Confused by Magic Express for Canadians

[DisneyStiles]

I'm confused - we are flying from Calgary -> Toronto -> Orlando. I thought I read that you do have to pick up your bags in Orlando (to do with customs) and then go to the Magic Express and then I just read somewhere that you can go directly to the ME and the luggage will come later as with anyone arriving from somewhere else in the US. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[mcvixen]

We did ME with checked luggage in February. Once the luggage was checked in Toronto/YYZ, we didn't see it until it showed up at our room.

 

[OntFamily]

You will only clear customs in Orlando, if you do not pre-clear in Canada. Most likely, you will pre-clear US Customs in Canada, and you will nto have to touch your bags in Orlando.

I would put your yellow DME luggage tags on your bags before you give them to your airline (in Canada). If you find you have to clear US Customs in Orlando, you'll wind up getting your own bags. Otherwise, no worries. Your bags will be delivered to your resort, magically, by DME.

 

[ferris198]

You have the choice.
You can pick up your bags, and load them on the bus, or you can choose to have it done for you.
If you do it, your luggage arrives when you do.
Other way you see your clothes in 5 hours.

 

[mc2]

I'm confused - we are flying from Calgary -> Toronto -> Orlando. I thought I read that you do have to pick up your bags in Orlando (to do with customs) and then go to the Magic Express and then I just read somewhere that you can go directly to the ME and the luggage will come later as with anyone arriving from somewhere else in the US. Thanks in advance for the help!

I think you might clear customs in Toronto? That would mean that you are flying domestic from Toronto to Orlando (so no customs in Orlando - which is why they can pick the bags up for you). We are flying Halifax-Toronto-Orlando for a Disney cruise next week, and we have to pick up our bags in Toronto, clear customs, and then re-check them for the flight from Toronto-Orlando. Works great for us - it's a 6:30 am flight, so from Halifax to Toronto, we only have to be there 60-90 minutes in advance, rather than the 3 hours they recommend for international flights. We have about 3 hours between our flights in Toronto, so that will be more than enough time to do everything before boarding the next flight.
Have a great trip!

 

[DisneyStiles]

I think you might clear customs in Toronto? That would mean that you are flying domestic from Toronto to Orlando (so no customs in Orlando - which is why they can pick the bags up for you). We are flying Halifax-Toronto-Orlando for a Disney cruise next week, and we have to pick up our bags in Toronto, clear customs, and then re-check them for the flight from Toronto-Orlando. Works great for us - it's a 6:30 am flight, so from Halifax to Toronto, we only have to be there 60-90 minutes in advance, rather than the 3 hours they recommend for international flights. We have about 3 hours between our flights in Toronto, so that will be more than enough time to do everything before boarding the next flight.
Have a great trip!

Thanks to all for the clarification - a special bon voyage to mc2 as NS is our home (Annapolis Valley). Have a great cruise!

 

[calgarygary]

You will clear customs in Toronto. When you arrive in Toronto, you will have to pick up your luggage there, clear customs and return your luggage on to a conveyor belt after clearing customs. There is no need to pick up your luggage in Orlando - use the ME service.

 

[coastgirl]

Not to complicate matters, but I remember seeing people say they didn't put their ME tags on until after customs, i.e., before you put them back on the belt in Toronto? Seems to me that's how we did it the first time we took ME. We won't this time b/c we arrive too late and will be collecting our own bags and taking htem to ME.

 

[Disney Brat]

Not to complicate matters, but I remember seeing people say they didn't put their ME tags on until after customs, i.e., before you put them back on the belt in Toronto? Seems to me that's how we did it the first time we took ME. We won't this time b/c we arrive too late and will be collecting our own bags and taking htem to ME.

I have 'heard' people say that too, not to put the DME tags on until you clear Toronto customs This is the first time connecting in Toronto and using DME, so I am not sure if we should also wait to put on our tags....

 

[Macduffy]

hmmm... interesting so many different answers. I haven't flown to MCO through TO in a while but we went through customs in TO and just picked up our bags at baggage at MCO and left for the hotel - not customs again until TO on the way back. I would probably put the yellow luggage tags on at TO and ask when you check in in Calgary what to expect!

