ME or rental car???

[Minnie]

We always rent a car but this time the rates are so high and it's only DH and me so I'm considering the ME option.

We arrive MCO about 4pm on a Friday and depart MCO about 10am on a Wed. We'll likely have only carryon luggage. If I understand the stickies correctly we'd need to consider about 2 hrs from MCO until we reach our hotel (so apx 1.5hr time loss). We would have no luggage to check (all carryon) so would we still need to check in 3hrs ahead? Also what time then does the bus leave for MCO?

If I missed a sticky with this info my apologies. I'm just trying to figure out how much time the ME will take to figure out if the savings is worth it (which of course is subjective to all of us).

Thanks!
Minnie

 

[LWQuestie]

You can estimate that you'd arrive at your resort hotel around 5:30-6pm and that you'd be scheduled for a 7am pickup for return to the airport.

 

[Alesia]

We always rent a car but this time the rates are so high and it's only DH and me so I'm considering the ME option.

We arrive MCO about 4pm on a Friday and depart MCO about 10am on a Wed. We'll likely have only carryon luggage. If I understand the stickies correctly we'd need to consider about 2 hrs from MCO until we reach our hotel (so apx 1.5hr time loss). We would have no luggage to check (all carryon) so would we still need to check in 3hrs ahead? Also what time then does the bus leave for MCO?

If I missed a sticky with this info my apologies. I'm just trying to figure out how much time the ME will take to figure out if the savings is worth it (which of course is subjective to all of us).

Thanks!
Minnie

2 hours would be the absolute worst case scenario. Generally it's more like 70 minutes - maybe 90 at most.

For your return flight, you will be assigned to a bus that will leave about 3 hours before your flight.

 

[aubriee]

2 hours would be the absolute worst case scenario. Generally it's more like 70 minutes - maybe 90 at most.

For your return flight, you will be assigned to a bus that will leave about 3 hours before your flight.

I agree. I go to WDW 4-5 times a year and have used DME since the very first week it was in existence (yeah I was one of the original guinea pigs that first week). It has never taken me two hours from the time I get into the DME line until I get to the resort. It's usually 70-80 minutes and sometimes even quicker. I know one time last year I had checked in at the little podium, was directed to the proper line, (which had no one in it that I could see), as I started down the straight part of the line heading toward the outside doors, a CM at the end saw me and said, 'hurry, hurry, your bus is ready now'. I walked quickly to the bus where the driver stored my carry on, got on the bus, and barely got seated before the bus took off. My resort (CSR) was the first stop. That trip took less than an hour from the time I checked with DME until I was checking in at my resort. Maybe because they knew what time I was arriving on the DME bus, but I also got lucky at the resort and my room was ready, so I was able to go straight to the room, check it out, and was quickly on my way to the parks. Come to think of it, this past May my husband and I again walked straight through the DME line and got on a bus to POFQ, without any wait at all. The bus was loading as we got into the line. Now we were one of the last ones on that bus and we didn't get to sit together, but it was worth it for no wait. That trip may have taken about an hour, because we had one stop before we got to POFQ where alot of people got off.

 

[disneychic2]

Our experiences on ME has been right around an hour from first standing in line to arrival at our resort. This all depends on if your resort bus just left or not of course. I guess we've been very lucky. We always leave on as late a flight as we can, so 3 hours before flight time is easy to make. Your ME time will be quite early, so that may be a factor for you. Good luck!

 

[goofy4tink]

We always rent a car but this time the rates are so high and it's only DH and me so I'm considering the ME option.

We arrive MCO about 4pm on a Friday and depart MCO about 10am on a Wed. We'll likely have only carryon luggage. If I understand the stickies correctly we'd need to consider about 2 hrs from MCO until we reach our hotel (so apx 1.5hr time loss). We would have no luggage to check (all carryon) so would we still need to check in 3hrs ahead? Also what time then does the bus leave for MCO?

If I missed a sticky with this info my apologies. I'm just trying to figure out how much time the ME will take to figure out if the savings is worth it (which of course is subjective to all of us).

Thanks!
Minnie

If your flight arrives, ontime, at 4pm, you 'should' be at your resort by 5:30, probably sooner. If you rent a car, you can cut about 20 or so mins off your time. Figure on getting off the plane by 4:15, getting to the main terminal at about 4:25, down to level 1, and DME by about 4:40. Into the bus line, and then onto a bus...another 15-20 mins, then the 35 min ride to your resort....depends on which resort stop you are.
If you rent a car.....you'll arrive at the car rental counter by 4:40ish (it's just before the DME area), then 10 mins at the counter, and then 35 min ride to resort....there will be traffic at this time of day.

For your return to MCO, DME will pick you up by 7am. If you were to drive, my recommendation is to leave no later than 7:30..gets you to MCO about 2 hrs prior to departure, and you need to return your car.