Magical Express not too magical for us!

[Redmic]

Just got back from an 8 night free dining trip, and I must say we have a terrific time! However the Magical Express operated poorly for us. For those of you who have had a perfect, error-free "magical" Magical Express experience, let me go on record right now saying "I BELIEVE YOU!". But, as Oprah would say "That ain't us!"

Our flight arrived at MCO at 5:50 p.m. We had no trouble finding the Disney representatives and checking in. We had about a 20 minute wait on the bus before we left. We went to All Star Sports, ate dinner, took a swim and returned to our room at 9:00 p.m. At that point I called the desk to inquire as to when our bags might arrive and was told, "between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m." This was said in a very matter-of-fact way, so I guess a 5 to 6 hour delay is typical. Since we had been told it would be "up to 3 hours", we hadn't packed our sleepware in our carry-ons, but there was no way any of us would be awake by 11:00 after travelling since early morning. I asked if we could go get them ourselves, and she said, "we'll bring them between 10:00 and 10:30". What is this, an auction? Anyway, the bags arrived at 10:15.

Lesson learned: If a wait of up to 6 hours doesn't work for you (especially if you arrive at night), bring your own bags.

After one night at All Star Sports, we checked into the Yacht Club for 7 nights. The day before our departure we received a letter telling us that our bus would leave for the airport at 6:30 a.m. and we should be there by 6:15. We actually were there to check in at the ME desk at 5:45. We were the only ones there. The Disney lady spent a half hour on the computer, and the end result was we had baggage tags, but no boarding passes. She then told us:

1. We couldn't have any boarding passes.
2. We needed to check-in at the airport.
3. We couldn't use a kiosk at the airport, because they had screwed up everything regarding our check-in.
4. We better find an airline representative and carefully explain that the Disney attempted check-in was messed up, because otherwise they would "uncheck us" and then check us in with new numbers, causing us to lose all of our luggage!

At that point we got on the bus. We went from the Yacht Club, to the Beach Club, then the Boardwalk, then Caribbean Beach. The Caribbean Beach stop was the longest, with lots of folks and lots of luggage. It put us behind schedule a little, so after everyone was loaded the bus driver started to pull away. A Caribbean Beach cast member SMACKED the side of the bus and started screaming so the bus driver stopped and asked what was wrong. The angry man said the bus driver hadn't waited long enough. The bus driver pointed out that the appointed time had passed and drove away while the angry man shook his fist at us and yelled, "you're going to get the call!" Very unmagical

We finally arrived at MCO and got in the Jet Blue check in line. When we got to the front, we were told that 3 our of 4 of us were checked in. We started to explain that Disney had unsuccessfully tried to check us in, and as soon as we said "Disney" she rolled her eyes, shook her head and started working on the computer. After about 10 minutes everything was fixed and our bags were matched up to us.

Lesson learned: If the Disney check-in doesn't work right, it actually makes things more complicated at the airport than if you didn't try to check in at all.

Bottom line: We have been going to Disney about once a year since 1998. In the past we have always used a town car or limo. We will go back to that, because the Magical Express experience was too inconvenient and stressful for me. Not a good way to begin and end an otherwise positive experience.

 

[sistertrip]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. There's nothing like flight/airport/transportation trouble to bring you down at the end of a trip.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The 'time-bargaining' issue is strange, but Disney's responsibility.
Note that air travelers are ALWAYS advised to pack in carry-on luggage whatever clothing they will need for the first 24 hours or so of their respective trips, since the airlines are prone to misdirect luggage.
The problems with your Resort Airline CheckIn were DME's fault.
Given that the DME buses are reported to handle no more than four resorts, the dispatcher must (especially that early) consider Yacht Club and Beach Club to be one property, even though they EACH require a stop - or were you staying at the Yacht Club and that was the first of the four stops?
I'm not sure why the JetBlue Agent rolled her eyes; such problems are not common.
And in complete fairness to Disney/DME, that Guest smacking the side of the bus was outside their control AND most likely scheduled for the NEXT pickup.

 

[DebIreland]

We had a horrible experience with Magical Express too last year so I can sympathise. It was very, very frustrating. We had to give our details for our departure numerous times - each time we were assured we were in the system and everything was set and then we'd get another call to say they had no flight info for us, that we hadn't given them any. We'd give all the info again, explain that we had already done so, they'd say we were all ready this time and call the info back to us and then we'd get another call to say we hadn't given them any flight info.... this went on for about 10 days with repeated calls to give them our info. Guess what? When we finally went to get the bus, they had no info on us! There were other issues too. I swore I would never use them again for the departure trip but we're gonna sign up for it again and if they tell us they have no flight details for us after we give it, we'll just get a cab. Couldn't face that frustration again!

