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Is DME any good?
- Thread starter cba
- Start date
gwhb75
Well-Known Member
It's great when you arrive at the ariport to start the trip, it's terrible when it's taking you back there after it
.
Seriously though...It really all depends what you like. If you are flying within the US it's awesome since you don't need to worry about your luggage once you check it at your departing airport. However, if you want your bags with you at all times then you would need to still pick them up in Orlando.
Are you planning on renting a car or were you going to get a cab? If you are renting a car then you don't need to wait for busses/boats once you get to WDW. However, if you are just going to get a cab, then I would fully recommend Magical Express. It's free, and it gets you right to the resort.
.Seriously though...It really all depends what you like. If you are flying within the US it's awesome since you don't need to worry about your luggage once you check it at your departing airport. However, if you want your bags with you at all times then you would need to still pick them up in Orlando.
Are you planning on renting a car or were you going to get a cab? If you are renting a car then you don't need to wait for busses/boats once you get to WDW. However, if you are just going to get a cab, then I would fully recommend Magical Express. It's free, and it gets you right to the resort.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
DME is an excellent choice for most guests who intend to spend their entire vacation onsite.
, driving is almost always a more efficient way to travel within the confines of WDW.
- It's included at no extra cost with the price of your onsite WDW vacation.
- Disney takes care of luggage transportation for you.
- It's convenient and reasonably efficient.
- No need to worry about driving directions or tolls.
- By being located within the airport, it gives you the feeling that you are starting your WDW vacation that much sooner.
- You essentially are a captive of the WDW transportation system. You'll need some other transportation (e.g. car rental or taxi) if you want to visit outside of WDW.
- Disney requires you to depart to return to the airport 1-2 hours earlier than you would need to if you were using your own transportation.
, driving is almost always a more efficient way to travel within the confines of WDW.
stlbobby
Well-Known Member
Its great and in transit they play a video to help get you further into the mood.........
We actually sometimes use Auto-Train, which is a train that takes you and your car to Stanford, FL, and then it's only a half-hour ride to WDW, but with the suggestions you're giving me, I might use DME .
Sorry I didn't ask this before, but if you have
experience with both, which one do you think I should use?
. Sorry I didn't ask this before, but if you have
experience with both, which one do you think I should use?
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
I've taken the Auto-train down twice [I drive back]. I've taken the approach that the Auto-train is good for longer Disney stays and flying for anything less than 10 nights. I have to drive a day to get to Lorton, then I don't sleep well on the train, so recovery time once we're at WDW is a few days. So if we fly for short trips and only plan on staying at WDW, it's easier on my old bones. When we go longer and want to head to Universal or elsewhere while we're there then the train is a better choice.
**Your results may vary**
The DME experience is wonderful! If you're flying within the States your luggage is taken to and from the MCO airport by the Resort Airline Check-in and DME respectively [on participating airlines for the RAC portion]. For outside the US, they'll handle your bags on arrival if you're coming from Canada as well, for most other countries it's still good but you're better off grabbing your own bags and taking them to DME with you. For people outside the US the RAC is not an option.
There's nothing better than exiting your plane, going virtually straight onto a bus an leaving for Disney without having to wait for bags! Check in at your resort and head to the parks, your bags will be in your room when you get back from the fun!
If you're arriving later in the evening, they stop retrieving bags for flights after 10PM, so you'd have to get them yourself. If you're a little earlier than that it's up to you, but it can take up to three or four hours before they deliver, if you're going to be in bed it might be better to get your bags yourself then too.
**Your results may vary**
The DME experience is wonderful! If you're flying within the States your luggage is taken to and from the MCO airport by the Resort Airline Check-in and DME respectively [on participating airlines for the RAC portion]. For outside the US, they'll handle your bags on arrival if you're coming from Canada as well, for most other countries it's still good but you're better off grabbing your own bags and taking them to DME with you. For people outside the US the RAC is not an option.
There's nothing better than exiting your plane, going virtually straight onto a bus an leaving for Disney without having to wait for bags! Check in at your resort and head to the parks, your bags will be in your room when you get back from the fun!
If you're arriving later in the evening, they stop retrieving bags for flights after 10PM, so you'd have to get them yourself. If you're a little earlier than that it's up to you, but it can take up to three or four hours before they deliver, if you're going to be in bed it might be better to get your bags yourself then too.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
We love not having to drive and don't mind waiting for buses while on Disney property (not to mention saving the money we'd otherwise have had to spend on a rental car). For me, taking my seat on the comfy DME bus and watching the welcome video is the perfect way to ramp up the anticipation.
