How does Magical Express work?

UKDEB

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Jul 7, 2000
We've booked flights and DVC for January. We'e thinking we may not bother with a car for the onsite element of our stay. Has anyone used ME? What is the procedure? Where do you go when land at MCO and what happens to your luggage? I'd like a step by step, idiot's guide, please.
 
you phone member services and tell them you want to use ME.Give them flight details ect and they will send out ME tickets,it has to be pre booked you can not just turn up at desk and get ME there and then(could do it like that but taxi firms complained)
Paulh
 
Thanks, Paul. What happens when you land at MCO? Presumably you have to collect your bags at the first baggage claim and clear Customs as normal? Can you then forget about the second baggage claim? Where do you go to get the bus? How often do they depart, or do they just wait to fill up and then leave? If you just miss one, how long would you have to wait for the next?
 
you can just forget about bags at mco if you want.If you have a connecting flight you will have to pick them up at the connecting airport to put them onto the flight to MCO.We have always picked our bags up as it usaly is a late flight into MCO and bags can take 4 hours to get to room ok if you get in at 9am but not 9pm.If you are doing this dont put the ME yellow tags on bags or the will be taken of carosel for ME.The pick up desk for ME is near the rental car desks think on 2nd floor.There are plenty of details on ME bumph or if problems at airport just ask.If tickets dont arive but you have booked just go to the desk.Buses should depart every 20min but weve got there late so they have gone as soon as we have got on them
Paulh
 
try the transportation board out as well deb:thumbsup2
Paulh
 
Yes, I can echo about the bags taking hours to reach you at your hotel. It says on the info from Disney allow 3 hours, but ours took 4hours, and in the end I had to keep phoning, and go down to where the bags are unloaded and fetch them myself, because it was 3.00am US time, and I was very tired.
I suggest keeping hold of them once having arrived, and putting them on the coach yourself. I'm pretty sure that you can do this.
 
....I suggest keeping hold of them once having arrived, and putting them on the coach yourself. I'm pretty sure that you can do this.

You can as that's what we did. Our flight was delayed and landed at 9pm Florida time so I got the bags and took them with me to the coach. They were stowed underneath no problem.

When you collect your cases (if that's what you want to do) you go down to the floor where the car hire desks are and the ME desk is right at the very, very end. The set up is a bit like car hire you wait in a line (wasn't one when we were there) and hand over your voucher. The CM behind the desk tells you which coach line to get in. The coach line was in true Disney fashion with many twists and turns ;) but again we walked straight to the front. There is a CM at the end of the line checking your ticket and they tell you which coach to get on. We waited on the coach for about 10 minutes before we left during which time another 6 - 8 families got on.

We had a great driver and she made a few standard announcements including the stops. We were staying at AKL but stopped at All Stars and Pop first. The driver put on an interesting Disney promo DVD which lasted almost all the way to All Stars. The whole journey took about 40 minutes.

We drove back to the airport ourselves so I can't comment on the return leg but I thought ME was great and would use them again.:thumbsup2
 
Deb, we had a good experience with our luggage last year, we collected it at first baggage claim and then left the rest to Disney. We did our first two nights at ASMusic as you know, I think we waited ten minutes for the bus to leave, and we stopped at Coronado Springs first. We checked in at Music and went down to the bar for a cocktail or two as you do, and by the time we got back the luggage was there, so I would say an hour after us arriving at the resort, the luggage was in the room. As Paul says just give Member Services a ring and let them know you want to add Magic Express to your booking, they will need your flight number. The ME pick up is on the ground floor, at the very far end, to the right I think, there will be nice Disney people with big Mickey hands to wave you in the right direction, you then check in at the poduim and they tell you which queue to join. We have done this twice on our arrival (always have a car by the time we go back to the airport) and have booked again for this year to take us to Saratoga. Last year our driver insisted on us doing a quiz on the way to the resort rather than playing the video that they normally show, I felt a little sorry for him, his English was poor, and the people on the bus made a bit of a mockery of him, I hate things like that, so it made me a little unconfortable, he was only trying to be pleasant.
 
Deb - I just thought of a potential problem - How are you going to get Matt on a bus !!!
 
hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question .

if we booked ME for SSR how does it work when you get dropped off. we stayed at CP the last time which is quite a walk from the check-in and we also have our son in a wheelchair so wondering how we would get the luggage to the room
 
hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question .

if we booked ME for SSR how does it work when you get dropped off. we stayed at CP the last time which is quite a walk from the check-in and we also have our son in a wheelchair so wondering how we would get the luggage to the room

If ME takes your luggage Bell Services will deliver it to your room a few hours later. If you take it on the coach yourself you can still ask Bell Services to deliver it for you and they will bring it right away.
 
Deb - I just thought of a potential problem - How are you going to get Matt on a bus !!!
When you first register for ME or when you check in for ME, you let the CM know that you need a wheelchair accessible bus. Not all are, but it should not take more than a few extra minutes to get one that is. The wheelchair accessible ones have a lift at the rear of the bus.
 
When you first register for ME or when you check in for ME, you let the CM know that you need a wheelchair accessible bus. Not all are, but it should not take more than a few extra minutes to get one that is. The wheelchair accessible ones have a lift at the rear of the bus.


Sue, Matt is not disabled - well, not physically anyway ;) I think Jules was actually referring to the fact that Matt is way too cool to get on a bus :rotfl2:
 
I was indeed referring to Matts coolness, Sorry for any confusion !
 
Deb, we had a good experience with our luggage last year, we collected it at first baggage claim and then left the rest to Disney
So, just to be clear - you do need to collect your bags and clear Customs with them? I was hoping we could forget about them altogether once we'd checked in at Gatwick. (Wishful thinking a speciality :teeth: )

I assume they have different buses for certain groups of resorts. Just wanting to be sure I'm not going to find myself on a bus doing a tour of all the resorts before being dropped off at mine. :rolleyes:
 
thats right Deb just pick the bags up once. Wjen we went to Music they stopped at Coronado first, and the first time we used the service into Saratoga they stopped at Old Key West first. So different buses to different resorts, I assume the Saratoga bus may also do the Port Orleans resorts too.
 
Thanks for all the info! :thumbsup2 I shall be using ME for DS and myself in December so it's good to know it's straightforward...
 
if the bus drops you off at check-in . do you have to walk to your room. just thinking what with SSR being a huge resort my parents would struggle if we say did ME and picked up the car the next day
 
No Ali

Bell Services have mini buses or little cart things and they will drive you to your room, if you have your luggage with you, they have a collapsable trolley and they will assst you with the luggage. If you are close enough to check in you can choose to walk, but they will take you to whichever part of the resort you are staying at. Hope this helps ...
 

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