News Magical Express to pickup 4 hours before flight departure time due to new security measures

JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
I wish them luck but battery tech has been the bugaboo for many years. Many designs have come and gone without panning out. Maybe this will but probably won't. I would not be betting on this tech at this time.
 
TongaXtine

TongaXtine

Member
We recently flew out of MCO with pre-check and it took about 20 minutes to get through the line but it was a zoo. I thought the main reason for the early pick up was because of the tram construction. We got this message from JetBlue the day before our flight:

As part of a long-term airport modernization project at Orlando International Airport, FL (MCO), the Automated People Mover (APM) trains used to shuttle customers between the main terminal and the JetBluegate area (Gates 1-29) is now undergoing complete renovation, continuing through March 2018.

Throughout the construction period, a single APM train will remain operational to shuttle customers between the terminal and gate area. In the unlikely event of a train service disruption, and during periods of overnight preventative maintenance, the airport will provide bus transportation. Customer service ambassadors will be on-site to help direct customers— click here for construction updates.

We encourage arrival at the airport 3 hours prior to your flight departure, and as always recommend that you check the status of your flight online or via the JetBlue app prior to arriving at the airport.

For airport information, including check-in times and terminal information, click here.​

Our Lyft from Beach Club was $26 before tip.
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
Ugh, I stopped using it when it was 3 hours. Especially when I traveled alone and didn't have any checked luggage, it was just stupid for me. At first they let you call up and manually change it, then they stopped letting you.

That's when I started driving. The last time I calculated it, from the time I had to leave a park on my last day, wait for the bus back to the resort, check out, wait for ME, ride ME, wait at the airport, take a flight, and then drive home from the airport - it took me 12 hours to get home. I can drive it in 20.

So not only did I save money, I saved so much hassle, didn't have to give the airlines my business, I could drive my own vehicle, with my own music, control my own air/heat, bring whatever I wanted, have a cooler in the back so I could bring snacks and drinks for the whole week (PEPSI PRODUCTS!), and the biggest bonus - I had my own vehicle at WDW for the week and didn't have to rely on the wretched buses (which always used to get me some type of cold from some sick kid being dragged around).

It was the best decision I ever made, and I never went back.
 
raymusiccity

raymusiccity

Well-Known Member
s_a said:
This is disappointing. Less time at Disney World and more time in an airport... woo hoo! Maybe it's time to look into taking an Uber to MCO. Does anyone have experience with this?
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It's really not rocket science. If you want to leave an hour later, just look for an airline scheduled for one hour later. Magical Express just wants to know what flight and what time you're traveling. They really don't care what time they take you to MCO. :)
 
I am Timmy

I am Timmy

Well-Known Member
s_a said:
This is disappointing. Less time at Disney World and more time in an airport... woo hoo! Maybe it's time to look into taking an Uber to MCO. Does anyone have experience with this?
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Yes, we've been doing it for a few years now - we were doing the Magic Express at the beginning but not at the end. Last time we din't use it at all, just used Uber. Inexpensive and much faster.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
raymusiccity said:
It's really not rocket science. If you want to leave an hour later, just look for an airline scheduled for one hour later. Magical Express just wants to know what flight and what time you're traveling. They really don't care what time they take you to MCO. :)
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Unless you're already on the last flight... Which is how I usually book my return trips, knowing that Magical Express will eat enough time out of the day.

At this point though, it's just silly. I'd rather go with a third-party option.
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
AEfx said:
So not only did I save money, I saved so much hassle, didn't have to give the airlines my business, I could drive my own vehicle, with my own music, control my own air/heat, bring whatever I wanted, have a cooler in the back so I could bring snacks and drinks for the whole week (PEPSI PRODUCTS!), and the biggest bonus - I had my own vehicle at WDW for the week and didn't have to rely on the wretched buses (which always used to get me some type of cold from some sick kid being dragged around).
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Ah, the joys of a full-blown road trip! With the bonus of (a) a Disney trip, and (b) a return road trip as well...
 
