Thoughts on Magical Express???

[corpcomp]

We used it in April at Coronado Springs. It was great. Took care of all the luggage right there and we never saw it again until arriving in the Northeast.

Fast and free trip to the Airport.

One word of caution. They weigh the luggage and if you are over I believe 70 pounds, you have to take stuff out. Unfortunately they had already ticketed our other bags and would not allow us to open them. There was no where to put the extra 10 pounds we had to remove except our carry-ons.

Word of advise. Have them weigh the largest bag first before taking the others.

Enjoyed passing all the taxis charging the typical $35 to get to the airport. PS; most of the the taxis are owned by Mears, regardless of the name on the side of the cab.

Enjoy the trip. It also has TVs which my son enjoyed.

 

[cncDisney4]

We used it for the second time about a month ago and just love it. We were going to SSR and it was the first stop. I think the first time we went we were the second stop, but it took no time at all. To me you just can beat the fact that IT'S FREE, you don't have to worry about your luggage, and it's a very comfortable trip to your resort.

We will be returning to WDW in a little over five months with family and friends and plan on using ME again.

You'll love it. Enjoy!

 

[Nanajo1]

Now for the question (and now that I have it typed out, it really isn't a question, more like a thought): I'm assuming it works wether or not you have luggage. It would be more like a free ride from the airport and no waiting for luggage. Okay, there is a question: do they give you something to show that you have registered to use ME? I already have them listed on our reservation. And plan to call MS when I know their flight info.

Is anyone else as confused as me??

After you register them for ME they will receive a booklet explaining ME, the baggage tags and vouchers for the trip. It is very important to have the vouchers on the return trip as the bus driver collects them before you get on.
We UPS most of our things and just have carry-ons.

 

[MagikMom]

Thanks everyone. You've convinced me. We arrive at the airport at 9:00am so we won't be able to check into our room right away anyway so it won't matter if it takes a while for our bags to get there. Thanks again!

 

[lsutigger2]

Thanks Nanajo for the response about vouchers. I'll be sure to pass the info on to them!

and

Magikmom - you might be lucky enough to be able to get into your room when you arrive. There have been reports that folks are able to check in early - here's a little pixie dust for you

 

[amylovesdisney]

Is ME still limited to certain airlines?

We will most likely fly SW when we travel in October to BCV. When we were at SSR last Feb, it did not look as if SW was part of ME.

Still gonna have to convince DH that he does not have to do his own grocery shopping.

 

[vbalacek]

The automatic check-through is still limited to certain airlines. I think all arilines can take the bus-- you'd just be responsible for your own luggage.

 

[beccasmom]

We've used it 3 times with great results. It is a great service and seems to run very efficiently most of the time. Our last visit was 2 weeks ago and despite the crowds, our experience was very quick and efficient. We have used both Mears and most recently, a towncar in the past but ME works well for us. Delivery of luggage to our room on all occasions was within 2 hours.

My only caveat is that pick-up times for morning return flights are quite early. I have learned to "live" with this (the benefits more than offset it), but it may be a shock to some folks. For that reason I try to book flights that leave later in the day, but I know this isn't possible for everyone. Beyond that, I am very impressed with ME and grateful it is available!

 

[fkj2]

I really like ME. Both times I've used it, I was unsure that I was going to be able to make the trip at all. I called Member Services pretty much at the last minute, they added my name to the list, I stopped at the ME check-in desk and no problem; I'm a resort guest and on the bus.

I did have to get my own bags at MCO but that didn't bother me a bit because then I had them when I got to the room. The buses are so comfortable and as others posted, the little film they show is entertaining. Hey, if Disney wants to provide complimentary transportation from MCO to WDW just to keep me on property, I don't have any hesitation at all to use the free service. I'm pretty sure if they try to remove it in 2009, they'll have a problem. No one will want to give it up.

 

[Disneylovers]

We flew Southwest in June and used ME without any problems! We just walked down to the desk, waited for the bus (we had a longer wait due to the fact one of our party was in a wheel chair), and a few hours later, our luggage was in our villa. Coming home, we had a 9:00 p.m. flight, so we met the ME bus about 6:00. We had stored our luggage with bell services, so we claimed it, then the bus driver loaded it onto the bus for us. He dropped us at the terminal (only problem was it the wrong end for SW), so we had a long walk.

 

[J and R's mom]

Any issues with check-in at the resort when using ME? Long lines/waits at check-in? Thanks

I've never seen a long line at the resort for return check-in for ME/airlines. NOTHING like what you see at airports anyway. I was the only one checking-in when DD and I were leaving back in Feb. No wait at all. But we went during a slow time of year. I'm not sure if it's the same during peak seasons.

Is ME still limited to certain airlines?

We will most likely fly SW when we travel in October to BCV. When we were at SSR last Feb, it did not look as if SW was part of ME...

You can still use ME if flying on SW. You just cannot check-in and get your boarding pass at your hotel (at least not yet). You'll still have to do that at the airport.

...Enjoyed passing all the taxis charging the typical $35 to get to the airport. PS; most of the the taxis are owned by Mears, regardless of the name on the side of the cab...

A quick off-topic here...but I'd like more info on where to catch the $35 cabs. DH and I decided on cabs for our May visit and it was over $50 before tip using the cabs over next to the ME busses. Is there somewhere else at MCO to hail a cab? FYI...we noticed a couple in front of us on the escaltor getting into the check-in line for ME and saw that they boarded a ME bus AND left the parking area BEFORE we could get a cab (and we had no luggage to wait for--only carry-ons). We decided on cabs thinking it would be faster.

And to the OP--I've only used ME once. It was during my Feb '06 trip with DD 2.5. We LOVED it! We just missed boarding for the bus and had to wait for the next one, but it was there within 15 or 20 minutes. My DD thought the bus ride was as fun as any other ride at WDW. She'd squeal and look out the window and watch the movie, and squeal some more and point out the window. We, too, stopped at CB before getting to BWV, but it was neat getting to see CB up close. I'd never seen it before.

Also, there is a check-in line when you arrive MCO that you have to go into FIRST and THEN you get into the lines for the busses. I mention this because the first thing you see coming off the escalators are the lines for the busses. When I headed to those lines a CM kindly told me I had to check-in first. I didn't even see it until she pointed it out to me. And if the check-in line looks LONG (as it did to me), don't panic...it moves quickly.

Have a great trip.

 

[Nanajo1]

You can still use ME if flying on SW. You just cannot check-in and get your boarding pass at your hotel (at least not yet). You'll still have to do that at the airport.

Although you cannot check your luggage at the resort if you are not using a participating airline you can get your boarding pass. I've gone to the concierge desk 24hrs before my departure time and had our passes printed for SWA.

 

[amylovesdisney]

Will the concierge print the boarding passes with no fee as opposed to visiting the Business Center?



We've always done our return flight without the advance boarding passes. If this works, it's another kudo for disboards!!!!

(I always learn so much here)

 

[*elaine*]

When we checked out at CBR in May using ME, they tagged our bags and printed our boarding passes while we waited - no charge for printing the boarding passes. We didn't deal with our bags again until we got to DC. It was great!

 

[Disneylovers]

Will the concierge print the boarding passes with no fee as opposed to visiting the Business Center?



We've always done our return flight without the advance boarding passes. If this works, it's another kudo for disboards!!!!

(I always learn so much here)

Yes, you can go to the concierge and have your boarding passes printed, no charge. It's what we did last month, and at the same time, found out how to have our luggage picked up and stored until our 6:15 p.m. ME pick up the next morning.