ME question

[nacorom]

I was just wondering if this would work

Staying off property for 6 days (I know I know FOR SHAME!!)

I'll be renting a car; could i rent the car return it to the airport and then use ME???

 

[safetymom]

DME is not available for offsite guests.

 

[CleveRocks]

Right. Disney's Magical Express is available only to registered guests at Disney owned-and-operated resorts. It provides free transportation (as well as luggage delivery) between the airport and those resorts, for arrivals and departures. NO ONE can catch a DME bus, say, from a theme park or DTD.

Sorry.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I was just wondering if this would work

Staying off property for 6 days (I know I know FOR SHAME!!)

I'll be renting a car; could i rent the car return it to the airport and then use ME???

Because you're asking about Magical Express, I assume you're also staying at a Disney-operated resort.

If you're staying off-site for 6 nights and then moving to an on-site Disney-operated resort for any number of nights, you could return your car at the airport on the day that you're checking in at the Disney resort, and you could use Magical Express to get there (and to return to the airport when your stay is over). Don't wait to make your DME reservations. Disney mails the packet around 21 days before your check-in date.

 

[goofy4tink]

If you are, in fact, moving to a WDW resort, after being off-site, I would keep the rental car and make the move to your WDW resort with it. Then return the car to either the CCC or the Dolphin or one of the DTD car rental agencies. Then, sign up for DME for your return to the airport after your WDW resort stay. But, if you aren't staying on-site at WDW, then you can't use DME at all.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

If you are, in fact, moving to a WDW resort, after being off-site, I would keep the rental car and make the move to your WDW resort with it. Then return the car to either the CCC or the Dolphin or one of the DTD car rental agencies. Then, sign up for DME for your return to the airport after your WDW resort stay. But, if you aren't staying on-site at WDW, then you can't use DME at all.

I agree with goofy4tink's advice, but I'd like to add a few comments.

If you're going to return your rental car at a different location than where you picked it up it, make sure your reservation indicates the correct return location. Be aware that your rate and car availability is likely to be different than for a rental that begins and ends at MCO.

For example, by returning my Hertz car to the airport location rather than to the Hertz WDW-Kissimmee location on Irlo Bronson Hwy, my rate is over $100 lower for my 5-day car rental prior to our WDW stay. So it makes sense for me to swing by the resort on check-in day, unload my family and luggage, return the car at the airport Hertz location, and use Magical Express to get back to the resort. I called Magical Express to make sure that it would not be a problem; I was told I could use Magical Express to get from the airport to my resort on my check-in day regardless of how arrived at the airport.

On the other had, if the car rate had been similar if I ended my rental at the Hertz WDW-Kissimmee location, I would have done that. Hertz has a shuttle to take customers to WDW resorts.