To use Magical Express or not???

[ashleymrush]

Looking for advice on whether to use Magical Express or not. We will be arriving at 7:10 pm on the first night. We will have two kids with us (9 & 6 years old). We are going to get our luggage ourselves since we don't want it delivered after the kids are in bed already at 10ish. Would we make it to the hotel faster if we just got a Lyft instead of taking the bus? I don't mind paying the cost if it could get us to the hotel a lot earlier, especially considering we will need to eat dinner once we get to the resort. If it's not that much faster, we will just take the bus.

So that is the issue for when we arrive, when we leave our flight is at 10:20. Is it better to use the Magical Express that morning and get on the bus 3 hours before our flight at 7:20 in the morning or just take a Lyft again back to the hotel and get a little more sleep. We are prepared to bring our youngest son's booster seat either way.

Just curious. I haven't used Magical Express in years because we've been driving instead of driving. I don't really know what our best course of action is. TIA!

 

[Pmm_]

Lyft or Uber would cost you probably 30/40. Honestly, magical express is so convenient. Worst amount of time for us was getting to the hotel like an hour after landing.

When you leave I’d just do the same thing as you decide for when you arrive. I’ve left as early as 4am for flights on magic express and never had an issue.

 

[MouseyMin]

Unless you have TSA Precheck, you really need to arrive at MCO at least 2 hours before your flight. The lines at security are very long. I would save the money and just take the bus.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Take Magical Express

 

[lambdabeta]

To answer your question. Yes it would be faster to take a Lyft/Uber from the airport to your hotel. It is only a 20 min drive from the airport. A Lyft/Uber will probably be able to pick you up within 5 mins of calling them at that time. So all together you should be at your hotel in 30-40 mins. DME is an average of an hour. It can take up to two hours so yes a Lyft/Uber would get you there faster. As far as the ride back if you look at other posters it seems DME is picking people up 3-4 hours before their flight. If it is a domestic flight 2 hours is plenty of time, so again a Lyft/Uber would be fastest. I will have a car and will be enjoying the extra sleep and time at the resort on my check out day by not taking DME.

 

[tjmw2727]

DME is an average of 90 minutes on the inbound, a town car lyft or uber will save you probably 20/30 minutes so if the cost is worth it is different for each of us. IMHO waiting on your bags is the biggest "time investment" you face.

Honestly I would pack necessities and PJ's in your carry on, use DME and let them deliver your bags. It usually takes about 3 hours after you check in to get the bags - you could use the DND sign and keep an eye out for them to intercept if the kids are asleep.

Same on the outbound, 3 hours sounds long but even a town car will pick you up 2 1/2 hours prior and unless you have TSA pre I wouldn't schedule a lift/uber for much closer than that. TSA at MCO is know for being hours long ….

We have TSA pre and always use DME on the inbound and usually on the outbound as well but sometimes we do use a rideshare if we are at a park and don't want to take the time to go back to the resort.

 

[rosiebean]

If it were in my budget, I'd definitely Lyft/Uber to the airport (I really dislike how long I have to wait at my gate leaving WDW...just too much time and often with tired kids).

To the hotel? Honestly, I love taking ME to the resort. I love the excitement of getting my magic band scanned for the bus, watching the videos on the bus, seeing the other resorts as we drop off guests, seeing the other guests who are so excited, etc. It would just feel a little off for me if I didn't take ME. Even getting my own luggage, ME has taken on average an hour to an hour 1/2 to get me to my resort. I've always been willing to use that extra time on the bus getting into the Disney bubble.

That said, if it would make it easier on my kids to Lyft/Uber to the resort because of the timing of the flight (and if it were in my budget), I'd absolutely do that. And in your case, wanting to get your kids to the resort and get dinner at a decent hour, it makes total sense to skip ME.

 

[Hopefully]

Looking for advice on whether to use Magical Express or not. We will be arriving at 7:10 pm on the first night. We will have two kids with us (9 & 6 years old). We are going to get our luggage ourselves since we don't want it delivered after the kids are in bed already at 10ish. Would we make it to the hotel faster if we just got a Lyft instead of taking the bus? I don't mind paying the cost if it could get us to the hotel a lot earlier, especially considering we will need to eat dinner once we get to the resort. If it's not that much faster, we will just take the bus.

So that is the issue for when we arrive, when we leave our flight is at 10:20. Is it better to use the Magical Express that morning and get on the bus 3 hours before our flight at 7:20 in the morning or just take a Lyft again back to the hotel and get a little more sleep. We are prepared to bring our youngest son's booster seat either way.

Just curious. I haven't used Magical Express in years because we've been driving instead of driving. I don't really know what our best course of action is. TIA!

This question is best asked on the Transportation Forum here on the DIS rather than the Resort Forum

 

[cutigerlady]

We use a Towne car service and we get greeted at baggage claim and get assistance with our bags. The car is steps away and 20 minutes later we are at the resort! Super convenient. Going back to the airport, I allow 2 hours which is plenty of time to get through security and get out to the gate.

We’ve made the mistake of taking MDE at night and not picking up our bags. They arrived at 3:00 am and our flight landed around 7:00 pm. The last time we took MDE, we got picked up 3 1/2 hours before our flight and had multiple pickups before going to the airport.

For us the extra time is worth the cost!

 

[kaytieeldr]

DME is an average of 90 minutes on the inbound, a town car lyft or uber will save you probably 20/30 minutes so if the cost is worth it is different for each of us.

This isn't quite an apples-to-apples comparison. Magical Express typically take 70-90 minutes (not average 90 minutes) from stepping into the terminal to stepping off the bus at one's resort.

