Magical Express vs. paying for a car???

[krueg66]

OK...i've read some horror stories about DME and I'm wondering what my fellow disney freaks think? We are going down in Jan. and there are four of us. We were thinking about s__________g it up and just paying for a car so we could get there on our own schedule. How often do the buses leave the airport? I would imagine it't the luck of the draw on what resorts they stop at when?

I think we just want to arrive in Orlando, get in a car/van and get to Boardwalk ASAP to start the fun! Plus, we want to stop at the store and get some beer/liquor/etc...

Thoughts?

 

[KnK]

I thought the whole ME experiece was fast. It was an hour from getting off the plane, checking into ME, stopping at 2 resorts before ours, and into the room. That's fast in my book.

We've done the car thing but found ME so much easier. We don't use the car once we get on property any way.

We have never had to wait more than 15 minutes for transportation. I've read the arguments, it just does not bother us. Then again we travel in September and the crowds are very light and stay for 10 days.

I think if my vacation was in July and I only had 7 days, I might feel differently.

 

[LoriSue]

We always use Magical Express to get from the airport to the resort then back at the end of the trip and it's one of my very favorite things. I love the fact that once I check my luggage in at the airport, I won't have to handle it again until it's in my room. It's like our vacation starts when we get to the airport. We've never had to wait for more than 15 minutes at the airport for the bus. Considering only transportation to and from the airport, I highly recommend this!

 

[Scooter]

We take a town car.

We have tried Magical Express twice and don't like all the stops it makes before it gets to our resort. We do, however, make one stop and get a case of Pepsi on our way to our resort because I can't stand Coke products.

It also seems like the two times we tried Magical Express we ended up sitting near loud obnoxious people with children who didn't know or were never taught how to behave themselves.

We also like the fact that our luggage is always with us so we and don't have to deal with the four hour wait for our luggage to show up in our room.

I will admit that Magical Express is a great money saver, and if we had to cut costs in order to go on a Disney World vacation, we wouldn't hesitate to take it again, but as long as we can afford it, we're going to go with a towncar service, preferably Quicksilver.

 

[krueg66]

We take a town car.

We have tried Magical Express twice and don't like all the stops it makes before it gets to our resort. We do, however, make one stop and get a case of Pepsi on our way to our resort because I can't stand Coke products.

It also seems like the two times we tried Magical Express we ended up sitting near loud obnoxious people with children who didn't know or were never taught how to behave themselves.

We also like the fact that our luggage is always with us so we and don't have to deal with the four hour wait for our luggage to show up in our room.

I will admit that Magical Express is a great money saver, and if we had to cut costs in order to go on a Disney World vacation, we wouldn't hesitate to take it again, but as long as we can afford it, we're going to go with a towncar service, preferably Quicksilver.

DING, DING, DING...we have a winner!!! This sounds like us. A towncar it is. I showed my friend this post and she said towncar.

Thanks everyone for your advice...we really appreciate it!!!

 

[SiriusBlack]

If you are choosing between Disney Magical Express or a taxi service... I say definately go with Disney. I have only done the magical express once(though am doing it again in a few months) and it worked perfectly. We had to wait at the airport a little while, nothing to long though. When they picked us up it was a very enjoyable ride and the busdriver was very nice. They play a Disney dvd and it puts you in the Disney mindset much more than a taxi ever would IMO.

 

[natalia1681]

OK...i've read some horror stories about DME and I'm wondering what my fellow disney freaks think? We are going down in Jan. and there are four of us. We were thinking about s__________g it up and just paying for a car so we could get there on our own schedule. How often do the buses leave the airport? I would imagine it't the luck of the draw on what resorts they stop at when?

I think we just want to arrive in Orlando, get in a car/van and get to Boardwalk ASAP to start the fun! Plus, we want to stop at the store and get some beer/liquor/etc...

Thoughts?

ME is wonderful! Especially in January, since it's not nearly as crowded. Save your rental car $ for booze once you arrive! I always use ME. It's so relaxing to just jump on the bus once you arrive at the airport. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus to arrive (I typically travel in the off-season, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not).

Have a great trip!:wave:

 

[lilclerk]

Those were my points in trying to convince our friends. They see "free" and they want to take ME...i think a car service would be more convenient for us.

Definitely do the town car if you want to stop at a grocery store. We used one this year, it was great.

 

[PrincessBitty]

We've never had to wait very long for Disney transportation either. Plus I love DME just for the fact that we don't have to wait around & get our luggage and deal with the hassle. The most we've waited for a bus from MCO is maybe 15 min max.

