MOVING ABOUT: GETTING TO, FROM, AND AROUND DISNEY WORLD
Disney's Magical Express
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For those who are flying into the Orlando International Airport on certain airlines and staying at a Disney World resort, you can take advantage of Disney's Magical Express. The service provides free transportation from and back to the airport. Perhaps the best part of this service is that bags marked with the official "Disney Magical Express" tags are taken directly from your plane and dropped off later in your hotel room.
Our experience with Disney's Magical Express was a good one because we planned ahead. Make sure not to pack anything you might need right away after landing. Your bags are delivered to your hotel room a few hours after your flight arrives so that you can hop on the Magical Express and head straight to the parks or the pool or wherever you want to go! But, if you have a stroller or any other item that you need right away make sure not to mark it with the sticker sent to you prior to your trip.
In addition, be prepare to wait a while. After we arrived at the Disney's Magical Express pickup line for our resort hotel we still waited for 45 minutes or so before leaving the airport. So, don't go with the expectation that you will jump right on a bus and be whisked away. It may happen, but be prepared to wait a while. It'll be great preparation for the waiting you'll do in the parks. Overall, we highly recommend the service. It saves the cost of a taxi or rental car and you don't have to wait on or carry your luggage around. If you sign up for the service but don't receive your tags three weeks or so prior to leaving, I suggest calling Disney and asking them to send out new tags. We had to do this and they were very willing to resend them.
Our experience with Disney's Magical Express was a good one because we planned ahead. Make sure not to pack anything you might need right away after landing. Your bags are delivered to your hotel room a few hours after your flight arrives so that you can hop on the Magical Express and head straight to the parks or the pool or wherever you want to go! But, if you have a stroller or any other item that you need right away make sure not to mark it with the sticker sent to you prior to your trip.
In addition, be prepare to wait a while. After we arrived at the Disney's Magical Express pickup line for our resort hotel we still waited for 45 minutes or so before leaving the airport. So, don't go with the expectation that you will jump right on a bus and be whisked away. It may happen, but be prepared to wait a while. It'll be great preparation for the waiting you'll do in the parks. Overall, we highly recommend the service. It saves the cost of a taxi or rental car and you don't have to wait on or carry your luggage around. If you sign up for the service but don't receive your tags three weeks or so prior to leaving, I suggest calling Disney and asking them to send out new tags. We had to do this and they were very willing to resend them.
Doing the Shuttle Shuffle, Monorail, and More
Often, waiting on the shuttle headed to your destination can take awhile. In our experience, shuttles come by for each location between 15-45 minutes apart. In the heat of the Florida sun, this can be tiring even under the shuttle pick up station roof.
Once you are on the often-crowded shuttle, some resorts (particularly the value resorts) can be quite far away from the theme park of your choice. If you are staying in the value resorts and are headed to the Magic Kingdom, plan on a shuttle ride of 15 to 20 minutes. During peak times, you should leave your resort room one hour before you hope to arrive at the park. This may seem excessive but I assure you it’s not. Occasionally, shuttles are full by the time they arrive at your station. In our experience, the shuttle at our resort followed a looping path, pulling into each of 8-10 stops. If you are stop number 10, you may have a hard time finding a seat during peak times and the shuttle driver may ask that you wait for the next shuttle.
To ensure you are able to get on one of the shuttles before they are full, I suggest determining which stops are the first on your resort’s route and consider walking to one of those stops. You may ensure a seat on the shuttle but remember it could be quite a long walk, so there is a trade off.
The Disney Monorail provides a fun but again crowded experience when commuting between the Magic Kingdom and some of the nearby resorts such as the Contemporary Resort, home to Chef Mickey's restaurant. Other guests staying in the campsites or those arriving in the off site visitors lot can travel by ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom.
Once you are on the often-crowded shuttle, some resorts (particularly the value resorts) can be quite far away from the theme park of your choice. If you are staying in the value resorts and are headed to the Magic Kingdom, plan on a shuttle ride of 15 to 20 minutes. During peak times, you should leave your resort room one hour before you hope to arrive at the park. This may seem excessive but I assure you it’s not. Occasionally, shuttles are full by the time they arrive at your station. In our experience, the shuttle at our resort followed a looping path, pulling into each of 8-10 stops. If you are stop number 10, you may have a hard time finding a seat during peak times and the shuttle driver may ask that you wait for the next shuttle.
To ensure you are able to get on one of the shuttles before they are full, I suggest determining which stops are the first on your resort’s route and consider walking to one of those stops. You may ensure a seat on the shuttle but remember it could be quite a long walk, so there is a trade off.
The Disney Monorail provides a fun but again crowded experience when commuting between the Magic Kingdom and some of the nearby resorts such as the Contemporary Resort, home to Chef Mickey's restaurant. Other guests staying in the campsites or those arriving in the off site visitors lot can travel by ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom.