Magical express to different hotel?

[TeamEvansGo]

Wondering if it's possible to take ME to a monorail resort, instead of the value we will be staying in. Trying to get a Monorail ride to Epcot as the first thing we do after arriving, and thought it would be easiest to grab one at one of the Deluxe hotels on the monorail line.

I figured I could do online check-in, and wouldn't need to be at our resort until later in the day when we were ready to go to our room.

Is this something that is possible/makes sense? If not, what would be a good way to get a quick Monorail ride in and end up at Epcot. Don't want to waste too much time as we will have an ADR for dinner at Via Napoli, and I'm not sure when our flights will be for yet.

Thanks guys!!

 

[monorailrabbit]

I feel like your DME is linked to your hotel, when you show your pass/scan your band, it includes your home resort... I don't think you can choose to get on for a different hotel initially... but I could be mistaken.

 

[TeamEvansGo]

I feel like your DME is linked to your hotel, when you show your pass/scan your band, it includes your home resort... I don't think you can choose to get on for a different hotel initially... but I could be mistaken.

That's what I figured would be the hurdle I couldn't jump through! Haven't been on ME since 2007, so I wasn't sure.

 

[Lynne M]

Nope, sorry, they will only let you board a bus to the resort where you are a registered guest.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The quickest, but certainly not cheapest, way to do this would be to collect your own luggage, take a cab to your resort, drop your luggage off, and grab a cab/uber to TTC to catch the EP monorail. You could also do ME to your resort to save some money and then cab/uber to TTC from there.

 

[Robo]

Is this something that is possible/makes sense?

Not with luggage.

(Not possible with DME, anyway.)

 

[abner1776]

When you get to the DME cast member, they will scan your MB or key in your name if you do not have your MB and the tell you what numbered line to get into. You "could" move over from your resort to a MK resort, but if I recall correctly they also scan your MB just before you board the bus.

 

[CMNJ]

When you get to the DME cast member, they will scan your MB or key in your name if you do not have your MB and the tell you what numbered line to get into. You "could" move over from your resort to a MK resort, but if I recall correctly they also scan your MB just before you board the bus.

Yes I recall them scanning the band again with those moveable podiums at the front of the line. I think that's how they track the number of guests boarding to make sure they have enough seats and to determine the hotel order. At least that's my guess since we have taken the MK hotel ME 4 times in the past 2 years and it always seems to me that we stop in the order of the most drop offs. If Poly/GF have more they go 1st. If WL/CR/BLT have more they go to those two first. I would assume if one scanned the MB in the MK line and it said all star resort they wouldn't let you board (because presumably they dispatch buses based on the number of people listed as waiting for each bus route in the computer not by looking at the line).

 

[nkereina]

They do scan your band just before boarding DME. However, sometimes the bus will stop at multiple resorts. The only thing you could probably get away with (because no one would really know), would be to exit the bus you're on at one of the other resorts you're is stopping at. But you'll have no way to know until you get to the DME area if your resort is sharing a bus with a monorail resort.

And as PP noted, if you have any carry on bags with you, I don't think they're permitted on Disney transportation other than DME.

 

[CMNJ]

They do scan your band just before boarding DME. However, sometimes the bus will stop at multiple resorts. The only thing you could probably get away with (because no one would really know), would be to exit the bus you're on at one of the other resorts you're is stopping at. But you'll have no way to know until you get to the DME area if your resort is sharing a bus with a monorail resort.

And as PP noted, if you have any carry on bags with you, I don't think they're permitted on Disney transportation other than DME.

Yes the buses do stop at multiple resorts but the OP was asking about a monorail resort. They all share a ME bus (with WL). It is the magic kingdom resorts bus and typically only stops at those 4 resorts-unless the OP is arriving at a time when there are few flights no other hotels share that bus as they break up the buses based on resort location.

 

[rer1972]

Sounds like you are expecting to have all non-essential luggage/bags handled through the Airline and DME to your resort. You just want to go straight to the parks via monorail instead of via bus?

If the DME cast members are not super busy, I don't see why you couldn't just ask. Explain what you want to do, and see what they say. I would plan on the answer being no, but it never hurts to ask.

 

[goofy4tink]

The only possible way to do it would be if the bus to your resort also stopped at one of the monorail resorts. But, I don't think they do. Pop buses can go to AKL but that's about it.
I would go to my resort, drop off any carryon bags you might have, then take the bus to the MK and then the ferry or express monorail line from there over to the TTC.

 

[nkereina]

Yes the buses do stop at multiple resorts but the OP was asking about a monorail resort. They all share a ME bus (with WL). It is the magic kingdom resorts bus and typically only stops at those 4 resorts-unless the OP is arriving at a time when there are few flights no other hotels share that bus as they break up the buses based on resort location.

I understand. The OP didn't say where they were staying or when they were arriving, so I was just mentioning it's a possibility to get off at one of the other stops DME makes if it should happen to be a monorail resort.

 

[supersnoop]

Sounds like you are expecting to have all non-essential luggage/bags handled through the Airline and DME to your resort. You just want to go straight to the parks via monorail instead of via bus?

If the DME cast members are not super busy, I don't see why you couldn't just ask. Explain what you want to do, and see what they say. I would plan on the answer being no, but it never hurts to ask.

DME is not operated by Disney. Rather, it's a contracted hotel shuttle service. If they deliver passengers to somewhere other than their assigned hotel, they become subject to many more transportation regulations. You can ask, but they'll say no.

 

[Polydweller]

DME is not operated by Disney. Rather, it's a contracted hotel shuttle service. If they deliver passengers to somewhere other than their assigned hotel, they become subject to many more transportation regulations. You can ask, but they'll say no.

Exactly. They are licensed by MCO as a hotel transfer service not a bus service. As such, they can only transfer you between the airport and your hotel. As you say, they will say no.

 

[Accident]

You can always ask. They might say yes.

I would have bags i want to store so i would go to my hotel first then probaby bus to mk and monorail from there or uber/taxi direct to ttc.

You also dont mention if you plan to head to epcot or just want the monorail, values are closer and you could bus to epcot and ride from it if an option.