 

[maryt01]

never had a problem with ME save your money.

 

[MMC4Life]

I would say 'hands-down' take the Magical Express. We have stayed at 4 different resorts and each time did not have to wait long to catch a ME bus! We fly early in the morning and arrive at the airport at around 10, but I have seen longer lines for car rental than I have for Magical Express. It is a wonderful, wonderful service.
It's also great to get there and just get on a bus and relax and watch some Disney cartoons to psych you up even more for the trip!!
Have a WONDERFUL time!!

 

[Craig & Lisa]

The only problem with DME is if you come in late to your resort. If that is the case, then like us arrange DME but DO NOT put the tags on your bags. Go to the carosel get them yourself and put them on the bus. Because if you don't they will be knocking on your room door at 3 or 4 in the morning with big smile with your bags.

 

[CleveRocks]

To be honest I have never used DME. Though I did use Mears once and hated it so much that I will never use it again. Even though Disney now dictates what DME does it is contracted out to Mears so we stay away.

But please realize that you're staying away for the wrong reasons. You probably hated Mears because of the way it was run.

Disney does not contract all of DME out to Mears. They contract out the drivers and the buses, but they do not contract out the SERVICE. Big difference!

Disney makes all the rules. They set the olicies and procedures. Mears doesn't make any decisions. Think of it as: Mears is the muscle but Disney is the brain.

There were many objectionable things about the Mears shuttle. I'll list them in black, and then explain how DME is different.

Mears shuttle made multiple stops at the airport before leaving, causing lots of delays.
DME has only one starting point at the airport.

Mears shuttle waited for a bus to be full before leaving.
DME buses have to leave within 15-20 minutes of the first guest boarding, no matter how many people are on the bus (the last time I rode, there were 12 of us on the bus).

Mears shuttle made an unlimited number of hotel stops, haphazardly, all over the place.
DME makes a maximum of 4 stops. They are usually grouped by geographical zones. If a bus must cross zones, then there's a maximum of 3 stops.

Mears shuttle charged per person.
DME is free for all guests named on WDW resort reservation.

Mears shuttle was any bus that they had laying around.
DME is a plushly upholstered motorcoach with DVD TVs and a bathroom.

DME bonus: free automatic luggage delivery from airplane to resort (after deplaning, you head right to the DME counter - you totally skip baggage claim, and your bags appear inside your room, whether you're in there or not, within about 3 hours of your arrival at your resort).

 

[CleveRocks]

Your other option is you could suck up the full amount for the town car and ditch the other couple to ride the bus. Then when they meet you at the pool and you are in your bathing suit sipping a nice bevvy and they are still waiting to have their luggage delivered you can offer to buy them a drink and gloat? :lol:

The word you are leaving out is CARRY-ON. Bring your pool stuff in your carry-on. That way, a DME rider has it with them when they arrive.

Honestly, I would never dream of traveling ANYWHERE without my first 24 hours' worth of supplies in my carry-on. What if the AIRLINE delays your luggage???

I first used DME on May 8, 2005, the fourth day of its existence. If figured out on my own to take our pool stuff with us. We made it from walking out of our airplane to walking up to the CBR front desk in 63 minutes. We got our room, changed us and our kids into bathing suits, and enjoyed the pool.

And when we got back to our room, our big bad suitcases had magically appeared inside.

Now it's my turn to gloat ....

 

[CleveRocks]

Definitely do the town car if you want to stop at a grocery store. We used one this year, it was great.

For people who are concerned with time and convenience, NOTHING can be faster than taking DME and getting a grocery delivery.

DME and car services will both get you to your resort in about the same amount of time. But if you add in a 30-minute grocery stop to the car service ride, then DME will get you to your resort much quicker. ANd you can arrange for your groceries to be waiting for you with Bell Services (and they even keep the cold stuff cold for you!!!).

I can't imagine anything more convenient!

 

[lilclerk]

I can't imagine anything more convenient!

I guess that depends on how much you're getting in groceries. It sounded like they were just stopping to get some liquor to keep in the room. Is it worth it to get a grocery delivery for that?

I'm asking honestly, I've never gotten the grocery delivery, but it seemed worth it to give up half an hour to stop at a Publix nearby for some cereal :shrug:

 

[CleveRocks]

OK...i've read some horror stories about DME and I'm wondering what my fellow disney freaks think?

DME is a shared ride. For people who want personalized service and a private ride, car services are a wonderful alternative.

