Disney's Magical Express Question?

[glennsineadkatl]

I've made reservations with Disney's Magical Express and I've received a pdf explaining what to do upon arrival in Orlando. It states in the instructions that the coach may make up to 3 stops before we arrive at our Hotel.
We are staying at the Grand Floridan Resort. Does anyone know how many stops there will be and the length of the journey? We will be flying in from Ireland and it is a 9 hour flight so I'm thinking if it is going to be longer than 40 mins I may want to arrange alternative transport arrangements.
Thank you

 

[Monty]

It entirely depends on how many flights are arriving at the same time as yours and which resorts people are going to.

DME assigns buses based on demand, so the scheduling and distribution of buses varies significantly throughout the day. I wouldn't worry, personally I've never had the whole process take more than an hour and a half from leaving the aircraft to being checked in and in my resort room. Your process may take slightly longer depending on if you pre-clear U.S. Customs in Dublin.

 

[glennsineadkatl]

Your process may take slightly longer depending on if you pre-clear U.S. Customs in Dublin.[/QUOTE]

Yes we clear Customs in Dublin. Thanks very much

 

[RNRguy]

the deluxe resorts are first stops.. so grandflor. will be the 2nd!..

hope you have a magical time...

 

[Tom]

I've made reservations with Disney's Magical Express and I've received a pdf explaining what to do upon arrival in Orlando. It states in the instructions that the coach may make up to 3 stops before we arrive at our Hotel.
We are staying at the Grand Floridan Resort. Does anyone know how many stops there will be and the length of the journey? We will be flying in from Ireland and it is a 9 hour flight so I'm thinking if it is going to be longer than 40 mins I may want to arrange alternative transport arrangements.
Thank you

It's a free service and it's amazing. You'll be able to relax on the DME bus after your long flight.

Even if you're the last stop, it will be a max of 40 minutes. But it's Air Conditioned/Heated and very comfortable, with a fun video that plays during the ride.

Don't pay for transportation, whatever you do!

 

[disDUBney]

Yes we clear Customs in Dublin. Thanks very much

The last 3 times we traveled with Aer Lingus to Orlando we had to clear US customs when we arrived in Orlando which took about an hour. The first time we traveled with Aer Lingus we did this at Dublin airport but we had to wait till we arrived in the US on our last few trips. It's a pain when you arrive exhausted after a 9 hours flight and have to wait in line for an hour

 

[dizzney]

The deluxe resorts move faster at ME than the others, for GF, the stops are Contemporary; Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and then Grand Floridian but it goes fast as they are all located near each other. And the ride is comfortable, you may not even have people getting off at each stop so they wouldnt even stop.

When we have checked in at ME, we've been sent right to our bus, moderates and value had long lines

Dont waste your money, take Magical Express

 

[PrincessMandi]

Does any one happen to know about Animal Kingdom Lodge, I mean, is it usually the last place that ME drops off (being that it is the furthest out)?

 

[DisneyJoe]

Does any one happen to know about Animal Kingdom Lodge, I mean, is it usually the last place that ME drops off (being that it is the furthest out)?

For my stays at AKL, they have dropped off there first and then went to Coronado Springs, since they are close to each other.

I believe they have the DME resorts grouped together so that you are not driving all over propertly.

 

[PrincessMandi]

For my stays at AKL, they have dropped off there first and then went to Coronado Springs, since they are close to each other.

I believe they have the DME resorts grouped together so that you are not driving all over propertly.

Thanks Joe. I will be leaving for my trip on Tuesday and I am just bursting at the seams....I can't wait! :sohappy:

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

Each time I have taken the Magical Express, the resort drop offs and pick ups have been different. It usually depends on the time of the year and the time of the flight. Arriving late at night differs from the mid-morning/afternoon rush times. The past two times I stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge the resort drop offs were different. And each Pop Century visit came with different drop offs. Sometimes we were first, and sometimes we were last. I quit trying to figure it out.

