Magical Express Wait Time?

[Disneyguy1]

Hey everyone! We are going to be going to Disney in TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY! Woohoo! Our flight leaves early that morning and we are planning on spending some time in the parks that same day. We are utilizing the Magical Express and my question is how long does it usually take to wait on the Magical Express from the airport (Orlando)? We are planning our afternoon and we aren't sure how long it will take. If it helps, we will arrive around 12:30 pm in Orlando on a Tuesday. So I wasn't sure if we will be able to basically walk right on, or if we will have to wait 20-30 mins, an hour, etc.? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi @Disneyguy1, FYI, I moved your thread to the Transportation board, where DME is a common discussion topic.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[skippytx]

It depends really. I've walked right past hundreds of waiting people to board a bus as soon as I checked in, and I've waited for 30 minutes or so. I don't think they're on a schedule as they seem to dynamically allocate the buses by demand.

My suggestion is relax and go with the flow. If you're in a big hurry take an Uber or Lyft.

 

[caylene44]

It depends on how many other people are scheduled on your DME. So if your flight comes in first and then another flight with x amount of people comes in slightly after yours, they hold the bus until those people show up. I've heard/seen where you walk on and the bus leaves right away (because you were the last person they were waiting for) or having to wait 20-30 minutes for the last people scheduled on that bus. Usually the bus is already waiting so you will be able to get on it and wait, just depends on who they are waiting for. I've had it where we were the only family on the bus. I'm sure someone on here probably knows the methodology behind how Disney schedules DME pick-ups.

The other thing to consider is you won't know which order resort drop off is. So you could wait 30 minutes for the bus and then wait another hour to actually get dropped off at the hotel.

If you're in a rush, I would look at Uber or Lyft.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Its really unpredictable -- on your way home, DME is IMO much more organized as to knowing when you'll be picked up. Going to Disney though, while I've never had to wait an hour, the wait seems like forever because your anxious to get there.

 

[Lewisc]

Routes generally drop off at resorts closest to the airport first. Resorts close together are generally routed together. POP-CSR-AKL used to be popular. I suspect POP and AoA have enough guests most of the day. Always the change POP and AoA might have too many guests for one bus and the bus will be split to other resorts. Originally buses at MCO were suppose to be released after 20-30 minutes of waiting no matter how many guests. Keep in mind DME needs buses to pick up guests at resorts. That could mean dispatching a bus from MCO earlier then you'd think.

To answer the OPs question. If a bus to your resort just left you might wait 15-30 minutes. If a bus to your resort left 30 minutes ago your bus might be leaving immediately after you board.

 

[DisneySam3775]

Hey everyone! We are going to be going to Disney in TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY! Woohoo! Our flight leaves early that morning and we are planning on spending some time in the parks that same day. We are utilizing the Magical Express and my question is how long does it usually take to wait on the Magical Express from the airport (Orlando)? We are planning our afternoon and we aren't sure how long it will take. If it helps, we will arrive around 12:30 pm in Orlando on a Tuesday. So I wasn't sure if we will be able to basically walk right on, or if we will have to wait 20-30 mins, an hour, etc.? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated!

I figured two hours from the time you land till your at your resort. We were at ASMO within 1.5 hr of landing. Hubby came a couple days after my son and me and he also was at ASMO within 1.5 hr of landing.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Hey everyone! We are going to be going to Disney in TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY! Woohoo! Our flight leaves early that morning and we are planning on spending some time in the parks that same day. We are utilizing the Magical Express and my question is how long does it usually take to wait on the Magical Express from the airport (Orlando)? We are planning our afternoon and we aren't sure how long it will take. If it helps, we will arrive around 12:30 pm in Orlando on a Tuesday. So I wasn't sure if we will be able to basically walk right on, or if we will have to wait 20-30 mins, an hour, etc.? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated!

We've used Magical Express several times over the past 5 years, arriving at different times of the day and night, and have never waited more than 20-30 minutes for it to leave the airport.

 

[kaytieeldr]

or having to wait 20-30 minutes for the last people scheduled on that bus.

Nobody is ever scheduled for a specific resort-bound bus. You check in, you get directed to a line. That resort group could have just had a planeload of guests show up and you're at the end of a long line. Or it could have just had a nuscdepart and you're at the front of the line but have to wait for the next bus to come and fill. Or you could walk straight through the line and out the door and take thevlast seats on a waiting bus which departs the instant you're safely seated. There's no single answer.

Typical time from gate to resort is 70-90 minutes. I've made it in 59; others report two or more hours.

 

[Mmouse1588]

We took the ME last August to yacht club waited about 20 minutes or so.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Estimate approximately 30 minutes to walk to the ME bus area at MCO. 20-30 minutes waiting to get on your bus in the cattle area. 30 minutes to drive to WDW. And 30 minutes stopping at different resorts unless you get to be the lucky first resort.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've had times from 55 mins to 90 mins, gate to resort. Note I say gate, not landing. Once you touchdown, it can be 5 mins or 15 mins to get to the gate, depending on where you land and where your gate is. So...here's a breakdown of possible times..gate to resort:
exit gate, walk to tram....5 min
tram to terminal....5 mins (possible wait time for it to arrive plus ride)
walk from tram to DME area....5-10 mins (depending on bathroom stops/walking pace)
wait to checkin...1-8 mins
in bus line...1-25 mins
ride to resort....25-40 mins (depending on which stop your resort is)

I've had the stars align perfectly and it has taken me under an hour. But, I've also had longer times so it was closer to 90 mins. In my many rides with DME, it has never taken me longer than 85 mins.

For a flight landing around 12:30, I would plan on getting to my resort by 2ish.

 

[focusondisney]

Typical time from gate to resort is 70-90 minutes. I've made it in 59; others report two or more hours.

Yep, that’s us....”2 or more hours”. We’ve only used DME twice, but both times were about 2.5 hours deplaning to hotel.

 

[GoofyCoaster]

We must be an unlucky DME family. Every trip has been minimum of 2 hours from deplaning to resort arrival. The longest was 2 hours 50 minutes. Just had bad timing with a 40 min wait on the bus before it left the airport and we were the very last stop of 4 or 5 resorts.

 

[focusondisney]

We must be an unlucky DME family. Every trip has been minimum of 2 hours from deplaning to resort arrival. The longest was 2 hours 50 minutes. Just had bad timing with a 40 min wait on the bus before it left the airport and we were the very last stop of 4 or 5 resorts.

I knew we weren’t the only ones! Sorry you have had bad experiences too. We’re sticking with a town car from now on.

 

[nkereina]

Agree with PPs. The rough estimate always given is to expect 90 minutes from landing to arriving at your resort. We've had it take longer, and we've had it be shorter than that. The commute from the airport to WDW is 30 minutes. The rest of the time will vary depending on how long the bus has to wait to leave after you board, and how many stops the bus makes before your resort.

 

[Debbie Jean]

I go several times a year and always take ME. My rule is "hope for the best, plan for the worst". Because it is a dynamic system, there is no way to know for sure exactly how long it will take. I've done it in an hour and had times when it was well over two hours. Even when you board the bus, it is possible to sit for another half hour waiting for it to fill.

My plans on arrival day are always flexible... best case, worst case scenario.

 

[cmwade77]

The only time we had a long wait was when going with a friend with a service dog and the first bus driver was highly allergic to dogs. He didn't make a bug deal out of it and was willing to drive us anyway, we said there was no way were were going to cause him to have an allergy attack and that we would wait for the next bus. They got another bus quickly for us and gave us places to sit, water and such while we waited. Seriously, they couldn't know and the first bus was litterally getting ready to leave when we got there, so really it wasn't a bad wait and everyone was very apologetic, really it is an allergy and we didn't wan any issues as a result of that.