I can't speak for the luggage transfer, however. We always pack carry-ons only and take them with us so we can unpack right away, and/or check our bags with our resort's bell services until our room is ready. My understanding is that the luggage transfer is very reliable, but that it can take several hours for your bags to show up in your room after you check in.
I can't speak for the luggage transfer, however. We always pack carry-ons only and take them with us so we can unpack right away, and/or check our bags with our resort's bell services until our room is ready. My understanding is that the luggage transfer is very reliable, but that it can take several hours for your bags to show up in your room after you check in.
Dennman
Member
We just returned and used DME to and from our resort. I would highly recommend it if you dont need a rental car.
We relied on Disney transportation and had NO problems at all and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.
As for DME, we waited less than 5 minutes for our bus to WDW. Leaving our luggage at the departing airport was great, as we didnt have to go to baggage claim. We lucked out in that our resort (Port Orleans Riverside) was the first stop the bus made. It took around 30 min from the time our flight landed to the check-in counter at the resort. We headed to a park at 11am and by the time we returned at 4 our luggage was in our room.
The day before we left, DME left an envelope at our door with our info and luggage tags. The morning of departure we made one phone call to pay for our luggage for the return flight. Within an hour, a new envelope was delivered with our boarding passes for our return flight.
We checked in at the Airline Check-in Counter at the resort, gave them our bags and didnt see them again until we were home. They gave us an exact time the bus would arrive to pick us up and it was there. Took us to the airport and again we didnt have to worry about our bags and walked straight to the gate.
So for us, it was perfect and we will be using it again! Hope this helps!
We relied on Disney transportation and had NO problems at all and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.
As for DME, we waited less than 5 minutes for our bus to WDW. Leaving our luggage at the departing airport was great, as we didnt have to go to baggage claim. We lucked out in that our resort (Port Orleans Riverside) was the first stop the bus made. It took around 30 min from the time our flight landed to the check-in counter at the resort. We headed to a park at 11am and by the time we returned at 4 our luggage was in our room.
The day before we left, DME left an envelope at our door with our info and luggage tags. The morning of departure we made one phone call to pay for our luggage for the return flight. Within an hour, a new envelope was delivered with our boarding passes for our return flight.
We checked in at the Airline Check-in Counter at the resort, gave them our bags and didnt see them again until we were home. They gave us an exact time the bus would arrive to pick us up and it was there. Took us to the airport and again we didnt have to worry about our bags and walked straight to the gate.
So for us, it was perfect and we will be using it again! Hope this helps!
Britt
Well-Known Member
I seriously missed it this time! We used a rental car and yeah...it's just not the same. Last time, we used DME and it really does just start off the vacation RIGHT. You get in line and theres not a single worry from there out. You get on, it takes you to the check in at your resort/hotel and you're good to go. They put your luggage in your room, so no worries there. I absolutely love it.
WDWNooby
Well-Known Member
If we were not flying into Sanford, I'd be on the DME in a flash. When we went in 2009 we loved it. It was nice not having to worry about luggage and transportation. And it started the vacation off like were at WDW as soon as we landed.
Everyone on the bus was so excited you couldn't help but be excited yourself if you weren't already. It allows you to take in the scenery and begin the immersion into WDW.
I would highly recommend using the DME.
Everyone on the bus was so excited you couldn't help but be excited yourself if you weren't already. It allows you to take in the scenery and begin the immersion into WDW.
I would highly recommend using the DME.
Ray Karen Kaitie
Member
yes use it. for us the lines and the wait was short or bags arrived an hour after us, front desk gets you checked in on your return flight and your boarding pass. no worries...
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
Yes, absolutely yes.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
I've looked at the Auto-train before because I have relatives that live close to the station in VA, but the prices seem comparable to just flying straight from Buffalo... are there discounts I'm missing or is it just that expensive to fly from Canada?
I've used DME at least five times and have never had a bad experience. It's fast: my last time using it, I looked at the EXIF data from my pictures... 75 mins from the time I stepped off the plane to the time I walked into the lobby of my resort. It's about a 30 minute drive and there was a stop before my resort, IIRC. I'd say that's good! It really does help you start your vacation sooner. The CM's at the check-in desk are all smiles, there's a wonderful video that plays in the bus and there are cartoons that play after the video in case you aren't the first stop.
Really the only warning I would give is to pack anything you would need immediately after landing in a carryon. Disney (or, more likely, whomever they contract with) intercepts the arriving luggage so it doesn't go on the carousel even if you wanted to pick it up. The luggage then takes its own journey to your hotel... it doesn't travel with you on the bus. I think they tell you that your luggage can take up to three hours after you land to get to your room (even that's not bad IMO). We normally land in the morning, check-in and head to a park for the day. The luggage has always been in our room when we get back with no problems.