Use ME or Happy Limo?

[scrappinmom]

Hi there...I'm considering using a Towne Car service instead of Magical Express. We waited so long for a bus to POP last time. BUT I'm wondering if I have to wait at baggage for my bags for the townecar, what's the difference? I'm torn. It's not the $100. I would pre-pay it before we left, so it wouldn't make a difference in our vacation.

What would you do?

Advice? Thoughts?

 

[CleveRocks]

Some people have had long waiting times for buses. Some people have had long waiting times for towncar drivers to show up. Neither example is an average or normal example.

On average, a towncar shouldn't save you a significant amount of time over DME, and could possibly take longer. The reported average time from landing to DME drop-off at resort is 70 minutes. Assume a 10 minute walk from airplane to either DME Welcome Center or baggage claim. Assume the actual travel time is 30 minutes either way. That leaves 30 minutes in play (left over from the 70 minute DME average).

That means that, on average, it takes people 30 minutes to: wait in the DME Welcome Center line; be served at the DME Welcome Center; stand in a bus queue; load the bus; and wait for the bus to leave. Like I said, the reported average (assuming my other time assumptions above are accurate) is 30 minutes. My actual time was 23 minutes, and that was back when DME was 4 days old and you would have thought there were kinks to work out.

So ask yourself if you think it will take you much less than 30 minutes to: wait at baggage claim; claim your bags; have the driver go get the car from the parking garage; have the driver bring the car back; have the driver load the car; and dispense with any paperwork, etc. Could be 20 minutes, could be 45 minutes, who knows! Let's say it's 20 minutes, that would mean you beat the DME average by 10 minutes (and beat my time by only 3 minutes).

You have to decide for yourself if that best-case scenario of 10 minutes' advantage is worth $100 plus tips. It may be to you, it may not be.

For me personally, if I ever take a towncar instead of DME it WON'T be in an attempt to save time. It would be because I'd want to pay for individualized, personalized service, just my family and me being pampered, not having to share a bus with a lot of other people. Towncars provide a great service for those who want it, but I can't agree that they consistently provide quicker service.

 

[scrappinmom]

Thanks Eric....I think I needed to see it in black & white - kwim? You're right...even if a townecar saves 20 minutes..I dont think that's worth $100.


I guess I was looking at my 1hr 45 min trip last time and thinking I could save a significant amount of time....but it doesnt look like it really.

 

[Edd]

If you have to wait for a town car driver to show up you picked the wrong town car company or driver. The above thread, Stretch Rocks, may describe some of the irresponsible companies that you might pick cruising the web, but only represents 1% of the car services that operate out of OIA. A car service driver should be at the bottom of the escalator, when you come down with a sign and your name on it, in order to meet their family or group. He can than provide you with directions to pick up your luggage and help you with your luggage. That is part of the service provided to you. It is a known fact that if a driver does not meet you at the escalator his chances of finding your group diminishes fast. People do not know where to go to find their driver after the escalator, so, if missed, they tend to head toward the transportation provided by the airport. That would be taxis or shuttles. Not meeting families, at the assigned area and times, will cause drivers to lose money and reservations.

There a a lot of good reasons to pick the car service in OIA. Grocery stops, personal service, private car and speed are many of them. The town car ride is about 30 minutes and to find luggage and take downstairs add another (depends on the airlines you come in on) 20 to 30 minutes. ME is slowed down by the crowds and getting the vehicles inside the commercial lanes to load up. In the evening when the lines are less you may make it to Disney in a shorter period, but when they are crowds of people coming in and a shortage of ME busses, the time to Disney is much longer. Stretch's 10 minute walk from deplane to the DME might do for OJ or a single runner, but it doesn't work out for a family, with kids and looking for a bathroom, especially after a plane ride. Many of the threads tell you what to expect, but don't expect to get to Disney within an hour after you deplane. That would be an exception.

On an average the right car service company will save you a significant amount of time over the ME. That is take 100 ME passengers and 100 car service passengers at random.

