Disney Magical Express

[sigmaphi289]

Do they match up the luggage with the scanned tickets when you check into the DME station? I am renting a car at the airport, but would still like the DME to take my luggage to my room even though we do not want to ride the bus.

I am pretty sure that this cannot happened, but just want confirmation. It will allow me to rent a smaller car at the airport if they can my luggage.

 

[KellyNY]

I think they go for your bags when you show up at ME. I do not think they will go look for them if you never show up.

 

[sigmaphi289]

Thanks! I just thought if they saw the yellow tags that they gave me that they would just take them off the belt.

 

[WDSearcher]

According to the stated policies of DME:

Guests cannot use the “luggage only” service of Disney’s Magical Express. Guests must participate in the motorcoach transportation in order to receive the luggage transfer service to their resort.

 

[Alesia]

There is a sticky on the transportation board that answers your question.

 

[Jestocost]

Here's a link to the previously mentioned Transportation sticky and here's my Cliff notes:

Will your bags get to your resort if you use the DME tags, but don't take the bus? Almost certainly. Many people have done this and there has been only one report of any problems that I can recall.

Does Disney want you to use DME for luggage only? No. The FAQ section cited earlier is the evidence supporting this.

Can Disney actually leave your bags at the airport if you don't take the DME bus? Apparently not. Reportedly their contract with the airport requires them to collect and transport all tagged bags.

Is there anything that can go wrong if you do this? Yes, but it's unlikely. The most often cited scenario is that if your bags were lost or misdirected by the airline and you haven't checked in to ride the bus, then Disney would not know that your bags were missing until you didn't get them and called them about it. If you had checked in, they may have been able to start searching earlier.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's a link to the previously mentioned Transportation sticky and here's my Cliff notes:

Will your bags get to your resort if you use the DME tags, but don't take the bus? Almost certainly. Many people have done this and there has been only one report of any problems that I can recall.

Does Disney want you to use DME for luggage only? No. The FAQ section cited earlier is the evidence supporting this.

Can Disney actually leave your bags at the airport if you don't take the DME bus? Apparently not. Reportedly their contract with the airport requires them to collect and transport all tagged bags.

Is there anything that can go wrong if you do this? Yes, but it's unlikely. The most often cited scenario is that if your bags were lost or misdirected by the airline and you haven't checked in to ride the bus, then Disney would not know that your bags were missing until you didn't get them and called them about it. If you had checked in, they may have been able to start searching earlier.

Absolutely right on the money!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!!

 

[Jestocost]

Absolutely right on the money!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!!

Thanks! Sometimes I actually pay attention.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The stated policies say you can't do that. If you want to risk it that's up to you. Bu there's another thought - if there is more than one of 'you' then one person (or more) could ride the bus, and one person (or more) could take the car. That's what we did. In part, we wanted to see who would be faster - the rental car by about ten minutes. I think we did use the baggage service.

 

[marielynn724]

no, they will only take your luggage if you are riding the bus.

 

[TunaSled]

When do we receive our tags?

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to our transportation board in case the folks over their have additional information.

 

[goofy4tink]

no, they will only take your luggage if you are riding the bus.

While Disney will tell you that you have to ride the bus, that they are not a luggage delivery service, everything to date tells us that sending luggage with DME, and you not riding the bus, is fine. No one, not one person, has had a negative experience when tagging their bags, allowing DME to deliver them, while not riding the bus.
Again, Disney tells you one thing, but allows you to do another. Just like everything else Disney does.

 

[seashoreCM]

(copied from another post)

To speed up the actual delivery of luggage to guest rooms and to simplify sorting processes, yellow tagged luggage is summarily removed to the resorts unsynchronized with guest movements. Not sure if there is a safety check to hold back luggage at the airport but only if the scanning system positively identifies the yellow tag for a stay already concluded and that the guest failed to take off the yellow tag before going home let alone before another unrelated trip to Orlando.

Disney has in effect made Magical Express like a "connecting flight" to WDW and has even mimicked the baggage claim rules most airlines have for arriving passengers.

But by definition, if you don't ride the bus, you are not a Magical Express passenger and your airplane trip ended at Orlando airport.