J

jimbojones

Well-Known Member
MrHappy said:
You still need to leave 4 hrs early no matter how light you travel. Might as well pack it in if you do Magic Express.
I rent cars when I'm there, and the light and nimble strategy - even as a fam of 5 - helps get me in and out very quickly though.
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One of the best travel strategies I would suggest to anyone for any trip is to travel as light as possible. The less stuff you travel with the eaiser everything is.
 
wdwfamilynh

wdwfamilynh

Well-Known Member
Just came home on Friday night. Security line looked awful (though not as bad as when we arrived the prior Friday morning) and we were there way before the 2-hour mark they want you to get on line. Asked a TSA agent if we could go thru anyway and he said we could. Wait was posted at 25 to 30 minutes and it didn't even take that long. Best part was they had a dog there checking you as you moved thru so we didn't have to take off our shoes. Biggest slowdown was the fonorail. Would have loved the later Tragical Express pickup but my husband and I were glad to not be running thru the airport with a 4-year old and two less-than-agile seniors. :)
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
I just got back from WDW yesterday. The TSA lines at MCO are about as inefficient as they could possibly be. Magic Express is now picking you up 4 hours before the flight, but they will not let you enter the shorter TSA lines until 2 hours or less prior to your flight. If you get to the airport 3 hours early (which you will with Magic Express) you are much worse off than someone who arrives later. They had 3 TSA entry points, 1 for pre-check which was very short (probably about 10 minutes or less), 1 for people whose flight left in 2 hours of less (probably about 30 minutes or less) and then the line for everyone else which was hours long.

To give you an idea on timing, we got to the airport more than 3 hours early since our Magic Express bus picked us up at 2:50 PM for a 7:15 PM flight and the bus only only made 2 hotel stops. It was probably about 3:45 when we got to the security section. First we tried the pre-check line since 8 of the 9 people in our group had TSA pre-check but they wouldn’t let us all through together. Then we entered the 2 hours or less line and the guy monitoring the line (not a TSA agent just an airport employee) was busy with another customer so we “snuck” in. It was more by accident than plan since the sign was pretty small and the process confusing but the TSA agent didn’t care about the time when they checked the tickets. We got to our gate by 4:15 (2.5 hours before boarding). At about 6:30 a family who was with us on the Magic Express bus showed up at the gate. They had gotten into the line for people who have more than 2 hours until their flight and it took that long to get through. They were probably in line for almost 2.5 hours.
 
Pixieish

Pixieish

Well-Known Member
I was just given an update from someone in my FB group...

"Just went through MCO, they were backed up so did "express" security. Nothing out of bags or pockets. Only used metal detectors not the body scanners. Also despite the "heightened security* they still had signs up that said "Only accepting travelers with flight departing within 2 hours", So getting there an hour early doesn't help much"

Sounds like this "trial-run" is a complete fail IMHO.
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
raymusiccity said:
It's really not rocket science. If you want to leave an hour later, just look for an airline scheduled for one hour later. Magical Express just wants to know what flight and what time you're traveling. They really don't care what time they take you to MCO. :)
Click to expand...

True, that would probably work - but they do care, very much. Because when people miss their flights, they blame Disney, and expect Disney to put them up for another night, pay any fees, etc.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
AEfx said:
True, that would probably work - but they do care, very much. Because when people miss their flights, they blame Disney, and expect Disney to put them up for another night, pay any fees, etc.
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That was what we were speculating was the driving force behind this change. People were missing flights and Disney didn’t want to be held responsible so they just send you even earlier. I can’t really blame Disney if that’s true, but it’s still annoying that you have to leave so early.
 
Gabe1

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
GoofGoof said:
I just got back from WDW yesterday. The TSA lines at MCO are about as inefficient as they could possibly be. Magic Express is now picking you up 4 hours before the flight, but they will not let you enter the shorter TSA lines until 2 hours or less prior to your flight. If you get to the airport 3 hours early (which you will with Magic Express) you are much worse off than someone who arrives later. They had 3 TSA entry points, 1 for pre-check which was very short (probably about 10 minutes or less), 1 for people whose flight left in 2 hours of less (probably about 30 minutes or less) and then the line for everyone else which was hours long.

To give you an idea on timing, we got to the airport more than 3 hours early since our Magic Express bus picked us up at 2:50 PM for a 7:15 PM flight and the bus only only made 2 hotel stops. It was probably about 3:45 when we got to the security section. First we tried the pre-check line since 8 of the 9 people in our group had TSA pre-check but they wouldn’t let us all through together. Then we entered the 2 hours or less line and the guy monitoring the line (not a TSA agent just an airport employee) was busy with another customer so we “snuck” in. It was more by accident than plan since the sign was pretty small and the process confusing but the TSA agent didn’t care about the time when they checked the tickets. We got to our gate by 4:15 (2.5 hours before boarding). At about 6:30 a family who was with us on the Magic Express bus showed up at the gate. They had gotten into the line for people who have more than 2 hours until their flight and it took that long to get through. They were probably in line for almost 2.5 hours.
Click to expand...

Ugh. Thanks for sharing your real life encounter. Social media has been all over the place on MCO. Appreciated.
 

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