Disney magical express from Canada

[Harrypotter12]

Still confused on the Disney magical express from Canada.

We are going from YYC to YYZ to MCO. We are staying at a Disney hotel and received the luggage tag for Disney magical express. If we put the tag in YYC and check it in, am I going to see my luggage at the Disney World Hotel? Or am I picking up at YYZ? WestJet website seems to imply that's what I have to do. Anyone flying from Canada with the Disney Magical Express tag?

 

[Debbie]

Still confused on the Disney magical express from Canada.

We are going from YYC to YYZ to MCO. We are staying at a Disney hotel and received the luggage tag for Disney magical express. If we put the tag in YYC and check it in, am I going to see my luggage at the Disney World Hotel? Or am I picking up at YYZ? WestJet website seems to imply that's what I have to do. Anyone flying from Canada with the Disney Magical Express tag?

I've always put it on in London even though there is always a connection in Toronto, and had it go through to Disney with no problems. When you check in at YYC, you could confirm with the airline that it will go straight through for you.

 

[Harrypotter12]

Thanks, so you didn't have to pick it up at all? Or did you pick up at MCO and put the luggage in a different carousel for Disney World?

 

[Debbie]

You do not have to pick up the luggage, as long as your flight into MCO is between the hours of 5am and 10pm. After 10 at night, you would have to pick up your luggage.

Disney's Magical Express will collect your luggage and delivery it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within three hours after you check in at the resort. The luggage delivery service is available for flights arriving between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.Jul 26, 2018

 

[Donald - my hero]

Thanks, so you didn't have to pick it up at all? Or did you pick up at MCO and put the luggage in a different carousel for Disney World?

So long as you arrive between the hours mentioned above your luggage won't even come into the airport, it will be collected and sent with the rest of the yellow tagged bags.

If you decide you don't want to worry about waiting for your bags to get delivered to your room (depending on the time of day it can end up showing up to your room after you want to go to bed!) OR it's going to be outside of those hours, you can pick it up from the baggage carousel and take it on the bus yourself. It's really easy-peasy and works out just fine. Have a BLAST!

 

[Harrypotter12]

Ok thank you that makes sense. It is a very short layover in Toronto and it's stressing me out. As long as I don't have to take extra steps there that's a relief

 

[Donald - my hero]

The Pearson website is pretty helpful, you can plug in all of your flight details and it will give you a step-by-step guide of what you need to do for your connections. (it does however use the super confusing step of collect your baggage "if required")

Pearson Connecting Flights Guide

 

[ssmurphy28]

Ok thank you that makes sense. It is a very short layover in Toronto and it's stressing me out. As long as I don't have to take extra steps there that's a relief

We are doing the same YYC -> YYZ -> MCO route at the beginning of June. Usually I avoid Pearson at all costs, but we have a midnight flight with a four hour layover, so I feel okay about it.

The last time I flew through Toronto on WestJet (heading to the US), I didn't have to collect my bags. I did have to identify a photo of them before moving on to US Customs though. That was about 18 months ago, so things may have changed.

As other posters have suggested, as long as you put the yellow tags on, your bags should show up at your Disney resort shortly after your arrival! We have never had issues in the past flying in from Canada.

 

[Mikamarii]

We also hate Pearson Airport So much that when we flew through there we would spend the night at the Sheraton just so we didn't have to rush through the airports and the flights always got is into MCO too late at night. We are sooooo excited to be flying through Calgary on our next trip.

Anyway, since we would stay over night our experience was a little different as we had to collect our bags and recheck them the next morning. We would just put the yellow tags on in Toronto. We've done the luggage delivery three times now and it is fantastic especially since we have young kids. Being able to get off the plane in MCO and head straight to Magical Express is a very nice relaxing start to the WDW vacation. The last time we did a same day flight through Pearson we did not see our bags, only a photo of them. I would put the tags on in Calgary.

It doesn't matter where you are coming from or how long your travel times are; all that matters is when the bags arrive at MCO they have the yellow tags on them so staff knows to get them.

Remember though that you can't use the same service on the way home.

 

[Starwind]

Ok thank you that makes sense. It is a very short layover in Toronto and it's stressing me out. As long as I don't have to take extra steps there that's a relief

In Toronto you will clear US Customs.

Assuming you are going from WestJet to Westjet flights, you don't actually handle your checked bags in Toronto when connecting from a Canadian flight to a flight to the US. You will follow the signs to US Customs, and as part of the clearance process will be asked to confirm a photo(s) of your bags as being yours. Once you are through security and clearance you go to your gate, board your plane, and are on your way to MCO. Your flight will arrive as if it were a domestic US flight since everyone has already cleared US Customs.

If you put the yellow tags on in YYC and all goes well you will see your checked bags in person again at your resort hotel.

SW

 

[Harrypotter12]

In Toronto you will clear US Customs.

