Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center Now Located in Terminal *B*

[CleveRocks]

Our flight is scheduled to arrive in Orlando at 11:00 p.m. Will ME still be able to pick up our checked luggage and bring it to our resort for delivery to our room the next morning or will we need to get it ourselves and take it on the bus with us to the resort?

As long as you put a DME luggage tag on each bag, you will have the bags delivered to your room, period. You don't need to get them yourself.

 

[sunny45]

My DH and I are planning on using ME and only taking a carry on each and not checking any luggage.
So, we just go straight from the terminal (Side A) to the Magical Express counter on Level 1 to check in? I spoke with a CM when I booked the ME and he said we can just take our bags right on the bus.
Anyone ever do this before?
TIA!!!

 

[goofy4tink]

My DH and I are planning on using ME and only taking a carry on each and not checking any luggage.
So, we just go straight from the terminal (Side A) to the Magical Express counter on Level 1 to check in? I spoke with a CM when I booked the ME and he said we can just take our bags right on the bus.
Anyone ever do this before?
TIA!!!

Yep....cross over to Side B, head on down to the lowest level, level 1, and look for the DME welcome desk. You will have no problem taking your bag(s) with you. The driver will stow them underneath the bus, and then retrieve them when you get to the resort. Have a terrific trip!!

 

[CleveRocks]

My DH and I are planning on using ME and only taking a carry on each and not checking any luggage.
So, we just go straight from the terminal (Side A) to the Magical Express counter on Level 1 to check in? I spoke with a CM when I booked the ME and he said we can just take our bags right on the bus.
Anyone ever do this before?
TIA!!!

As a matter of fact, almost everyone has done this before. Almost everyone has carry-ons when they fly. DME doesn't offer automatic delivery of carry-ons. Thus, almost everyone who takes the DME bus has carry-ons with them, know what I mean?

To add to what goofy4tink said, you can choose whether or not to take the carry-ons into the cabin of the bus or have the driver stow them in the cargo hold of the bus, but ONLY IF the carry-ons are small enough to fit under your own seat or on the overhead shelf. If they are too big, you have no choice but to have the driver stow them for you. But as soon as you arrive at your resort, the driver will "un-stow" them and you get them right back, right then and there.

 

[catgyrl129]

Our first plane ride on June 2nd! So, it is the frist time also for DME, first ?-when you board DME, do you have assigned seats or is it just a free for all like on the Disney bus transport around world.I do hope that people will have it together and not be rushing in and fighting over seats. ?2- My AAA agent hasn't recieved my DME booket with my tags and boarding passes and stuff, i am getting a little worried about this.What do i do without those passes and luggage tags?! HELP!

 

[goofy4tink]

Our first plane ride on June 2nd! So, it is the frist time also for DME, first ?-when you board DME, do you have assigned seats or is it just a free for all like on the Disney bus transport around world.I do hope that people will have it together and not be rushing in and fighting over seats. ?2- My AAA agent hasn't recieved my DME booket with my tags and boarding passes and stuff, i am getting a little worried about this.What do i do without those passes and luggage tags?! HELP!

Have your agent call DME and see if there is an issue. You should have gotten them by now. Most people are getting their info packet at least a month before travel. You might want to call yourself just to be sure they have you in their system. If you don't get your info packet before you travel you have several options. 1. you can just head to baggage claim and get your bags and bring them with you to the DME bus. They will be stowed underneath the bus you are riding on. 2. you can give your baggage claim slips to the DME CM, with a description of the bags, and a DME person will go find them and put them on the luggage truck for resort delivery. You will then have to wait several hours for them to get to you.
Most people seem to be happy with just getting their own bags and bringing them with them to the bus.

That brings us to the DME bus situation. Yes, it is free seating. But it's not a free for all. Every time I have used the bus, people have been very pleasant and not pushing to get to a particular seat. The seats are two across, so most parties have to split up a bit. But I haven't seen any groups that have been unhappy about their seating. You'll be fine.

