Disney's Magical Express/RAC - What "Participating Airline" Really Means!

[Minnie Lor]

Originally Posted by Chip 'n Dale Express

THIS POST WAS LAST UPDATED ON DECEMBER 19th, 2007. Please read the ENTIRE first post before posting your question. Thanks!
_____________________________________________

Outbound to Orlando International Airport:

• Only those flying participating airlines may check thier luggage & get boarding passes at the Resort Airline Check-in Desk. EVERYONE must be present (exceptions: Adults over 18 can check in for spouse & kids under the age of 18, but not in-laws, grandparents, brother/sister, etc).
• Bags may be checked starting at 12 hours prior to flight, up until no later than 3 hours prior to flight departure time. (Bag check process must be COMPLETE by the 3hr mark, regardless of what time the guest gets in line) Please note that this information is subject to change without notice. There have been times when the 3hr mark has been increased to 4hrs. Please check with your particular RAC desk for more details.
• All seats are pre-assigned by the airlines, and cannot be changed by the RAC desk. All seat changes must be done at the airport.

[*]Current Resort Airline Check-In Participating Airlines (Domestic only):

• American Airlines
• Continental
• Delta
• jetBlue
• United/Ted
• Northwest
• Alaska Airlines
• AirTran Airways

This may seem like a silly question but I've not used the Resort Check-in Desk.

I'm leaving on AirTran at 8:30 am. We didn't pre-choose a seat when we booked. Can we check-in online ourselves 24 hrs in advance so we can also select seats and still have Resort Check-in Desk print boarding pass and check luggage?

Thanks!

[HACAM]

I am not sure if this question belongs on this page or not, but I am going to ask anyhow. Does anyone know how long it is before you get your luggage once you have arrived at WDW...using the ME? Our family is flying into MCO at 12:32am, and I was wondering if they would just wait until the morning to bring our luggage, or whether or not we should just pick it up ourselves at the airport. I don't really want someone knocking on the doors at 4am with our luggage...

[mommyoftwinfants]

Originally Posted by Minnie Lor

This may seem like a silly question but I've not used the Resort Check-in Desk.

I'm leaving on AirTran at 8:30 am. We didn't pre-choose a seat when we booked. Can we check-in online ourselves 24 hrs in advance so we can also select seats and still have Resort Check-in Desk print boarding pass and check luggage?

Thanks!

I was going to ask the same question but we leave at 7:45 pm. If we can't check in ourselves at the 24 hour mark I may just have to pay the $5 per seat but when you have to buy 12 tickets it adds up . Well I guess I could just buy the kids and an adult their seats everyone else can fend for themselves

[Jen76b]

Originally Posted by HACAM

I am not sure if this question belongs on this page or not, but I am going to ask anyhow. Does anyone know how long it is before you get your luggage once you have arrived at WDW...using the ME? Our family is flying into MCO at 12:32am, and I was wondering if they would just wait until the morning to bring our luggage, or whether or not we should just pick it up ourselves at the airport. I don't really want someone knocking on the doors at 4am with our luggage...

From my experience, it's always been within a few hours after check in. We always pack a few things in our carry on in case we want to change when we get to the hotel. Then we head out to the parks for a few hours, and our luggage is always there when we get back.

[CleveRocks]

Originally Posted by HACAM

I am not sure if this question belongs on this page or not, but I am going to ask anyhow. Does anyone know how long it is before you get your luggage once you have arrived at WDW...using the ME? Our family is flying into MCO at 12:32am, and I was wondering if they would just wait until the morning to bring our luggage, or whether or not we should just pick it up ourselves at the airport. I don't really want someone knocking on the doors at 4am with our luggage...

My suggestion is pack for your nighttime and morning needs in your carry-ons. When you get to your resort, ask at the front desk AND at Bell Services to have your DME bags held 'til morning. That way, you won't get a 4:0 a.m. knock at the door. I forgot to make this simple request (and I'm one of the ones who always suggests it!!! ) when we checked in around 11:00 p.m. I got a call at 1:16 a.m. saying that our bags were ready to be delivered, and asking if we wanted them now or in the morning. Since we'd planned all along to not even get our bags until the next day, anyway, I had them hold the delivery 'til morning.

