Travel time from airport to resort via Disney Magical Express?

[Anonymous]

Our airline keeps moving are flights back. We were originally supposed to land at 6 PM and are now landing at 8:30 PM. We have breakfast reservations at 8:05 AM the next day at Magic Kingdom and I'm afraid the kids will be zonked before we even get started. What is the likely time we'll get to our resort given our 8:30 PM landing time?

[Anonymous]

I normally leave about 90 minutes.

Can you try and see if the airline can put you on a different flight? i have fought back when they have done that to me.

[Anonymous]

I can't recall the exact travel time, but I'd guess you'll be in your room around 9:30/10 p.m., but your luggage might be a while after that (assuming you're having Disney pick up your luggage). Pack all the kids' overnight stuff in your carry on if you can.

[Anonymous]

Which resort? I agree at least 90 minutes to be safe given you'll have to wait for it to arrive at the airport and then make multiple drop-offs.

Uber car seat is an option but of course more expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which resort? I agree at least 90 minutes to be safe given you'll have to wait for it to arrive at the airport and then make multiple drop-offs.

Uber car seat is an option but of course more expensive.

Animal Kingdom. 10 PM is okay...but if gets to 11 or later we'll have trouble in the AM.

[Anonymous]

With that late an arrival, I would just go via uber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With that late an arrival, I would just go via uber.

Agree. It depends on how full the bus is and where your resort is on the route. I only rode it once and it took almost 2 hours after we got off plane to get to our resort. I think we had to wait 30 min for shuttle to get full and we were towards the end on the route. Never again.

[Anonymous]

Uber

[Anonymous]

I agree with those saying you should be to your resort by 10. You can buy yourself some extra time in the morning by taking a car to your early breakfast - we were there in January and took one of the Minnie Vans (special Disney cars you can book on the Lyft app) from Animal Kingdom Lodge to breakfast at the Contemporary and it made things SO much easier that morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With that late an arrival, I would just go via uber.

Agree. It depends on how full the bus is and where your resort is on the route. I only rode it once and it took almost 2 hours after we got off plane to get to our resort. I think we had to wait 30 min for shuttle to get full and we were towards the end on the route. Never again.

Same, but ours was a bit longer- we hit rush hour traffic. The kids were going bonkers, were tired, hungry (ran out of snacks and wasn't counting on 2.5h hrs to get from the airport to resort). We were one of the first people on the bus, didn't realize we had to wait soooo long for other people's flights & their luggage, then we finally left the airport we sat in traffic. Never again.

[Anonymous]

If you stick with ME I would not tag your checked luggage and just retrieve it yourself - so you're not dealing with a knock on the door after the kids are asleep.

As others have said the travel time is unpredictable because you might be the last one on the bus before it leaves, or the first one and sit for almost a half hour... and your resort might be the first or the third stop.

With that kind of rescheduling the airline should be letting you switch to an earlier flight without a change fee... but maybe those are full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't recall the exact travel time, but I'd guess you'll be in your room around 9:30/10 p.m., but your luggage might be a while after that (assuming you're having Disney pick up your luggage). Pack all the kids' overnight stuff in your carry on if you can.

+1. I’d think a little over an hour. We took it from animal kingdom lodge one way back to the airport earlier this month. Picked up from 2 or 3 other resorts and made it to the airport in around an hour.

[Anonymous]

Your flight could easily get delayed that late in the day. But hopefully there won’t be a huge line for the bus like there was the one time we took it. We just rent a car now. Prepay and walk right to the garage, load up, and drive off.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I'll try to work with the airline but that's probably a long shot. I think we'll try to get by with just carry on bags and try our luck with Magical Express. Thanks for the tip about using a car to get to our our early ADR the next morning. I'll definitely do that. It sounds like they'll let people in to MK at 7:45 AM, is that right? What time should we aim to leave Animal Kingdom if using Lyft? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I'll try to work with the airline but that's probably a long shot. I think we'll try to get by with just carry on bags and try our luck with Magical Express. Thanks for the tip about using a car to get to our our early ADR the next morning. I'll definitely do that. It sounds like they'll let people in to MK at 7:45 AM, is that right? What time should we aim to leave Animal Kingdom if using Lyft? Thanks!

Do NOT check your bags with ME. Just pick them up from baggage claim like normal and take them with you on the bus. The bus attendant will take your bags and put them in the stow area on the bus. Otherwise you're going to get a knock on the hotel door at 2 am with your bags being delivered.

I like ME and use it whenever we go, but never again will I let them take my luggage from baggage claim. The last time I did it we received our bags around 11 pm and it was so disruptive. Much easier to take them on the bus yourself.