NEW Changes to Disney's Magical Express

[JPVonDrake]

As of November 1st:

To take advantage of this free service, you must add a reservation for the Magical Express on your room / package reservation PRIOR to your arrival to Florida. The Disney Welcome Center at the Orlando International Airport will no longer be able to provide this service to guest who have not made an advance reservation. It is recommended that you book at the same time you book your room, and provide your flight information at least 30 days (or more) prior to your arrival to ensure the timely arrival of your Travel Documents. Remember you must add Disney's Magical Express through your original booking location only; meaning if you book your room with a travel agency you must contact them to add or change your DME.

Disney will no longer have Magical Express Greeters on the third level of the airport (the level you enter the Main Terminal from your plane.) Our DME Welcome Center is located on level 1, Side A in the main terminal. We will have some Greeters on level 2 on both A and B sides of the airport to help lost Guests.

If you arrive at the airport after 11 PM or before 6 AM (due to a flight delay or it's your originally scheduled arrival time) you will be asked to claim your own luggage and it will travel with you to your Resort to ensure timely delivery. Otherwise the delivery of your luggage to your room is estimated to arrive within 2 hours from your arrival at the airport. You are always advised to pack a day bag with medications and maybe a change of clothes to start your reservation, as you will not have immediate access to your bags.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[bears163]

so if i booked through DVC i have to call them for DME reservations?

 

[wdwfan4eva]

Yup. If I'm correct, DVC will give you a special number to call for DME for those with DVC reservations. At least that's what I remember from when my parents went in June.

 

[X12345]

what's the avg time from the airport to the resort? Just a ballpark is sufficient. Do they dropoff at several resorts (I would expect the order to be deluxe to value), or one main location and then you catch on site transportation to your respective resort?

 

[Trishnh]

Any request for gratuities by the drivers are a DIRECT violation of Disney's contract with Mears, and should be reported to Disney.

I had remembered reading this a while ago yet on both of our trips with ME in July & August there was a sign at the front of the bus saying "my name is ****. Gratuities are appreciated" or something to that matter. If it is in violation w/ Disney then how can they post it? :veryconfu

It is also interesting to know that gratuities are included for the bell hops. I wondered how that worked since we were not in the room to recieve our luggage either time.

Thanks for the update to ME. It sounds like a good idea to get your own luggage late at night so you dont have to wait hours to get it. :wave:

 

[Trishnh]

what's the avg time from the airport to the resort? Just a ballpark is sufficient. Do they dropoff at several resorts (I would expect the order to be deluxe to value), or one main location and then you catch on site transportation to your respective resort?

They drop off by location. So the hotels that are near each other share a bus. Usually 3-4 resorts per bus. I think total time from touchdown to resort for us was about 2 hours.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I have experienced 45 minute transport times ( Approx) on the both occasions I have used DME. The resorts are broken up by Park area so all the Magic Kingdom Area resorts are on one bus, Animal Kingdom area resorts on another bus etc. You are dropped off at your resort directly, not at a central drop off point. Belle

 

[shoppingnut]

When I went in August and staying at Pop, our bus was going to Pop, AKL and one other. Pop was the first stop because it is the first hotel off the highway. It is not done by level of hotel, it is done by location so the bus isn't backtracking all over the place.

 

[tazhughes]

From the viewpoint of the transportation industry it doesn't really matter if DME sells the vouchers or sends the passengers to Mears and they sell the voucher. The impact is the same.

Yup, someone gets paid for a ride from the airport.

 

[peter11435]

For the same reason limo driver's can't recruit, you have to make a pre-existing reservation.

The thing is that for one you had to be a Disney resort guest to use DME. Second the service was free. Third Disney did not recruit anyone; they simply allowed those guests who came to them to travel. They did not recruit them in any way. There is no reason what so ever why it would be unethical for DME to do what they were doing. And as far as your reason goes, then please tell me why it is unethical for limo drivers to recruit passengers.

