Magical Express WITHOUT a flight

[IllinoisJones]

Hey all, I have a question. I have friends who are taking a train into Orlando. The train station is close to MCO. They want to know if they can take a cab ride to the airport then take the Magical Express to their Disney resort (Art of Animation). They will be flying out of MCO at the end of the vacation. They've taken the ME to MCO to rent a car to drive to Miami before. So can you take the ME if you don't fly into MCO?

 

[chartle]

You get two trips, one from, one to MCO. Disney doesn't care how you get there.

 

[bdoyledimou]

and How would one make this reservation (we are actually driving into MCO with a rental car from Miami after a cruise, then going to WDW -- and i am trying to figure out how that would work)

 

[chartle]

Others have posted you just pick a flight that matches you being there.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Hey all, I have a question. I have friends who are taking a train into Orlando. The train station is close to MCO. They want to know if they can take a cab ride to the airport then take the Magical Express to their Disney resort (Art of Animation). They will be flying out of MCO at the end of the vacation. They've taken the ME to MCO to rent a car to drive to Miami before. So can you take the ME if you don't fly into MCO?

Yes, you can still take DME from Orlando International Airport even if you don't arrive there by airplane.

However, neither the Amtrak station in Orlando nor the Amtrak in Kissimmee are particularly close to Orlando International Airport.

From the Orlando Amtrak station, it's about 10 miles to Orlando International Airport.

From the Orlando Amtrak station, it's about 19 miles to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

From the Kissimmee Amtrak station, it's about 16 miles to Orlando International Airport.

From the Kissimmee Amtrak station, it's only about 13 miles to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

It seems to me that it would be far faster and more convenient to take a cab from an Amtrak station directly to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

Others have posted you just pick a flight that matches you being there.

Actually, you can make DME reservations without having to provide phony flight details. You can just tell DME Guest Services (866-599-0951) the approximate time when you want to leave the airport and the approximate time when you want to leave your resort to return to the airport.

 

[Alesia]

Yes, you don't have to fly into at Orlando International Airport, and you can still take DME from there.

However, neither the Amtrak station in Orlando nor the Amtrak in Kissimmee are particularly close to Orlando International Airport.

From the Orlando Amtrak station, it's about 10 miles to Orlando International Airport.

From the Orlando Amtrak station, it's about 19 miles to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

From the Kissimmee Amtrak station, it's about 16 miles to Orlando International Airport.

From the Kissimmee Amtrak station, it's only about 13 miles to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

It seems to me that it would be far faster and more convenient to take a cab from an Amtrak station directly to Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

It would be much more convenient. It would save an hour or so in transportation time and only cost about $10 more.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

and How would one make this reservation (we are actually driving into MCO with a rental car from Miami after a cruise, then going to WDW -- and i am trying to figure out how that would work)

If you're doing a one-way rental anyway, I would recommend looking into returning your car at a location on or near WDW property.

Drive to your WDW resort. Check in. Unload your car. Then only the driver has to return the car. The local rental car company location will drive the driver back to the resort.

It's much more convenient than having to go to MCO.

For more about car rental locations on or near WDW property, see the new "sticky" thread on this forum, Car rental locations for WDW...

 

[IllinoisJones]

Thanks everyone!

 

[chartle]

Actually, you can make DME reservations without having to provide phony flight details. You can just tell DME Guest Services (866-599-0951) the approximate time when you want to leave the airport and the approximate time when you want to leave your resort to return to the airport.

I'm questioning the return trip info. ME is very particular about the three hour before your flight pick up time. I work for another company that also does airport shared shuttles and if you are late for a flight we take care of it. If you lie about the flight to get a later flight (like many would like to for ME) you don't get compensated.

So I would think you would have to come up with something for your return or is handled differently.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I'm questioning the return trip info. ME is very particular about the three hour before your flight pick up time. I work for another company that also does airport shared shuttles and if you are late for a flight we take care of it. If you lie about the flight to get a later flight (like many would like to for ME) you don't get compensated.

So I would think you would have to come up with something for your return or is handled differently.

You can just tell DME Guest Services that you want to return to MCO at an approximate time on your check-out date, but that you're not flying that day.

For example, I told them I had a room reserved at the Orlando Airport Hyatt that night, and that I wanted to depart from my WDW resort to the airport at around 9:30 p.m. I was told that was fine, but that I should absolutely not miss my pick-up because there would probably be no later service.