Magical Express & Day Guest question

[MS327]

My husband has a conference coming up in Orlando (not at Disney) so I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a vacation out of it. He would be attending classes each morning from Thursday through Saturday, so we planned for him to meet us at the parks in the afternoons. I booked a package (hotel, dining and tix) for us and our two children for 6 days/5 nights. About 2 weeks after we purchased the package and flights, we find out that my husband is speaking at the conference on Sunday and that his company is requiring him to stay at the hotel where the conference is located for various company meetings and networking events. So, basically, he will be busy all day from Thursday to Sunday. We arrive on Wednesday and leave on Monday. Our agent suggested we cancel our original package since the only day my husband could even go to the parks would be Wednesday. Therefore, paying for a dining package and a 5 day park ticket for him would be wasting money. We rebooked with just myself and the kids on the package and a 1 day park ticket for my husband. I figured we would all arrive on Wednesday, go to Magic Kingdom together and then my husband would leave Thursday morning for the conference, stay there until Sunday night, come back and stay with us for that night and then we would all leave together Monday morning.

But, I just now realized - he can't ride Magical Express, can he? He's no longer on our hotel room reservation. I can't add him back since we have the package, unless we want to pay for him to be on the package, right? I read somewhere that you can add a "day guest" to the reservation when you get to the hotel, but if he is with us at the airport, that won't help him onto the ME correct?

If he can't get on ME, is a cab the best alternative? We have always done ME, so I have no idea how much that would cost to and from the hotel and airport. We are staying at AofA. What about Mears? They have a round trip option as well, don't they?

LOL, my husband isn't super crazy about WDW, so if I can't get him on the ME, he is going to be really annoyed at this little "idea" of mine!

 

[Weather_Lady]

This is a question best asked of your TA. Perhaps she can contact Disney and see if there's a workaround in this unusual situation -- such as pre-registering your husband as a "day guest" before you arrive.

If your DH can't do DME, the cheapest way for him (or all of you) to get to Disney from the airport would be Uber/Lyft. If you can avoid surge pricing, the fare for Lyft Plus or UberXL (seats up to 6, or 4 with carryons) would be about $50 each way; Lyft or UberX (for a smaller party) would be more like $35, each way. A towncar is another option, and would run you about $70-$90 each way depending on which company you chose, with a few dollars' discount if you book roundtrip rather than one-way. Your DH might inquire as to whether his employer will be compensating employees for their travel-related expenses, as well, to see whether part of the cost of traveling to Disney from the airport (which presumably, brings him closer to the conference hotel) might be compensable, in part, by the employer.

 

[MS327]

This is a question best asked of your TA. Perhaps she can contact Disney and see if there's a workaround in this unusual situation -- such as pre-registering your husband as a "day guest" before you arrive.

If your DH can't do DME, the cheapest way for him (or all of you) to get to Disney from the airport would be Uber/Lyft. If you can avoid surge pricing, the fare for Lyft Plus or UberXL (seats up to 6, or 4 with carryons) would be about $50 each way; Lyft or UberX (for a smaller party) would be more like $35, each way. A towncar is another option, and would run you about $70-$90 each way depending on which company you chose, with a few dollars' discount if you book roundtrip rather than one-way. Your DH might inquire as to whether his employer will be compensating employees for their travel-related expenses, as well, to see whether part of the cost of traveling to Disney from the airport (which presumably, brings him closer to the conference hotel) might be compensable, in part, by the employer.

Thank you for the info Weather Lady!

I did originally ask my TA, and she just said she thinks if we go to the counter at MCO and explain, they will let him on with no issues. I just am not comfortable taking that risk. In my experience over the years, if there is not a typical protocol for an issue, it depends on the CM on whether or not they allow something. The last thing I want to do is get there and spend our only day with my husband trying to figure out how to get him to WDW, LOL. I was hoping enough people have had a similar situation that the CMs would know what to do in that case and it wouldn't be an issue.