 

[fan1080]

hmmm... interesting so many different answers. I haven't flown to MCO through TO in a while but we went through customs in TO and just picked up our bags at baggage at MCO and left for the hotel - not customs again until TO on the way back. I would probably put the yellow luggage tags on at TO and ask when you check in in Calgary what to expect!

Actually, most (if not all) answers are similar.

Here are the particulars:

Flying into the US - If you can preclear US customs in Canada, you do not need to collect your bags in the US. Otherwise, you will need to collect your bags and clear US customs on arrival in Orlando.

Unless the rules have changed since 2006, you can put your ME tags on anytime, even if you collect your bags in the US. That's what we did back then for our first trip. We put the tags on before we left Halifax and had to collect them in Orlando because Halifax didn't have preclearance back then. Since then, Halifax now has preclearance so when we check our bags we are good to go without collecting them in Orlando, ME will take care of them.

Coming home - International flights can not use ME for baggage. You will have to take your own bags to the airport and check them in yourself.

 

[crashbb]

The only reason to wait until Toronto to put on the DME tags is that it gives the airline less time to rip them off. They seem pretty sturdy (I haven't read reports of the tags ripping off of luggage), but airlines are good at ruining luggage and luggage tags.

 

[mc2]

Actually, most (if not all) answers are similar.

Here are the particulars:

Flying into the US - If you can preclear US customs in Canada, you do not need to collect your bags in the US. Otherwise, you will need to collect your bags and clear US customs on arrival in Orlando.

Unless the rules have changed since 2006, you can put your ME tags on anytime, even if you collect your bags in the US. That's what we did back then for our first trip. We put the tags on before we left Halifax and had to collect them in Orlando because Halifax didn't have preclearance back then. Since then, Halifax now has preclearance so when we check our bags we are good to go without collecting them in Orlando, ME will take care of them.
[

I think that only works if you fly direct from Canada to the US. If you fly from one Canadian airport to another, and then to the states (eg. Halifax-Toronto-Orlando, or Calgary-Toronto-Orlando), you can't pre-clear because your first leg of the trip is still considered a domestic flight within the country? If, however, your connecting flights are in the US (e.g. we flew Halifax-Washington-Orlando in Feb.), you can pre-clear (if available at your airport) because you are getting on the plane in Canada and don't touch down again (for the first time) until you are in the US. Your first leg of the trip in that case would be an international flight. Same as if you flew direct (no connections) from Halifax-Orlando, Toronto-Boston...whatever.

If pre-clearance is available, you clear it at the airport where you will board the flight that actually leaves the country. If it isn't available, you have to clear it when you land in the US.

 

[fan1080]

I think that only works if you fly direct from Canada to the US. If you fly from one Canadian airport to another, and then to the states (eg. Halifax-Toronto-Orlando, or Calgary-Toronto-Orlando), you can't pre-clear because your first leg of the trip is still considered a domestic flight within the country? If, however, your connecting flights are in the US (e.g. we flew Halifax-Washington-Orlando in Feb.), you can pre-clear (if available at your airport) because you are getting on the plane in Canada and don't touch down again (for the first time) until you are in the US. Your first leg of the trip in that case would be an international flight. Same as if you flew direct (no connections) from Halifax-Orlando, Toronto-Boston...whatever.

If pre-clearance is available, you clear it at the airport where you will board the flight that actually leaves the country. If it isn't available, you have to clear it when you land in the US.

Yes, I assumed it was understood clearing US customs is only required when flying into the US (last point of entering the US if on a connecting flight)... my bad.

 

[Greenfield1984]

we actually had a direct flight to Orlando in february, and even though we had cleared customs in Ottawa we had to pick up our bags, and then redeposit them on another conveyor belt at MCO and THEN DME took our bags to the resort for us.

It was odd because we also had to pass extra security clearance once we landed in MCO (even though we had been screened in Ottawa). I don't know if they were being more strict because of some incident or if they were looking for something...

 

[crashbb]

I think that only works if you fly direct from Canada to the US. If you fly from one Canadian airport to another, and then to the states (eg. Halifax-Toronto-Orlando, or Calgary-Toronto-Orlando), you can't pre-clear because your first leg of the trip is still considered a domestic flight within the country? If, however, your connecting flights are in the US (e.g. we flew Halifax-Washington-Orlando in Feb.), you can pre-clear (if available at your airport) because you are getting on the plane in Canada and don't touch down again (for the first time) until you are in the US. Your first leg of the trip in that case would be an international flight. Same as if you flew direct (no connections) from Halifax-Orlando, Toronto-Boston...whatever.

