Can we pick up our own luggage AND still ride DME bus?

[lorivegas]

In other words... can we just pick up our luggage from baggage claim and bring it w/us when we land in Orlando? Will Magical Express then "load it on " the bus? I know that is the "magic" of the bus... no waiting for luggage, but boy, will we WAIT for luggage when we get to our room. Just want to have my luggage WITH me... I wish they offered this option.,.., I like the nice ride to hotel ,though , it gets you in the disney mood and then to top it off....it's free!

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes you can. Just do not put those yellow tags on your checked bags. You will have a wait of 15 or so minutes at baggage claim. Your bags will then be loaded underneath your bus. The driver will expect a tip for doing this. Gratuities are only included with DME if Disney moves your bags from MCO to the resort room. If you move them yourself, tipping is now your responsibility.
Hopefully not a lot of other guests will be doing the same thing. It really slows down the process when many people bring their bags with them. Many bus drivers make everyone wait on the bus while he/she takes out all the bags for each resort.
And as always, be sure to pack anything you are going to need in your carryon bag...just in case the airline misdirects your bags.

 

[Edd]

Yes, you can, but keep in mind when you and everyone else with the same idea gets to the bus with your luggage you will delay your fellow guests up to 30 minutes from getting to their resort. Everyone is just as much anxious to get to their resorts. Loading your luggage aboard the bus is not a good idea as luggage delivery is very safe. You should be able to carry anything you will need for the few hours it takes for your luggage to arrive in your room.

 

[brianm27]

I am a control freak and I even let ME handle the luggage. Last trip we never got our yellow tags. We still let ME pick up our luggage, just needed to stop at the desk and give them the claim checks. The bags were waiting in the room when we came back to the resort for dinner.

I have used ME 7 or 8 times and never had issues getting my luggage. On two occassions it arrived when we were getting into our room right after check in. Yes- it does happen.

 

[maxiesmom]

You do realize that you don't have to be in your room for your luggage to be delivered, right? You can go to the pool or to the parks, and your luggage will magically show up in your room. To me, that is the best part of DME.

The airlines are more likely to misdirect your luggage than DME. So be sure that you have all necessities in your carry-on. A days worth of clothes is not a bad idea either, just in case.

 

[Debbie-TN]

It's perfectly fine to pick up your luggage and take it on the ME yourself. My daughter does this all the time because she is afraid that the airline will lose her luggage. I would rather have them deliver it to the room so I don't have to carry it all the way across the airport. It doesn't really take that long to load the luggage. I've seen them load a lot of luggage, some small, some very large. Just be sure to tip them. We give $1 per bag. I

 

[Alesia]

It's perfectly fine to pick up your luggage and take it on the ME yourself. My daughter does this all the time because she is afraid that the airline will lose her luggage.

Does she realize that if the airline loses her luggage, ME will start the process of finding it?

 

[Missytara]

Alesia - I was kinda thinking that myself. And if she has already picked up her luggage at baggage claim, then the airline hasn't lost it????? Am I missing something?

I also get somewhat irritated when a whole bunch of people insist on bringing all their luggage on the bus. Especially entire families. I always wondered why families don't pack anything they would need in just one bag and let the rest go to ME. I pack all I need for the first day in my day bag, so I am ready to go the minute I get on the bus. We always seem to be the last stop and it takes forever to get to the resort.....

 

[Darcy03231]

Just keep in mind that if you flight lands after 10 pm you need to collect your own luggage, unless you want to wait until the next day to get it. From Disney's website:

2. Upon landing at Orlando International Airport, skip baggage claim and proceed to the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center in the Main Terminal Building, B side, Level 1. Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort. Luggage delivery service provided by Disney's Magical Express is available for flights arriving between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm daily. For airport arrivals after 10:00 pm, Guests may collect their luggage at Baggage Claim and transport it with them on the motor coach.

 

[dreamergirl78]

We used DME one time and if we ever use them again we will have our bags with us. Our flight landed around 1pm and we did not get our bags until 3:30AM!!! Never again. I did not feel the need to pack things into a carry on because I would have never imagined it would take 14 hours to get our luggage. The worst part was getting a straight answer. I was on hold for 30 minutes at a time. Not a way to start off our trip! From then on we have just rented a car to save my sanity.
If you use DME and you do not get your own bags, I would make sure you have what you need to get you through that first night in a carry on.

 

[goofy4tink]

We used DME one time and if we ever use them again we will have our bags with us. Our flight landed around 1pm and we did not get our bags until 3:30AM!!! Never again. I did not feel the need to pack things into a carry on because I would have never imagined it would take 14 hours to get our luggage. The worst part was getting a straight answer. I was on hold for 30 minutes at a time. Not a way to start off our trip! From then on we have just rented a car to save my sanity.
If you use DME and you do not get your own bags, I would make sure you have what you need to get you through that first night in a carry on.

