disney express

[camnhan]

I am sure there is something about this somewhere but can't find it.
What has been you experience with the Disney Express from the airport??? We are arriving 12/4 around 10:30 or 11:00am and are debating what transportation to take...we are staying at WL...we are a family of 6 (kids 16-7) Youngest is not a big fan of buses and am afraid of how long the ride will be knowing that they are stopping at other resorts first

Pros and Cons??

 

[spiceycat]

on my last trip we stopped at 2 other resorts first - the trip still didn't take a long time. - now the route that the bus drivers had to take was my problem.

for some reason Disney and Mears don't want the drivers to take the shorter routes - claims that the long routes take less time.

still have a problem with the bus being filled or as filled as it gets - then it takes the bus driver another 10 to 15 minutes to get on - this last time there was a problem getting out - some gate refused to work - so added another 15 minutes to the trip. (the gate problem stopped all the traffic - so no matter what transportation you got this was a problem)

she claimed her bus would only go so fast.

coming back it only stopped at 2 resorts.

on the whole loved it!

oh one more thing that get there at least 15 minutes early. Well guess what even if the bus is there - you can't get on it until 5 minutes before it leaves. So I have no idea why Disney is saying get there 15 minutes early. You can't do anything so why get their early.

this system is almost as bad as Disney. the bus that got there 16 minutes before time - was letting people off. He had to leave and another bus come (which it did in around 3 minutes). This is a good system????

 

[MrsJ Henry]

There is also a lot of info on this over on the transportaion board.

 

[islandtimect]

We didnt' think Disney's express was too magical. Our flight arrived 10:30am and had to wait 20 minutes in line to check in. Then waited about 10 minutes for our bus to GF, which also stops at WL and Polynesian. The folks going to the value resorts had no wait for their bus, as there was so many of them and the buses seemed to keep on coming. It ticked me off that I paid for the most expensive hotel and had to wait the longest. GF was the last stop after WL then Polynesian.

Neither the bus to the resort or back to airport had the Magical Express theme on or in it. Plain white buses with no shows. The driver said it was just pulled from service because of high demand. Again, why would they assign that bus to folks staying at the expensive resorts?

The pro to this service is of course it's included in the price, but it will take longer than paying for a shuttle. With the large size of your party, you should probably use it to save money.

 

[DizHistory]

We've found the service to be good (considering it's complimentary). Although the last time we used it, we were put on the wrong bus. But wasn't a big deal as the driver was more than happy to bring us to our resort even though it wasn't on his route.

 

[CleveRocks]

still have a problem with the bus being filled or as filled as it gets - then it takes the bus driver another 10 to 15 minutes to get on

The policy/procedure is for the bus to pull out no later than 15 minutes after the first guest boards the bus.

she claimed her bus would only go so fast.

The buses reportedly have speed governors on them.

 

[CleveRocks]

The folks going to the value resorts had no wait for their bus, as there was so many of them and the buses seemed to keep on coming. It ticked me off that I paid for the most expensive hotel and had to wait the longest.

why would they assign that bus to folks staying at the expensive resorts?

Disney doesn't promise that you'll walk on fresh rose petals during every step of your WDW vacation. The amenities you pay for or don't pay for begin and end at the grounds of your resort. Unless you are at your resort, you are not treated any differently than any other Disney guest. You are paying a premium for the amenities of your resort, not for preferential treatment elsewhere.

I say this in a matter-of-fact way, not a sarcastic way -- if you desire special treatment, then you can have it. You can pay for a car service and enjoy that level of personalized, private service. Me personally, I don't care for royal treatment, I'm all about time and money. Since DME gets me where I want to go in comparable time and at a much lower price, DME is my choice. It's not for everyone, but it works great for me.

The pro to this service is of course it's included in the price, but it will take longer than paying for a shuttle.

I understand this is your report of your experience, but as a blanket statement about ground transportation it's just not accurate. On my most recent trip, it was 56 minutes from the time I stepped out of the jetway to the time I stepped onto my resort's property. 56 minutes. If you checked bags and went to baggage claim for your bags, I can't imagine that you could get to your resort quicker than that using a car service. In a very best case scenario: 5 minutes walk to baggage claim, 10 minute wait at baggage claim, 5 minutes for driver to bring car around and load car, 30 minutes drive to resort = 50 minutes with a car service, and that's wth a minimal baggage claim wait. It took me 6 minutes longer than the very best scenario for a car service. Approx. $120 round-trip with a car service, to save 6 minutes ... hmm ... that's $1,200 per hour ... only my plumber makes that much money, so I'll be sure to warn him away from DME!

Choose your transportation based on the level of service you want and how much you are willing to pay for that level of service. Happiness is always the key!

 

[Edd]

Cleve,

I wish drivers made that much money. If that were the case you probably wouldn't hear much from me.

