to go to sleep at about 8/9pm and had no jammies to do so till the cases arrived...

When we go in April, I'm probably going to use ME again when we arrive. We'll collect our hire car from the Dolphin the next morning (saves having to drive when you're really tired after a flight, try to navigate unfamiliar roads, and hunt through bags for toll money etc...). My other choice is the coach which Virgin runs (that's who we're travelling with), but they will charge our family of 4 about £50 for using this service.

I think we'll chance ME (even though we're arriving on Good Friday! ) and save the £50 for other things on the holiday. I will also take my cases with me on ME so I can go to bed when I want!! Going for the flight home isn't an issue as we'll be returning the hire car to MCO.

For me the best bit of using dme and picking up a car a couple of days later is that I can have a drink on the flight!!!!!!!

 

[Yarra]

So, UK visitors collect their own bags, transfer them to the coach, and then take them into the hotel at check-in ? Much prefer that - don't want to have to wait 3 hours for our luggage after a 10 hour flight.