How long to hotel if we use DME?

jennib5426 · Nov 30, 2015

first time using DME on our next trip.
We land at 2pm at MCO, what's the average time from airport to hotel?
We will be staying at BLT and will have a baby with us so don't want to spend another 2 hours on a bus after a flying all day.
Also when do you usually get your luggage?

Alesia · Nov 30, 2015

It's typically 70 to 90 minutes from stepping off the plane to walking into the hotel.

Your luggage typically arrives within 3 hours of check in.

AngiTN · Dec 1, 2015

Alesia said:
It's typically 70 to 90 minutes from stepping off the plane to walking into the hotel.

Your luggage typically arrives within 3 hours of check in.

I've been meaning to ask, now that there is direct to room upon arrival for many, what exactly constitutes Check In for figuring when your bags will arrive?
Last trip I got the notification that our room was ready before I even left my office for the airport so it can't go by when you get your text

Jimsig · Dec 1, 2015

AngiTN said:
I've been meaning to ask, now that there is direct to room upon arrival for many, what exactly constitutes Check In for figuring when your bags will arrive?
Last trip I got the notification that our room was ready before I even left my office for the airport so it can't go by when you get your text

I think "check in" is just an arbitrary time they came up with as everyone has to check in to some degree. With online check in and automated "your room is ready" e-mails and texts I would now say when you arrive at your resort is when the 3 hour clock starts running. If they didn't specify "3 hours" they would be getting lots of calls asking where is my luggage after 60- 90-120 min or whatnot and they want to avoid that.

My feeling is they always said 3 hours after check in figuring that's probably about the average of what it takes to deliver the luggage and that gives them about 3.5 to 4 hours to actually get your luggage from the airport to the resort and to you after you land. My feeling is if you hung out at the airport for 4 hours and then took the bus you might actually find your luggage waiting for you in your room, same thing if you skipped the "check in" process, stowed your bags with the bell service and hit the parks for 6 hours. Or at worse your bags are at the resort waiting to be brought to your room.

AngiTN · Dec 1, 2015

Jimsig said:
I think "check in" is just an arbitrary time they came up with as everyone has to check in to some degree. With online check in and automated "your room is ready" e-mails and texts I would now say when you arrive at your resort is when the 3 hour clock starts running. If they didn't specify "3 hours" they would be getting lots of calls asking where is my luggage after 60- 90-120 min or whatnot and they want to avoid that.

My feeling is they always said 3 hours after check in figuring that's probably about the average of what it takes to deliver the luggage and that gives them about 3.5 to 4 hours to actually get your luggage from the airport to the resort and to you after you land. My feeling is if you hung out at the airport for 4 hours and then took the bus you might actually find your luggage waiting for you in your room, same thing if you skipped the "check in" process, stowed your bags with the bell service and hit the parks for 6 hours. Or at worse your bags are at the resort waiting to be brought to your room.

That would be my guess too. Mostly I was hoping to clarify it for those that search since some here always stress that it's 3 hours after check in, not 3 hours after you arrive.

An example would be on our last trip we had 1 night at ASMu before leaving for Boardwalk the next morning. We got notice of our room while I was still at the office.
On that trip we never even entered the lobby at ASMu. We got off the ME bus, walked to our room and next morning we walked to Bell Services, left our carry ons to transfer and then went to the Resort bus stop and headed to HS
We never entered the lobby of the resort at all. It was a late flight so we only used carry on bags but it made me wonder what if we had used the yellow tags for our bags. We could have done the same thing even had we arrived at 4:00 PM, since we got our room text about 3:30.

For our trip this month I guess I'll find out, provided we get the expected direct to room text. We land about 6:00 PM. We will carry on nothing, checking it all. When we arrive at Boardwalk we will go straight to Epcot, no plans to enter the lobby or stop at the room first. We'll go down the stairs and right to International Gateway. Epcot is open late so I figure our bags would be there by the time we are done. Since they do know when we get off ME I guess that's when the clock starts

maxiesmom · Dec 1, 2015

[QUOTE="AngiTN, post: 54800195, member: 355902"

For our trip this month I guess I'll find out, provided we get the expected direct to room text. We land about 6:00 PM. We will carry on nothing, checking it all. When we arrive at Boardwalk we will go straight to Epcot, no plans to enter the lobby or stop at the room first. We'll go down the stairs and right to International Gateway. Epcot is open late so I figure our bags would be there by the time we are done. Since they do know when we get off ME I guess that's when the clock starts[/QUOTE]

Checking it all is a bad idea. You should carry with you items to get your thru 24 hours, in case the airline misdirects your luggage.

Alesia · Dec 1, 2015

maxiesmom said:
Checking it all is a bad idea. You should carry with you items to get your thru 24 hours, in case the airline misdirects your luggage.

I agree. My luggage has been misdirected 5 times. Do not ever fly without packing everything you need for the first 24 hours in a carry on bag.

jennib5426 · Dec 1, 2015

Can you pick up your bags and put them on DME bus with you?

Alesia · Dec 1, 2015

jennib5426 said:
Can you pick up your bags and put them on DME bus with you?

Yes, just make sure you don't put the yellow tags on them. And bring cash to tip the DME driver for handling them for you.

Be aware that it's going to add quite a bit of time to the trip.

