A little Magical Express Help Please

[Itchy]

My lady friend and I will be flying Southwest Airlines the end of August. We have never used the magical express before and need a little help.

1. When we arrive at MCO I understand that we need to go to Terminal B Level one. Will we be directed by anyone from the gate or is it well marked?

2. We arrive at around 3:15 pm and will need to go to POR. Will we have enough time to check in and get to an ADR at Downtown Disney at 6:45 pm?

3. Would the online check in help speed up getting to our room and then to our ADR?

4. I havent flow in years. Will my arms get tired? ( Just Kidding )

Thanks for all of the help. 81 days and counting

[dream_disney]

Congrats on your upcoming trip to Walt Disney World! You already know what level you are heading to so once you get their you should be able to easily spot Magical Express. Cast Members will be wearing Mickey Mouse gloves and waving you over to line up! Online Check In is well worth it! It just makes checking in even smoother than it all ready was. And in my opinion you should have plenty of time to make it to your ADR. Enjoy your time in WDW!

[forever a child]

Go down to the End of Terminal B. You will see CM's there and they will ask you which resort you are staying at. They will then direct you to the right line for the ME bus that will be heading to your resort. We made stop/drops at about 4 Resorts before we were dropped off at ours.

Online Check in really didn't save us any time. Why? Because there staff waiting at the on the regular check in line but NO staff waiting for the Online-Checked in Line...so we had to wait for someone to actually come to our counter. Once we started checking in I had a package to pick up and that took some time to get (but they did remind me it was there, or I would have forgotten) I think we would have gotten done sooner or about the same not using the online check in. But having said that, I am going to try it again for our next stay and see if there is any improvement!

You will be cutting it close to get to your DTD Reservations but I think you can do it. I would suggest getting the phone number to the restaurant and programming it into your cell phone. If It looks like you are going to be late, I would give them a call and tell them you are running late but are on your way! That may save your spot perhaps, it is worth a try at least.

I had a problem getting our luggage delivered to our room for some reason. We got back at 11pm to our resort. Our flight had landed at 7pm. We were told it would be there in 3 hours at the latest. When we got back at 11pm it was not in our room. When we called ME to find out if they had it they said they did and they would bring it to us. So we basically had to stay up until Midnight to wait for them to deliver it. Why, if it was there didn't they just bring it to us? I had asked about it at the front desk and she had told me she would call them to remind them to make sure it would be delivered and we were checking in around 8pm-ish...so it seems like they were just going to let it sit there until whenever.

[faline]

You will not be directed by anyone at the gate. Also, when you get to Level B, you could easily wander in the wrong direction. When you get to the bottom of the escalator, ask someone who work there, which direction to head to get to Magical Express.

As long as your flight is on time, I don't think you'll have a problem getting to your reservation that evening.

There's not a whole lot of room on airlines for arm flapping and your seat mates will not appreciate it if you try - so keep your arms by your side and they won't be tired at all by time you arrive in Orlando!

[CleveRocks]

I had a problem getting our luggage delivered to our room for some reason. We got back at 11pm to our resort. Our flight had landed at 7pm. We were told it would be there in 3 hours at the latest. When we got back at 11pm it was not in our room. When we called ME to find out if they had it they said they did and they would bring it to us. So we basically had to stay up until Midnight to wait for them to deliver it. Why, if it was there didn't they just bring it to us? I had asked about it at the front desk and she had told me she would call them to remind them to make sure it would be delivered and we were checking in around 8pm-ish...so it seems like they were just going to let it sit there until whenever.

Well, it wasn't there quite as late as you thought. In your DME booklet, it says to expect the DME bags in your room about 3 hours after resort check-in, not 3 hours after your flight lands.

[Goofy Texan]

Are you sure you want to deal with an ADR on arrival day? Traveling post 9/11 can be a challenge. If your flight is delayed you'll be watching that clock and trying to hurry, and getting mad at the traffic, and having to go to other resorts first, and waiting in the check in line, etc... Not a fun way to start a vacation.

For our trips, we don't plan anything deadlline-related for arrival day. The goal is just to get there. We do plan to walk down Main St that first afternoon, but anything other than that is gravy. I suggest if you do want to plan an ADR to make sure it's something you're not super looking forward too and can skip if needed. If you make it, great but don't push for it.

[eeyorepoohfan]

Your trip is coming up soon! You should receive you Magical Express packet a couple of weeks before your trip (I think I got mine about 10-14 days before we left). In the ME packet, you will see a map near the back (I think) showing you basic directions on how to find the buses. If you aren't picking up your own luggage it's very easy to find. My DH and I saw a number of signs directing our way in December. Since we received our packet in the mail before our trip, we were able to skip the counter and they directed us to the queue to board our bus.

We also did online check-in. It did save us a little time even though we were there during a slower time of year (between Thanksgiving and Christmas). We arrived around 3PM to POP. There were two CMs working the online check-in counter and about 3-4 working the regular check-in. We have to wait about a minute to get to the counter. She promptly handed us our packet and buttons (1st visit and Anniversary). She gave us a map and basic directions on how to find our way around the resort.

I can't comment on you making reservations, no idea! But if I were you, I would program the restaurant's number into your cell phone. That way if you see you are running late, or close to late, you can call to make sure you can still be seated. If your flights are on time, your ME bus leaves within 30 minutes of the first passenger boarding (that's what I hear), hopefully not too many resort stops, online check-in should help at a busier travel time, drop off non-essentials to your room, then get on a boat or bus to Downtown and you could be fine! But you never know. When we took our trip last December, from the time we touched down, we grabbed our own luggage, boarded the bus (waited about 15-20 minutes to leave), dropped off at 3 resorts before POP, checked in and went to our room our total time was about 2-2 1/2 hours.

No matter what, have fun and enjoy your time at Disney World. Oh, and remember to stretch before and after your flight to keep you arms from getting too sore!

[thumperbug]

To get to the MME check in I tell everyone to just follow signs for B side and take elevator for 1st floor and follow signs for the car rentals. usually when you get out of the elevators you hang a left and walk all the way past all the car rental counters.

For those truly in doubt...I tell them to follow people in disney attire...mostly likely they are heading to DME as well

[lettripp]

You will not be directed by anyone at the gate. Also, when you get to Level B, you could easily wander in the wrong direction.

The first time we used DME, this happened to us. I totally agree - ask directions so you don't risk wasting precious WDW time!