ME question...I warn you, it's like a math problem

[amykissangel]

Hoping someone has a solution to a small snafu we hit in planning a Grand Gathering (fam of 17). Everyone is arriving at different times, and different days. We have 16 adults/children and one little boy under 3 year old. Issue:

4 Caliaros and 2 McMahons arrive Fri. morning

3 Bakers arrive Fri. evening

5 Helgrens arrive Fri. evening

The above = 12 people (and the little one under 3) and an odd woman out, who, for the rest of the trip, will be rooming with...

3 Simons, who are arriving Sat.

So for one night, cousin Katee will have no bed - no biggie, she's staying at a relative's condo for the night. So where lies the problem then? She can't get ON the Magic Express because she *technically* doesn't check in until the following day.

Did anyone follow that? We talked to Disney (once got a crabby old crone, once got a really nice lady) and they just don't see a way to make this work, even though Katee is PAYING for a room, therefor GETS a trip on the ME, and it should be fairly simple to say...oh, she's checking in tomorrow but getting here today? Just put her on today's ME...

Sigh. Anyone with any genius ideas? I think we're just going to put my Dad on the MEARS bus (he's already ridden ME and could care less) so cousin Katee will take his ticket. And we have the same problem on the way back...it's just such a waste of money!!! I'll take any ideas at this point...we're not even trying to rip off Disney ;~) Just tweak the system a lil'...

 

[RiversideBunny]

So-

A. How did cousin Katee get to the condo?

B. Won't she need her luggage that night?

C. Can the means of transport that got her to the condo take her to the WDW resort the next day?

Be sure to take a compass and a map with you.
Good luck.

 

[mickey&me]

How is she supposed to get to the condo she's staying in for the first night? Is the family member who owns the condo going to pick her up and take her there? Will she need to take a taxi or rent a car?

I guess this is a dumb question, but where do you want her to ride the ME bus from and to? I mean, it doesn't go anywhere except the airport and the Disney resorts. If she can't check in til the next day, why would she want to go to the resort?

 

[tjkref418]

I take it the goal is to get all parties to the World on Friday, and that whomever she will be staying with Friday night will not be able to pick her up from the World until later on in the day ? :shrug:

 

[amykissangel]

We fly in around 4-ish. We will have Katee with us the entire time - we would have her take the ME with us to POP, then hang out by the pool, go to DTD with us, etc. Our relatives (the ones in the condo) don't get home until 10-ish that night, so they will come and pick her up from POP and she will spend the night with them. They'll bring her back the next day when she can "check in" for real.

Any suggestions?

 

[RiversideBunny]

Take up a collection and get enough to put Katee in a taxi to Pop Century.
She can meet you there when the rest of you arrive on the Magic Express bus.

Keep her away from the pool bar.

Good luck.

 

[tjkref418]

We fly in around 4-ish. We will have Katee with us the entire time - we would have her take the ME with us to POP, then hang out by the pool, go to DTD with us, etc. Our relatives (the ones in the condo) don't get home until 10-ish that night, so they will come and pick her up from POP and she will spend the night with them. They'll bring her back the next day when she can "check in" for real.

Any suggestions?

If you are at the maximum allowance of four guests per room, which you may be..this would not work...but if not......

Could you for one night add an extra person in one room..pay (what I would guess) is a small fee...and then she tecnically IS a guest on Friday night..regardless if she stays in the room or not in the end.

Than for Saturday, everything is back according to original plan.

 

[Disney Stacey]

i would go along with the catch the cab from the airport to pop.

 

[DisneyChik17]

Get the family to mail a key to you all and put her in a taxi and send her on her way.

 

[amykissangel]

I agree with all of you - easiest to put her in a taxi. But her little girl Britt is in the mix, and will probably want to ride with Mom. And I think Katee AND Britt should be able to ride the ME - it's fun, gets you in the mood, whatever.

Do you think they look that closely at the name? Or can she just take someone's ticket and hop on? And my Dad could just ride the Mears Shuttle or take a taxi (he doesn't care)?

I know this may seem like a big fuss over nothing; just wanted everybody's ideas...thanks

 

[MichWolv]

Looks like you're at the max for the three POP rooms -- 12 adults and the little one, so you can't add Katee to a room...

You're left with being really nice to the DME driver and seeing if he/she will make an exception during this "Year of a Million Dreams" -- I suppose a bus ride could be Katee's dream!

I suppose the other option is to just everybody get on the bus and hope the driver has a "Home Alone" moment and miscounts the riders.

 

[RiversideBunny]

When you are getting in line to board the Magical Express bus to go to a resort, they will check the voucher coupon that you get in the mail.
They will check it at least twice, maybe three times.
1. When checking in at the ME counter,
2. When getting in the proper line for your resort, and
3. When the bus driver looks at it as you board.
As long as the name looks like female and a female is getting on, there should not be a problem for Steps 2 & 3, once someone has checked in at the counter in Step 1., where ID may be required.

