Tortured on using DME. Any advice appreciated

[kaytieeldr]

Groceries - I would either do an Amazon Prime Order or Garden Grocery - just be aware of all of their new charges for holidng items at Bell Services.

Not charges. One single $6 charge when Bell Services both accepts your grocery delivery and delivers it to your room.

since I'd read that occasionally the luggage arrives several hours after the bus and I wanted to have my suitcase with me.

Up to three hours after you arrive at your resort, which is how it's been for the last 13 (corrected from 23) years and 359 days. Millions of guests every year have their luggage delivered by DME.

When you're sixty eight years old, need a cane to walk, and have three pieces of luggage, it's a l----o----n----g walk to the DME pickup area.

Choosing to claim one's own luggage then stressing the inferred difficulty of hauling so much luggage so far is somewhat disingenuous, in my opinion don't you think? This sounds like concious choices are made to bring (it sounds like) more bags than can be comfortably conveyed a few hundred yards, and to claim and haul all those bags.

Does a DME bus go to multiple resorts for drop off from the airport?

Typically two or three per run, not always the same resorts every trip.

 

[Disneypro1]

Nope........
I wanted my bags to arrive at the same time I did.....

Dont blame you at all. Only way we do it. MCO is pretty small compared to most major airports. Its VERY close from baggage claim to DME..IMHO...
I understand though if you have trouble walking..but its worth it to have your luggage on the bus with you and right there at check in.

 

[AngiTN]

Does a DME bus go to multiple resorts for drop off from the airport?

Some do
Some don't
Most do though

 

[drwadadli]

Does a DME bus go to multiple resorts for drop off from the airport?

Yes. I believe the bus to Poly also does GF and the one to WL also does CR.

 

[Lewisc]

Once you reach the main terminal, it's about the same length for all. How long the walk to the terminal is depends on your gate, obviously. We finally had even a close gate with SW 2 weeks ago. It was the first time we flew in from Nashville instead of Atlanta and the gate was quite a bit quicker walk.
If you have to go to baggage claim first that is where the biggest differences can come in

Dont blame you at all. Only way we do it. MCO is pretty small compared to most major airports. Its VERY close from baggage claim to DME..IMHO...
I understand though if you have trouble walking..but its worth it to have your luggage on the bus with you and right there at check in.

OP got his luggage. Southwest passengers have to go down to level 2, get their bags, go back up to level 3, schlep to the opposite corner of the airport then go down to level 1. Big difference if you get your luggage. Even without luggage some airlines have a much longer walk in the main terminal.

After 10p you don't have a choice.

Arriving in the morning? Your room might not be ready. Upon arrival you'll be enjoying the pool, visiting a park, shopping or dining. Your luggage will "magically" appear in room, before you get to your room. Don't use DME. Bus driver will stow your bags under the bus. Bell Services will store your luggage. They will only deliver your luggage if you're in the room. All 3 services are tipped. DME luggage handling is paid by Disney. Most guests don't even have the opportunity to tip.

Flying SW and getting your own luggage. Ride Share is right outside Southwest baggage claim. Easier then using DME.

 

[kaytieeldr]

schlep to the opposite corner of the airport

On level 3, passengers just walk straight across the center of the terminal to get from A to B.

 

[4fordisneyworld]

I am in the camp of having a car. We have done both and we definitely prefer the car. The first couple of times we used Disney transportation it was pretty seamless. More recently though I feel like they continue to cram past capacity and when we are ready to go back to room, we prefer not to wait for a bus and then be breathing everyone else’s air....literally. People right in your face. Just my opinion, but I feel we save time in a car. The only time we use the buses/boats are to MK.

 

[UncleMike101]

Not charges. One single $6 charge when Bell Services both accepts your grocery delivery and delivers it to your room.

Up to three hours after you arrive at your resort, which is how it's been for the last 23 years and 359 days. Millions of giestd every year have their luggage delivered by DME.

Choosing to claim one's own luggage then stressing the inferred difficulty of hauling so much luggage so far is somewhat disingenuous, don't you think? This sounds like concious choices are made to bring (it sounds like) more bags than can be fomfortably conveyed a few hundred yards, and to claim and haul all those bags.

Typically two or thtee per run, npt always the same resorts every trip.