 

[All Things Simba]

Has anyone taken the Magical Express for the airport to Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter? I'd like to know how long it will take. DH wants to use a service and pay for the trip over ~ I don't. But why waste $70 when Disney will get your there for free?

Anyone take this trip on the ME lately?

Thanks!

 

[Edd]

Disney's so-called policy (an FAQ, which does not constitute policy) states you are required to use both features of the ME. Passenger transfer and luggage delivery, but more passengers do not use the luggage transfer, but use the passenger transfer, carrying their luggage to the bus. Disney supposedly overlooks this and there has been no incidents. So why should luggage transfer and no passenger transfer be a problem.

There is a contract with the airport and Disney that all Disney tagged luggage will be the responsibility of Disney and will be picked up by Disney. There are no exceptions to this in the contract.

The only incident I recall is the destroyed luggage not being sent to Disney and the owner being called back to the airport to pick it up. Airlines probably destroyed it and Disney would not accept responsibility for it. The incident when report a year later, was not very specific as it tried to link the luggage transfer with the passenger transfer.

I have seen reports that you don't even check in at the desk, but go straight to the bus lines. If that is so than Disney has no actual record of the bags that were tagged by you. My research, in the past, at OIA has found that even though they requested the number of bags you tagged, it was never a factor for the passengers concern, but was noted in case the passenger tried to claim more bags than was actually tagged. Yes, to keep the passenger honest.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> to Port Orleans ... spend $70.

I would guess that on average a taxi or car service will beat the Magical Express bus to the resort by 30 minutes when the competing parties get off the same tram at the airport main terminal at the same time. Perhaps 15 minutes more if the DME guests also went to the carousels, to claim baggage they did not want to wait for the automagical room delivery of.

>>> ... destroyed luggage not sent ...

(short) I read about this so far singular incident and my own conclusion is that Disney proactively and specifically invoked (or hid behind, or used as an excuse) its policy that "DME is not a baggage only service" to refuse paying for the damage.

(long) (conjecture follows) I suppose that almost as soon as the guest reported the baggage missing, Disney cross examined him and it came out that he had not taken the bus. Then the sequence of events segued* smoothly into, "you have to go back to the airport 'the way you came' " and perhaps the smoothness ended a moment thereafter. On the other hand if it appeared as if the guest did take the bus, the normal DME procedures and automagical delivery service would have deprived the guest of making his own claim with the airline within 4 hours of arrival into Orlando. Then Disney's claim procedure would take over without mentioning where the damage happened or where the damaged bag sat, and with or without subrogation with the airline.

* pronounced Segwayed and has nothing to do with a scooter.

 

[Edd]

Disney does not send you back to the airport on the bus the same day you came in. All the return seats on the busses are supposedly filled and there are no specific plans to go back to a resort and pick up a specific passenger. Whether the passenger rode the bus to Disney or not, his returned was programmed to be the day of the flight departure from MCO. Disney or Mears certainly would not give the passenger a free ride based on the fact there was damaged luggage at the airport. He was refused return to the airport because he was not scheduled to return, but you can put your own spin on it.

If I recall the airlines notified the passenger of the damaged luggage. They probably would have held the luggage for a number of days because the passenger wherabouts was known. It has been about 3 years so the story may be a little hazy.

 

[goofy4tink]

Taking the bus to POFQ will take about 70 min, from plane to resort. I took the bus to BW in April, and my dh took it to BW in August...both times the bus went to PO first. It would seem that PO (R an FQ) are now on that particular route.
If you use a towncar, it will take you about an hour. If you stop to get your baggage, it will add about 20 mins, plus the walk to baggage claim (10) and then the 5 mins to the car, and 30 mins to the resort..all told, about an hour.
If you tag those bags and let DME take them (which Disney doesn't want you to do but many do anyway) it will take you about 45 mins to get to the resort....10-15 mins from plane to car, then 30 mins to resort.
If you wish to pay about $60 or so to save about 20-30 mins, fine.

 

[TunaSled]

Can anyone tell me when they typically send you ME package? I booked over a month ago and since have received my MVMCP tix, planning DVD, custom maps, everything but mu luggage tags. I still have two months to go though. Should I be calling them?