Transportation between airport & WDW

[spb825]

I have read other threads on this topic but I wanted to start one of my own since my wife and I will be going to WDW in October for our 10-year anniversary and we will be staying at the Polynesian. We have three options to get us to and from the airport: Disney Magical Express, town car service, or a rental car. We have been reading in the guide books negative experiences had with DME regarding have to wait til the bus fills until you leave to go to your resort and your luggage being delayed. Has anyone experienced this lately? I know the choice of which option to use is based on our preference. A town car service would be great except for the fact that we have to get our own luggage but that is not an issue. Renting a car is the least thought about option since I assume the resort has transportation to the other resorts, all the parks, Downtown Disney, and the water parks. I am basically looking for all experiences, good or bad, that anyone has had regarding the Disney Magical Express. Thanks.

under 31 weeks to go. Woo-Hoo!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

While a towncar will offer you the highest level of service, I don't think you will have a problem with magical express. The buses will wait a little while to fill, but they won't keep you sitting there forever either. Bags usually take around 3 hours to arrive after you get to your resort, and isn't usually longer unless something happens. I think that if you go with DME, you will be fine.

And once you get to property there are buses (or in your case monorails too) to all the parks, water parks, and downtown Disney. You can reach any resort usually through a simple transfer from a park or Downtown Disney.

 

[darrin933]

I always get a rental car. The airport has a few rentals that are on site. I always use alamo. It usually takes us about 45-60 minutes to get off the plane,get the bags, get to the car and then get to the polynesian. We like getting a car also because there are times when it is quicker to have your own car there and with staying at the polynesian you dont park far away from the gch. You can check your bags for the return trip at the poly and they take care of them.

 

[Rob562]

From what I've heard, except for extreme circumstances, DME buses will sit at the airport for a maximum of 15 minutes before leaving for WDW.

There were many "teething" issues when the service started 3 years ago, but they have all since been ironed out.

-Rob

 

[Krupknick]

DME will wait untill there are 25 people on the bus before they leave. Do a town car it's faster and they will make a stop for you to get water,soda etc.I allways use Quicksilver for a town car got burned by DME once and will not again.

 

[Monty]

DME will wait untill there are 25 people on the bus before they leave. Do a town car it's faster and they will make a stop for you to get water,soda etc.I allways use Quicksilver for a town car got burned by DME once and will not again.

Hardly a condemnation...

I've had nothing but excellent experiences in six trips using DME. I would highly recommend the service to anyone who feels no need of a half-hour grocery stop. Honestly, paying for the town car service to save a few dollars on water has never appealed to me. I can see it if you wanted to buy breakfast and lunch supplies and intended on eating breakfast in your room and taking a lunch with you to the parks [I'm too lazy to put that much effort into food :lookaroun]. Similarly, renting a car for the duration of my stay seems a waste, the only time I would use it while on property would be to travel resort-to-resort for an ADR at a resort restaurant, a cab costs less than $20 each way, which is cheaper.

 

[Mouser365]

We used Magical Expres and loved it. The wait time was minimal. You'll spend more time getting your own bags and waiting for that rental. Go Magical Express! The whole way to WL they played Disney music and our driver was calling out Disney trivia questions! The magic began as soon as we stepped off the plane!

 

[mickey&me]

DME will wait untill there are 25 people on the bus before they leave. Do a town car it's faster and they will make a stop for you to get water,soda etc.I allways use Quicksilver for a town car got burned by DME once and will not again.

Beg to differ. We were there in Dec., and our DME bus with guests for all the All Stars left with 18 on board--I counted. We were on about third group and waited 15 minutes before departure.

 

[Nansafan]

Big fan of DME here. Not having to deal with luggage is worth the price (oh yeah, it's free) and you get to watch a video on your ride. No hassling with traffic, another bonus. If you're worried about your luggage you can get it yourself and bring it with you to DME.

 

[DAKOTADISNEY]

Loved DME! Our luggage did take awhile for it to show up in our room, but it wasn't a problem. It was wonderful not to have to drive anywhere or haul around our luggage. They seemed very efficient getting people on busses and on their way. That was our experience, anyway.

 

[Wendy517]

We have done both DME and towncar (Quicksilver & Tiffany Townecar - prefer Quicksilver). Your decision may also be swayed by the time of day you arrive at WDW. For our trip in May, we will be arriving at 7pm, which means it could take until 10pm to receive our luggage. For this reason we have chosen the townecar. If arriving earlier in the day, and you don't mind stopping at a couple of other resorts first, then use DME. Disney transportation is awesome, but if you're planning on visiting other resorts (besides the Deluxe monorail resorts), a rental car is not a bad idea as there are no direct buses BETWEEN resorts. Just my opinions, based on what I've experienced. Have a great trip!