In my opinion, if I'm landing at 12:30 in the morning, I'm gonna wanna get to bed ASAFP, so I wouldn't want to delay myself by making an unneccesary detour to baggage claim.

Just my humble opinion ....

[Minnie Lor]

post deleted

[wdw_girl_18]

I have a question!!

We're getting in at around midnight. I see the disney welcome center is closed then. Do we just go straight to the magical express bus?

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally Posted by wdw_girl_18

I have a question!!

We're getting in at around midnight. I see the disney welcome center is closed then. Do we just go straight to the magical express bus?

I'm not sure where you read that, but the Welcome Center is open until the last flight arrives.

[wdw_girl_18]

Originally Posted by Chip 'n Dale Express

I'm not sure where you read that, but the Welcome Center is open until the last flight arrives.

ohhh ok when I was booking it the cast member said it was closed? and then went on to talk about something else. haha


Thats good to know though. Thanks so much for answering!

[tiggerfan4me]

Originally Posted by CleveRocks

If they are flying within the USA, their scheduled Disney's Magical Express pick up time will be about 3 hours (not 4) prior to their flight time, +/- 15 minutes.

If they are using a "participating airline," they can check their bags through to their final destination AND receive boarding passes at the Resort Airline Check-in desk, which is open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The process must be completed no later than 3 hours before flight time, and also cannot be done on a prior calendar day.

If they are not using a participating airline, they can still get boarding passes printed (but NOT the luggage service) at a different location within their resort's lobby, the Lobby Concierge desk. This can typically be done 24 hours in advance.

I just wanted to say thanks for the info. Everything worked out just great for my parents and they loved the service. I was glad that at 82 years of age they only had to handle their luggage at the home airport. They flew into Harrisburg, PA when we were having ice, snow and rain. Their ride home was harrowing, but everything down in Disney was great. Thanks for all the info so I could help my parents ahead of time. Happy Valentines Day.

[CleveRocks]

Originally Posted by tiggerfan4me

I just wanted to say thanks for the info. Everything worked out just great for my parents and they loved the service. I was glad that at 82 years of age they only had to handle their luggage at the home airport. They flew into Harrisburg, PA when we were having ice, snow and rain. Their ride home was harrowing, but everything down in Disney was great. Thanks for all the info so I could help my parents ahead of time. Happy Valentines Day.

You just made my day! Thanks for the update!

[Sheriff]

I saw this question asked but could not find where it was answered.

I have a late breakfast reservation and would like to leave from that resort rather than where I am staying (Pop). Can I do that if I tell them so when I arrive?

Seems reasonable to me but then....

[goofy4tink]

Originally Posted by Sheriff

I saw this question asked but could not find where it was answered.

I have a late breakfast reservation and would like to leave from that resort rather than where I am staying (Pop). Can I do that if I tell them so when I arrive?

Seems reasonable to me but then....

No, you have to leave from the resort you are registered at. Your DME reservation is tied to your resort reservation.

[williamohms]

Yeah the FAQ for DME also states:

AIRPORT ARRIVAL, TRANSPORTATION, AND DISNEY WELCOME CENTER

Q. What are the hours of operation and location of the Disney Welcome Center?

A. The Disney Welcome Center is in the Main Terminal Building of Orlando International Airport on the B side on Level 1. The hours are 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., but we will be happy to extend those hours if you have booked Disney's Magical Express Service and your flight is scheduled to arrive after 11:00 p.m.

I just called DME because my information arrived and had no flights showing and stated we were due in on the 6th of March although we won't arrive until 12:43am on 7th of March. They took care of everything and said not to worry.

[mom2nca]

Ok just to make sure Im understanding this, we are flying with Air Canada, I did not see that on the list on the first page, so we are using ME and our bags will be taken to the resort by the ME service no problem if we use the ME tags. But when we go home we will have to bring our luggage down to the ME bus at the resort and then take them off the buss, carry them from whereever the bus drops us off to the check in and check them at the airport ourselfs? Is that right and our flight home takes off at 8am so we will have to board the bus at aprox 4 or 5 am? ugg not looking for ward to that.

Thanks for any help