AngiTN · Dec 1, 2015

maxiesmom said:
Checking it all is a bad idea. You should carry with you items to get your thru 24 hours, in case the airline misdirects your luggage.

Alesia said:
I agree. My luggage has been misdirected 5 times. Do not ever fly without packing everything you need for the first 24 hours in a carry on bag.

Nope. We gamble. I know common wisdom is to carry on some but we don't. I hate to carry on anything unless we have to. That's one of the reasons we only fly southwest. I can check 2 bags each.

AngiTN · Dec 1, 2015

Alesia said:
I agree. My luggage has been misdirected 5 times. Do not ever fly without packing everything you need for the first 24 hours in a carry on bag.

For as unlucky you have been we are lucky. Maybe it helps we have only direct flights

Jimsig · Dec 1, 2015

2 weeks ago age when traveling to Disney I asked the ticket agent if they could check one bag to Germany and the other to Hawaii. They said "Sir, we can't do that." I said "Why not? You did it last time!!!"

sam_gordon · Dec 1, 2015

Alesia said:
Be aware that it's going to add quite a bit of time to the trip.

I'd guess maybe 30-45 minutes.

jennib5426 · Dec 1, 2015

I have always gotten my bags at Mco in about 20 minutes, so how would it add time? I would rather wait the 20 minutes for my bag then wait 3 hours for it to be delivered to my room.
Plus it would give me peace of mind especially since I'm traveling with a baby.

AngiTN · Dec 1, 2015

I think it was meant it takes more time for you to get to the resort. You won't board the ME bus as quick as you would if you let them get the bags

In your original post you indicated you want to get to the resort quick. Getting your own bags won't be quick

boufa · Dec 2, 2015

Jimsig said:
2 weeks ago age when traveling to Disney I asked the ticket agent if they could check one bag to Germany and the other to Hawaii. They said "Sir, we can't do that." I said "Why not? You did it last time!!!"

I am a sarcastic smart...err, lets say, smarty pants... My wife is certain that at some point in my life, thinking I am being cute is going to get me punched in the face one of these days (almost happened at a Best Buy recently.. but thats another story).

There is a select group of people I don't play games with. Period. Almost anyone at the airport would be on that list. Doctors, cops, and anyone else who hold my life, my money or my future happiness or safety in their hands would be on that list too. But that's just me.

siskaren · Dec 2, 2015

jennib5426 said:
I have always gotten my bags at Mco in about 20 minutes, so how would it add time? I would rather wait the 20 minutes for my bag then wait 3 hours for it to be delivered to my room.
Plus it would give me peace of mind especially since I'm traveling with a baby.

You don't have to wait in your room for your luggage, though.

Jimsig · Dec 2, 2015

jennib5426 said:
I have always gotten my bags at Mco in about 20 minutes, so how would it add time?

What airline are you flying?

If you fly on those airlines that arrive in Side (Terminal) A (JetBlue and SWA to name 2) you would have to get you luggage on Level 2, then go back up to Level 3 I believe, walk across the concourse to Side (Terminal) B go down to Level 1 to get the bus. That's going to eat up more time there as well as causing you to have to haul your luggage all that way with a baby in tow. If you arrive Side B at least you are on the correct side but you still have to bring your luggage from Level 2 down to Level 1 to the DME.

A couple weeks ago we stayed in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. From the aircraft stopping at the gate to resort for us was 79 min and ours was the 5th and last stop. We were at the gate at 611p (we were in the 4th row so probably off the plane 5 min later) with a bathroom stop we were on the bus at 630p and driving under the WDW sign on Epcot Center Dr. at 657p. We stopped at OKW at 702p, Saratoga Springs at 709p, 715p at POFQ, 720p at PORS, and arrived the Fort at 730p. Our luggage was in the room by 10p. We went down to the Settlement for a bite to eat and watch the Fireworks and when we arrived back at the cabin it was waiting for us. We still packed for that night and the next day in our carry-ons just to be safe.

Sandi · Dec 4, 2015

AngiTN said:
For as unlucky you have been we are lucky. Maybe it helps we have only direct flights

I think you've stolen my good luck, too! My luggage is typically mis-directed on our return flights home (from anywhere).

cleopenn · Dec 4, 2015

Jimsig said:
I think "check in" is just an arbitrary time they came up with as everyone has to check in to some degree. With online check in and automated "your room is ready" e-mails and texts I would now say when you arrive at your resort is when the 3 hour clock starts running. If they didn't specify "3 hours" they would be getting lots of calls asking where is my luggage after 60- 90-120 min or whatnot and they want to avoid that.

My feeling is they always said 3 hours after check in figuring that's probably about the average of what it takes to deliver the luggage and that gives them about 3.5 to 4 hours to actually get your luggage from the airport to the resort and to you after you land. My feeling is if you hung out at the airport for 4 hours and then took the bus you might actually find your luggage waiting for you in your room, same thing if you skipped the "check in" process, stowed your bags with the bell service and hit the parks for 6 hours. Or at worse your bags are at the resort waiting to be brought to your room.

We had a glitch with RAC and in the course of my conversation with the guys working the desk, I was told the trucks that transport the luggage to and from that airport run every three hours between Disney and the airport. The bolded makes sense based on that information.

How long to hotel if we use DME?

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