Magical express

[jessic2422]

Will ME just take your luggage to the hotel and not you. We are renting a car and I am worried there won't be enough room for all of our luggage. I thought it would be nice if our bags came by ME.

 

[Sue M]

Will ME just take your luggage to the hotel and not you. We are renting a car and I am worried there won't be enough room for all of our luggage. I thought it would be nice if our bags came by ME.

Only way ME will pick up your luggage is if you take ME. Maybe one of you can go get the car and drive it to Disney, and the rest of you can go by ME with the luggage. They will pick up your luggage a d deliver it to your room. Great service.

 

[jessic2422]

We did think of that. I think it may be our only option since we don't want to pay for an SUV.

 

[nefritz]

I could be completely wrong, but I thought I read on here.... If you sign up for ME get tags and put on bag, they take them, but you could then get to the resort via rental. Again I can be wrong but maybe worth calling!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) No problem.
2) Just sign up for DME and put the tags on the bags.
3) The bags and the people-bus are two separate companies.
4) They do not coordinate the bags and if you boarded the bus.

 

[SSR]

1) No problem.
2) Just sign up for DME and put the tags on the bags.
3) The bags and the people-bus are two separate companies.
4) They do not coordinate the bags and if you boarded the bus.

Interesting. I didn't know this.

Is this the "official policy" answer or the unofficial "how it works even though Disney doesn't want you doing this" answer?

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I've never done it before but that makes sense to me! The guys taking the baggage off the plane really have no idea if you're going to get on the ME bus or not. They just toss everything onto plain unmarked trucks. This is good info to know!

 

[bear_mom]

There is a sticky on this on the Transportation board.

The short answer is yes, it can work.

The problem that may be encountered is: when you check in for ME they ask how many checked bags you have and start looking for your bags. If the airline loses your bags and you check in, ME will start trying to track down your bags. They will even start the claim process. If you don't check in, no one is looking for your bags. By the time you realize that your bags are lost, you may have to go back to the airport to start the claim process.

Emily

 

[SSR]

I've never done it before but that makes sense to me! The guys taking the baggage off the plane really have no idea if you're going to get on the ME bus or not. They just toss everything onto plain unmarked trucks. This is good info to know!

But, be careful. If your flight arrives after 10pm, you have to pull your own ME luggage from the carousel and bring to the bus.

 

[SSR]

There is a sticky on this on the Transportation board.

Ah, thanks for the tip. http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2015788

Helped clear confusion in my mind on this...

 

[goofy4tink]

For those of you who haven't gone over to Transportation to check this out...
In short, yes you can. But, that doesn't mean you should. There are some instances where a bag is misdirected by the airline and it doesn't make it to the resort. And because no one knew it was missing, no one looked for it. I am generally asked how many bags I checked...that way they can know that I am missing a bag if I told them 2 bags and only 1 is checked in. And by the time anyone realizes a bag is missing?? It could be a nightmare trying to figure out who was responsible.

 

[aaarcher86]

Interesting. I didn't know this.

Is this the "official policy" answer or the unofficial "how it works even though Disney doesn't want you doing this" answer?

It's not official. If you call and ask them they will tell you that a person must be riding ME for the bags to go.

I wouldn't want to chance my bags not being there though. Since it's an unofficial thing, you never know when someone just gets lucky and when it won't work out.

Can you imagine not having your bags delivered and then Disney advising that it is against policy when you complain to the front desk? You'll just be kind of stuck, and probably won't find out until it's much later since it can take a few hour to get your bags from DME.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

For those of you who haven't gone over to Transportation to check this out...
In short, yes you can. But, that doesn't mean you should. There are some instances where a bag is misdirected by the airline and it doesn't make it to the resort. And because no one knew it was missing, no one looked for it. I am generally asked how many bags I checked...that way they can know that I am missing a bag if I told them 2 bags and only 1 is checked in. And by the time anyone realizes a bag is missing?? It could be a nightmare trying to figure out who was responsible.

Thank you tink! This was a really interesting question I had never pondered before.

 

[goofy4tink]

It's not official. If you call and ask them they will tell you that a person must be riding ME for the bags to go. I don't know if they make sure a person checks in at the FD to get on a bus that matches the bags they've collected, or do nothing at all.

I wouldn't want to chance my bags not being there though. Since it's an unofficial thing, you never know when someone just gets lucky and when it won't work out.

Yes, that is sort of Disney's official line. In all actuality, they will say that you can not book luggage transfer only. And that's a whole different ball of wax, so to speak.
The vast majority of people that tag their bags and then go to their resort via a rental car or car service, with no luggage issues at all, have no issues at all. I just like to be sure that everyone realizes that there 'could' be an issue.
Like I said, I have usually been asked how many bags I checked. And the CM has put that number into some system. I doubt that they make sure you are checked in prior to moving your bags. Since there is no specific bus you are put on, you can stop, eat lunch, whatever...then report to the DME area. By the time you get there, your bags may very well have arrived at your resort!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Thank you tink! This was a really interesting question I had never pondered before.

