Magical Express Shuttle Question

[WDWVolFan]

So here's the deal, my dad and stepmom are flying in from Brazil into Orlando because her son can get them buddy passes.
They will then drive up to see my family and I in Atlanta and we'll go on a trip, not to WDW.
On their way back, he wants to spend a couple days with her at Disney.
So he can get a 2 day package and such but he doesn't want to leave his rental car parked.

I know you can book the Magical Express when you make your reservation but because his arrival in Orlando is not when his arrival at Disney is, can he still book the ME for the date he would be dropping his rental back? Or do we need to bypass the system and choose a flight number and arrival time that is the closest to his rental return so he can hop on the Magical Express? And if we do that, would Disney work with the airline to search for his name in the passenger manifest of that incoming flight at all or do they use that for their reference only?

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I would advise you to call Magical Express to set this up. I would not give false flight information to set up ME (what if the flight is delayed/cancelled and they aren't expecting you?) Just dial the number for Disney, ask for Magical Express, and they will transfer you to someone in ME. With having rental cars and hotels at the airport, this probably happens more frequently than you might think where a guest is not heading to Disney property from the airport when their flight initially arrived.

Alternatively, if he is using National or Alamo rental cars, it may be possible to drop the car at the location on property and then take the shuttle to the resort from the Car Care Center. But verify with the rental car service first.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/car-rental-services/

 

[DisneyJoe]

Magical Express direct number is (866) 599-0951

 

[PhilharMagician]

Many years ago I could not do this. I would agree with the OP to call ME and ask the options.

National and Alamo are also in the Dolphin resort which is even easier. We have returned there many times after picking up @ MCO. Jusat pull up to the Port Corchere and valet takes care of everything, then you can walk to DHS or Epcot or take a bus from the Dolphin to the other parks.

There are a few other car rental companies at the DTD resorts which isn't a bad walk to Disney Springs to catch a bus. I believe Enterprise, Budget and Hertz are there.

 

[Tom]

So here's the deal, my dad and stepmom are flying in from Brazil into Orlando because her son can get them buddy passes.
They will then drive up to see my family and I in Atlanta and we'll go on a trip, not to WDW.
On their way back, he wants to spend a couple days with her at Disney.
So he can get a 2 day package and such but he doesn't want to leave his rental car parked.

I know you can book the Magical Express when you make your reservation but because his arrival in Orlando is not when his arrival at Disney is, can he still book the ME for the date he would be dropping his rental back? Or do we need to bypass the system and choose a flight number and arrival time that is the closest to his rental return so he can hop on the Magical Express? And if we do that, would Disney work with the airline to search for his name in the passenger manifest of that incoming flight at all or do they use that for their reference only?

Disney only uses the flight info to determine your outbound DME pickup time, and essentially just for tracking inbound guests. They don't stalk the airlines or make sure you're a passenger.

However, you will definitely want to call DME to setup the transfer, and they'll be happy to do it. We've used DME to go from WDW to the airport with no outbound flight. We just told them roughly when we needed to be at the airport, and they selected the closest scheduled bus that met our needs. We were going to the airport to catch and early bus back to the port for a cruise, and didn't want to wait until after noon for the usual DCL pickup. In fact, we booked it at the concierge desk the night before.

For inbound, you can still use DME. Just explain that you'll be at the airport, but will not be directly getting off a flight, and that you don't need luggage service. They'll either plug in a fake flight for you, or they'll just add you to the master reservation list.

 

[WDWVolFan]

THANKS everyone!

Do I need to have him set that up when he makes his reservation or can he do it say like the week or two before?

 

[Rob562]

THANKS everyone!

Do I need to have him set that up when he makes his reservation or can he do it say like the week or two before?

It doesn't have to be done when you make the hotel reservation, though it should be done at least a few days before arrival.

In fact, I would suggest *not* mentioning your plans to whoever you book the hotel with. I've found CM's at Central Reservations often do not know how to handle your type of situation, and may even say it can't be done.

Instead call the direct DME number given earlier in this thread.

-Rob