Mears has a roundtrip option for about $30, but I find the Mears drivers/customer service unreliable and sometimes downright rude when going from WDW to the airport with the ME voucher, so I'm not sold on them being a great option. My two main reasons for wanting ME is it's "free" and because we don't have to get our luggage. My youngest isn't always a great traveler, so the last thing I want to do is deal with luggage and such after getting off the plane, but Uber or Lyft might be our best option just to avoid any long delays and such! His company said they would compensate him up to $35 each way.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I did originally ask my TA, and she just said she thinks if we go to the counter at MCO and explain, they will let him on with no issues.

Incorrect! Disney's agreement with MCO and the taxi services/union prevents this. Only those listed on a reservation can use DME.

 

[Polydweller]

Incorrect! Disney's agreement with MCO and the taxi services/union prevents this. Only those listed on a reservation can use DME.

Exactly. They are allowed to operate as a resort transfer service, not a bus service. So, they can only transfer between MCO and your resort. Not a resort guest then no transfer.

 

[TheMouseFan]

You could always call DME directly and see what they tell you. 866-599-0951

 

[dreamfinder]

You can indeed add them as a day guest. You would need to do this at the resort desk after you check in. Once they have been added, you can then all DME to have them get transportation booked. However, if you are looking to have him with you on the first day, then you wouldn't be able to do this. I'd question booking the package in the first place. You can get tickets for cheaper through 3rd party, and unless you are saving a bundle through the dining plan, it's not worth it. If you change it to a room only booking then there is no harm to adding him, you can all take DME to/from the airport, and he just needs to do his transport from your hotel to the conference hotel.

 

[Weather_Lady]

If you change it to a room only booking then there is no harm to adding him, you can all take DME to/from the airport, and he just needs to do his transport from your hotel to the conference hotel.

Excellent suggestion -- and if she buys tickets and books a room-only and links it all to MDE before canceling the package reservation, there should be no harm to any existing ADRs and FP+, regardless of what applicable "windows" they might fall into.

 

[fgnghg5821]

My husband has a conference coming up in Orlando (not at Disney) so I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a vacation out of it. He would be attending classes each morning from Thursday through Saturday, so we planned for him to meet us at the parks in the afternoons. I booked a package (hotel, dining and tix) for us and our two children for 6 days/5 nights. About 2 weeks after we purchased the package and flights, we find out that my husband is speaking at the conference on Sunday and that his company is requiring him to stay at the hotel where the conference is located for various company meetings and networking events. So, basically, he will be busy all day from Thursday to Sunday. We arrive on Wednesday and leave on Monday. Our agent suggested we cancel our original package since the only day my husband could even go to the parks would be Wednesday. Therefore, paying for a dining package and a 5 day park ticket for him would be wasting money. We rebooked with just myself and the kids on the package and a 1 day park ticket for my husband. I figured we would all arrive on Wednesday, go to Magic Kingdom together and then my husband would leave Thursday morning for the conference, stay there until Sunday night, come back and stay with us for that night and then we would all leave together Monday morning.

But, I just now realized - he can't ride Magical Express, can he? He's no longer on our hotel room reservation. I can't add him back since we have the package, unless we want to pay for him to be on the package, right? I read somewhere that you can add a "day guest" to the reservation when you get to the hotel, but if he is with us at the airport, that won't help him onto the ME correct?

If he can't get on ME, is a cab the best alternative? We have always done ME, so I have no idea how much that would cost to and from the hotel and airport. We are staying at AofA. What about Mears? They have a round trip option as well, don't they?

LOL, my husband isn't super crazy about WDW, so if I can't get him on the ME, he is going to be really annoyed at this little "idea" of mine!

Did you end up doing this and did it work for you? We are in a similar position and I have read things saying both that it works registering as a day guest at DME counter and also that it won’t. Thank you!

 

[dreamfinder]

Did you end up doing this and did it work for you? We are in a similar position and I have read things saying both that it works registering as a day guest at DME counter and also that it won’t. Thank you!

You need to be on the reservation and to call DME and book the airport transfer before you arrive. You aren't supposed to be able to do it at the counter, it goes against the terms of the DME contract. I've personally had myself added as a day guest to a booking, called DME right after I was told I was added, set up my transfer, and arrived the next day. I believe it is supposed to be 24 hours notice, but I'm not certain on that.

