yet another Magical Express Question

[deltachi8]

OK, we have always stayed off site and enjoyed it but for our upcoming August trip, I am thinking of staying at the AllStars to have the onsite experience just once.

My question is, lets say we arrive at MCO on a saturday and plan on staying at a Airport Hotel the first night, then off to All Stars on Sunday, can we still take the magical express?

Or, what if you take a non-participating airline, such as Southwest, will you be able to use the service minus the luggage part? (I assume you can carry your lugage to the bus and it would be transported that way.)

With the savings on car rental and parking fees, it may be worth while to stay onsite if i can get a decent discount code.

 

[alecam]

I think the ME is only going to drop off at the Disney Resorts, so if you are staying offsite the first night, you will need to find alternate transportation there, but you should be able to use ME back to the airport.

As far as the airline, the Magical Express is offered on Disneys website, even if you do not book a flight with them, so you shoulde be able to use it no matter which airline you choose!

Anyone else know for sure??

 

[Sheaboys]

From what I understand you can take any airline, they will transport your luggage from the airport to your disney hotel. However, upon your return to airport, there are select airlines that they can get your boarding passes for and I believe luggage to the airport for you: Delta, Song, Usair, I think these and a few more.

 

[goofy4tink]

If you are planning on staying elsewhere for that first night, I don't think you'll be able to avail yourself of this service. Your baggage is labeled differently and taken directly off the plane onto trucks that go to the different resorts. You go on the bus, without luggage. THose who have carry-on with them will be able to stow it I would imagine. But checked baggage isn't going to make it to the baggage claim area.

As far as which airlines you can use and still participate in Magical Express...you can arrive on any airline. You have to call to make a reservation 10 days before arriving. They will then send you special luggage tags for your bags. These specially tagged bags come off any and all airlines and are picked up by the transportation service and taken to your resort. It is different for your return tho. When you check out, if you are using a participating airline, you can bypass the whole airport check-in. You can get your boarding pass right at the resort. THey take you luggage right to the airport. Then you take the 'people' bus later on. If you are using an airline that does not participate, like SW, then you can still use the ME but you still have to check in at the airport and your bags stay with you. It would be the exact same thing as using the Mears shuttle but nicer.

I would go directly to your on-site resort if I were you. I think you can get a pretty decent rate at a value resort. Then you are there, ready to do your thing. I would only stay off-site for the first night if I had planned on a towncar service anyway or had a rental car.

 

[Julia M]

Another question........

reading the info for magical Express, it says that you have to take the shuttle to WDW, if you want to have your luggage shipped also.

We are probably renting a car.......what if dh went to pick up the car, and I took the kids with me and took the shuttle. If we are able to have our luggage shipped, we can rent a smaller car.

Does this sound feasible?

Julia

 

[alecam]

I don't see why not. You are using the shuttle.