 

[disneywithfive]

And in complete fairness to Disney/DME, that Guest smacking the side of the bus was outside their control AND most likely scheduled for the NEXT pickup.

The thought the OP said it was a Disney cast member who smacked the bus not a guest.

 

[RedsoxMickey]

Just back and another not so Magical experience with this service.

Over 5 hr wait for luggage - so no pictures for dinner because our camera was in the luggage. Went to Aloha dinner with sweaty clothes and long pants and baseball caps because we had nothing to change into. The worst part was Nobody seemed to care. When we said over and over that they told us 2-3 hours they said that is the best guess not a guarantee. I paid a lot of money to stay conceirge so needless to say I was not happy about the bags but I let it go and we had a great time.

The ability to check the bags was a huge plus but having to drive around for over a half hour to pick up others before heading back to the airport with a driver that was not so magical.

I will be renting a car next time. It seems like most all Disney Transportation is horrible.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The thought the OP said it was a Disney cast member who smacked the bus not a guest.

You're right - I misread it! Well, then that IS DME's fault. One would think the Cast Members would know about bus intervals and all that!

 

[NancyIL]

Just back and another not so Magical experience with this service.

Over 5 hr wait for luggage - so no pictures for dinner because our camera was in the luggage.

I would never put my camera in my checked baggage - too much of a temptation for baggage handlers.

 

[amylevan]

The resort check in didn't work well for us either. They tried checking us in, screwed something up, and told us we would have to try and re-check in at the airport, but not a kiosk. When we tried explaining the mess to the guy at the Continental counter, he was thoroughly confused, "You mean Disney took your luggage, put luggage tags on them, but couldn't print your boarding passes???" Um. Yes.
Suffice it to say I was COMPLETELY surprised to find our luggage had in fact made it to Newark with us.

 

[Redmic]

I just wanted to add that packing swim wear, sleep wear, a change of clothes, etc. sounds good in theory, but the airlines are strongly discouraging carry-ons. They really want you to limit what they bring so they can check more carefully for "dangerous" items such as lip gloss .

I wouldn't have a big problem with the luggage delay if we had been told accurately what to expect. We would have picked up the bags ourselves if we would have know the norm was 5 to 6 hours and not "up to 3".

As far as the Disney computer not interfacing properly with the Jet Blue computer, they really need to work on that. Somone could easily miss a flight if they had to wait in a long line to "undo" the Disney computer transactions. Since our flight was early in the morning and in the off season we had adequate time, but someone flying out on school vacation week at noon may not be so lucky.

And yes, the bus smacker was a Caribbean Beach cast member!

 

[lklasing]

Question for Redmic - What towncar service do you use? I have absolutely no desire to do DME, not just based on your experience but everything I have heard. I think a towncar is definitely the way to go for us, but don't know which service is the best.

Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm really sorry you had a bad experience. There seems to be a recurring theme here...those late afternoon flights seem to have the longest waits for luggage. And I believe that some others have mentioned that the value resorts have the longest wait times because they only do luggage delivery on a set schedule. However, that doesn't make it okay!!!
To the best of my knowledge, it isn't Disney who actually does the remote checkins....those are reps from the airport. Yes, the desks are on Disney property, but I don't believe it's Disney that's running them...so the JB lady who rolled her eyes really had no business doing that. You could be checking in from home and have a similar issue. I believe we have had reports here of people trying to checkin, online, from home and found that everyone except one person was able to do it...that one person had to checkin in person at the airport for some reason.

And, finally...a camera in your checked baggage??? Are you trying to tempt fate?? Even worse than not having a camera for dinner shots would be no camera period because it got stolen. Always put cameras and other electronics in your carryon bag. I always advise people to pack a change of clothes, at least fresh undies and a shirt, and a swimsuit in the carryon for each person. That way you can at least freshen up a bit. I know that a lot of us frown on those with huge carryon's but you can put a shirt, bathing suit, and underwear in a very small tote....each person in my family always carries their own carryon for the flight....now, since we can't pack those important toiletries and water, I have more room in my tote for my book, change of clothing and electronics.
May be time to just not use the luggag tags, and pick up your own luggage. Yes, I know this is a big selling feature for DME but it it's going to take over 3 hrs. to get your luggage, then it may be wise to just not use the tags, go to baggage claim and get them yourself, then head for the DME bus and have your bags put underneath the bus. At least you have your things with you.

Thanks for the report. We don't like to hear that things don't always work out well, but we still need the info.