We have heard reports from some that they tagged their bags, but then took a rental car to their resort. They checked in, got their passes, and went off to a park for the rest of the day. When they got back to their room, they found that a bag was missing. Now, about 8 hrs had gone by. So, they called Bell Services, who said that it was an airline issue. Well...upon calling the airline, they were told that DME must have lost the bag!! Nice way to start your trip!!
If DME knows that you have checked 4 bags, but they check off only 3, they realize that one isn't there. Then, they can start looking for it. They are supposed to act on your behalf. If no one has filed a report, within a certain amount of time, the airlines get all nudgy and refuse to accept responsibility.

Doesn't happen very often, but it has happened. And the people most impacted by it are those who have tagged their bags and then not been on the bus. Again..the vast majority of people will be just fine. But if you're that person that it does affect?? Not so much fun.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We have heard reports from some that they tagged their bags, but then took a rental car to their resort. They checked in, got their passes, and went off to a park for the rest of the day. When they got back to their room, they found that a bag was missing. Now, about 8 hrs had gone by. So, they called Bell Services, who said that it was an airline issue. Well...upon calling the airline, they were told that DME must have lost the bag!! Nice way to start your trip!!
If DME knows that you have checked 4 bags, but they check off only 3, they realize that one isn't there. Then, they can start looking for it. They are supposed to act on your behalf. If no one has filed a report, within a certain amount of time, the airlines get all nudgy and refuse to accept responsibility.

Doesn't happen very often, but it has happened. And the people most impacted by it are those who have tagged their bags and then not been on the bus. Again..the vast majority of people will be just fine. But if you're that person that it does affect?? Not so much fun.

Speaking as someone who has experienced lost luggage I can definitely understand that concern. It's hard enough trying to track it down when you're standing at the carousel empty handed!

 

[Jestocost]

Yes, that is sort of Disney's official line. In all actuality, they will say that you can not book luggage transfer only.

They actually have changed the language in the DME FAQ to be much stronger than that. It now says:

Please note: The service does not provide luggage-only transfer.

So it's now clear that their policy is guests are not supposed to have their luggage transferred without also taking the DME bus. That said, the problem for Disney is that they don't have any way to enforce that policy and, in fact, their contract with MCO apparently requires them to collect and transport any bag that has a DME tag (during luggage service operating hours).

Does Disney want you to use DME as a luggage-only service? No
Do they have a policy that says you must use the bus to get luggage transfer service? Yes
In practical terms, can you use DME only for luggage transfers? Yes
Will your bags get to your resort room if you tag them and don't take the bus? Probably

What each individual needs to decide (over and above their general views on following or not following rules) is if the "probably" represents enough of a risk.

 

[goofy4tink]

They actually have changed the language in the DME FAQ to be much stronger than that. It now says:



So it's now clear that their policy is guests are not supposed to have their luggage transferred without also taking the DME bus. That said, the problem for Disney is that they don't have any way to enforce that policy and, in fact, their contract with MCO apparently requires them to collect and transport any bag that has a DME tag (during luggage service operating hours).

Does Disney want you to use DME as a luggage-only service? No
Do they have a policy that says you must use the bus to get luggage transfer service? Yes
In practical terms, can you use DME only for luggage transfers? Yes
Will your bags get to your resort room if you tag them and don't take the bus? Probably

What each individual needs to decide (over and above their general views on following or not following rules) is if the "probably" represents enough of a risk.

While they may 'say' they don't provide luggage only transfer, in all reality, they do. People are doing it everyday.
Is there some way Disney could deal with this? Sure. When you get to the DME bus area, and get checked in, you should now be in the system as getting on the bus and heading to your resort. Your vouchers are scanned. Ok. Your tagged bags are scanned upon arrival as well...several times in fact. There has to be a way that they could make it show, in the system, that your bags were moved, but you weren't. As in..bags are scanned, no vouchers were scanned. The reservation number is on those baggage tags...so they can be scanned. For each bag scanned, there could be a fee..say $2 per bag. If you get on that bus, with your voucher scanned, it negates your baggage charge. If you don't get on the bus, then your 'baggage fees' are added to your resort bill. As long as guests know this going in, it shouldn't be any issue.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Interesting. I didn't know this.

Is this the "official policy" answer or the unofficial "how it works even though Disney doesn't want you doing this" answer?

The later.

 

[jessic2422]

But it sounds like it would be acceptable for one member of my party to get on the ME and say that we have 3 bags.