However, each time has been a pleasant experience. (Well except for the one luggage fiasco/theft which is why we always take our bags with us now and why I think they will no longer deliver your bags to the resort if your flight arrives after certain time). I really look forward to the welcome video and it definitely puts you in the "Disney" mood! Before you know it, you are pulling into Disney World and it's much better than the expensive taxi or car service. And way better than the old Mears vans.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey there all, I have found DME to be one of the best things that Disney has implemented in a long time. It really takes the stress out of arrival and getting to your resort, hassling with luggage etc. I feel very pampered when I let DME take care of my luggage and actually have gotten so used to having the service, I feel a tad put out when I Am renting a car and have to go get my luggage myself!!! The order and grouping as others have said are determined by DME and the driver. It isnt a very long trip once you are on property and Id say to give it a shot. In most cases, many of the people have opted to let DME handle their luggage so it isnt more than a few minutes at any given stop. Also the resorts are grouped so you wont be crisscrossing the property from one resort to another. Im sure you will have a great experience!! Marie

 

[Rob562]

From what I've heard directly from a knowledgeable CM (I forget if it was my friend who used to work for DME, or our very own JPVonDrake here on WDWMagic) the Grand Floridian will *always* be the first stop for any DME bus with Guests headed there.

The only exception is if the bus also has Guests for the Polynesian, it'll stop at the Poly before going to the GF, strictly for operational reasons. (I presume it's because it's much easier/safer for the bus to stop at the Poly first and continue on to the GF, rather than double-back and try to make that left-turn back into the Polynesian from Seven Seas Drive)

-Rob

 

[kstella]

Each time I have taken the Magical Express, the resort drop offs and pick ups have been different. It usually depends on the time of the year and the time of the flight. Arriving late at night differs from the mid-morning/afternoon rush times. The past two times I stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge the resort drop offs were different. And each Pop Century visit came with different drop offs. Sometimes we were first, and sometimes we were last. I quit trying to figure it out.

However, each time has been a pleasant experience. (Well except for the one luggage fiasco/theft which is why we always take our bags with us now and why I think they will no longer deliver your bags to the resort if your flight arrives after certain time). I really look forward to the welcome video and it definitely puts you in the "Disney" mood! Before you know it, you are pulling into Disney World and it's much better than the expensive taxi or car service. And way better than the old Mears vans.

I also always get my bags and put them on the bus with me. It doesn;t thake that much onlger to get them myself and then I know I have them. Resort check in is great though!

 

[glennsineadkatl]

The last 3 times we traveled with Aer Lingus to Orlando we had to clear US customs when we arrived in Orlando which took about an hour. The first time we traveled with Aer Lingus we did this at Dublin airport but we had to wait till we arrived in the US on our last few trips. It's a pain when you arrive exhausted after a 9 hours flight and have to wait in line for an hour

I checked the Aer lingus web site before I booked and it stated that any flight that takes off to the US before 4pm clears customs in Dublin ? I reckon I'll be ringing Aer Lingus on Monday morning. Thanks for the heads up,

 

[yoyoflamingo]

When we stayed at Bay Lake Tower 2 weeks ago, we stopped at Saratoga Springs, both Port Orleans, and Fort Wilderness before the Contemporary. I'm sure part of that was the time of night, but it's not always deluxe first.

Hopefully the GF is different though; I think it does make sense to stop there first.

 

[disDUBney]

I checked the Aer lingus web site before I booked and it stated that any flight that takes off to the US before 4pm clears customs in Dublin ? I reckon I'll be ringing Aer Lingus on Monday morning. Thanks for the heads up,

Let me know what they say. I wasn't too happy having to wait in line for an hour in Orlando and would love if this has changed. The other flights to the US seem to clear customs in Dublin but the Orlando flight went out from a different part of Dublin airport. When we checked in Aer Lingus check-in staff gave us all the forms to complete while on the plane and said we wouldn't need them till we landed in Orlando!

 

[CleveRocks]

the deluxe resorts are first stops

There is no rule of policy that states this.

The deluxe resorts move faster at ME than the others, for GF, the stops are Contemporary; Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and then Grand Floridian but it goes fast as they are all located near each other. And the ride is comfortable, you may not even have people getting off at each stop so they wouldnt even stop.

When we have checked in at ME, we've been sent right to our bus, moderates and value had long lines

There are no pre-set groupings of resorts, and no pre-set routes. If you experienced the same grouping and same order two or more times, it's not because it is designed to have to be that way. And there's absolutely no design to have more buses and better service for all of the Deluxe resorts; it simply doesn't work that way, but that doesn't mean it can't randomly happen that way a percentage of the time.

Does any one happen to know about Animal Kingdom Lodge, I mean, is it usually the last place that ME drops off (being that it is the furthest out)?