 

[Gary M]

Unfortunately screw-ups seem to be all too common nowadays. We have used towncar services at least 20 times, over the last few years, for our WDW trips. On 4 of those trips, the towncar service failed to pick us up from our resort for the trip to MCO, at the scheduled time. We called the services after several minutes of waiting. Three times they showed after our sometimes more than one call and another time they never came to the GF for us. The people at the GF took us to MCO that time, we barely made our flight. One other time the towncar driver was at least 15 minutes late to pick us up at MCO.

The towncar service that failed to pick us up has been out of business for a few years and the one that needed the reminders was Tiffany Towncar.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

To the best of my knowledge, it isn't Disney who actually does the remote checkins....those are reps from the airport. Yes, the desks are on Disney property, but I don't believe it's Disney that's running them...so the JB lady who rolled her eyes really had no business doing that.

Remote Airline Check-in (RAC) is operated for Disney by BAGS Inc. because BAGS Inc. has the experience, the processes, and the interfaces to airline systems. But Disney is paying the bills; the RAC desks are in Disney resorts; and the employees wear Disney-designed logos on their uniforms. So guests can reasonably hold Disney accountable for their satisfaction (or lack of satisfaction) with RAC.

I've used RAC twice. The first time, RAC was flawless. The second time, RAC could issue a boarding pass to me, but not to my wife; I was able to check both of our bags against my ticket, but we had to get my wife's boarding pass at the airport. The reason for the glitch turned out to be in how American Airlines handles first class upgrades. So it really wasn't the fault of RAC. American's computer would not allow RAC to issue the boarding pass to my wife.

The lesson is that there are circumstances under which the airline prevents RAC from completing the check-in process. (Other reasons include passengers whose names match the no-fly list, or who have been randomly selected for additional security screening.)

In the OP's case, it's possible that the BAGS, Inc. employee at the RAC desk did something wrong. It's also possible that JetBlue's computer system prevented the RAC employee from completing the check-in. The JetBlue lady at the airport may have rolled her eyes because a system glitch or a legitimate system limitation caused more work for her.

 

[Magical JenK]

We'll be using DME for the first time this trip. I have a question regarding the going back to MCO portion...I was just going to check-in online & then at the resort check my bags when I got to MCO, I would use a kiosk to print our boarding passes...is that possible or do they (at Disney resort) need to check me in in order to check my bags? We're flying NWA if that makes any difference.
thanks

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I have a question regarding the going back to MCO portion...I was just going to check-in online & then at the resort check my bags when I got to MCO, I would use a kiosk to print our boarding passes...is that possible or do they (at Disney resort) need to check me in in order to check my bags? We're flying NWA if that makes any difference.

Because you're flying on Northwest (one of the RAC-participating airlines), you can do it all in one easy step at the RAC desk in your resort. There's no need to check-in online or drag your luggage to and through MCO. You can say "see ya later" to your bags at your WDW resort lobby, and then retrieve them at baggage claim at your home airport. The RAC service is free for all guests at Disney-operated WDW resorts, including those guests who do not use DME for transportation.

The RAC desk us open from 5 AM until 1 PM. You must check your bags no earlier than 12 hours before your flight and no later than 3 hours before your flight (so RAC doesn't work for early morning flights).

From the official Disney's Magical Express FAQ:

Q. What is Resort Airline Check-In service?

A. Resort Airline Check-In Service is a benefit offered to you if you are staying at a select Walt Disney World® Resort hotel and departing on participating airlines from Orlando International Airport. You can check your luggage and receive your airline boarding pass right at your Resort hotel and you will not need to check in at Orlando International Airport. At this time, the service is only available if you are flying domestically on the following airlines:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Continental
Delta Air Lines
JetBlue
Northwest
United/Ted​

 

[CleveRocks]

To the OP:

Sorry to hear about your unsatisfactory experiences. The problems you had with the Remote Airline Check-in just seem to be an inexcusable screw-up by the individual who did it or by a glitch in the computer system. Either way, doesn't matter, it caused you undue stress and time. And regardless whether that employee works for Disney or a subcontractor, it is Disney's problem and Disney's responsibility because it is all done under Disney's auspices.

