DME Question... can you be picked up at a resort you are not staying at?

[gigi1313]

for our last day at wdw we are considering having breakfast at either 'ohana or chef mickeys but we have a 1pm flight and do not want to eat at the crack of dawn... (figuring we will have to be on DME by 11, which would mean 9am is the latest we could book an ADR for, and even that is cutting it close, no?)

i'm wondering if we could pack up our luggage, drop it w/bell services, head to another resort for breakfast and catch DME from there, finding our luggage when we get to the airport... we are not flying an "affiliated" airline, but rather we'll be on SWA...

what are our chances of this working? what if we took our luggage (by taxi?) to the other resort with us, could we then catch DME from there to the airport w/our bags?

or is it our best bet to pack, go to another resort to eat, grab a cab back and take DME w/our luggage from where we're staying?

typing all this out has helped me realize that the most likely scenario is the last one... right?

 

[seashoreCM]

Day before you check out, if not sooner, change your Magical Express homebound reservation for the different resort you will be departing from. (Actually the bus boarding time should be about the same.) The ME welcoming desk clerk at the airport might not be able to make the change but the resort desk clerk can.

You may check your baggage at your original resort prior to your ADR if your airline is represented there. Otherwise you need to carry everything to the second resort.

Leaving baggage at the original resort and coming back by cab can be a problem because it may take some time, up to 45 minutes at some resorts, for the bellhop to retrieve the baggage.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/magicx.htm

 

[Snoozan]

I'm pretty sure the DME pickup time to return to the airport is 3 hours before your flight, which means you'd have to be picked up by 10:00AM. I think you'd be cutting it close by doing a 9:00AM breakfast.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

for our last day at wdw we are considering having breakfast at either 'ohana or chef mickeys but we have a 1pm flight and do not want to eat at the crack of dawn... (figuring we will have to be on DME by 11, which would mean 9am is the latest we could book an ADR for, and even that is cutting it close, no?)

With an 1:00 p.m. flight departure, your Magical Express pickup will be between 9:50 a.m. and 10:20 a.m. (The DME pickups are based on a schedule and are not necessarily exactly 3 hours before your flight.) You are asked to be at the pickup location 15 minutes before your scheduled pickup time.

A 9:00 a.m. character breakfast ADR at another resort would guarantee that you will miss your scheduled Magical Express pickup. Also, keep in mind that a Disney ADR does not promise immediate seating.

i'm wondering if we could pack up our luggage, drop it w/bell services, head to another resort for breakfast and catch DME from there, finding our luggage when we get to the airport... we are not flying an "affiliated" airline, but rather we'll be on SWA...

Because you're flying with Southwest, which is not on the Remote Airline Check-in list, your luggage must travel in the DME motorcoach with you. There is no way to leave it with bell services at the resort where you're staying and have it magically appear somewhere at the airport for you to reclaim it.

At one time I was thinking of catching DME at a different resort than where I was staying. I made several phone calls with Disney and Mears before I left home. I came away with the impression that it would be possible to do so, but that I was asking for trouble.

So you could make arrangements to change your DME pickup location, drag all your luggage to a resort with a character breakfast (early in the morning), check it with the bell desk, have breakfast, have the bell desk retrieve the luggage, and take DME from that resort. To me, it sounds like more trouble, cabfare, and tips than it's worth.

It it were me, and I had a 1:00 p.m. Southwest flight, I would schedule the character breakfast for another day. On departure day, I'd have breakfast at the resort where I'm staying. With my family, it would be hectic enough making sure that we're all packed and that me make it to the DME pickup in time.

 

[clkelley]

I've done it twice with Mears before the days of DME.

One trip many moons ago I was staying offsite (I-Drive) relying on their transportation service to get me to the parks, and used Mears to get me to/from the airport (NEVER AGAIN). It would have been impossible to use their transportation service to go to the parks on the last day, get back to the hotel, then have Mears take me to the airport. I was solo and only had one roller bag. I arranged the night before to have Mears pick me up at the Contemporary since I was going to be at Magic Kingdom.

I carried my one roller bag on the hotel bus with me to the Magic Kingdom, then stored it at the train station at MK (same price as lockers, but they store it behind the desk since the lockers were too small). As I left the Magic Kingdom, I retrieved my bag, took the monorail to the Contemporary, and met the Mears van at the appointed time. Let me note that my flight time was at 7pm. I was picked up by Mears at 4pm.

The other time we did this was last September with Mears. We were going for an entire week and my son was flying home on Sunday night for school, then back on Thursday night for the following weekend. We bought him a round trip from All-Stars, but because of our schedules, we arranged for him to be picked up from Animal Kingdom Lodge on Monday afternoon (Hurricane Jeanne delayed his departure by 1 day), then when he came back on Thursday evening we were at the Cape May Buffet having dinner, so had him dropped off at the Beach Club. He had no luggage because he left it with us at All-Stars. He had plenty more clothes at home.

So in certain situations, it may be possible, but in your scenario, I wouldn't recommend it.

Carol

 

[gigi1313]

thanks... i just checked our airline ressie... it's a 1:50 flight, but that's not that much better... we'd have to have 8am ADRs to be sure to be back to our hotel in time for DME pickup at 10:30-11am... don't think it's do-able... and cabs for 8 people to the airport is just too expensive...

we are doing character breakfast on other days, we just wanted to leave w/a "bang" and though a 1:50 flight would allow that, but i guess not... drat!