Canadians beware of Polynesian resort airline checkin..advice please!

[Mickey's biggest fan]

We stayed the Polynesian from November 16-22. We flew from Orlando to Ottawa via Philadelphia on November 22nd. That morning we received our boarding passes and luggage tags under our door. We thought perfect, how convenient! We tagged our bags and dropped them off at 9:30 am out front with the resort airline checkin. We were reassured that our bags would safely make it to our final destination that evening. Little did we realize our nightware was only beginning!

We were asked for id and I showed my Ontario DL. Then the TSA worker took my bags, looked at our final destination and I said Ottawa, Canada. We then said goodbye to our bags and went to the parks to enjoy our final day. We had a magical day as our family was interviewed for the blog and our kids were filmed decorating the Christmas tree in the Christmas store in Liberty Square. We had a wonderful last day to the perfect family vacation. We then flew to Philadelphia and then connected onto Ottawa arriving home at 1am (after a 3.5 hour delay in Philly due to weather). Our bags never arrived but we figured they would be delivered the next day, no huge deal.

Later that morning we phoned US Air. They had NO record of our bags even having arrived at the Orlando airport. We then phoned Bell Services at the Poly and then couldn't find our bags. Imagine how worried we were. All of our souvenirs, toileries, everything were in our luggage (big lesson learned here, never put souvenirs and toiletries in your checked bags). Baggage Guest Services (people you pay your baggage fees to when using the resort airline checkin) found our bags sitting in the Polynesian storage at 7pm that night.

We asked the Poly when our bags would go out and we were told November 28th. Our bags were picked up by UPS the evening of November 26th and arrived in Ottawa today, Nov 29th. Problem now is that the customs information was filled in incorrectly and so the delivery of our bags has now been delayed to tomorrow. So we have been almost an entire week without our luggage. Our 5 year old keeps asking when his toys will be arriving.

I phoned guest services to put in a claim and they deflect the blame to the airline check in. I just don't understand how our bags made it into the storage area of the Poly and no one even questioned anything. How could they reject international bags and not make an attempt to contact the owners of the luggage (we also payed $50US to USAir for the bags to fly home and am now try to get that $50 back). I mean they took our bags at 9:30am and our flight wasn't until 5pm that night. The only people who have expressed any concern is the airline (US Airways) and they did even have the chance to lose our bags. I have also tried getting information on how our bags even made it into the storage area of the Poly but no luck. No one would answer our questions.

Anyone have any advice, tips on how we should proceed. I'm just so frustrated that no one wants to own up to their mistakes :-(

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Sorry you had such an ordeal with your luggage.

It it sounds like, the "boarding passes and luggage tags" you received on your door was for Disney's Magical Express service back to the airport not for the airline.

Second, because flying home to Canada is considered "international" you aren't able to use the airline check in option - you would have had to have checked in directly with the airline (and checked your luggage) at the Orlando International Airport.

Thirdly, if you were able to use the airline check in option (if you were flying in US only), you would have had to go through Baggage Airline Guest Services (BAGS) to pay any airline fees in advance of visiting the Resort Airline Check-In desk, which would have had a record of the payment transaction.

Lastly, if you weren't using ME but driving to the airport, you can not book luggage transfer only. You must be on the motor coach to have your luggage transported to the airport.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

[Mickey's biggest fan]

Thanks friends of pooh for your response. Just thought I'd comment.

Well the boarding passes that were left under our door were the boarding passes that we used the whole way back to Ottawa, never had to go to the checkin at the airport at all. The ME passes were separate

we should NOT have been allowed but no one told us. They gave us boarding passes for our two flights home, tagged our bags. Even when I said I'm going home to Canada, no one questioned it or told us. We figured that they gave us boarding passes and baggage tags, then they must be valid.

WE did pay the $50 with BAGS. We are just waiting to get it refunded.

We travelled on the ME to the resort and back to the airport after our vacation. We never have a car on vacation.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Thanks friends of pooh for your response. Just thought I'd comment.

Well the boarding passes that were left under our door were the boarding passes that we used the whole way back to Ottawa, never had to go to the checkin at the airport at all. The ME passes were separate

we should NOT have been allowed but no one told us. They gave us boarding passes for our two flights home, tagged our bags. Even when I said I'm going home to Canada, no one questioned it or told us. We figured that they gave us boarding passes and baggage tags, then they must be valid.

WE did pay the $50 with BAGS. We are just waiting to get it refunded.

We travelled on the ME to the resort and back to the airport after our vacation. We never have a car on vacation.

OK, thanks for the clarification. It sounds like they must have realized at the last minute the bags weren't able to go, but had no way to contact you and then most likely thought that when you didn't get your bags, you would follow-up - which is what you did.

It's strange that neither BAGS nor Airline Check-in wouldn't have mentioned that you couldn't use their services when travelling to Canada. Unfortunately neither service is provided by Disney - both are third-party services.

 

[tone.def]

I'm so sorry that no one ever told you ahead of time. Thanks to my travel agent, I've known for years that your bags must remain with you at all times due to customs and border crossing.

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.

 

[Tinkershelly]

We had a similar thing happen to us at POP in October. However we knew that it shouldn't be the case for Canadian passengers but the documents looked so real. DH took the documents and went down to the airline check in desk and made them check to see if the policy had changed and indeed it hadn't. So we carried our bags on Magical Express as usual and had no problems.

They are creating needess confusion, and in your case, big problems by continuing to put these documents under the door! Sorry you had such a bad experience on the last day of your holiday.

 

[papertraveller]

As PPs have said (and I gather that you now know) the resort check-in is permissible only for those flying within the U.S.

We have used it many times when flying through to Buffalo, then of course we pick up our bags and drive on north to home.

I'm curious that you said you received luggage tags. We've only ever received our boarding ***** on the door -- but never tags. Is this a new feature?

I'm guessing that if so, it certainly will be confusing. All the computer will see is the outbound flight -- and for those people taking a connecting flight home, it will look like U.S. domestic and spit out the tag.

What's amazing is the OP told the attendants that she was headed to Ottawa, Canada, and they didn't know that this would not be a candidate for resort airline check-in services.

I'm sorry this happened to you. What a hassle.

 

[seashoreCM]

At least for those international folks eavesdropping now, and for you in the future, you know not to pay in advance for resort airline baggage check in. Then, if they put tags on your baggage, you don't have to leave them at RAC but instead can take them directly to the bus or take them to the bellhop for part-day storage before a later departure.

Alas, you need to be vigilant about Magical Express and other going home activities. For example if your bus reservation back to the airport is just 3 hours in advance (2 hours U.S. domestic) that is a goof and not another hour of park enjoyment.

 

[Sue M]

The one time we flew via Delta to Canada, transferring in Salt Lake, we had to take our luggage on to DME, and check in at the airport.

Most of the time we fly from Seattle, so can use RAC to check in us & our luggage.
But I've never recieved any luggage tags, or boarding passes under my door, we've always had to go down to the RAC desk in the lobby- or outside the lobby of our resort to get our boarding passes, and have our luggage tagged We've just recieved the DME envelope and letter with the phone # to call to pay our luggage fees.

Our last stay was just this past Aug. at BC.