 

[catgyrl129]

Have your agent call DME and see if there is an issue. You should have gotten them by now. Most people are getting their info packet at least a month before travel. You might want to call yourself just to be sure they have you in their system. If you don't get your info packet before you travel you have several options. 1. you can just head to baggage claim and get your bags and bring them with you to the DME bus. They will be stowed underneath the bus you are riding on. 2. you can give your baggage claim slips to the DME CM, with a description of the bags, and a DME person will go find them and put them on the luggage truck for resort delivery. You will then have to wait several hours for them to get to you.
Most people seem to be happy with just getting their own bags and bringing them with them to the bus.

That brings us to the DME bus situation. Yes, it is free seating. But it's not a free for all. Every time I have used the bus, people have been very pleasant and not pushing to get to a particular seat. The seats are two across, so most parties have to split up a bit. But I haven't seen any groups that have been unhappy about their seating. You'll be fine.

Thanks for the reply!Hopefully I will get them soon,my AAA agent is a little Anyway, if i don't get them , it's good to know that there are alternatives.Also, good to know that it's not crazy boarding DME! Thanks again,very helpful!

 

[tsd1202]

How long is the ride from the airport to Disney (we are staying at CBR)? Thanks.

 

[CleveRocks]

How long is the ride from the airport to Disney (we are staying at CBR)? Thanks.

The reported average time from airplane exit to resort drop-off is 70 minutes.

As far as on-the-road drive time, you're talking about 30 minutes, give or take, depending on whether you're the first, second or third stop of your bus. Since there is no pre-set grouping of resorts and no pre-set routes, there's no way to know in advance which number stop you'll be.

 

[disneyposse]

My family is flying into Orlando late on a Friday. We are staying at the Hyatt right at the airport until Saturday and then will be heading over to Disney.
Since we will be picking up our luggage Friday nite for our Friday nite stay, do we just take our luggage to the Welcome desk the next day to get our transportation to the AK Resort? Will they be able to transport our luggage at this time?

 

[CleveRocks]

My family is flying into Orlando late on a Friday. We are staying at the Hyatt right at the airport until Saturday and then will be heading over to Disney.
Since we will be picking up our luggage Friday nite for our Friday nite stay, do we just take our luggage to the Welcome desk the next day to get our transportation to the AK Resort? Will they be able to transport our luggage at this time?

Yes, the only way for you to do it is to take your luggage with you. The driver will load it under the bus.

Just make sure you have a DME reservation for your entire party!

 

[sunny45]

If we do decide to check our bags is this the correct scenario:
We are flying Continental which is on Airside A. We would have to go to baggage claim on Airside A if we wanted to pick up our own bag and not have DME do it and then go back up to Level 3 to cross over to Airside B and go down to Level 1 to DME? Does that sound right?

If DME gets our bags how long will it take for them to get the bags to our hotel (flight gets in at 11:58am). I know we would pack the essentials for that day in our carry on.

We are so undecided if we want to just carry on (it's only 2 of us) or check our bags. The hardest part is the 3oz limit to liquid, gels, and aerosols. We have them already packed but we have 2 full 1 quart bags of them, not loosely filled like the picture shows on the airlines website and I don't want any problems at security. On the other hand, I don't want any problems with lost luggage either.

TIA

 

[CleveRocks]

If we do decide to check our bags is this the correct scenario:
We are flying Continental which is on Airside A. We would have to go to baggage claim on Airside A if we wanted to pick up our own bag and not have DME do it and then go back up to Level 3 to cross over to Airside B and go down to Level 1 to DME? Does that sound right?

If DME gets our bags how long will it take for them to get the bags to our hotel (flight gets in at 11:58am). I know we would pack the essentials for that day in our carry on.

We are so undecided if we want to just carry on (it's only 2 of us) or check our bags. The hardest part is the 3oz limit to liquid, gels, and aerosols. We have them already packed but we have 2 full 1 quart bags of them, not loosely filled like the picture shows on the airlines website and I don't want any problems at security. On the other hand, I don't want any problems with lost luggage either.

TIA

Yes, your airport geography is accurate.

They tell you to expect your bags about 3 hours after you arrive at your resort. So if you get to your resort by 1:15 or 1:30 p.m., expect your bags by 4:30 p.m., but realistically it could take longer. If you need different clothes for a dinner ADR, I highly suggest packing them in your carry-on.