Assuming you are going from WestJet to Westjet flights, you don't actually handle your checked bags in Toronto when connecting from a Canadian flight to a flight to the US. You will follow the signs to US Customs, and as part of the clearance process will be asked to confirm a photo(s) of your bags as being yours. Once you are through security and clearance you go to your gate, board your plane, and are on your way to MCO. Your flight will arrive as if it were a domestic US flight since everyone has already cleared US Customs.

If you put the yellow tags on in YYC and all goes well you will see your checked bags in person again at your resort hotel.

SW

Wow thank you, you explained the whole process extremely well, no worries anymore. 100min layover in YYZ should be fine!

 

[Sue M]

In Toronto you will clear US Customs.

Assuming you are going from WestJet to Westjet flights, you don't actually handle your checked bags in Toronto when connecting from a Canadian flight to a flight to the US. You will follow the signs to US Customs, and as part of the clearance process will be asked to confirm a photo(s) of your bags as being yours. Once you are through security and clearance you go to your gate, board your plane, and are on your way to MCO. Your flight will arrive as if it were a domestic US flight since everyone has already cleared US Customs.

If you put the yellow tags on in YYC and all goes well you will see your checked bags in person again at your resort hotel.

SW

I’m glad they streamlined the procedure! I avoid Canadian airlines as I can catch a US flight from Vancouver, and it’s faster than having to fly to Toronto then down to Florida. And can go thru US customs in Vancouver.
Last time I flew AC thru Toronto I still had to manually get my bags, go thru customs then recheck them. Colossal pain!

 

[Starwind]

I’m glad they streamlined the procedure! I avoid Canadian airlines as I can catch a US flight from Vancouver, and it’s faster than having to fly to Toronto then down to Florida. And can go thru US customs in Vancouver.
Last time I flew AC thru Toronto I still had to manually get my bags, go thru customs then recheck them. Colossal pain!

Over the last few years Pearson airport in Toronto underwent massive renovations, which included both the guest experience and behind the scenes for clearing US customs, including checked baggage handling.

Now, whether flying on AC or WJ, you normally do not have to handle your bags when connecting to a US flight in Toronto, the bags are automatically routed behind the scenes and as part of the clearing process you go through there is a step where you are shown a picture of each of your bags and asked to confirm them as yours.

Now, it doesn't always work seamlessly

I had a work trip that took me: Ottawa to Toronto on WestJet then connect to WestJet's partner (codeshare) Delta for a flight to Atltanta, then connect to another Delta flight to my final destination, El Paso, TX.

I arrive in TO and follow the signs for US connections. As part of the process, you end up in this waiting room where you wait until your name comes up on a screen, which means your baggage has processed, and you can then enter the Customs hall and continue the clearance process.

Usually you are in that room for a couple minutes, maybe five maximum.

After about ten minutes, my name had not come up. At about the 15 minute point, I went over to the WestJet counter in the room. Explained my name had not come up. They looked me up. And my bags were missing. They weren't sure where they were and were concerned they may not have left Ottawa (!!). They verified with Delta [Delta desk was beside them] who also didn't have the bags. They start a tracing process and assured me they would find the bags. Fortunately, I had a FOUR HOUR connection, so had plenty of time even if the bags ended up on the next flight form Ottawa.

It took over an hour, but eventually the WestJet person came over and let me know they had found my bags [during that time they let me know a couple times they were still looking]. For some unknown reasons, inside Pearson the bags had NOT been routed to the US connections area, but had instead been router to domestic connections. Oops. But they had been located. And that WJ person personally went down, retrieved them from where they were being held and put them onto the US destinations side. Then came back to me to let me know it was done. A few minutes later and my name showed up on the screen and I was able to go finish the clearance process.

Not sure what their proceedure is for "bags are coming but your plane is leaving sooner than they get there", but I presume they have a way to handle it.

MY understanding is that the routing of the bags behind the scenes on the maze of conveyor belts is largely automated, using scans of the baggage tags to ensure things are routed properly. Since my bags were properly tagged it is not clear how the system decided the bags wanted to stay in Canada and not join me in the US....

Anyhow. Usually the process is seamless and easy. We have gone through it a few times now with no issues. And if there is a glitch there is airline staff on hand to deal with it.

My preferred airline is WestJet for several reasons. And one of the challenges of being in Ottawa is even though we are the national capital, you can't fly most places direct. United even just recently cut its 3x daily flights from Ottawa to Chicago, the only way to get to Chicago direct after American canceled their YOW>ORD service several years ago. So to get anywhere for the most part you connect via Toronto or sometmes Montreal, so I am really glad Toronto improved its process.

Some relevant articles:

(this article has a lot of details about the new system, including pictures and some technical info)
https://airportimprovement.com/arti...tion-system-eases-connections-toronto-pearson

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pearson-us-travel-security-1.3685899

https://www.torontopearson.com/pearson_leftNavOneColumnWF.aspx?pageid=78&id=21474838609#



SW

 

[Sue M]

@Starwind I’m glad I don’t have to mess with all that. I usually fly Alaska so I go thru customs here at YVR and that’s the end of it! Quick transfer in SeaTac to direct flight to Florida. Sometimes I just make the 3 hr drive to Seattle to pick up flight.