While I completely understand your displeasure with that experience, are you 100% sure it was DME at fault??? If DME does in fact get your bags, it shouldn't take 14 hrs to find the bags in WDW...there just aren't that many places they could go to. And with the bar codes on them, and the many times they are scanned, it's not hard to track them. The airlines may have been at fault here..they could have completely misdirected your bags.
But, that is only speculation.

As far as packing a carryon, most of us who travel fairly often know to pack our carryon bags with anything we may need for that first 24 hr period...doesn't matter where we are going. Airlines misdirect bags all the time. If a bag goes to Dallas but you are going to NYC, then you will have what you need for the night at least.


The vast majority of people get their bags, delivered to their resort rooms, within 4 hours of resort checkin. I had a wait of much longer one time. We arrived at 11ish, at POP, and I didn't get my bags until after 5pm. And it was either DME or POP's fault. I'm thinking probably POP...their luggage dept leaves much to be desired. But it was partly my fault as well. My party didn't pack their carryon as I instructed them to do...so, we had to sit around and wait for the checked bags to arrive.

 

[rosiep]

Just keep in mind that if you flight lands after 10 pm you need to collect your own luggage, unless you want to wait until the next day to get it. From Disney's website:

2. Upon landing at Orlando International Airport, skip baggage claim and proceed to the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center in the Main Terminal Building, B side, Level 1. Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort. Luggage delivery service provided by Disney's Magical Express is available for flights arriving between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm daily. For airport arrivals after 10:00 pm, Guests may collect their luggage at Baggage Claim and transport it with them on the motor coach.

My flight is due to arrive at 9:40 pm and I am having panic attacks over whether or not DME will handle it. I suppose I can ask when I check in whether I've made the deadline or not.

 

[dreamergirl78]

While I completely understand your displeasure with that experience, are you 100% sure it was DME at fault??? If DME does in fact get your bags, it shouldn't take 14 hrs to find the bags in WDW...there just aren't that many places they could go to. And with the bar codes on them, and the many times they are scanned, it's not hard to track them. The airlines may have been at fault here..they could have completely misdirected your bags.
But, that is only speculation.

Yes, I am sure. 100% sure. It was a nightmare. For me, I would rather just have my stuff with me. That way I don't have to worry about it.

 

[rosiep]

Just keep in mind that if you flight lands after 10 pm you need to collect your own luggage, unless you want to wait until the next day to get it. From Disney's website:

2. Upon landing at Orlando International Airport, skip baggage claim and proceed to the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center in the Main Terminal Building, B side, Level 1. Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort. Luggage delivery service provided by Disney's Magical Express is available for flights arriving between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm daily. For airport arrivals after 10:00 pm, Guests may collect their luggage at Baggage Claim and transport it with them on the motor coach.

Is this true? If you arrive after 10pm and do not collect your luggage will DME deliver it the next day?

 

[Tozzie]

Is this true? If you arrive after 10pm and do not collect your luggage will DME deliver it the next day?

No it will most likely go to your airlines lost luggage dept and DME won't be looking for it and I doubt the airline will give it to DME in the morning.

 

[Edd]

That answer is completely false. If you do not pick up your luggage that night it will remain in the airlines office until the next morning early, at which time a Disney castmember will come by and pick it up for delivery to Disney. Airlines do not like to hold your luggage any longer than they have to. The em0ployees will see the yellow Disney tags and call DME to assure of the pick up early so it will be in Disney around 0700.

It would be better if those who do not know what is happening would hold back on such false comments.

 

[Sawhiskey]

DME IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! It made my life soo much easier... Gotta love it..

 

[Alesia]

No it will most likely go to your airlines lost luggage dept and DME won't be looking for it and I doubt the airline will give it to DME in the morning.

I am almost certain that that isn't the case...

 

[rosiep]

That answer is completely false. If you do not pick up your luggage that night it will remain in the airlines office until the next morning early, at which time a Disney castmember will come by and pick it up for delivery to Disney. Airlines do not like to hold your luggage any longer than they have to. The em0ployees will see the yellow Disney tags and call DME to assure of the pick up early so it will be in Disney around 0700.

It would be better if those who do not know what is happening would hold back on such false comments.

Thank you. This is good to know. Looks like I'll be backing pj's in my carry on!

 

[dburg30]

Yes, I am sure. 100% sure. It was a nightmare. For me, I would rather just have my stuff with me. That way I don't have to worry about it.

Can you enlighten us on what happened? You'll hear some a very few reports of luggage taking forever to get to the room, but most folks have no idea where the breakdown happened at. I'm just curious how you found out it was actually DME's fault?