DME and Southwest question

[WINTER]

So I don't have to wade through 50 plus pages, could someone clarify the following: I am using Southwest. I can have DME deliver my luggage to Pop Century, correct? Also, Pop will let me know the day before I depart what time I need my luggage brought for pickup? will my luggage be on my bus or does it go separate? By using this service, I can check-in the day I depart at the resort and when I get to the airport I just need to go to my gate? Thanks for all your help!

 

[iteachlit]

You will actually be using two services

1. DME: Will get you to the resort and deliver your bags to the room. They will also take you back to the airport.

2. RAC (Resort Airline Checkin): You will take your bags to the RAC stand before your DME departure. Your bags will be taken to the airport; you won't have to touch them until you get home.

We flew Jet Blue in November, and our boarding passes were printed for us in advance. The boarding passes and our departure luggage tags were delivered to our room the day before. We just tagged the bags and took them to the RAC stand.

I'm not sure about SWA boarding passes, but if possible I would try to still check in at the 24 hour mark.

 

[goofy4tink]

The above poster is correct. But..if you don't use EBCI, you will have to check in to get your boarding group numbers at the 24 hr window. You can do that at POP or at one of the parks at Guest Services. If you have paid for EBCI, then SW checks you in at the 36 hr mark and you can get your boarding passes printed up at RAC....I believe that's how it's working now.

And yes, you will get a notice, in your room, the day before you checkout, telling you what time you need to be at the DME bus stop. Remember...this is the time the bus leaves, not the time you need to head to the bus stop!!! Plan on being at the bus stop, all ready to go (everyone in the group there, carryon bags in hand) about 15 mins before the bus is due.

 

[poohs_hunny]

Does Southwest now participate in Resort Airline Check-In?

 

[Bobo912]

I used EBCI on our last trip to WDW and our SWA boarding passes and luggage tags were hanging on the door when we got up on the morning of our departure. We were staying at ASMu.

 

[iteachlit]

Does Southwest now participate in Resort Airline Check-In?

Yes. SWA was recently added to RAC.

 

[Corinne]

Yes. SWA was recently added to RAC.

Does SW participate in RAC at all Disney Resorts yet, or just Pop?

 

[simzac]

I used EBCI on our last trip to WDW and our SWA boarding passes and luggage tags were hanging on the door when we got up on the morning of our departure. We were staying at ASMu.

You don't have to use EBCI to get your luggage tags and boarding passes on your door the morning of your departure. Just let DME know your using RAC when you arrive and this is automatically done for you. Just got back last week and it worked this way for us.

 

[iteachlit]

Does SW participate in RAC at all Disney Resorts yet, or just Pop?

Originally it was being tested at Pop, but now it has been rolled out resort-wide.

 

[BillSears]

You don't have to use EBCI to get your luggage tags and boarding passes on your door the morning of your departure. Just let DME know your using RAC when you arrive and this is automatically done for you. Just got back last week and it worked this way for us.

It doesn't always work this way. I flew back on Monday 5/24 and they did not check me in a head of time. I didn't get a boarding pass until I checked my luggage with the RAC people. But the RAC person did seem surprised that I didn't have a boarding pass in my envelope that was left on the door the night before.

I think it may have to do with your return flight time. I was flying out of MCO at 6:50 PM. Therefore someone at the RAC would have had to print out my boarding pass at 6:50 PM or later, they don't man the desk at those hours so maybe that was why I didn't get checked in a head of time.

 

[jamstew]

I checked in online with SW for the return flight just to be on the safe side. RAC printed my boarding pass when I brought my luggage down.

 

[Bobo912]

It doesn't always work this way. I flew back on Monday 5/24 and they did not check me in a head of time. I didn't get a boarding pass until I checked my luggage with the RAC people. But the RAC person did seem surprised that I didn't have a boarding pass in my envelope that was left on the door the night before.

I think it may have to do with your return flight time. I was flying out of MCO at 6:50 PM. Therefore someone at the RAC would have had to print out my boarding pass at 6:50 PM or later, they don't man the desk at those hours so maybe that was why I didn't get checked in a head of time.

Our flight home was at 6:40PM. It didn't really matter to me if they left it on the door. If they had given it to me when I checked my luggage that would have been okay too. Left to my own devices, I would have printed it when I got to the airport.

 

[goofy4tink]

You don't have to use EBCI to get your luggage tags and boarding passes on your door the morning of your departure. Just let DME know your using RAC when you arrive and this is automatically done for you. Just got back last week and it worked this way for us.

Then it's safe to assume (knowing what happens when you do that!!) that RAC is now checking you in at the 24 hr window??? For some reason, that is hard for me to wrap my head around. I just don't trust anyone else to do that for me. If I pay the addtl $10 pp for EBCI, fine...SW will take care of it for me. But RAC doing it at the 24 hr mark??? Nope, not so much. What if your flight is at 5:50pm....the RAC counter isn't even open then. No one there to check you in for a boarding group number.

I'm going to have to wait until I ask the RAC people myself in August.

 

[simzac]

Then it's safe to assume (knowing what happens when you do that!!) that RAC is now checking you in at the 24 hr window??? For some reason, that is hard for me to wrap my head around. I just don't trust anyone else to do that for me. If I pay the addtl $10 pp for EBCI, fine...SW will take care of it for me. But RAC doing it at the 24 hr mark??? Nope, not so much. What if your flight is at 5:50pm....the RAC counter isn't even open then. No one there to check you in for a boarding group number.

I'm going to have to wait until I ask the RAC people myself in August.

Not sure how RAC checks people in when there counter is closed, but the same thing happen last year at SSR and we were flying home on Airtran. RAC has to have an office somewhere in Orlando, maybe at the airport. Is it possible they have a computer on 24 hours a day tied into the airline system that prints boarding passes at the 24 hour mark automatically for anyone registered in their system?

 

[wdwfan]

We're going to Disney in August and we're flying SWA. I paid to have the EBCI. From what I read, when you first arrive at MCO, you need to go to the Welcome Center to check in so that your boarding passes can be printed at the 24 hour mark. But if you're doing EBCI, then would you really need to still check in at the Welcome Center since essentially SWA would be checking you in for a boarding pass at the 36 hour mark?

A little confusing. I'm trying to process it all before we head down in August.

 

[Corinne]

Originally it was being tested at Pop, but now it has been rolled out resort-wide.

Sweet! Thanks, Mike!

 

[Bobo912]

We're going to Disney in August and we're flying SWA. I paid to have the EBCI. From what I read, when you first arrive at MCO, you need to go to the Welcome Center to check in so that your boarding passes can be printed at the 24 hour mark. But if you're doing EBCI, then would you really need to still check in at the Welcome Center since essentially SWA would be checking you in for a boarding pass at the 36 hour mark?

A little confusing. I'm trying to process it all before we head down in August.

If you have EBCI you don't have to do anything at all. SWA will check you in at the 36 hour mark and you will get the same boarding number whether you have guest services or RAC print your boarding pass or if you wait until you get to the airport to print it.