But truly, for the life of me, I can't recall reading a single "horror story" about DME. I've read LOTS AND LOTS of posts from people saying they've read horror stories, but somehow lots of people have been reading things that are, apparently, invisible to me. Even in this thread of 30+ posts (at the time of this writing), we haven't come across a single horror stories.

What I HAVE read lots and lots of is people complaining about DME when they had UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS of DME, people who didn't read the 100 or 200 word instructions that come in the DME booklet sent to all guests with DME reservations.

For example, one "horror story" was from a young couple who packed every diaper and every formula bottle in their checked luggage, and blamed DME for keeping their child soiled and hungry for a few hours until their luggage arrived. If they'd read the instructions printed right next to the DME luggage tags, they'd have seen that they should pay a "day bag" since they won't have access to their checked luggage for about 3 hours after they check into their resort.

One of my favorite "horror stories" was from a man who wrote a long angry post about how horrible it was that his checked luggage wasn't in his room when he checked-in, and he had to wait 90 minutes from the time he checked-in for his luggage to be brought to his room. What that rocket scientist didn't realize is that he got service that was BETTER than promised. His luggage arrived 90 minutes after he did ... Disney says to expect 3 hours. If he had read the little instructions mailed to him, he'd have been HAPPY to get his bags so early, rather than angry that they were "late."

Or the couple who had a fine DME experience until their ride back to the airport, the couple who was angry angry angry that they weren't dropped off at their airline's curbside check-in podium. Again, had they read the instructions provided to them by Disney, they'd have known that DME makes only 2 stops on airport drop-offs, one at the A terminal and one at B; and also that they drop off on Level 1 and the ticket counters and curbside podiums are 2 floors up from that level, accessible by elevators.

So to recap, I've read lots of "horror stories" from people who didn't know what to expect. But I can't recall any horror stories about DME gone bad.

Have there ever been glitches? Sure, of course. Just like there are very rare stories of car service drivers not showing up (or showing up with a car that was filthy and smelly on the inside), and just like there are very rare stories of rental car companies that overbooked their reservations and had no cars available for people with legitimate reservations, there are also very rare stories of DME foul ups. Mickey may be a mouse, but hey, he's only human.:ROFLOL:

DME isn't for everyone. It's a shared bus ride, and your resort may or may not be the first stop along the way. It's free and friendly and efficient. I can certainly understand people wanting to pay for a higher level of service where it's just their family and just their resort, and so on. But I just can't idly stand by and allow misperceptions to unfairly and incorrectly describe DME.

 

[CleveRocks]

I guess that depends on how much you're getting in groceries. It sounded like they were just stopping to get some liquor to keep in the room. Is it worth it to get a grocery delivery for that?

I'm asking honestly, I've never gotten the grocery delivery, but it seemed worth it to give up half an hour to stop at a Publix nearby for some cereal :shrug:

Just liquor? Then no, I can't see it being worth it just for that, since Garden Grocer has a $40 minimum order (and a $12 delivery fee).

But on the other hand, if the ONLY reason for the car service is the booze stop (and NOT because of personalized and private service), then you're paying $120 or more for a ride, plus maybe $25 for booze ($145 total), rather than $52 on the delivery service.

Again, if the only aim is to save money, $52 is cheaper than $145. If it's ONLY about the level of service, then a car service wins every time.

 

[maroman]

I tried the ME on my last weekend trip there last year (skipped a rental car since I was alone). I had no problems with taking the ME, the ride was about an hour to All-Star Music.

Take this suggestion when using the WDW buses on property. They're great when you're going to one of the four parks but no so great when you're coming back from anywhere else. I ended up spending over an hour on the bus when going from Downtown Disney back to my resort. They make every stop on the way back to maximize capacity of the bus, so expect a stop at Pleasure Island, Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[krueg66]

Just liquor? Then no, I can't see it being worth it just for that, since Garden Grocer has a $40 minimum order (and a $12 delivery fee).

But on the other hand, if the ONLY reason for the car service is the booze stop (and NOT because of personalized and private service), then you're paying $120 or more for a ride, plus maybe $25 for booze ($145 total), rather than $52 on the delivery service.

Again, if the only aim is to save money, $52 is cheaper than $145. If it's ONLY about the level of service, then a car service wins every time.

Where would I get information on that delivery service??? We do mostly just want to stop and get some beer and liquor...can I have alcohol delivered???

 

[CleveRocks]

Where would I get information on that delivery service??? We do mostly just want to stop and get some beer and liquor...can I have alcohol delivered???

Garden Grocer (the URL should be pretty obvious) is the way to go if you want beer and liquor delivered. I know that Gooding's will not deliver alcohol.