Taking ME to MCO the evening before an early A.M. flight

[DonnaL]

Has anyone had experience lately taking ME to the airport the evening before a very early A.M. flight? I only ask because when we were at WDW in March we received our boarding passes along with our ME info on our doorknob sometime during the early morning hours of check-out. In order to take ME to the airport the evening before wouldn't we need to have them print boarding passes for an evening flight....which we don't have.....but, would rather already be at the airport Hyatt and simply walk downstairs for our 7:30 a.m. flight...rather than have to catch ME earlier than 5:00 a.m.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

You don't need an airline boarding pass to ride ME just need your ME vouchure which is in the booklet you used to ride the ME to WDW. The morning of your flight you will simply go to the airline ticket counter and print your own boarding passes. Or you can use the computer at the Hyatt to print your boarding passes.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

As a registered guest at a Disney-operated WDW resort, you are entitled to use DME to return to the airport on or before your check-out day. Of course, most people will then hop on a flight, but you don't have to. You can stay at the Hyatt or at a nearby hotel, or you can rent a car an continue your Florida vacation.

There's no need to pick a bogus flight. In fact, that might just confuse things if they try to check you in for a flight that you're not actually booked on.

Some Disney cast members, including some Disney resort reservation agents, may not know this. So you're best off dealing directly with Disney's Magical Express Guest Services at 866-599-0951 to schedule the pickup time for the motorcoach ride from your resort to the airport.

 

[DonnaL]

Thanks for the responses.......however, I do remember being asked on our March trip for return flight information and I was surprised early on our departure day when not only the ME information was hanging on our door, but, boarding passes also....since I had already checked in and printed boarding passes at AK Guest Services 24 hours before our departure....so wanted to make sure we would be able to use ME to get back to MCO even if we do not have a flight reservation for that date.

 

[seashoreCM]

Making your Magical Express reservation back to the airport is not connected with checking in for a flight. (DME needs to be finalized and you need to have your confirmation in hand and correct the morning before checkout day.) Do have a bogus flight in mind to speed up making the DME reservation although the DME CM might not ask for it.

 

[goofy4tink]

THe issue is with RAC, not with DME. I really wish Disney would stop trying to combine the two...they are two different entities. There have been many reports of guests getting their 'boarding passes' on their doors...this infuriates me. I can only assume they are not 'true' boarding passes since they could have been put on the wrong door or in the wrong room. Or, perhaps the guest has changed their mind and isn't checking bags at their resort, or even taking DME back to MCO.

I would head down to the front desk, early in your stay. I would tell the CM there that you are planning on heading back to MCO late on your last night. Yes, you are paying for the room for that night, but you won't be in it. Then, they can arrange the appropriate DME bus pickup for you. Or, just don't give them any flight info when booking DME to begin with.

 

[seashoreCM]

I would tell the CM there that you are planning on heading back to MCO late on your last night. Yes, you are paying for the room for that night, but you won't be in it. Then, they can arrange the appropriate DME bus pickup for you. Or, just don't give them any flight info when booking DME to begin with.

I thought the OP was not paying for the room that last night before their at dawn plane departure. Their stay will have ended the morning before and they will have checked out, and then they would take DME to the airport after dark (and for example stay at the Hyatt).

Unless there was terrible absent mindedness, there is no reason to print the guests' boarding passes and hang them on the door the day after checkout.

 

[DonnaL]

Yes I know the flight check-in and ME shouldn't have anything to do with the other, that's why I was very surprised when our boarding passes.....and yes, they were true boarding passes....showed up hanging from the door with the ME information. So, I think when I schedule ME I'm just going to tell them I haven't made our flight reservations yet.......and just schedule ME for the return trip to MCO as late as possible on our check-out day.....does anyone know how late the last ME buses return to the airport? I'm thinking probably 9 or 9:30 p.m. since I don't think there are any flights out of MCO later than 11:30 p.m. or so.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

So, I think when I schedule ME I'm just going to tell them I haven't made our flight reservations yet.......and just schedule ME for the return trip to MCO as late as possible on our check-out day.....does anyone know how late the last ME buses return to the airport? I'm thinking probably 9 or 9:30 p.m. since I don't think there are any flights out of MCO later than 11:30 p.m. or so.

I don't see the advantage of waiting. In any case, don't wait until it's too late.

DME pick-ups at Disney resorts are only scheduled if there are guests who need them. Not many guests have late evening pick-ups because there are very few late-night flight departures from MCO.

The one time I booked DME to return to the airport for a stay at the Hyatt, I told the DME Guest Services agent when I wanted to return to the airport in the evening. The DME agent had no problem booking the reservation, but warned me not to miss the pick-up, because there probably would not be another one that night.

Aircraft with late evening arrival times usually don't depart again from MCO until early the next morning. Because there are arriving passengers, empty DME motorcoaches travel from WDW to MCO in the evening to meet them. It should not be a problem to have one of those motorcoaches swing by your resort. You may be on you own private DME motorcoach!