Here's the answer, or at least one answer, and then there's one other I'll get to: Each individual driver decides on the order or the drop-offs. The driver is told what resorts are on his/her bus, but as far as which order to do those drop-offs, the individual driver is 100% in charge of that. That being said, most drivers tend to drop off the resort closest to the airport first and farthest from the airport last. That's just a tendency, but it's not a rule that they have to follow.

From what I've heard directly from a knowledgeable CM (I forget if it was my friend who used to work for DME, or our very own JPVonDrake here on WDWMagic) the Grand Floridian will *always* be the first stop for any DME bus with Guests headed there.

The only exception is if the bus also has Guests for the Polynesian, it'll stop at the Poly before going to the GF, strictly for operational reasons. (I presume it's because it's much easier/safer for the bus to stop at the Poly first and continue on to the GF, rather than double-back and try to make that left-turn back into the Polynesian from Seven Seas Drive)

-Rob

98.2% correct! :ROFLOL: The ONLY exception to "There Are No Rules About Order of Drop-Offs" is the case of Grand Floridian and Polynesian. It is Disney policy that if Grand Floridian guests are on the bus then they get dropped off first. EXCEPT when there are also Polynesian guests. This isn't a preference of Poly over GF, it's simple logistics. GF is accessible only by the same road that Poly is on. If the bus were to stop at GF first and then double-back to drop-off at Poly, it would be impossible for a large motorcoach to make the necessary left turn in one motion; the driver would have to make a "K-turn" (you know, stop, turn the wheel, back up, turn the wheel and go forward again), which would be dangerous and cause traffic back-ups.

 

[glennsineadkatl]

Let me know what they say. I wasn't too happy having to wait in line for an hour in Orlando and would love if this has changed. The other flights to the US seem to clear customs in Dublin but the Orlando flight went out from a different part of Dublin airport. When we checked in Aer Lingus check-in staff gave us all the forms to complete while on the plane and said we wouldn't need them till we landed in Orlando!

Hi disDUBney,
I got in contact with Aer Lingus and I read from the Aer Lingus web site while talking to the person on the phone. I quoted their web site that states "Passengers departing Ireland up to 4:00PM can clear US immigration, prior to departure, at Dublin Airport."
This is what he said. Yes sir that is correct. So I said that's great I do clear immigration in Dublin because our flight is due to take off at 12 midday. Then he said ahhh except the Orlando flight.He then proceeded to tell me that everything is OK because when T2 opens at Dublin Airport in November they will be clearing all flights to the US in Dublin...Hello that's no good to me I fly in July. I then suggested he reports this error to the web site department so they could put a message saying except the Orlando flight. He then said he could transfer me to that department so I could report this to them. I then got cut off. So you are correct. We will have to que in Orlando..Lucky me.. Thanks for the heads up with regards to Immigration
Glenn

 

[disDUBney]

Hi disDUBney,
I got in contact with Aer Lingus and I read from the Aer Lingus web site while talking to the person on the phone. I quoted their web site that states "Passengers departing Ireland up to 4:00PM can clear US immigration, prior to departure, at Dublin Airport."
This is what he said. Yes sir that is correct. So I said that's great I do clear immigration in Dublin because our flight is due to take off at 12 midday. Then he said ahhh except the Orlando flight.He then proceeded to tell me that everything is OK because when T2 opens at Dublin Airport in November they will be clearing all flights to the US in Dublin...Hello that's no good to me I fly in July. I then suggested he reports this error to the web site department so they could put a message saying except the Orlando flight. He then said he could transfer me to that department so I could report this to them. I then got cut off. So you are correct. We will have to que in Orlando..Lucky me.. Thanks for the heads up with regards to Immigration
Glenn

At least when T2 opens we will all be able to clear immigration in Dublin. It's good to know but I know that's no good to you when you fly out in July. Funny how you got cut off when you wanted to complain!!!I can't see why it does not state on the web site that the Orlando flight does not pre-clear immigration in Dublin???

It really is a pain having to clear immigration in Orlando after such a long flight. It can take an hour in Orlando at the Immigration checkpoint after which you will have to collect your baggage from the baggage carousel and proceed through the Customs checkpoint. Then place your checked baggage on the baggage belt for transfer to the Main Terminal then proceed up the escalator, through the security checkpoint ( at this point they took our bottled water that we had from the plane, no liquids on arrival??? ) then walk over to the AGT (train) station which transfers you to the main terminal. Then you must collect your bags again from the carousel in the main terminal. No wonder you arrive at Disneyworld exhausted! So saving time clearing immigration at Dublin airport would really help! Have a great time at Disney.