If pre-clearance is available, you clear it at the airport where you will board the flight that actually leaves the country. If it isn't available, you have to clear it when you land in the US.

No - you do not clear in the US even if your connecting city is in Toronto. You'll still pre-clear US customs/immigration in Canada. However, instead of doing it at your home airport, you'll do it in your connecting city (in your examples, Toronto).

You pre-clear at your last Canadian airport.

If you think about it, it wouldn't make sense that you'd clear in the US. You'd have some people clearing in the US (those connecting in Toronto) and some people pre-clearing in Canada (those starting in Toronto). You cannot have a plane where people are clearing customs/immigration in different places.

 

[mc2]

No - you do not clear in the US even if your connecting city is in Toronto. You'll still pre-clear US customs/immigration in Canada. However, instead of doing it at your home airport, you'll do it in your connecting city (in your examples, Toronto).

You pre-clear at your last Canadian airport.

If you think about it, it wouldn't make sense that you'd clear in the US. You'd have some people clearing in the US (those connecting in Toronto) and some people pre-clearing in Canada (those starting in Toronto). You cannot have a plane where people are clearing customs/immigration in different places.

I thought that's what I had said? I guess I didn't word what I was trying to say as clearly as I thought I did! You pre-clear (if available) before boarding the flight that actually leaves the country. If there is no pre-clearance available (not all airports in Canada offer it), you will have to clear customs once you land in the US - which is what we used to have to do on direct flights from Halifax-Orlando before they opened the pre-clearance facility after the recent airport renovations. You can't pre-clear at your home airport if you connect in another Canadian airport and then fly to the US. Even though Calgary offers pre-clearance, you would still have to collect your bags and clear it in Toronto if you were flying Calgary-Toronto-Orlando.

Here is the link for some connection info for Toronto - it seems like there are many of us that are connecting there from other parts of the country, and who will need to do our pre-clearance there instead of our home airports. I'm kind of dreading the process (I think we have to switch terminals?), but we have lots of time between our connecting flights so I'm hoping we'll get it all figured out!

http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/connecting/connection_tips/

 

[OntFamily]

Here is the link for some connection info for Toronto - it seems like there are many of us that are connecting there from other parts of the country, and who will need to do our pre-clearance there instead of our home airports. I'm kind of dreading the process (I think we have to switch terminals?), but we have lots of time between our connecting flights so I'm hoping we'll get it all figured out!

As long as you are not changing airlines in Toronto (ie coming into Toronto on Westjet, and flying to the USA on Air Canada, you won't have to change terminals. For each airline, both Canada domestic and US departures are in the same terminal.

 

[crashbb]

I thought that's what I had said? I guess I didn't word what I was trying to say as clearly as I thought I did! You pre-clear (if available) before boarding the flight that actually leaves the country. If there is no pre-clearance available (not all airports in Canada offer it), you will have to clear customs once you land in the US - which is what we used to have to do on direct flights from Halifax-Orlando before they opened the pre-clearance facility after the recent airport renovations. You can't pre-clear at your home airport if you connect in another Canadian airport and then fly to the US. Even though Calgary offers pre-clearance, you would still have to collect your bags and clear it in Toronto if you were flying Calgary-Toronto-Orlando.

Here is the link for some connection info for Toronto - it seems like there are many of us that are connecting there from other parts of the country, and who will need to do our pre-clearance there instead of our home airports. I'm kind of dreading the process (I think we have to switch terminals?), but we have lots of time between our connecting flights so I'm hoping we'll get it all figured out!

http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/connecting/connection_tips/

You're right - I misread your first post. We were saying the same thing. Sorry about that.

 

[mc2]

As long as you are not changing airlines in Toronto (ie coming into Toronto on Westjet, and flying to the USA on Air Canada, you won't have to change terminals. For each airline, both Canada domestic and US departures are in the same terminal.

Thank you for clarifying that for me! I had heard things here and there about having to switch, so I am thrilled to hear that this is not the case. Terminal 3, here we come!