Ten-fifteen minutes from the plane to arrivals/DME, including pit stop. Then you have luggage wait time. Could be there when you get to baggage claim, could be a 10-20 minute wait. Could be two hours of there's lightning in the area.

Then five minutes to get to the pickup point, five minutes for your vehicle to arrive. Bing maps has the ride at 31 minutes right now, i.e. middle of the night. Likely longer around then hour. Sixty to 75 minutes. Plus tolls.

OP, it sounds you're looking for justification not to use DME. Don't use DME.

 

[gharter]

I would love to use ME, but the lost time, waiting for the bus and if I'm one of the last resort to pick up or drop off just isn't worth it.

 

[patty57]

On my last trip in May, my nieces and I went to the DME boarding area just in time to see our bus pull away. The last time that happened to me, it took over 2 1/2 hours for me to get to my resort. In May, we stepped out of the DME line, and texted for a Lyft. We were at our resort in less than 30 minutes.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Unless you have TSA Precheck, you really need to arrive at MCO at least 2 hours before your flight. The lines at security are very long. I would save the money and just take the bus.

Does TSA precheck make that much more of a difference? We just got our TSA precheck letters and haven’t flown yet and have been wondering if it’s as fast as they say

 

[verleniahall]

Does TSA precheck make that much more of a difference? We just got our TSA precheck letters and haven’t flown yet and have been wondering if it’s as fast as they say

It depends on the airport - we ALWAYS have a flight out of Orlando at 5:30 or 5:45 and even 3 hours early the regular security line was about a 30 min wait - we have TSA Precheck free and its a time saver depending on how many people are in line.

Always plan to be at the airport a minimum of 3 hours early - Orlando - plan 4 hours prior

 

[InfiniteTape]

Does TSA precheck make that much more of a difference? We just got our TSA precheck letters and haven’t flown yet and have been wondering if it’s as fast as they say

Almost always. MCO is generally slower than other airports, even in precheck, because of the additional kids, strollers, souvenirs that trigger bag checks, etc. I just went through this past week. IND on the way out was about 2 minutes, MCO on the way back was about 10 minutes (mostly from a wheelchair and dual stroller in front of me). But it still looked way faster than the traditional line.

 

[MicroBeta]

This isn't quite an apples-to-apples comparison. Magical Express typically take 70-90 minutes (not average 90 minutes) from stepping into the terminal to stepping off the bus at one's resort.

Ten-fifteen minutes from the plane to arrivals/DME, including pit stop. Then you have luggage wait time. Could be there when you get to baggage claim, could be a 10-20 minute wait. Could be two hours of there's lightning in the area.

Then five minutes to get to the pickup point, five minutes for your vehicle to arrive. Bing maps has the ride at 31 minutes right now, i.e. middle of the night. Likely longer around then hour. Sixty to 75 minutes. Plus tolls.

OP, it sounds you're looking for justification not to use DME. Don't use DME.

I have to disagree with most of this. Currently, Google maps has 26 minutes from MCO to the Poly...31 minutes if you avoid toll roads.

Last December we rented a car (needed one regardless of our Disney trip), drove from MCO to the CR, during rush hour, and avoiding toll roads. Even at rush hour that trip took us ≈35 minutes.

I also took an UBER last December from the airport and the trip was ≈35 minutes including the wait for the car to arrive.

It’s not very likely that the trip would take 60-75 min with traffic and tolls. However, if it is a 60 minute drive DME isn’t magically going get there any faster. Traffic and tolls affect all modes of transportation equally so it’s actually irrelevant.

What is relevant is how long the wait is load all the families on the DME; how many resorts it stops at before it gets to mine, and how long I have to wait for my luggage to arrive. So, if we start from the time I check-in at DME and compare that to starting from when I call the UBER/LYFT, it is very likely that the UBER/LYFT will be half the time of DME to arrive at my resort...and I will already have my luggage.

The overwhelming majority of the time, paid transportation will be faster than DME even allowing for the time to wait for my luggage at the carousel. That is a fact. The only thing that matters is whether someone believes it’s worth the cost.

Mike

 

[ErinsMommy]

It depends on the airport - we ALWAYS have a flight out of Orlando at 5:30 or 5:45 and even 3 hours early the regular security line was about a 30 min wait - we have TSA Precheck free and its a time saver depending on how many people are in line.

Always plan to be at the airport a minimum of 3 hours early - Orlando - plan 4 hours prior

Never been to MCO 4 hrs in advance - not even 3. Even the day we traveled on Xmas day..

 

[verleniahall]

Never been to MCO 4 hrs in advance - not even 3. Even the day we traveled on Xmas day..

The security lines have been crazy lately - not sure when u went last

 

[ErinsMommy]

The security lines have been crazy lately - not sure when u went last

At least onc a year for last 7 - Xmas day in 2017

 

[lambdabeta]

It depends on the airport - we ALWAYS have a flight out of Orlando at 5:30 or 5:45 and even 3 hours early the regular security line was about a 30 min wait - we have TSA Precheck free and its a time saver depending on how many people are in line.

Always plan to be at the airport a minimum of 3 hours early - Orlando - plan 4 hours prior

If it takes 30 mins to get through regular security at that time of day at MCO then why do I need to be there 3-4 hours early? I don't want to be sitting waiting for my flight for 2 hours. Airlines tell you 1.5 hours early for domestic flights and 3 hours early for international flights. Even if it takes me 60 mins to get through the regular security line I would think 2 hours would be plenty of time. Once through security the only thing to do is wait for your flight at the terminal. Am I missing something?