 

[Gucci65]

Many, many years ago we waited for over 2 hours to climb aboard a Mears bus after arriving at 6am. By the time the bus showed up, there were will over 300 people trying to get on the bus - it was not a pretty site.

So since then we have always used Tiffany Towncar and absolutely loved it. Our last trip we decided to try DME (esp since it was free!). As soon as we checked in downstairs, we walked onto the red carpet and were put directly on the bus. No waiting for us. Our flight arrived around 4pm, so we went to Downtown Disney and had dinner at the RainForest Cafe - when we got back to our room around 8pm, our bags had arrived.

I really loved checking in my bags that last day and heading to the park til it was time to leave. Instead of getting out luggage and waiting for the car - it was already taken care of and headed for the airport!

Awesome, I will definately recommend DME!!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Use Magical Express, unless you want a rental car for some other reason than getting to and from the airport.

Put the ME luggage tags on all checked luggage.
Carry on whatever you may need when you first arrive.

When you get to your hotel, check in and then go to the parks; don't wait for your luggage. It will be put into your room while you are out having fun.

 

[mattfusf]

I've been very happy with QuickSilver town car service, used them many times. Its quick, the driver meets you right at the baggage claim and takes care of loading luggage into the car and then passing it onto the bell service at the hotel, so its really not too big of a deal with luggage.

It is certainly more pricey than DME, but a lot quieter and "feels" quicker since there is not much waiting around.

 

[Cruiser237]

MGE is free of course...the only time I used it was to get to the Grand Floridian and I had no complaints at all.

I've also used Quicksilver's limo a couple of times..it's a little pricey, but it helps you feel like you are on vacation even more:wave:

 

[CleveRocks]

DME will wait untill there are 25 people on the bus before they leave.

This is made up information. Made up or badly mistaken.

In any case, it's completely untrue.

Disney's written internal policy states that a bus pulls out no later than 15 minutes after the first guest boards. Has this been followed 100% of the time? Of course not, no system is perfect. But stating that the policy is that DME waits for 25 people is just a total fabrication.

The last time I rode DME there were 12 of us on the bus. Granted, I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I don't think I count as 2 people and I know that the others didn't, either.

 

[csaribay]

Unless you have certain needs like going to a grocer during your trip to the Walt Disney World resort, I would highly recommend DME. My family has used it numerous times, and it has always been a great experience. It may take a little while for your bags to arrive, but just pack a day-bag and carry it along with you, and you'll be fine. You can't really beat the price either, since it's a complimentary feature of Disney resort stays.

The Polynesian should be the second stop on that area's bus, after a quick stop at the Grand Floridian.

Something I always tell people is if they are just looking to get water and related non-perishables, to just buy a case before you go and check it through with your airline (assuming you're not going over your baggage allowance by doing so). Stick the yellow-tags on, and you'll have water delivered to your room!

 

[MickeyGirl910]

We used Magical Expres and loved it. The wait time was minimal. You'll spend more time getting your own bags and waiting for that rental. Go Magical Express! The whole way to WL they played Disney music and our driver was calling out Disney trivia questions! The magic began as soon as we stepped off the plane!

I couldn't agree more! That's the fun of it. You're at Disney right away. I have used DME two times, and am using them for a third time in October. The first time we got there at 1:30 a.m., and were taken straight to our resort. Our bags had arrived, but they kindly waited until the morning and left a message for us to let them know when we would like the luggage. We called and they were brought to us within 15 minutes. The second time we arrived around 3:00 p.m. We went to MK and by the time we got back to our room our bags were sitting there waiting for us. Both wonderful experiences with DME. I'm sure there have been cases where people weren't completely satisfied, but I haven't experienced that, so I recommend it highly. Have fun!!!!!

 

[imamouse]

DME will wait untill there are 25 people on the bus before they leave. Do a town car it's faster and they will make a stop for you to get water,soda etc.I allways use Quicksilver for a town car got burned by DME once and will not again.

IF this was policy at one point in time, it isn't any longer. On Dec 6, 2007 I boarded a DME bus that had just arrived. The driver informed me that we had to wait 15 min before departing. One other passenger showed up and off we went after the waiting period ended.

 

[figmentisgreat]

DME was wonderful

I absolutely loved it. Pretty much, we got off the plane, went downstairs, and walked along the red carpet. We got to the front of the line, and had a woman wearing mouse gloves high five us on our way to the bus. We got on the bus, and it was only a couple of minutes before our bus left. We watched an intro movie to WDW. It was so cute )

Then, we got to WDW, checked in (which took all of 5 minutes), and went to our room to relax. Then, we went to the food court to get our refillable mugs (we were in ASMusic). We went back to the room and then over to Downtown Disney. By the time we got back, the bags were sent up )

It was a really wonderful experience!

Then, on our way home, we just got onto the bus with our bags, and they drove us back to the airport. It extended the magic just a little more...