Magical Express:How Long does it take to get to Resort About This Page:

[sethompson80]

Does anyone know how long it may take from getting off of your flight to actuall y arrive at your resort if using Disney's Magical Express? I actually have never flown before so everything is new to me regarding this. Trying to determine when to make a dinner reservation for that night and have no clue how much time we might have.

[acidreignn]

It all depends on what resort you are going to. We've stayed near DTD at Saratoga Springs and it took us about an hour from when we got on the bus. Some resorts like All Stars may have multiple stops.
Complimentary Airport Service | FAQ | Walt Disney World Resort
FAQ on DME.

[kbken]

Lots of variables are involved. Sometimes you end up sitting on the bus for a while waiting for more passengers to board and sometimes not. We have waited on the bus for as little as 5 minutes and as long as 30 minutes. A lot of the buses make multiple stops as mentioned above i.e. CR, WL, Poly, and GF have at times been on the same route depending on anticipated arrivals. It's very roughly a 25-35 minute drive depending on another variable - traffic. Tough to say but if we are going to do something with a time constraint like an ADR we try to have the ADR either at the resort where we are staying or allow 90 minutes for DME total plus travel time from the resort to the ADR.

Ken

[ArielsMomto2]

We have always allowed 90 minutes for travel with DME and at least a 3 hour wait for the luggage.

[wishes]

In March, DS & I took ME to Pop. Got off the plane at about 6:40 and was in our room at 8. Luggage arrived at 9:30. Our bus stopped at CBR first, then us, then on to another resort, although I don't remember which one.

[MichaelF]

On our last trip we hit everything right. We got off the plane, went down and caught ME just as it was getting ready to leave. From the time we got off the plane to the time we got to OKW it was about 45-50 minutes later.

[Luvsun]

As others have said, it just all depends on your wait time once you get on the DME bus at the airport.
I always figure at least 90 minutes to be on the safe side.
When it is less time than that, I am just very pleased!

[WDWfan]

I think 90 minutes is a good estimate, but there was one time when I was 2 1/2 hours. that was a VERY busy Saturday afternoon where I stood in line for over an hour and was the last stop on the route. I've done it 4 or 5 other trips and it's been 60-90 minutes from the time I landed.

[Colexis Mom]

We were off our plane by 3:30 and in our room at POFQ by 4:45!

[guitardiva]

I don't remeber it taking too long. Your luggage will take longer to get to your room. Take anything that you might need for the first few hours of your stay with you in your carry on.

[tylerdylansmom]

In sept for POFQ it took about an hour

[acpalmer]

The other thing you need to consider when deciding about an ADR for your arrival night is the possibility that your plane will arrive late (delays happen for all kinds of reasons) or the airlines will change your flight time and you will get in later. That happened to us and made getting to our ADR very stressful and it had nothing to do with ME. I'd recommend either not doing an ADR or having it for the restaurant in your hotel (if it has a table service, not sure where you are staying).

[jimmymac]

990 minutes for DME, 30 minutes to check in, 30 minutes to ADR would be a safe estimate

[MichaelF]

Originally you had to go to the counter first before getting in line for DME. That line was often longer than waiting for the bus. On our last trip I noticed disney eliminated the counter check in and now you go right to the bus line.

[Evil_Queen]

We stayed at a Moderate resort in the value season and we still waited an hour in line for our bus. They also lost our luggage and it finally arrived at 11:30 p.m.