 

[PixieDust900]

Did you end up doing this and did it work for you? We are in a similar position and I have read things saying both that it works registering as a day guest at DME counter and also that it won’t. Thank you!

We were just there this past week. My husband only had a park ticket and was not on our hotel reservation since he and my son were only going to be there for a couple of days of our trip. We had planned for him to take a cab. He walked with me to DME to help me with the kids and when we were there they asked if he was going as well since myself and the kids scanned our bands and he waved goodbye to us. I told the castmembers he wasn't on our reservation. They asked if he had park tickets and I said yes. They asked if he was linked to my account, and I said yes. They scanned his band, verified his name and added him. Then he scanned his band again, it turned green and we went straight to the bus. No issues at all.

When I asked why some people have said it didn't work for them, they told me that if your guest doesn't have a valid park ticket linked to your account, then they must be on the resort reservation, and typically, as others have said, they need to be added at least 24 hours in advance in order for their name to be added to DME. Without being on a resort reservation or having any park tickets, they can't add you at the podium. Also, if the buses are scheduled to be fairly full, they may reject a day guest to guarantee they have space for all the guests who are guaranteed service on DME. We were the only resort guests there when we went to the podium.

Side note - this is only for arrival. This does not get them on DME going back to the airport - just to ride with you that day to the resort. My husband took a cab when he left.

 

[slappy magoo]

Would this work? You're arriving Wednesday, departing Monday? See if the agent can split your trip into 3 reservations, Wed-Th with your husband on the reservation, Th-Sun without him, Sun-Mon with him back on? You can include him on the dining plans for just those 2 1-day reservations (and if he can't dine with you, hey, go to a Signature with the extra credit!). But this way he's with you on check in and check out days and can use ME.

It might be a long PITA time on the phone for them to do this, but I think it can be done. They'll warn you they can't guarantee you'll keep the same room, but whenever I've split up a reservation but stayed in the same hotel and room category I've never had to move (usually when I'm using DVC points but then extending the trip an extra few nights paying cash).

 

[MS327]

We were just there this past week. My husband only had a park ticket and was not on our hotel reservation since he and my son were only going to be there for a couple of days of our trip. We had planned for him to take a cab. He walked with me to DME to help me with the kids and when we were there they asked if he was going as well since myself and the kids scanned our bands and he waved goodbye to us. I told the castmembers he wasn't on our reservation. They asked if he had park tickets and I said yes. They asked if he was linked to my account, and I said yes. They scanned his band, verified his name and added him. Then he scanned his band again, it turned green and we went straight to the bus. No issues at all.

When I asked why some people have said it didn't work for them, they told me that if your guest doesn't have a valid park ticket linked to your account, then they must be on the resort reservation, and typically, as others have said, they need to be added at least 24 hours in advance in order for their name to be added to DME. Without being on a resort reservation or having any park tickets, they can't add you at the podium. Also, if the buses are scheduled to be fairly full, they may reject a day guest to guarantee they have space for all the guests who are guaranteed service on DME. We were the only resort guests there when we went to the podium.

Side note - this is only for arrival. This does not get them on DME going back to the airport - just to ride with you that day to the resort. My husband took a cab when he left.

We had a similar experience. They scanned his ticket and added his name to DME at the podium, since he was already linked to my account and had a valid park ticket.

 

[MS327]

Would this work? You're arriving Wednesday, departing Monday? See if the agent can split your trip into 3 reservations, Wed-Th with your husband on the reservation, Th-Sun without him, Sun-Mon with him back on? You can include him on the dining plans for just those 2 1-day reservations (and if he can't dine with you, hey, go to a Signature with the extra credit!). But this way he's with you on check in and check out days and can use ME.

It might be a long PITA time on the phone for them to do this, but I think it can be done. They'll warn you they can't guarantee you'll keep the same room, but whenever I've split up a reservation but stayed in the same hotel and room category I've never had to move (usually when I'm using DVC points but then extending the trip an extra few nights paying cash).

It would have cost us a lot more to do it that way. We just asked at the podium at DME and they added him there with no problems. He had his park ticket and it was linked to my account so they just scanned his ticket and added his name and we got on the bus.