 

[*Emily*]

We had no wait getting on our bus. Walked right on and left a few minutes after that. We were also the first stop to the resort and the only stop going to the airport. The driver to the resort was a bit crazy. She had a very thick accent and kept talking about going to Miami. I could only understand about 1/4 of what she said and that was only because she said Miami so much! The driver to the airport was great, very funny guy! Our bus both ways was only 1/2 full. Overall, great experience for us!

I bet your 6 year old will watch the movie they have playing both ways. The 2 kids I was with (5 and 10) never took their eyes off of it. Definitely builds the excitement.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've taken DME to POP (3 times), to BWV (2 times), BCV (1 time). One time going to POP it took me almost 90 mins, but we were the third of three stops, with a lot of luggage being removed at those first two stops. Otherwise, it has taken me about an hour to get from my plane to my resort checkin line. The only time it has taken less time than that was the one time I had carryon luggage only...so had no wait at baggage claim, and I used a car service so no wait at the DME counter/bus lines. But, that one time it took me 50 mins to get from the plane to resort checkin.
Even if the line at the counter seems long, it will move reasonable quickly. My longest wait was 8 mins and there had to be 50 people in front of me.
In the bus lines, I have waited between 5-20 mins for the bus to come. The one time it was close to 20 mins was the time I got there just as the bus to my resort was closing it's doors and pulling away. The next bus got there in about 17 mins or so....there were only about 15 people in the line behind me..so not a full bus by any means.

I guess it all depends on what you want from your experience. For those who desire a more deluxe experience, then a towncar service is going to be the best bet. But, if you just want clean, efficient and 'free' transportation, then the DME bus will work out just fine.
For those of you who feel that you deserve a better experience because you are staying in a deluxe resort, perhaps a 'free' service isn't going to cut it for your family. That's what is so great about WDW....something for everyone. I have heard over and over, how the value resorts have buses coming and going, while those in deluxe resorts stand there, waiting (at the parks, not at the airport!!). But, there are perhaps 4 times as many people at the values...therefor more buses are needed. Have you ever compared the lines....those lines for POP are always much, much longer than the lines for BW (for instance). You get deluxe accomodations not deluxe transportation (well, other than the use of the monorail or boats) when you stay at a deluxe resort. That's why our room keys, park passes..all look the same. Disney does not want to make any guest feel like a lesser citizen so to speak. And, I'm sure no one here does either.

 

[localdriver]

on my last trip we stopped at 2 other resorts first - the trip still didn't take a long time. - now the route that the bus drivers had to take was my problem.

for some reason Disney and Mears don't want the drivers to take the shorter routes - claims that the long routes take less time.


she claimed her bus would only go so fast.

on the whole loved it!

oh one more thing that get there at least 15 minutes early. Well guess what even if the bus is there - you can't get on it until 5 minutes before it leaves. So I have no idea why Disney is saying get there 15 minutes early. You can't do anything so why get their early.

this system is almost as bad as Disney. the bus that got there 16 minutes before time - was letting people off. He had to leave and another bus come (which it did in around 3 minutes). This is a good system????

Route longer to where? I'm assuming WL. If so, exit 3 vs exit 6 off 417 is nearly the same in time due to traffic lights. If you are lucky with the lights, it might be 3 min extra going Exit 3 off the 417. If you are referring to traveling 528 rather than 417, it is Disney's requirement that we travel the 417, and it is a little longer. But the 528 has many accidents in compariison to the 417 so the potential for major delays are much greater.

The Blue and yellow DME coaches are in fact governed at 67 mph.

Picking up people while dropping off people at the same time would be an absolute nightmare.

It would not work.

Busses are assigned a return route to the Airport AFTER they complete their inbound route. Your pickup had been assigned to another bus probably 15-30 mins prior.

Asking you to be there 15 min early is an effort to be sure you are definitely there on time so you don't miss the bus. Not everyone is timely or has their watch set to the correct time. So it's sort of a buffer thing. The outbound busses are on a schedule and cannot wait very long for folks that are either late, or haven't got their belongings together.

Last Sat, DME moved nearly 27,000 guests to/from Disney. Thats 540 trips assuming 50 passengers per bus.

Is it perfect? no, but what is? but overall, the system works quite well.

Hope this provides some answers to your questions.

 

[CleveRocks]

Cleve,

I wish drivers made that much money. If that were the case you probably wouldn't hear much from me.

You'd have a lot more time to spend here if you weren't behin the wheel as much!

 

[localdriver]

I am sure there is something about this somewhere but can't find it.
What has been you experience with the Disney Express from the airport??? We are arriving 12/4 around 10:30 or 11:00am and are debating what transportation to take...we are staying at WL...we are a family of 6 (kids 16-7) Youngest is not a big fan of buses and am afraid of how long the ride will be knowing that they are stopping at other resorts first

Pros and Cons??

That time frame is generally the busiest during the day but Tuesdays are not extremely busy. At that time of day the busses fill quickly and leave.

You would most likely spend more time in line before boarding than waiting on the bus to leave.

The WL is stop 3 if all 4 MK resorts are onboard. You are talking 40 to 50 mins from departing the airport.

Hope this was helpful.