If you can fly without checking any luggage then go for it! I wish I could do that all the time. I'm happy to have my luggage in my own possession rather than trusting it to the airline.

That being said, I trust DME's luggage handling much more than the airlines'. If DME messes up, maybe my bags were sent to Caribbean Beach Resort rather than my resort. If the airline messes up, maybe my bags were sent to the Caribbean rather than Orlando.

 

[goofy4tink]

Eric is so right about this one. There have been reports of luggage not getting to a resort for over 8 hrs. But, we don't know for sure if that was a DME issue or an airline issue. The airline could very conceivably misdirect your luggage, especially if you have a connection, and you wouldn't know about it. You would blame DME for less than timely delivery of your luggage. But, in reality, they delivered your luggage within 2 hrs of their getting it.
If you can do just carryon, fine. But, I have used DME 3-4 times now and I have yet to have an issue. I always pack anything I'm going to need for the first 6 hrs. of my stay....just in case, in my carryon. A swim suit, toiletries, sunscreen, toothbrush/paste, change of clothes if I have an ADR that nessesitates different clothing within that 6 hrs. But, I've never needed anything other than the bathing suit. Love to check in, change into my suit and swim for a few hours.

 

[melodyv1967]

For anyone still worried about where they're going once off the plane, the new Magical Express packets have a map of the 3rd level of the airport. They even show the path you'll take depending on where you get off the plane.

I didn't get a map with my Magical Express Packet that I received in the mail earlier this week. We leave in 7 days! We're going to get lost, aren't we? Perhaps if we do, and we're lost for long enough, our luggage will beat us to our Resort!

 

[goofy4tink]

I didn't get a map with my Magical Express Packet that I received in the mail earlier this week. We leave in 7 days! We're going to get lost, aren't we? Perhaps if we do, and we're lost for long enough, our luggage will beat us to our Resort!

Welcome to the DIS boards!!! Are you sure there isn't a map on the inside cover of the booklet? But, perhaps they have changed them. In any case....when you get off the plane, you will head to the shuttle monorail thingie that connects the gate areas to the main terminal. Then, when you get off, head to Side B of the terminal (I don't know what airline you'll be arriving on, so you could be on either Side A or B). Take the escalator/elevators down to level 1 (you'll arrive on level 3, baggage claim in on level 2). DME is located down at the end of level 1, Side B, past the car rental counters. If you have an issue, just ask someone...everyone knows where it is.

 

[eeyore3847]

I didn't get a map with my Magical Express Packet that I received in the mail earlier this week. We leave in 7 days! We're going to get lost, aren't we? Perhaps if we do, and we're lost for long enough, our luggage will beat us to our Resort!

look inside the front cover of the booklet, we got ours 2 weeks ago. I went and checked there is a mini map on the inside front cover

 

[goofy4tink]

Yep, there is a map inside the cover. Just got my info packet yesterday, and the map is still there.

 

[fan1080]

Not sure if this has been posted, sorry if I missed it.

New map:

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/theme/default/resorts/dme/DMEMAPB.pdf

 

[melodyv1967]

Many thanks to everyone for all your help and support! My new husband and I just got back from our vacation at Disney World last night.

We had many flight problems on our way there and were stuck in Dallas overnight so missed an entire day of play. The TSA searched a bag in St. Louis, (please don't ask why we were in St. Louis when we live in Oregon... its a long and somewhat painful story), and they proceeded to remove the folder with all of our vacation information and didn't feel it necessary to put it back in the bag.

Upon our arrival in Orlando, a day late and many plane cancellations later, I find that the one thing I need (being the folder with everything in it) is missing. I was distraught and beside myself with worry.

Happy Ending:
Disney was awesome! They took care of everything and issued us replacements for most everything that pertained to Disney that was in the folder. We lost some wedding memories but are trying to get the folder back.
The weather at Disney was interesting and I had no idea that July was monsoon season!
We have plans of going again perhaps November of 2008.

Again, thanks to everyone for your helpful hints and advice. I remembered most of what everyone said and it was very helpful. (ate at the German place at Epcot twice!) ~

happy vacationing!!!