You can always rent one at the Disney Car Car Center, I never did it but it sounds pretty easy and cheaper than the airport rentalsWe thought about renting a car this trip, just cause we don't know how the bus situation is going to be as far as long waits... but we decided against it. Looking back now we should have since we're renting DVC points and it wouldn't have cost us to park!
Is a half hour wait the usual?
I would say that is a typical wait. When we checked in the CM said it was a 60 minute wait but... really less he thinks.
Thank you for taking the time to report about your experience, specially on your WDW arrival day. I'll be taking the ME at about 9:30pm and checking-in at Pop in a few days.Alright kids.....
As promised, reporting back on my Magical Express experience that took place about an hour and half ago.
Currently in my Resort hotel room..very tired....but I promised to report, so here goes -
Magical Express was probably the most full I have seen it in a while.
No kidding.
As I mentioned earlier, typically I fly in around 7 or 8pm and have a bus pretty much to myself with maybe two or three other families.
NOT this time.
Bus was at its maximum with safety spacing.
Yeah, I was surprised by that....but it could be they are using far fewer buses now due to the staffing furloughs.
Check in for ME is the same, either by Magic Band or bar code on your mailed document.
You are assigned numbered seats to sit in on the bus to insure everyone is evenly spaced apart.
The other anomaly was that EVERYONE on the Magical Express bus was going to the same Resort even through it was scheduled for two stops.
The entire bus emptied at Disney's Pop Century Resort...which also surprised me.
Second stop was Caribbean Beach Resort, but there was no one left on the bus...I was the last one off!
Wow.
Yes, everyone is staying at 'Pop Century' since it is the only 'Value' Resort currently operating.
And I could tell once passing the first parking lot and walking through the lobby.
This place is packed...or that was certainly my impression this evening.
Not sure where all this talk of 'no one is here' and 'no one is at WDW' is coming from, becuase as of now that is not the case at least here at 'Pop'.
The place is jumping.
Another observation -
The flight, Magical Express, and Resort here tonight are showing no real differences in 'crowd levels' then what I typically see for this time of year.
Things seem pretty 'normal' except everyone is wearing face masks.
Full ME bus ( with spacing ), long line to check in at the Resort( but moved at a good pace ), and very full parking lots and long lines at the Food Court.
I'll be at MK Tomorrow....interested to see how that goes.
If you spot a purple dragon about, that will be moi.
Say hello!
-
Thank you for taking the time to report about your experience, specially on your WDW arrival day. I'll be taking the ME at about 9:30pm and checking-in at Pop in a few days.
I expected Pop to be quieter these days, guess not!
Can I ask, what was the time from when you landed till you got at the resort? Did you have checked bags to pick up first? How long after checking in for ME did you wait for the bus to arrive load and leave? Thanks!Alright kids.....
As promised, reporting back on my Magical Express experience that took place about an hour and half ago.
Currently in my Resort hotel room..very tired....but I promised to report, so here goes -
Magical Express was probably the most full I have seen it in a while.
No kidding.
As I mentioned earlier, typically I fly in around 7 or 8pm and have a bus pretty much to myself with maybe two or three other families.
NOT this time.
Bus was at its maximum with safety spacing.
Yeah, I was surprised by that....but it could be they are using far fewer buses now due to the staffing furloughs.
Check in for ME is the same, either by Magic Band or bar code on your mailed document.
You are assigned numbered seats to sit in on the bus to insure everyone is evenly spaced apart.
The other anomaly was that EVERYONE on the Magical Express bus was going to the same Resort even through it was scheduled for two stops.
The entire bus emptied at Disney's Pop Century Resort...which also surprised me.
Second stop was Caribbean Beach Resort, but there was no one left on the bus...I was the last one off!
Wow.
Yes, everyone is staying at 'Pop Century' since it is the only 'Value' Resort currently operating.
And I could tell once passing the first parking lot and walking through the lobby.
This place is packed...or that was certainly my impression this evening.
Not sure where all this talk of 'no one is here' and 'no one is at WDW' is coming from, becuase as of now that is not the case at least here at 'Pop'.
The place is jumping.
Another observation -
The flight, Magical Express, and Resort here tonight are showing no real differences in 'crowd levels' then what I typically see for this time of year.
Things seem pretty 'normal' except everyone is wearing face masks.
Full ME bus ( with spacing ), long line to check in at the Resort( but moved at a good pace ), and very full parking lots and long lines at the Food Court.
I'll be at MK Tomorrow....interested to see how that goes.
If you spot a purple dragon about, that will be moi.
Say hello!
-
There were only 3-4 families on our bus, they were spaced out.
Magical Express only makes one stop at resorts, at the front of the hotel by the lobby. You can then get transportation from bell services to your tree house. There is also a bus that runs from the bus stop down the hill from the lobby/pool area that goes to the tree houses.
I used it just last week. Fact is arriving to resorts is quicker as they are dedicated buses to resorts. The wait is a little longer at airport due to social distancing in the buses. However it was done professionally and I had no concerns about the distancing in the buses and everyone wore the masks. Don't waste your money on the questionable and unreliable UBER/LYFT services driven by less than reputable drivers. The express is still the way to go. Disney needs to keep the magic express service. It is still one of the best perks out there for staying on property. I saved about 250.00 using it and there were no issues at all.
I used the service last week. It was fine. While baggage is not taken to rooms anymore due to covid, the actual service is even better. The wait in line at airport is a little longer due to the buses doing social distancing in them, but it is quicker to get to the resorts as they are dedicated buses to each resort with smaller number of passengers. At no time using magical express did I feel concerned about COVID. Dont waste money on the unreliable UBER/LYFT systems that are using poor equipment and questionable drivers. Use the express. It is FREE! While Mears is a good alternative and good equipment ad service, it is pricy and rental cars right now are outlandish. Magical Express is one of the best ever perks of staying on site. Using it saved us about 250.00 we would other wise had to pay, and if you rent a car you pay 35.00 a night to park it at a resort. Sadly Disney is planning on ending this valuable perk at end of 2021. I don't what bonehead executive came up with this idea but he needs to get another job. People need to let Disney know ending Magical Express is a huge mistake. We have used it for years dozens of times and NEVER had a problem. Use it COVID will not be a concern as they are strict about following the protocols.