The length of time that it's been that way is totally irrelevant to my statement.
Trying to take a superior position due to an interjection of irrelevant facts is being disingenuous and condescending.
The manner in which I choose to travel is entirely my decision, and I was merely stating the facts of the situation as I experienced it.
If you think that I was looking for some type of pity party because of my decision you are quite mistaken.
BTW
As long as we're being nit picky.
Giestd, concious, and fomfortably are incorrectly spelled.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As long as we're being nit picky.
Giestd, concious, and fomfortably are incorrectly spelled.

As was the number 23. All corrected now, plus npt. Thanks.

 

[UncleMike101]

As was the number 23. All corrected now, plus npt. Thanks.

Any time.........

 

[FCDub]

I would not rent a car if I didn't intend to get my money's worth out of it. So in your case, I would just take DME and ship groceries.

 

[jimmytammy]

We have used ME twice, my only complaint is being on their time to leave for the airport when it become the Tragical Express(trip back to airport)
We have had our car way more times than we fly and really enjoyed having it, mostly to go to other resorts to eat, or not have to wait on a bus to get us to a park. But times have changed for our travels. We have resolved to fly from this point forward. Way to many times of near misses on I-4/95. Tornadoes, snow, torrential downpours, nighttime in rain and can't see the lines in road, etc. You name it, its happened to us. I am convinced that taking to the air is they way to go. I will miss not having my car, but the little bit of sacrifice is worth the piece of mind and less stress.
As for transportation including air travel, security, to and from the airport, waiting for buses, boats and monorail, that's on me to to be cool with it. I have put myself at ease intentionally with it all. I remind myself of the near misses, the bad weather, and say to myself, Im cool with the waiting.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am convinced that taking to the air is they way to go.

OT, but if you want, I can dig up the statistics on how much safer flying is

 

[Euby]

Being the Scrooge-like person I can be at times, I'd use DME and have the groceries delivered. The per day parking at the resorts far outweighs any fees for Bell Services to deliver the groceries to my room.

 

[hcortesis]

Can you take a later bus from your resort rather than the 4 hour in advance one they book you for? With TSA pre check, there is no need for us to be at the airport that early. So can you just say to one of the next drivers, oops, sorry, I missed my earlier bus, and hop on that one?

 

[kaytieeldr]

So can you just say to one of the next drivers, oops, sorry, I missed my earlier bus, and hop on that one?

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No.
First, buses are only sent when there are passengers scheduled.
Second, with guests assigned specific pickup times, each bus could conceivably be full. Even if it's not at your resort, each seat will be taken by the time that bus leaves property.
Third, unless your departure flight is international (or there's wnother ongoing issue at the airport where they predict unusual delays), your scheduled pickup will be about three hours before departure.

You could conceivably lie by providing a different flight number/time so that your pickup time coordinates with your schedule. You could find alternate transportation to the airport.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I prefer to have a car. You waste so much time waiting for the bus. We did an experiment a couple times during a trip. Hubby took the car and I took the bus. I arrived 40 minutes after he did on one trip. the other time it was 32 minutes. Right there was a loss of an hour of vacation time just spent taking the bus twice. Love the fact we can go to the store and eat off property. If we eat one meal off property a day the money we save pays for the rental car. Last week we were going to eat at Flame Tree but decided to go to Pollo Tropical which was a 8 minute ride to get to. What we spent total at Pollo was the price of one meal at Flame Tree. So the $86 price for the rental car was worth it.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Can you take a later bus from your resort rather than the 4 hour in advance one they book you for? With TSA pre check, there is no need for us to be at the airport that early. So can you just say to one of the next drivers, oops, sorry, I missed my earlier bus, and hop on that one?

As far as hoping on the next bus NO. you run the risk that the next bus does come for a long time. They only stop at the resort if there is someone else scheduled to catch a flight 3 hrs from now who has requested a DME ride. You also run the risk the next bus is full and can not take you. Unless you are flying internationally the pick up time is 3 hr not 4 hr before your flight.

 

[hcortesis]

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No

unless your departure flight is international

As far as hoping on the next bus NO

Ok, got it. Is Canada considered international? Not sure.

 

[Searc]

Ok, got it. Is Canada considered international? Not sure.

Anything out of the US is international, so pick up is 4 hours prior.