Perhaps you should also take along an extra canteen, and possibly 20 feet of rope for foarding streams, just in case.
Good luck.
:king:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

After you pay for the Mears Shuttle would it really be that much more just to add the extra room for her that extra night? For convenience so she's not shuffling around and so everyone can be together for ME I'd pop the bucks and go the extra night on the additional room. She won't get to bed until oober late that night if she goes to the condo and then has to get up, repack, and get ready for a day of fun. That would be a pain in the tookus.

Let us know what the final decision is. I'm curious how you'll solve this one. :animwink:

 

[amykissangel]

Well, what we really wanna do is just bring an air mattress and have the little kids (girls ages 5 and 7 sleep on that) and give Katee the bed. But that still doesn't solve the ME problem, and even though it wouldn't be crowded (for us, we've had 5 people in an All Star room as long as I can remember...um, oops ;~)), not sure if we really want to do that. I did appreciate the fording the river comment...perhaps I'll bring my oxen and we'll go all Oregon Trail in Orlando ;~)

 

[shanny]

as for her luggage, no big deal. one option is that she packs what she needs for the next day into her carryon (which you SHOULD be doing anyways...). another option is that you dont put the yellow tag on her bags and pick them up from the baggage claim. when we were there in aug. we wer emore excited to be going to disney, and didnt notice/forgot about our yellow tags until we were sitting in the terminal. :brick: we brought our bags out and they put them under the bus for us no questions asked, and we had them right as we checked in, which was nice also. also try explaining your situation at the ME counter, im sure they could work something out for you. if not, you can always throw her in a taxi. or gently push... i hope you get things sorted out, but i think talking to the person at the counter may be your best bet. :wave:

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

How do you have the same problem leaving? Are the three people Katee is rooming with leaving a day earlier than the rest of you?


You are not going to be able to get her on a DME bus without a valid voucher - and they do check Photo ID at the desk. You're part of a Grand Gathering. Call the manager at the Pop Century and explain the situation in detail. I bet they'll find a way to make it happen.

 

[CMTinkerbell99]

is her name on the reservation?

Is Katie's name listed as a guest in the GG in one of the rooms?
IF she is listed as a guest in one of your rooms in the GG they can certainly have her own DME block on the reservation.

IF she is not listed as a guest in any of the rooms that is part of your GG she will NOT be able to use DME. Any guest who is listed as a registered guest at a WDW resort can book DME with their reservations (dates must match arrival and departing dates or be inbetween them).

I have seen reservations where guests (in the same room) were flying in on diffrent airlines at diffrent times and diffrent DME blocks were booked.
I have seen where dad is driving and mom is flying and she uses DME. I have seen DME added to a reservation for a quest in the party arriving the next day after the rest of the party.

So if Katie (if that is the name) is listed as a guest she can be added to DME. Call back the GG line and ask to add an additional block of DME for a guest who is arriving a day later. Of course if she is staying off site for the 1st night she will have to return to the airport to use dme.

I just reread your post...there will be no way to get Katie there a day early since she is listed to arrive the next day. Sorry there is no way around that. DME cannot be booked outside of hotel reservation. Someone will have to pay for MEARS or a TAXI.. Katie should have no problem using DME to return.


HTH

 

[Laura]

So for one night, cousin Katee will have no bed - no biggie, she's staying at a relative's condo for the night. So where lies the problem then? She can't get ON the Magic Express because she *technically* doesn't check in until the following day.

Did anyone follow that? We talked to Disney (once got a crabby old crone, once got a really nice lady) and they just don't see a way to make this work, even though Katee is PAYING for a room, therefor GETS a trip on the ME, and it should be fairly simple to say...oh, she's checking in tomorrow but getting here today? Just put her on today's ME...

I was actually hoping to be able to pull the same kind of stunt but I don't expect it to work out. We're staying at Coronado Springs and then the Dolphin. We get to use Magical Express to get to the Coronado Springs resort, but then we don't have a ride back to the airport from the Dolphin. We're going to ask about getting a different time for Magical Express while we're at Coronado, but we don't expect them to say yes, so we'll just take Mears.

 

[GoofyDadKB]

An extra night at POP will be cheaper than a Mears shuttle or a taxi. Just extend the room reservation for the Simons by one night and have her check in. The Simons can get there passes and door keys when they come in on Saturday.

 

[Nemo14]

An extra night at POP will be cheaper than a Mears shuttle or a taxi. Just extend the room reservation for the Simons by one night and have her check in. The Simons can get there passes and door keys when they come in on Saturday.

Isn't the Mears shuttle like $20 or so one way? :shrug: