DME Departure time changes with MCO Travel Advisory

[SilSprBea]

So I just called Disney Magical Express and I was told that all reservations after November 17th will be 4+ hours before scheduled flight time for both domestic and international. He said it was due to heightened TSA screening. I asked if there was any flexibility for people with pre-check, and he said for them it was maybe 1/2 hour less. He confirmed my pickup time would be 10:50, which is actually almost 4 hours before flight (2:38pm). It seems ridiculous to be honest. I'd uber to the airport, but the need for 2 car seats is a complicating factor.

 

[ChrisNY2]

...I asked if there was any flexibility for people with pre-check, and he said for them it was maybe 1/2 hour less...

I've mentioned in emails to WDW a couple of times that they really need a kind of "expert mode" or "choose your own pick up time at your own risk" feature. As a single adult who's either alone or with a friend, with Pre-Check, Clear, often upgraded to First Class, I really don't need to get to the airport very early. I get that they need to build in time for people who have wheelchairs, strollers, ticket counter lines, etc, but the rest of us don't need to be picked up at the worst-case scenario time! So, I'll just either lie about what flight I'm on or take a Lyft/Uber. Which isn't a big deal, but it certainly removes Magical Express from my calculations of whether to stay on or off property.

 

[SilSprBea]

I've mentioned in emails to WDW a couple of times that they really need a kind of "expert mode" or "choose your own pick up time at your own risk" feature. As a single adult who's either alone or with a friend, with Pre-Check, Clear, often upgraded to First Class, I really don't need to get to the airport very early. I get that they need to build in time for people who have wheelchairs, strollers, ticket counter lines, etc, but the rest of us don't need to be picked up at the worst-case scenario time! So, I'll just either lie about what flight I'm on or take a Lyft/Uber. Which isn't a big deal, but it certainly removes Magical Express from my calculations of whether to stay on or off property.

If you give a fake return flight to buy you more time, does it complicate the resort luggage check in process since they would need your real flight? Just curious. I'm most likely going to stick with my real flight info and just suck up the early pickup time, but just wondering about this just in case!

 

[Jimsig]

The new pick up times seams crazy (especially for those with pre-check) for them to be doing as normally MCO won't even let you past security if you flight is not within 2 hours. Wonder if they are now going to allow that with the heightened security?

 

[seashoreCM]

The new pick up times seams crazy (especially for those with pre-check) for them to be doing as normally MCO won't even let you past security if you flight is not within 2 hours. Wonder if they are now going to allow that with the heightened security?

Under the old system (bus time around 3 hours before flight time) there have been numerous instances of guests getting back to the airport in the 90 minute or less time frame. By setting the normal bus time to be 4 hours befor flight time the 90 minute airport arrival becomes 150 minutes give or take. From here having to wait until 120 minutes before your flight to line up for security is not that out of line.

It is also appropriate to have a general tendency to not hold up people with a flight leaving in the next 45 minutes or less by people ahead in line whose flights don't leave for 2 hours or more.

I would think that giving a fake flight for Magical Express would not interfere with checking bags on the way home. The Resort Airline Check In works with your real plane ticket and does not involve your DME reservation paper that has your bus time on it. Also, the RAC is part of airport operations as opposed to part of DME or resort operations.

 

[SilSprBea]

Well it’s officially reported: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories...ick-up-guests-four-hours-before-their-flight/

 

[goingthedistance]

So I wonder how this will impact RAC for checked luggage from the hotels. RAC is (was) 3 hours prior to flight which had RAC/DME match. My family and I are looking at RAC for luggage and then our own transportation to MCO. Hopefully RAC is still 3 hours.

 

[Farro]

We have pre-check and 4 hours is absolutely ridiculous. Two weeks ago we breezed through pre-check in no time.

Hopefully things are back to normal when we go again, but if not we will use RAC and then call an Uber.

 

[AngiTN]

I've mentioned in emails to WDW a couple of times that they really need a kind of "expert mode" or "choose your own pick up time at your own risk" feature. As a single adult who's either alone or with a friend, with Pre-Check, Clear, often upgraded to First Class, I really don't need to get to the airport very early. I get that they need to build in time for people who have wheelchairs, strollers, ticket counter lines, etc, but the rest of us don't need to be picked up at the worst-case scenario time! So, I'll just either lie about what flight I'm on or take a Lyft/Uber. Which isn't a big deal, but it certainly removes Magical Express from my calculations of whether to stay on or off property.

I agree. 3 hours was too much, 4 hours is ridiculous. We gave up and just do Uber straight from the park anyway. I never considered giving them an alternate flight. If we are ever back at a point where we'd like to leave from the park instead of the resort I'll be doing this for sure. Even with 2 hours we have more than enough time at the airport.

 

[Pdollar88]

Watching closely as I haven't used DME for over 10 years.

If I don't have pre-check, would it still make sense to not do DME and Uber? I don't particularly want to be picked up at 3 or 3:30 for my 7:20 am flight.

I am afraid of how long sercurity will take -- but leaving the resort at 4, getting to the airport hopefully by 4:30. Surely that would be enough time?

 

[AngiTN]

Even having to take my own bags with me I can't imagine needing that long to get to the airport. Honestly, with a flight that early, I would pay for Uber no matter what. Simply because of the hour and I wouldn't want to waste any time of it going to other resorts on DME. I'd rather call for Uber, go right from my Resort to MCO, which is a 30 min drive

 

[Pdollar88]

Even having to take my own bags with me I can't imagine needing that long to get to the airport. Honestly, with a flight that early, I would pay for Uber no matter what. Simply because of the hour and I wouldn't want to waste any time of it going to other resorts on DME. I'd rather call for Uber, go right from my Resort to MCO, which is a 30 min drive

That's how I felt - but all the talk of TSA waits made me nervous. What time would you normally catch an uber from your resort to get to the airport for a 7:20 flight? Would leaving at 4:30 give enough time?

 

[AngiTN]

That's how I felt - but all the talk of TSA waits made me nervous. What time would you normally catch an uber from your resort to get to the airport for a 7:20 flight? Would leaving at 4:30 give enough time?

Yes, if not 5:00.
But I do have PreCheck. Without it, I would leave at 4:30. At that time of day there's no way it's not enough time.

 

[ChrisNY2]

If you give a fake return flight to buy you more time, does it complicate the resort luggage check in process since they would need your real flight? Just curious. I'm most likely going to stick with my real flight info and just suck up the early pickup time, but just wondering about this just in case!

A couple of years ago, it occasionally caused issues where my Transportation Notice would say something like "For security reasons, you must check in your luggage at the airport." (Still didn't cause much of an issue because at the time I flew US Airways all the time, which had a 30 minute cutoff for checked bags, and being an elite member, I always had plenty of time.) But the past couple of years, even with giving "fake" flights, I haven't had that issue and have checked in my luggage at the resort with no problem. They just ask for your flight number and last name and can pull up the reservation.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

4 Hours huh? I think you can add us to the Uber group. I'm a bit concerned about the construction and security since we are traveling the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but our flight is 9:30pm. I have Pre, but the rest of the party doesn't so regular line for us. I still think 3 hours will be fine.

Sorry, but the cynic in me wonders if this is a lead in to Disney offering a premium upsell experience to ME. I can't see them giving that business to Uber/Lyft for long.

 

[goofy4tink]