 

[shoppingnut]

The thing is that for one you had to be a Disney resort guest to use DME. Second the service was free. Third Disney did not recruit anyone; they simply allowed those guests who came to them to travel. They did not recruit them in any way. There is no reason what so ever why it would be unethical for DME to do what they were doing. And as far as your reason goes, then please tell me why it is unethical for limo drivers to recruit passengers.

We don't know what Disney's agreement is with the airport regarding their service. If it is that they are only entitled to provide it to guests with a pre-existing reservation on DME, then if they provide it to ones that don't, they are in violation of the agreement. It may be the same as limo driver's, that you need to make a reservation with them and they will then meet you in the airport. Without a reservation the limo driver isn't permitted to stand in the airport to recruit passengers, the same as taxi drivers. You have to go outside and get in the line for a taxi or limo service and they pull up. It has nothing to do with being unethical, I never said that, it has to do with what the airport has set as their rules.

 

[Tigger2000]

sorry, this is probably a daft question but does this work for international guests too?

 

[wannabeBelle]

sorry, this is probably a daft question but does this work for international guests too?

Sure does!!!! Just make sure that you sign up for DME as soon as you get all your flight information together so you can get your bag tags & info packet on time. They usually send it out so it arrives to you within 10 days. You may want to indicate that you are out of the country to allow more mailing time!!! Belle

 

[lewisc]

sorry, this is probably a daft question but does this work for international guests too?

If you clear customs at MCO you'll still have to get your bags at the first luggage carousel and go through customs. The yellow DME tag will allow you to avoid having to pick up your luggage at the second carousel. Your luggage will be picked up and sent directly to your room. You don't have to be in your room, the service is "pre-tipped".

 

[peter11435]

We don't know what Disney's agreement is with the airport regarding their service. If it is that they are only entitled to provide it to guests with a pre-existing reservation on DME, then if they provide it to ones that don't, they are in violation of the agreement. It may be the same as limo driver's, that you need to make a reservation with them and they will then meet you in the airport. Without a reservation the limo driver isn't permitted to stand in the airport to recruit passengers, the same as taxi drivers. You have to go outside and get in the line for a taxi or limo service and they pull up. It has nothing to do with being unethical, I never said that, it has to do with what the airport has set as their rules.

No you didn't say it was unethical. However you did respond to my asking another poster who said it was unethical why it was unethical.

 

[lewisc]

No you didn't say it was unethical. However you did respond to my asking another poster who said it was unethical why it was unethical.

It's a violation of airport rules for a limo driver or DME to solicit business. It is unethical for a business to violate an airport rule in order to gain a competitive advantage over those business that follow the rules. A driver drops off a passenger but doesn't have a return fare. It's unethical to try to grab a return fare at the airport.

It is also unethical for a limo driver to solicit business by offering a lower price than the company the passenger has a reservation with or to imply he is a substitute driver in order to poach a customer that already has a reservation.

 

[nibblesandbits]

It's a violation of airport rules for a limo driver or DME to solicit business. It's is unethical for a business to violate an airport rule in order to gain a competitive advantage over those business that follow the rules. A driver drops off a passenger but doesn't have a return fare. It's unethical to try to grab a return fare at the airport.

It is also unethical for a limo driver to solicit business by offering a lower price than the company the passenger has a reservation with or to imply he is a substitute driver.

How is it unethical when it's free? (Or I guess more or less paid for by staying on Disney property). Disney isn't soliciting anyone who wouldn't have access to it before...all these people who are going down there and are staying at Disney have the right to know that they can take a bus to their resort for free.

Now, it's up to that person once they are aware that this takes place. They should make up their own mind on whether or not they want to use said free service. I chose not to take DME, even though it was offered to me.

The problem is that we don't know if Disney is violating any rules because we don't know what was stipulated in the contract between Disney and the airport.

And Disney isn't necessarily gaining a competitive advantage either...they aren't making any money off of it, matter of fact the company is paying for it themselves (more or less) and these people would (and should) have access to DME anyway-since it is included in their trip. (As the Disney website states when you are booking your room)

 

[wannabeBelle]

How is it unethical when it's free? (Or I guess more or less paid for by staying on Disney property). Disney isn't soliciting anyone who wouldn't have access to it before...all these people who are going down there and are staying at Disney have the right to know that they can take a bus to their resort for free.

