Magical Express at last minute?

[GrumpyFannyPack]

Another Magical Express question. We'll be going to WDW at the end of September, but right now my grandfather is in failing health. If for some reason I need to stay home when the trip arrives, the rest of my family will drive down and I will fly down and meet them later. My question is, can I use Magical Express for just myself at the last minute like that? I assume I can't just show up at the Orlando airport and jump on the ME bus. I'll need to make some sort of prior arrangements, correct?

 

[Monty]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Disney's Magical Express must be booked at least 10 days prior to arrival through disneyworld.com, Disney Reservation Center by calling 407-W-DISNEY, a travel agent or [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]contact Disney's Magical Express Guest Services at (866) 599-0951[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]. Be sure to have your Arriving Flight Number and time into the Orlando International Airport as well as your Departing Flight Number and time out of the Orlando International Airport as well as the name of the airlines you are flying.[/FONT]

 

[GrumpyFannyPack]

Thanks for the info. I'll obviously need to do something else then.

 

[Rob562]

Thanks for the info. I'll obviously need to do something else then.

There is also no harm in booking DME and then not using the service. If you don't think you'd book the flight until the last-minute (less than the 10-day cutoff time for DME), just look up flight schedules and give them the most-likely flight you'd be arriving on. You can always call back and change the arriving flight if it's different.

-Rob

 

[Nemo14]

It can't hurt to call them and see what they say.

 

[CleveRocks]

There is also no harm in booking DME and then not using the service. If you don't think you'd book the flight until the last-minute (less than the 10-day cutoff time for DME), just look up flight schedules and give them the most-likely flight you'd be arriving on. You can always call back and change the arriving flight if it's different.

-Rob

He gave the right answer. Pay attention to it.

No need to call to ask them to ask their advice. Just make the reservation. There is no problem, no complication, no penalty if you're a no-show. Therefore, no harm in just making the reservation.

 

[disneykitty]

Magical Express can be done at the last minute.

I have not had a problem using ME at the last minute. I've had friends decide to join me last minute and was told that once they arrive, they just need to go to the magical express counter at the airport and give them my hotel reservation # and the name that the reservation is under. The ME representative can look up the reservation and book them on the spot as well as their return ride if they provide their flight info then. NOTE: When I have added a friend last minute - I have also provided their name to the hotel reservation clerk to add their name to the reservation.

Also - how's this for last minute? My last visit to Disney, I was at the airport when I learned my flight was cancelled and I was rebooked the next day. I actually used the phone at the ME counter to make a hotel reservation for the night back at Disney and booked the ME after hanging up the phone without any problem at all. (Enjoyed an extra day of Disney magic, too!)

 

[CleveRocks]

I have not had a problem using ME at the last minute. I've had friends decide to join me last minute and was told that once they arrive, they just need to go to the magical express counter at the airport and give them my hotel reservation # and the name that the reservation is under. The ME representative can look up the reservation and book them on the spot as well as their return ride if they provide their flight info then.

If this actually happened already, then Disney is very lucky it didn't get caught doing it. The cast member who told you this and the cast members who allowed it to happen directly violated Disney's contract with the Greater Orlando Airport Authority. It's specifically written into that contract that Disney is not permitted to give rides to "walk-ups." It doesn't matter if people are staying at a Disney resort, if they don't have a separate DME reservation then Disney is in breach of the contract if they give that person a ride anyway.

In other words, don't rely on it always happening that way, because it was a mistake, and if Disney would happen to get caught they'd owe a hefty fine. That clause in the contract was not in the original 2005 contract, but was added to the 2006 contract (before the spring of 2006, DME was a pilot program and wasn't necessarily going to last beyond Novewmber 2006) and to each subsequent periodic contract; the clause is a concession to the local ground transportation industry, who cried foul that Disney was introducing unfair competition.

 

[seashoreCM]

Although reserving Magical Express at least 10 days in advance is recommended, they will take reservations on shorter notice if you booked the room closer to arrival.

You can change your reservation, but if you have an idea of when you will arrive, at least make the reservation 10 days in advqnce.

 

[D. F. Duck]

I booked a new reservation the evening of March 30th for a flight the next morning (total spur-of-the-moment trip). The reservations CM will tell you to call Mears Transportation (the DME contractor) directly to verify they get the reservation. With only 14 hours notice, I had no problems at all!

 

[CleveRocks]

I booked a new reservation the evening of March 30th for a flight the next morning (total spur-of-the-moment trip). The reservations CM will tell you to call Mears Transportation (the DME contractor) directly to verify they get the reservation. With only 14 hours notice, I had no problems at all!

Right. Even though it wasn't at the recommended 10-day window, it was still an advance reservation. The contract specifies that DME can't take walk-ups. Happily, you weren't a walk-up.

Chances are, they told you to call 866-599-0951. This is the direct number for DME. Taht number is staffed by Disney cast members, not Mears employees. Mears provides the buses, the drivers, and the person standing right there at the bus door who scans your voucher. Everyone else you see in the DME area of the airport and everyone you talk to on the telephone is a Disney cast member. Disney manages DME. As I like to say, Mears is the muscle but Disney is the brains.

 

[mtomkins]

My last trip in August, we booked our ME but did not give flight information until 2 days before we left. It wasn't an issue. We had received our packet because we booked, but like I said, we had not confirmed flight information.

The above poster was right, just book it, if something happens, you have a space either way.

On the same note, my sister had to leave unexpectedly two days earlier than our planned trip home. I stayed behind at Disney. We were in the middle of Summer Nighttastic Fireworks none the less so needless to say we didn't get home, haha, to the hotel until around midnight. I went up to the front desk and was able to change her flight information and ME picked her up bright and early the next morning no problem.

Now, my only issues I had with ME that trip were these two things. When I went to change hers, they had our regular reservations at the hotel concierge, but when they called ME, there as no record of us having reservations on our original leave date. I was sad she left but at the same time it was good because I would have been waiting for the ME and not known that they had lost my reservation [I did have a voucher they had sent to me, but just possible could have been a headache]. Also, the day before I left, I never got a ME packet on my door. It wasn't an issue because I had a printout from when I arranged hers as well as a voucher at that point, but it somewhat stressed me since I saw them hanging on every other door but not mine [not that I wanted to leave, but you know].

So that being said, book the ME, if you have to stay behind or go later, you are covered, as well as if you were to happen to leave early, you'd be fine.

Good luck!