Disney Magical Express from MCO to WDW (Polynesian) in July - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Disney Magical Express from MCO to WDW (Polynesian) in July
Anyone have any idea how long it is going to take us to get to WDW from MCO using Disney Magical Express? We arrive July 3 around 11:20 and are staying at the Polynesian. We want to make Fast Pass reservations at the Magic Kingdom for our first day, but have no idea what time to make them for because we do not know how much time to give ourselves to get from the airport to the resort then to the Magic Kingdom.
Well, that depends on several things! First, you may have to wait a while for a DME bus to arrive, or have to wait on the bus for a while until it is full. Then, it takes about 30 minutes or so for the bus to drive to WDW property. Next, how long you are on the bus depends on what number stop the Poly is on the route. You may be dropped of first, you may be the 3rd resort stop on the trip! Then, you have to check-in. Which could be quick or could take a while depending on how busy the check-in area is that day. Getting from the Poly to MK is super quick on the Monorail.
I would say you'd want to give at least 3 hours from the time you land at MCO until your first Fastpass time begins. That might be overly cautious, but better safe than sorry!
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I agree with Dani. DME couuld take as long as 90 minutes to get you to your resort, longer if you get distracted by any of the gift shops like we've done on the way to the bus. Tack on that extra 90 minutes for checking in, hitting your room (if it's ready), leaving any bags you might have either in your room or at Bell Services, bathroom breaks, lunch breaks (at the resort or the MK), etc and the last thing you really want to do is rush. And since it will be July 3rd, chances are it's going to be really busy (in the past they've done the 4th of July fireworks on the 3rd as well) so it's better to have too much time versus not enough.
Factor in the possibility that time of year of waiting to take off if you're leaving from any airport in the middle third of the country. Prime season for major thunderstorms which can significantly delay takeoffs or landings. We once sat on a plane at JFK for nearly an hour waiting to leave for St. Louis because a line of nasty hailstorms was projected to hit about when we'd have been landing.
I wouldn't make any FP I really wanted for earlier than 4:00 just in case.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Welcome Aboard!! I would agree to give yourself a good 3 1/2 - 4 hours, especially since you are probably going to factor in lunch somewhere as well. (We fly over lunch time and arrive around 1:15 and often grab lunch at the airport food court as it is faster--and cheaper.) I think 4pm would be a good starting time. Also, I would save any really must do fast passes for the later times, just in case something comes up and you miss the first one. MK will be quite crowded for sure on this day, especially the evening due to the special fireworks.
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I would agree with better safe that stressed or disappointed. I do not schedule anything for arrival day that I don't have a duplicate fast pass for later in the trip. You never know what could delay your arrival.
Well, it could take awhile to get to the MK but keep in mind that you can change your FP on MDX from your phone if you don't think you're going to make it. I wouldn't choose 7DMT, but many of the others can be pushed back via the ap if need be.
To be safe, I'd schedule my first FP between 3 and 4, and like others said, don't make it a "must do" ride. Schedule the ones you are really looking forward to for a later time. You may want to take an hour or so to relax at the resort, walk around the grounds, and get a bite to eat before rushing to a park.
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Something to consider: eager as you are to hit the parks .... I think you should look at, instead, spending your first half-day somewhere else. Downtown Disney, specifically.
I mean, first off, do you really want to burn an ENTIRE day worth of your tickets, for only HALF a day's worth of time in a park?
And DTD has enough of a "we're HERE" Disney-esque feel to it, especially after checking in to a Disney resort, that it won't be a let-down, IMO.
...
Anyway, just a thought. It's what my family does every time we go: arrive, check in, and head to DTD. Lunch either in DTD (Earl of Sandwich is _yummy_) or at the resort before heading out. We do some shopping, some poking, some talking about our plans for the next day (typically, a Character Buffet Breakfast to get things started off in high style), and generally just enjoy that we're THERE, in lovely Florida weather, staying in a Disney resort, and our much-anticipated vacation has truly begun.
We do a variation of what Pax suggested precisely for the reason that we don't want to use a park ticket on a half day.
Since we do a 2-day drive to WDW, the second day drive in being about 6-1/2 hours, we've made arrival day one for DtD for a few hours with a nice TS meal there. Or, we found last trip that doing Afternoon Tea as an early dinner followed by the Christmas party worked beautifully to ease us into being back at WDW. Your party ticket gives admission to the MK, so we got into our favorite park without using a regular park ticket.
Both times, we got a good night's sleep so as to be energetic and eager to put in a full day touring.
For us, a partial day seems like a waste of a precious park ticket since there are lots of terrific non-park things to do. Even exploring your resort can be a fun "workup" to a full park day the following morning.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Thanks to everyone for your replies and EXCELLENT advice. It has been awhile, 20+, years since we have been to WDW. We are crazy excited for our trip, but know things have really changed. Trip planning has us a bit stressed out and your advice has helped us with some of our planning.
It typically takes 90 min from when your flight lands until you reach your resort. I would give yourself a little bit of time to checkin, get settled if your room is ready,aunt eat lunch In the food court before you headed over to MK. I would say you could be there in 3-4 hrs after you land, but of make your first fp 4-5 hours after you land just so u are comfortable and not rushing around.
It typically takes 90 min from when your flight lands until you reach your resort. I would give yourself a little bit of time to checkin, get settled if your room is ready,aunt eat lunch In the food court before you headed over to MK. I would say you could be there in 3-4 hrs after you land, but of make your first fp 4-5 hours after you land just so u are comfortable and not rushing around.
There are two reasons why I wouldn't do this--three actually given how very long it's been since the OP was last at WDW. It's going to quite literally feel like "a whole new world" as a result of the many changes. We were unsettled enough by the switch to Magic Bands just three years after our previous trip.
1) Don't plan to do much but get acquainted with your resort. There will be so much that's unfamiliar that even if you're booked where you've stayed previously, it could seem quite new and strange.
2) As I mentioned before, is it really worth using a park ticket for a few hours before the tiring effects of travel catch up with you?
3) Consider booking a table service meal for dinner, at your resort if it has a TS restaurant. Upon arriving, dining by "sit 'n' set" (We sit, and someone sets food in front of us ) appeals to me lots more than queuing up at a food court and schlepping a tray around for drink and utensils, then finding a table.
As ever, YMMV. (Your mileage may vary.) Just thought I'd toss these reasons out here in case the OP agrees arrival day may demand a more lowkey approach than someone returning a few months or years after their prior trip might need.
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) appeals to me lots more than queuing up at a food court and schlepping a tray around for drink and utensils, then finding a table.
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