Now, it's up to that person once they are aware that this takes place. They should make up their own mind on whether or not they want to use said free service. I chose not to take DME, even though it was offered to me.

The problem is that we don't know if Disney is violating any rules because we don't know what was stipulated in the contract between Disney and the airport.

And Disney isn't necessarily gaining a competitive advantage either...they aren't making any money off of it, matter of fact the company is paying for it themselves (more or less) and these people would (and should) have access to DME anyway-since it is included in their trip. (As the Disney website states when you are booking your room)

I agree!!!! The problem here is that the cabs, limos, other transport services cant compete with free. There are still people who decide that for whatever reasons DME Is not the choice for them, and that is their right. I think that is a great thing to have the choices available. Of course when you booked your trip the options should have been made available to you at that point. I for one always know how I Am gettinf from the airport to my final destination, but I tend to plan really well. So far out of all of the times that I have been in OIA, I havent been approaced at all to use DME and had to seek out the greeters to give me directions to the DME desk!!!! Could it have happened? Sure. Belle

 

[lewisc]

Sorry you didn't take the time to read my previous posts. Disney is sending non-resort guests to the Mears desk to buy vouchers so they can be transported on DME buses. This includes people who live in the Orlando area.
Unethical since other transportation services aren't allowed to solicit in the airport and aren't even allowed on level three.

All articles indicate DME is supposed to be limited to guests who make advance reservations. So it would be unethical to offer free transportation to guests who don't qualify by making advance reservations.

I agree the limo companies can't compete with free but that doesn't change the fact the Disney hasn't been following the rules.

My last post in this thread since it's obvious people have a pre-conceived opinion and aren't taking the time to even read posts that offer facts contrary to said opinions.
:wave:

How is it unethical when it's free? (Or I guess more or less paid for by staying on Disney property). Disney isn't soliciting anyone who wouldn't have access to it before...all these people who are going down there and are staying at Disney have the right to know that they can take a bus to their resort for free.

Now, it's up to that person once they are aware that this takes place. They should make up their own mind on whether or not they want to use said free service. I chose not to take DME, even though it was offered to me.

The problem is that we don't know if Disney is violating any rules because we don't know what was stipulated in the contract between Disney and the airport.

And Disney isn't necessarily gaining a competitive advantage either...they aren't making any money off of it, matter of fact the company is paying for it themselves (more or less) and these people would (and should) have access to DME anyway-since it is included in their trip. (As the Disney website states when you are booking your room)

 

[peter11435]

Sorry you didn't take the time to read my previous posts. Disney is sending non-resort guests to the Mears desk to buy vouchers so they can be transported on DME buses. This includes people who live in the Orlando area.
Unethical since other transportation services aren't allowed to solicit in the airport and aren't even allowed on level three.

All articles indicate DME is supposed to be limited to guests who make advance reservations. So it would be unethical to offer free transportation to guests who don't qualify by making advance reservations.

I agree the limo companies can't compete with free but that doesn't change the fact the Disney hasn't been following the rules.

My last post in this thread since it's obvious people have a pre-conceived opinion and aren't taking the time to even read posts that offer facts contrary to said opinions.
:wave:

And where did you get your information that Disney was doing that. As far as has been reported, Disney has only allowed resort guests to ride DME when the guest approached DME and asked. No reports I have seen have said that Disney has allowed any non-resort guest on, or have they approached anyone about the service.

 

[lewisc]

READ MY EARLIER POSTS My information came from talking to the person next to me in line waiting to board my DME bus. One person lives in Orlando and was sent by Disney to the Mears desk to buy a voucher. She took the DME bus to AKL to wait for a relative to pick her up. She said this was cheaper than a taxi.

There have been posts on other Disney boards regarding the greeters on level three sending people to the Mears desk to purchase voucher.

:wave:

And where did you get your information that Disney was doing that. As far as has been reported, Disney has only allowed resort guests to ride DME when the guest approached DME and asked. No reports I have seen have said that Disney has allowed any non-resort guest on, or have they approached anyone about the service.