Am I happy about the four hours? No, no even close. BUT....I have a good friend who traveled from BLT to MCO Nov 4. She was picked up a bit more than 3 hrs prior to flight departure. She had checked her bag at RAC and has precheck. But, it took an hour to get off property. They made, if I remember correctly, four stops total, three after her pickup. She was picked up around 5:30, for an 8:30pm flight. She said that security was miserable when she finally got to MCO! Because she has precheck, she got to the gate about an hour prior to departure...the tram was backed up, even precheck took longer than normal. She said that there were people on her flight that were running to get to the gate...arrived about the same time boarding started. According to her, those people had been in the security line for an hour!!!
I think it's a combination of road construction around WDW (it slows down getting off property), add a slow bus driver or higher traffic levels, new TSA security proceedures that change constantly, people that aren't experienced travelers so have no idea what's going on, tram construction. It's a perfect storm.
Disney could help out by scheduling more DME buses, making stops are two, possibly three, resorts. Then, rather than sitting there, at the resort, for 15 mins, waiting for people to show up, just leave at the appointed time! I've been on too many buses that arrived at the stop about 5 mins prior to the stated pick up time, only to sit there, waiting for possible late comers, until 15 mins past the scheduled departure time. And it's really annoying when they don't show up at all. Or when three people come rushing up, late, telling the driver that the rest of their group is 'on their way'. So, the driver waits...another 5 mins. I had one driver leave.....without the rest of the group! The whole bus cheered. We had already been sitting there for almost 20 mins!!!!

 

[Eastern]

Disney could help out by scheduling more DME buses, making stops are two, possibly three, resorts. Then, rather than sitting there, at the resort, for 15 mins, waiting for people to show up, just leave at the appointed time! I've been on too many buses that arrived at the stop about 5 mins prior to the stated pick up time, only to sit there, waiting for possible late comers, until 15 mins past the scheduled departure time. And it's really annoying when they don't show up at all. Or when three people come rushing up, late, telling the driver that the rest of their group is 'on their way'. So, the driver waits...another 5 mins. I had one driver leave.....without the rest of the group! The whole bus cheered. We had already been sitting there for almost 20 mins!!!!

ITA. The people who are waiting for others to show up are really annoying. But Disney should also not schedule 4 pickups like they always do. Even if it's 2 people, it takes time to get to the resort, wait for other vehicles to get out of the way, load the luggage, answer the questions, etc.

 

[bebec22]

I know I am in the minority but I am glad about the new 4 hour pick-up. On my last 2 trips DME was over 30 minutes late picking us up, then we had additional stops. Lines at security were fairly short and we still had minimal time before boarding.

I do, however, travel with 2 young children. I have to stop at the ticket counter to get a boarding verification document for my lap child which takes a decent amount of time. Then diaper change and potty stop. Then we like to get something to eat. So all in all I am happy to have the extra time, although I am not thrilled about a 6:30am (or earlier) pick up! I looked into changing my flight to a later one but decided against it. The way it is now, we'll be home just about at nap time on New Year's Eve. My next trip (after the Dec one) is in April so it will be interesting to see if this is still in place at that time.

 

[Eastern]

I know I am in the minority but I am glad about the new 4 hour pick-up. On my last 2 trips DME was over 30 minutes late picking us up, then we had additional stops. Lines at security were fairly short and we still had minimal time before boarding.

I do, however, travel with 2 young children. I have to stop at the ticket counter to get a boarding verification document for my lap child which takes a decent amount of them. Then diaper change and potty stop. Then we like to get something to eat. So all in all I am happy to have the extra time, although I am not thrilled about a 6:30am (or earlier) pick up! I looked into changing my flight to a later one but decided against it. The way it is now, we'll be home just about at nap time on New Year's Eve. My next trip is in April so I will be interesting to see if this is still in place at that time.

But instead of putting it on the customer (who is locked into spending all their money at Disney because #norentalcar) maybe Disney should have more buses in service, and have less pickup stops. But no, they want every bus leaving packed full, and it doesn't matter to them if they have to take an extra hour from your life to do it.

 

[bebec22]

But instead of putting it on the customer (who is locked into spending all their money at Disney because #norentalcar) maybe Disney should have more buses in service, and have less pickup stops. But no, they want every bus leaving packed full, and it doesn't matter to them if they have to take an extra hour from your life to do it.

I like what someone else mentioned about having a choice of when they pick you up (3 vs 4 hours). I understand that it takes me much longer to do everything with the 2 little kids plus the double stroller and all our stuff. It's definitely not fair to the solo travelers or the travelers without young children and people with pre-check.