Magical Express changes pick up time from 3 to 4 hours prior to flight

[rpb718]

Starting Friday, November 17 - The Magical Express just got slightly less magical (and becoming more "Tragical Express" in the process) by now requiring folks to head to the airport an hour earlier. If your plans for your last day counted on leaving 3 hours before your flight using ME, you need to adjust your plans.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories...ick-up-guests-four-hours-before-their-flight/

I wonder how they are informing the folks already at WDW of this change?

DW says if this is still around next Spring, we'll be sending the bags off and later Uber/Lyft-ing it over to the airport.

 

[Allison]

Bags don't go back to the airport via ME anyway unless you carry them on the bus yourself. You check bags in at the resort via RAC.

I'm not surprised about the change though given the increased wait times through security.

 

[rpb718]

Bags don't go back to the airport via ME anyway unless you carry them on the bus yourself. You check bags in at the resort via RAC.

Thanks - corrected.

 

[BigredNole]

Not too big of a deal for us. We had planned on leaving MK by noon with a pickup at 2:30. Now, it will be a 1:30 pickup. We should still have enough time. If not, Uber from CR.

 

[DebbieB]

Someone posted this afternoon that they were not allowing people to go into the security line until 2 hours prior. So why be there 3? They need to get their act together.

People will be informed when they get their pickup letter. My last day is December 8, our flight is 3:15. Have a breakfast at BC at 9:55, cutting it close if they now pick us up at 11:15. Trying to change, no openings.

 

[gillep]

Will definitely be using Uber if this continues, there is no reason to be at MCO that early if you are using RAC and have pre-check.

 

[BreezysMom]

When we went to Universal in August we almost missed our flight because of the TSA lines. When we went to WDW in October we had TSA pre check and used ME and we still had to hussel to get to our gate so I think it’s a necessary inconvenience that is not really WDW fault.

I’m not quite sure what happened to MCO. I used to be impressed by how efficient it was compared to O’Hare but now???

 

[senadler]

If we want to use the bag check at the hotel, do we need to have signed up for ME? We have always done it that way so I wasn't sure. Is there a way to just check bags without having the ME reservation?

We are not going until February, but our flight is at 3 PM, no way do I want to leave for the airport at 11 AM. Right now we planned on a 10:30 AM breakfast at Boma, which will still leave us plenty of time to just take a uber or taxi if ME is that early.

 

[siskaren]

If we want to use the bag check at the hotel, do we need to have signed up for ME? We have always done it that way so I wasn't sure. Is there a way to just check bags without having the ME reservation?

We are not going until February, but our flight is at 3 PM, no way do I want to leave for the airport at 11 AM. Right now we planned on a 10:30 AM breakfast at Boma, which will still leave us plenty of time to just take a uber or taxi if ME is that early.

RAC (Resort Airline Check-in) isn't connected to DME - think of it as curbside check-in, except the curb is at your hotel. And right now, they're only doing the 4 hour window through January 17.

 

[hllb]

RAC (Resort Airline Check-in) isn't connected to DME - think of it as curbside check-in, except the curb is at your hotel. And right now, they're only doing the 4 hour window through January 17.

Where did you see that? I just saw that they would re-evaluate after the holidays but no specific date.

 

[siskaren]

Where did you see that? I just saw that they would re-evaluate after the holidays but no specific date.

I could've sworn the date was in the article the OP linked.

 

[klrobinson999]

Just got back home from WDW. Security was a mess at the airport... a total mess! Over an hour wait in the TSA lines. So many travelers coming through MCO now. They need a whole redesign of the airport to accommodate, IMO.

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

So we have to use UBER for our way back to MCO in March. The 4 hours before international flights always were to much time (3 hours waiting) for me even at Christmas, now with even 5 hours they would pick us up at 4p.m. (for a 9p.m. flight) and we already have scheduled the "Keys to the Kingdom"-tour at 9.30 a.m. (and probably a FP-reservation after it), so the time for our way back to OKW is possible to tight.

 

[TempleOT]

Whats going on with the increase in crowds? Is it strictly related to the increase in travelers due to the holiday season? TSA crowds weren't that bad when we traveled this past May.

 

[GillianP1301]

To me this sounds like extra precaution being taken during the holiday season. Security wait times are up at MCO recently and I imagine that only gets exasperated during the holiday season. I would not be surprised at all to see this go back to 3 hours when they do their "re-evaluation" in January and once the highest peak time for air travel has passed.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Maybe it's so they can do more stops at different resorts?

 

[CinderDuffy]

I could've sworn the date was in the article the OP linked.

It starts November 17th & ends in January so your brain probably made it January 17th. It happens to me all the time.

 

[klrobinson999]

They may have been taking extra precaution (and thus, slowing down the whole process) after the lithium battery incident last Friday. Still, it looked like a real cluster. There's simply not enough room for orderly lines because of the building design. It's unfortunate they can't move the TSA checkpoints to the 4 wings instead of the central terminal.

 

[Hojobones]

What’s the going rate for uber to MCO from one of the Disney resorts ie boardwalk? Just got precheck and really don’t want to leave four hours early in December....

 

[Lesley Wake]

What’s the going rate for uber to MCO from one of the Disney resorts ie boardwalk? Just got precheck and really don’t want to leave four hours early in December....

It looks like ~$30.