late arrival - should we get our luggage?

[sherreis]

We arrive at MCO at 8:50 PM on Southwest. Will ME bring our luggage to POP or do we need to handle it because it's late? We'll have our carry-on that will have anything we need that evening.

[kaytieeldr]

Magical Express will bring your luggage to Pop. It can take up to three hours after you check in at the resort for your luggage to arrive, so common wisdom recommends packing whatever you will need for the first 24 hours at your destination in carry-on luggage. Airlines have been known to misdirect a bag or two or three... million

If by some chance your plane is extremely delayed and arrives at MCO after 10 PM, your luggage will first go on the luggage carousel. Any luggage not claimed will be stored by the airline's luggage office, and will be picked up by Magical Express in the morning and delivered to your resort.

[sherreis]

Thank you. I'm packing what we need for Friday in our carry-on. The rest of the luggage is for our cruise.

[goofy4tink]

The only issue with getting your own luggage when flying SW, but using DME, is the distance you'll be traveling at the airport. You arrive on Side A, on level 3, so you will have to go down to level 2, baggage claim, on Side A, and get your checked bags. Then back up to level 3, cross over to Side B and down again, past level 2 baggage claim on Side B, and on down to level 1, ground transportation where DME is located. That's a fair amount of walking.

You should be fine with DME grabbing your stuff. As noted, you will have what you need for the night.

[sherreis]

Thank you.

So excited -- we leave this afternoon after 2 years of planning. The cruise is on Saturday and tomorrow night is MVMCP!!!

[puffkin]

We will be arriving at about 8:30 on a Friday night. I am just going to go claim our luggage. It really isnt' that big of a hassle for us and luggage comes up quick at MCO! It is usually already on the carousel til we get there. It isn't really that far to get across the terminal to the Magical Express side. I also would like to have everything right away to get situated for the next day rather than waiting another 3 hours potentially.

I try to carry on as little as humanly possible on the plane. My life is much less stressful that way!

[twinklebug]

Originally Posted by goofy4tink

The only issue with getting your own luggage when flying SW, but using DME, is the distance you'll be traveling at the airport. You arrive on Side A, on level 3, so you will have to go down to level 2, baggage claim, on Side A, and get your checked bags. Then back up to level 3, cross over to Side B and down again, past level 2 baggage claim on Side B, and on down to level 1, ground transportation where DME is located. That's a fair amount of walking.

You should be fine with DME grabbing your stuff. As noted, you will have what you need for the night.

I think it's more if an issue of getting lost for first timers. It's easy enough, but the walk down to DME once you're on the first level seems to go on forever. It's a straight line that makes it hard to see much of a distance down the building. However, the walk is nothing compared to walking the parks.

I let DME get my cases if I know I'll be awake when they arrive (figure 3 hours). If I plan on being in bed when they come up and I don't want the call at 2am I'll retrieve them myself. Plus, I want my kids in their pajamas.

[Jestocost]

One thing not mentioned yet is that even though DME will deliver to POP if you arrive on time, and should have luggage there within three hours of your check in, luggage services at POP and the All Stars themselves close down at midnight. As a result, if your bags get to the resort after midnight (which would still be within DME's time frame) they won't be delivered to your room until the next day when luggage servcies reopens.

[Lewisc]

SW passengers have to shlep their bags back up to level three, go to the opposite corner of MCO then go down to level one.

JMO bue once a SW guest decides to, or is required to (after 10p), get their own bags a car service makes sense. You'll be doing a lot of walking at WDW, but not with all your luggage.