Problems using Magical Express?

[Mystic]

My mom and I are heading to the World in December and we're considering using Magical Express for the first time to save money. We were wondering if anyone's experienced any problems using the service. We don't mean problems like luggage arriving late or anything because our flight from Toronto lands at 1pm so we know our luggage wouldn't arrive until around 4pm. Anyone had any problems with the return service? :veryconfu Our return flight is at approximately 1:30pm.

 

[kstella]

I have used ME many times and other than once having my luggage take a long time, it worked great. The only thing I don't like is having to leave so early for the return trip, but I understand why it's needed.

 

[elizs77]

This wasn't really a true problem, but we had an early return flight (7:30 am), and we were picked up at like 4:30. Because of the early time, we had a van, not a bus, take us back to the airport. The van driver definitely had a lead foot! Our van was filled to capacity, and come to find out, there was a no show family, so it was actually overbooked.

We also didn't have the proper seat restraint for our three year old, but due to the early hour, I was a bad parent and didn't think much about it at the time. When we booked this year, I definitely made sure that we would have bus and not van service. Our travel agent was able to find out that the vans only return you to the airport at odd hours, and during the day, it's definitely a bus.

So see, not really a problem, just earlier than I would have gone myself!

 

[vilegirl]

I've used ME numerous times and I've never had any problem. The buses normally arrive on time and I'm always at the airport with plenty of time to spare. I really enjoy not having to spend the extra money on taxis and towncars.

 

[alilance]

It worked great my last trip! I waited not even ten minutes at the airport for the bus and got to my hotel within 45 min! After spending a beautiful two hours at the pool, my luggage was already waiting for me at my room at the Port Orleans!!!!

 

[Tinkrbell]

I've never had any major problems with using DME. We are always to our hotel within an hour of landing. We always head to the parks & come back at least 6 hours later right away when we get there, so I don't know how long it's taken for our luggage to get to our room.
The only problem we've had was on the return trip this past January. We were at AS:Movies & the first stop. The bus picked us up exactly 3 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. The bus then stopped at the other All Stars & at Caribbean Beach. There were more people at Caribbean beach wanting to get on the bus than there were seats on the bus, so the driver stood outside the bus for almost 20 minutes trying to figure out who had the earliest flights & really needed to be on the bus. We got to the airport about an hour & 45 minutes before I flight was scheduled to leave. After getting through security, we had just about an hour to take the tram thing to the terminal & find the gate. We were only at the gate for about half an hour before they started boarding it. It ended up not being a big problem in the end, but as the bus driver was standing at Caribbean Beach, my mom & I were starting to panic a little about whether or not we'd miss our flight.

We're still going to be using DME, we're just going to ask for a return trip 3 & a half hours before our flight instead of the standard 3 hours.

 

[LenYJr]

I've used it three times now and have had no problems at all. The longest we waited for a bus was about 20 minutes.

Also, be aware that your luggage is set to be brought to your room within 3 hours of you checking in, not within 3 hours of your plane landing. Some people do not realize the difference and have "complained" when it really is getting there within the correct window.

 

[Goofyque']

Never any problems!! Love this service...we have used it several times since it started, and always worked great!

 

[Mystic]

We're still going to be using DME, we're just going to ask for a return trip 3 & a half hours before our flight instead of the standard 3 hours.

So we'd be able to request a pick up time around 9:30/10:00am if our flight is due to leave at 1:30pm? We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge and it's my understanding that for that "set" of hotels the WL is the first pick up and one of our concerns is that we'll end up with not enough time to make our flight if we have to stop at 3 other hotels after the WL.

 

[urbanvegan]

We have used it 4 or 5 times now, and it's always been fantastic! Last time we missed our return pick-up since we got stuck at Epcot waiting to get back to SSR, but they just let us on the next bus with no problems.

 

[Monty]

So we'd be able to request a pick up time around 9:30/10:00am if our flight is due to leave at 1:30pm? We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge and it's my understanding that for that "set" of hotels the WL is the first pick up and one of our concerns is that we'll end up with not enough time to make our flight if we have to stop at 3 other hotels after the WL.

I wouldn't worry about it. DME have been at it for a number of years now. They've allowed enough time.

 

[JPBartsch]

So we'd be able to request a pick up time around 9:30/10:00am if our flight is due to leave at 1:30pm? We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge and it's my understanding that for that "set" of hotels the WL is the first pick up and one of our concerns is that we'll end up with not enough time to make our flight if we have to stop at 3 other hotels after the WL.

We just returned from WL, and yes it is the first pick up, but we still had plenty of time to get to the airport. We had plenty of time to grab a bite to eat, and no problems getting thru security either. You will love WL!! It is a wonderful resort.

 

[OneLuckyMom]

Last year, we were scheduled on a DME bus from Pop to the airport at 8am or something such. Well, that bus never showed. The next bus was scheduled for a half hour later. It showed, but by that time there were WAY too many folks waiting to fit onto one bus. The driver had to call for a backup bus. I'm not sure how quickly it got there, since I made sure we made it onto that first bus but given the fact that they schedule you 3 hours out and the airport was pretty quiet when we got there, I doubt anyone had a problem.

 

[elizs77]

So we'd be able to request a pick up time around 9:30/10:00am if our flight is due to leave at 1:30pm? We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge and it's my understanding that for that "set" of hotels the WL is the first pick up and one of our concerns is that we'll end up with not enough time to make our flight if we have to stop at 3 other hotels after the WL.

We were at WL the last time. I remember that we went to Poly and GF to get others before we headed out to the airport. We had way more than enough time.

And remember that Disney's been doing this for a few years now, and they really have to make sure that this works smoothly or it becomes a liability, not an incentive, to staying on property!

 

[philsfan2185]

The only problem I had, while using DME, was when my luggage was lost on the way to the airport from Pop Century. The driver "misplaced the bag". Yeah, I was a little upset. Just keep an eye on your luggage and make sure it gets on the bus when you leave your resort, and make sure you get out whenever the driver makes a stop to take luggage off for passengers.

 

[amykissangel]

Last time we used ME, our flight left 2 p.m. We were picked up at 11 a.m., and made it to the airport by 11:45. After checking in, it was 12:15, so we went to eat dinner at a restaurant in the hotel - it was perfect! Don't worry, they won't let you miss your flight!

NOTE: Now that Mears does Magical Express, you'll have a hard time getting transportation to ANY Disney hotel from the airport. We tried to do it for our upcoming trip (it'll take too long to explain) for my Dad, and the cheapest was like $50+ using a car service. And Mears won't come and pick you up either - it's the Magical Express, or private car service. So it's really less of a hassle just using it, than trying to do something else (other than rent a car! :~) :wave: