DME luggage question??

[ACJT]

Do I have to check my luggage using the DME tags provided. Or can I check them without and claim bags myself once in MCO, and then take them on the bus?? My flight doesn't arrive till 8:30pm, so by the time my bags get to Ft Wilderness it could be 11:30pm?? I kinda want my tent set up before then.

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

Yes you can. Do not put on the DME tags

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Also if you have someone else in your party they can go and check-you in with ME whil you wait for the bags.They only let 1 in the line to do so anyhow.

 

[Straitlover]

If you wnat, you can just check some of your stuff w/ DME and pick up the rest yourself. That way, you won't have to deal w/ all your stuff while setting up your tent. Just an idea ....

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Do I have to check my luggage using the DME tags provided. Or can I check them without and claim bags myself once in MCO, and then take them on the bus?? My flight doesn't arrive till 8:30pm, so by the time my bags get to Ft Wilderness it could be 11:30pm?? I kinda want my tent set up before then.

Yes. If you want to be able to set up your tent at Fort Wilderness as soon as possible, it makes sense to retrieve your own luggage from baggage claim. As others have noted, simply don't use the yellow DME tags (or use them only on items that are not quite as time-sensitive).

The question about retrieving ones own luggage comes up often. Usually it's asked by people who are staying in hotel rooms. Here's an answer that I posted earlier this year. Please note the line about "a tent for use at Fort Wilderness," which I've bolded here.

Yes, you can collect your own bags at baggage claim. (Just don't use the the yellow ME luggage routing tags, and your bags will go to baggage claim instead of to the DME sorting area.)

There are several disadvantages of collecting your own bags:

• You'll have to go baggage claim, wait for the bags from your flight to be unloaded from the aircraft, and wait for all of your bags to appear on the conveyor.
• If the airline has delayed your luggage, you'll have to deal with the airline at the airport, which typically involves long lines, rather than being able to handle it through Disney.
• You'll have to carry your bags through the airport to the DME Welcome Center and the DME coach.
• If you get assistance from a porter at the airport, it's customary to tip.
• You will most likely be on a later motorcoach to your resort than if you had gone straight from your arrival gate to the DME Welcome Center — which means you'll get to WDW later.
• It's customary to tip the driver who stores and retrieves your bags under the motorcoach.
• You'll have to carry your bags to the resort check-in and to your room.
• If you get luggage assistance and/or luggage storage (until your room is ready) at your resort, it's customary to tip the bellman. (If you use DME as designed, Disney pays the inbound bellman gratuity.)
• If you get inbound luggage assistance, you may need to wait until the bellman has time, and you'll have to be in the room when the bellman arrives with your luggage. (If you use DME as designed, you don't have to be in the room because Disney pays the inbound bellman gratuity.)

I realize that some people just can't get into the vacation mood until they've unpacked their bags. For such people, it makes sense to throw away the yellow tags and to handle their own luggage.

There are also some cases when it makes sense to get luggage as quickly as possible, such as if one needs golf clubs a few hours after arrival or if one has checked a tent for use at Fort Wilderness.

For the rest of us, it's great to use DME as designed. Just pack a small carry-on with anything that you need right away (along with the usual valuables, medications, cameras, and film). Get to the resort as quickly as possible. Start having fun as quickly as possible — which could mean going to a park, to the pool, or to a restaurant — knowing that your bags will be waiting in the room when you return to the room in the evening.​