 

[CleveRocks]

If you have to wait for a town car driver to show up you picked the wrong town car company or driver. The above thread, Stretch Rocks, may describe some of the irresponsible companies that you might pick cruising the web, but only represents 1% of the car services that operate out of OIA.

Geez, ShrEdd, way to very badly overreact to what I said I very clearly said that there can be long waits for DME OR for towncars, but that both are unusual experiences. I think I wrote ... no ... I KNOW I wrote the following:

Some people have had long waiting times for buses. Some people have had long waiting times for towncar drivers to show up. Neither example is an average or normal example.

In any case, ShrEdd, my assumption of a 10 minute walk was actually charitable and helpful to the towncar case, not to the DME case. My entire point had NOTHING to do with how long it takes to get from plane to the DME area/towncar driver meeting area. It's the same amount of walking time no matter which mode of transport you take. Kind of silly to argue against a point that I wasn't even making.

There a a lot of good reasons to pick the car service in OIA. Grocery stops, personal service, private car ...

I totally agree. I even mentioned there are great reasons to use a towncar service, that there is great value for the money spent if that's what you are looking for.

... and speed are many of them. The town car ride is about 30 minutes ...

I disagree that towncars are significantly faster. I agred with you that the drive time is about 30 minutes no matter how you go. Now, if some drivers are speeding and breaking the law and putting my family in danger and possibly slowing down my trip because of being stopped by a police offer, well ....

... and to find luggage and take downstairs add another (depends on the airlines you come in on) 20 to 30 minutes. ME is slowed down by the crowds and getting the vehicles inside the commercial lanes to load up.

Edd, you always conveniently leave out the fact that the wait in the DME Welcome Center line, the wait in the bus queue, the loading time, and the time spent waiting to leave (if any) is about the same as the time spent waiting at baggage claim, waiting for the driver to retrieve and return with the car, etc.

In the evening when the lines are less you may make it to Disney in a shorter period, but when they are crowds of people coming in and a shortage of ME busses, the time to Disney is much longer.

I arrived at MCO around 9:15 a.m. The line at the DME Welcome Center was HUGE, it stretched beyond the serpentine rope line. But there were 14 CMs on duty plus 2 or 3 managers, and I was served and out of the line in about 5 minutes.

On an average the right car service company will save you a significant amount of time over the ME. That is take 100 ME passengers and 100 car service passengers at random.

So, I ask you if my experience was exceptional. 53 minutes from getting into the DME line to being dropped off at CBR. I also ask if you, Edd, or any of your cohorts would have gotten me to CBR and saved me, as you put it, "a signifcant amount of time over the ME"? Unlike last time when you refused to answer questions for several days (but continued to post, anyway), please answer this last question of mone. THANKS.

 

[scrappinmom]

Sorry guys, I didn't want to start a flame throwing contest. I just wanted some opinions

 

[CleveRocks]

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack, I just hate to be misconstrued.

 

[Lewisc]

I took DME twice, 4 trips between MCO and WDW. In every case the driver was following the speed limit. We didn't pass a single vehicle and dozens of vehicles passed us.

My guess is a towncar could probably get you to your resort 15-20 minutes faster than DME, figure a 20 minute wait for luggage and a 20-30 minute drive to your resort.

I'd only pick a towncar if I wanted personalized service or a grocery stop.

 

[Edd]

Stretch, your experience is exceptional. I don't think any transportation company would have got you to Disney any faster than what you told us it took you.

Put me on record as answering your question.

 

[CleveRocks]

I appreciate it!

And by the way, I timed each leg of my DME journey (wrote it down and everything) because I used DME on 5/08/05, its 4th day in business. I promised people on another message board that I'd report back on how DME worked ASAP (since I was the first on that board to use it). When I got to my resort room, I called someone on that board (known on this board as kaytieeldr) who bravely volunteered her phone number to me, so she could post the info in just-about real time.