As for your luggage delivery problem. Please don't take what I'm about to say as critical. I'm trying to be instructive for others who may be in the same position in the future. And I hate to sound like a Monday morning quarterback here, but I can't imagine packing for a trip that involves air travel the way you packed for the trip. Even if I was flying to, say, Phoenix, at about 6:00 p.m. and had dinner plans, there's NO WAY I'd pack my dinner clothes and my sleepwear and even my next morning's clothes in my checked luggage. NO WAY. I've flown this way for YEARS, and will continue to do so (any inconvenience I may have with an extra 2 minutes at security as they go through my legally-sized carry-on will be more than worth it after I land). I consider it a kind of travel insurance against the AIRLINE delaying my luggage. Although airlines lose some bags, it's much more common for them to DELAY bags. If I have what I need for my first 24 hours or so, then a delay in getting my luggage won't delay my enjoyment of the start of my vacation.

Anytime someone promises me a time for service, I take it with a grain of salt. If a restaurant hostess tells me it will be a 20 minute wait, at 30 minutes I'm not exactly steaming, because I pretty much expect that delays are possible. If Disney says the wait may be three hours or so, it's actually not under their total control. The excessive delay MAY have been teh fault of Disney or one of its subcontractors, but it also may have been the fault of the airline (rampers being delayed in off-loading luggage) or of airport regulations (not off-loading luggage during active thunderstorms). When you sit back and think about it, your baggage had an "excess" delay of 1 hour 25 minutes. Personally, I wouldn't put my trust in ANY system, not even a Disney system, to literally deliver on a time-promise with great precision.

So again, I do feel badly for you that your total vacation experience didn't live up to what you expected it to be. I know I don't want my expectations unfulfilled. That RAC debacle was inexcusable, but the DME luggage issue wasn't an unreasonable delay, in my opinion.

I'm not angry, I'm not arguing, just sharing opinion and perspective. PEACE.

 

[seashoreCM]

If you don't want to schlep a suitcase with swimsuits, pajamas, etc. all the way to the gate and then off and onto the Orlando airport tram, or if that suitcase contains toothpaste, you can omit the yellow tag from just that suitcase and check it. Then you can get just that suitcase at the Orlando airport carousel and bring it to the Magical Express bus to go with you.

>>> when we finally went to [the airport welcoming area] get the bus they had no info on us

But they took you to Disney quite promptly didn't they? That part of the process is a no-brainer on their part.

>>> ME to take you home 4 hours in advance

Although this change was advertised to account for longer waits at airport security, this change will also reduce the amount of anxiety when glitches occur. Fewer people smacking the side of the bus, for example.

 

[goofy4tink]

A few thoughts here.....while I understand that the RAC people have Disney type stuff on them, and they are contracted through DIsney, they still are not Disney. So, for the employee at the JB desk to roll her eyes at the thought of Disney making the mistake, irks me. It is the same thing as having an issue with the DME bus driver...he is trained by Mears, employed by Mears, who is employeed by Disney to provide a service for Disney guests. I guess that utlimately, Disney should be responsible but basically it isn't a resort CM who is manning the RAC desk..but an employee of BAGS.

Then...as far as not schleping my suitcase all the way to the gate....ah, it's a tote bag. I'm going to have it with me anyway for my book, snack, electronics, travel docs, cash. A clean shirt, and fresh underwear and possibly a bathing suit don't take up a huge amount of space. My tote fits easily underneath the seat, so I'm not taking up the overhead spaces. Besides, even if I were flying to anyplace else in the world, I would do the exact same thing. What happens if the airline loses my bags? If I have 'checked' my overnight stuff, then they are also lost..now I have nothing to change into. And I thought, at least this is what I was told, DME is not picking you up 4 hrs beforehand anymore. That was for about 3-4 days, but last I had heard they have gone back to the 3 hrs.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

If you don't want to schlep a suitcase with swimsuits, pajamas, etc. all the way to the gate, or if that suitcase contains toothpaste you can omit the yellow tag from just that suitcase and check it. Then you can get just that suitcase at the Orlando airport carousel and bring it to the Magical Express bus to go with you.

The problem with "just [getting] that suitcase at the Orlando airport carousel" is that it means you won't have anything if the airline delays your luggage. The advice from CleveRocks is excellent. Regardless of your destination, it's a good idea to bring carry-ons that will meet your needs for the first 12-24 hours. Airline luggage delays are common. Completely lost luggage is rare.

(Yes, you'll have to buy toothpaste if your luggage is delayed.)

In fact, I think one of the reasons for occasional DME "horror stories" about unusually long luggage delivery times is that the luggage came in on a later flight than the passenger. You really can't blame Disney for that. And, of course, retrieving one or more bags from baggage claim won't address such a delay, because the bags won't be there.

By the way, waiting at luggage claim makes it very likely you'll be on a later motorcoach to your WDW resort than if you had gone straight from the arrival gate to the DME Welcome Center, even if it only delays your arrival at the Welcome Center by 20 minutes.