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Getting to Disney from the airport

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Sun, 10/30/2011 - 10:34
Tinkerbliss
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Getting to Disney from the airport

Hi all, I am looking for some advice. We are trying to organise a trip to WDW for May 2012 with a group of people who are coming from various different countries. One of the group is going be coming from Atlanta and will be arriving in the middle of the day, when the rest of us will be in the magic kingdom. Can anyone tell me how long it takes to get from the plane to the parks? We have only ever come from the UK so we have to contend with customs, which won't be necessary on a domestic flight.

Thanks for any help you can give me. We don't want to be hanging around for too long on that day because it is my Mum's birthday (which is the whole reason for the trip) and I have spent months organising it!!

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Sun, 10/30/2011 - 16:20
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Kristen K.
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I think we need a little more information to truly be helpful. How will they be traveling from the airport to the park? Bus, limo, rental car, Disney transportation? Will they have to wait for their bags? Are they stopping at the hotel first? If so how close is the hotel to the park?

I personally usually allow an 1 - 1.5 hour from landing time to hotel room, then say another hour from hotel to park. For me it really depends on how fast Disney's Magical Express is moving if it's an hour or an hour and a half.

Can you give us more details?

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 16:46
Tinkerbliss
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Hi Kristen, thanks for your help. I would assume that our friend will get a shuttle as we are not staying on property. Am I right in thinking that the magical express is for Disney Hotel guests only? If I knew how long it would take to get from the airport to, say, the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary I could probably figure the rest out from there. Thanks again for your help, it was all so straightforward when everyone was coming from London but now we have people arriving from all over the place and it's an organisational nightmare!

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 14:00
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Kristen K.
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Yes, Magical Express is only for Disney Resort Guests. It takes about a half an hour on the bus from the airport to the Grand Floridian.

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 19:04
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Mase
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Kristen K. wrote:
Yes, Magical Express is only for Disney Resort Guests. It takes about a half an hour on the bus from the airport to the Grand Floridian.

But it is sooooooooo worth it, nice and wonderful. Just my 2 cents... lol

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Mon, 10/31/2011 - 19:59
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Your friend will also want to factor in time at MCO - For instance, they'll have to take the shuttle - the mini-monorail Smile - from where they land to baggage. Are they checking a bag? If so, that's more time to add.

I think Kristen's timeframe of 1.5 hours from deplaning to getting there is about right for a minimum. The only thing I'm unsure of is the shuttle. I don't know how long that might take, or where a shuttle would go to, since most people getting off a plane and going to a place on property would be taking the Magical Express.

Is a taxi or a rental car an option?

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Tue, 11/01/2011 - 13:28
Tinkerbliss
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A taxi sounds like a good idea, I forgot that shuttles drop off other people as well. I think that in the past I have been so excited that I am finally in the USA that I blocked that from my memory!!

My friend is coming from New Zealand originally but is doing a stopover in San Francisco and getting a domestic flight from there to Orlando, so I am worried that if she rents a car she may fall asleep at the wheel!! Ordinarily it would be a challenge to keep her awake for the rest of my Mum's birthday, but luckily she has never been to a Disney park before so the excitement alone should keep her going!

Thank you all so much for your help, I really do appreciate it! I think I am going to allow her 1.5 hours to get to us, and then just settle everyone down somewhere nice and visible with a Dole whip to pass the time!!

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 13:54
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Lizzy_B
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Glad we could help! I hope it's a fantastic visit for you!

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