Transportation from/to Airport

[tonkajax]

When you book a stay at a disney resort -Do you get free transportation from and to the airport or is this something extra you have to pay for. If it's extra - how much? and how convienent is it? I have always used a rental car so I don't know how this works without one.

 

[Jestocost]

Guests staying at Disney-owned resorts can use Disney's Magical Express service for transfers between their resort and MCO at no additional charge. You are required to make a reservation in advance to use this service.

If you arrive between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., DME also will collect your bags and transport them to your resort for you without you having to stop at baggage claim.

Upon arrival at MCO, you proceed to the DME Welcome Center on level one of the 'B' side of the terminal. From there you will get in a line for your resort and be directed to a bus that will take you. You will be on a bus with guests from up to four resorts. There is no set schedule, no firm grouping of resorts and no designated order of drop off.

From the time you get off of your plane until the time you reach your resort should be anywhere from 60-90 minutes. If you use the baggage transfer service, your bags should be in your room within three hours of resort check in. Tips for the resort bell staff are included if you use the luggage transfer service.

For the trip home, you will receive information about your departure time the night before you leave. Pick-up times generally are three hours in advance of the scheduled flight time for domestic flights and four hours for international flights. You will need to be at the DME pick-up spot 15 minutes before that.

If you are flying on a participating airline, you also can take advantage of the Resort Airline Check-in service. With RAC, you can get your boarding passes and check your bags at the resort anywhere between 12 hours and three hours before your flight time. The RAC desk is open from 5:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

 

[Missytara]

Ditch the car and use ME. I don't think a vacation is really relaxing unless you are leaving the bags and driving to someone else.

The fact that I drop my bags off to Airtran at BWI on Saturday and have my transportation included to the resort (in addition to all the other fabulous transportation around the parks and stuff), and then not have to handle my bags until I get home to BWI the following Saturday, or drive a car - is my kind of vacation!!!!

 

[grimley1968]

Jestocost has laid out ME's procedures well, so I'd look at that for ME's details.

However, keep in mind that that is only available if you fly into MCO (Orlando Intl. Airport). It is not available if you fly into Sanford (a smaller GA-type of airport that smaller airlines use sometimes). As it turns out, the cheapest flight from the closest airports to me are on Allegiant Air, which uses Sanford, not MCO. Just something to keep in mind as you plan.