DME Question

[ColinCodyMom]

We used DME for the first time in October and it was great however we were only there a couple days and only brought carry ons. This time we will be there for nine days and are flying southwest so bags are free. There are four of us, so we could have six or so suitcases. My question is this: I have seen that if you don't want to wait 3 or more hours for your luggage, you could get it from baggage claim and bring it on the bus with you. Has anyone seen this happen with quite a bit of luggage? I don't want to be looked at like I'm crazy. We usually use five but it's tight and since it's free, I'd like to have extra room for souvenirs. We have medical supplies in our carry ons and back ups in our suitcases so I'd rather not be without them for hours. Just wondering about it because I don't recall anyone bringing their suitcases through the DME lines in October. Thanks everyone! These boards have been so helpful!

 

[Traveliz]

I have seen groups with alot of luggage loading it under the bus. It's all part of the service. If that is what you want to do go for it.

Liz

 

[goofy4tink]

We used DME for the first time in October and it was great however we were only there a couple days and only brought carry ons. This time we will be there for nine days and are flying southwest so bags are free. There are four of us, so we could have six or so suitcases. My question is this: I have seen that if you don't want to wait 3 or more hours for your luggage, you could get it from baggage claim and bring it on the bus with you. Has anyone seen this happen with quite a bit of luggage? I don't want to be looked at like I'm crazy. We usually use five but it's tight and since it's free, I'd like to have extra room for souvenirs. We have medical supplies in our carry ons and back ups in our suitcases so I'd rather not be without them for hours. Just wondering about it because I don't recall anyone bringing their suitcases through the DME lines in October. Thanks everyone! These boards have been so helpful!

May I be completely honest??? The one time it took me more than 65 mins, from gate to resort, was the one time that there was a lot of checked luggage being loaded underneath the DME bus. There had to be at least 4 families, with about 6 bags each, that had felt the need to bring their bags with them. Now, it takes time to stow those bags...which isn't going to be an issue if you are among the first to board. But in our case, the last two families to board the bus (after the bus had already been sitting there for 13 mins) had many large pieces of luggage with them. So, that meant that all those bags had to be stowed in the proper compartment for their particular resorts. Probably added an addtl 8 mins to the time spend waiting. As soon as those bags were stowed, we drove off. Then, off to CSR, where we had to unload a bunch of bags, and then on to AKL, where another ton of bags were unloaded. The bus usually spends about 4-5 mins at the resort, but these two times, we were there about 10 mins each.
I know, I know...that really sounds like nitpicking....an addtl 8 mins at MCO, an addtl 5 mins at each of the resorts before our resort....but add it up and that's almost 20 mins!!! And when you're sitting there, trying to be patient but wanting to get to your resort...well, it got annoying.

So.....rather than do that, you may want to pack one checked bag with what you really need but what you can't take in your carryon bags. Then, go to baggage claim to get it and bring it to DME checkin with you. It's only one bag, no one will get nudgy about that. Yes, you will have to wait for several hours before you get the rest of your bags, but that shouldn't be a huge issue. You will already have what you need in that one checked bag.
Just a thought...and I wanted to be honest about my experience.
Of course there are going to be those people who have no other choice but to bring all their bags with them, to the bus. Those could be the people that arrived at MCO in some way other than a plane, or those who arrived the day before but chose to stay the night closer to the airport because of the lateness of their arrival. So...DME luggage service wouldn't be an option for them.

 

[MmmmDisney.]

My family is one of "those" families that feels the need to bring our luggage with us It has been just a personal preference. But this time, I plan on using the luggage service, wish me luck.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The "best of both worlds" solution is to pack anything you'll need the first few hours (or even the first 24 hours) in your carry-on bags.

Let DME deliver the rest.

You'll be at your resort sooner. (If you have to make the detour to baggage claim and wait for your bags, which can take 15-60 minutes, you'll almost certainly be on a later DME coach to your resort.)

Disney says to allow up to 3 hours after your resort check-in for your bags to be delivered. That doesn't mean it routinely takes 3 hours.

More importantly, when you rely on DME luggage delivery, there is no need to wait for your bags -- not at baggage claim, and not in your room.

You can be out of your room -- at a park, at the pool, or at a restaurant -- and the bags will be left in your room anyway. When used as designed, DME includes the bell services tip.

 

[dacky041208]

The "best of both worlds" solution is to pack anything you'll need the first few hours (or even the first 24 hours) in your carry-on bags.

Let DME deliver the rest.

You'll be at your resort sooner. (If you have to make the detour to baggage claim and wait for your bags, which can take 15-60 minutes, you'll almost certainly be on a later DME coach to your resort.)

Disney says to allow up to 3 hours after your resort check-in for your bags to be delivered. That doesn't mean it routinely takes 3 hours.

More importantly, when you rely on DME luggage delivery, there is no need to wait for your bags -- not at baggage claim, and not in your room.

You can be out of your room -- at a park, at the pool, or at a restaurant -- and the bags will be left in your room anyway. When used as designed, DME includes the bell services tip.

The first bold was very true for our last 2 trips. The first (at CSR), we checked in, took a little walk around the resort (maybe 20-30 minutes) and when we went back to change for the pool our bags were in our room. Last year at AKL it was pretty similar, maybe took an hour tops after we checked in. I know this might not be typical, but ME has been great for us.

The part about not having to tip on the inbound route is very nice as well.

 

[cg1200]

I don't know but to me the best part of DME is not having to haul my luggage all over the airport. It was nice saying goodbye to my bags in NY and not seeing them again until we got back from our first day in the park.

But if you want to bring them with you, its within your right. To me your not taking advantage of the best part of the service but to each his own.

 

[ColinCodyMom]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone!! I will more than likely trust that my luggage will magically find its way to my room within the three hours time. It does worry me though because I have read horror stories of those who don't receive it for quite a bit longer than that. I appreciate all of your feedback!! I'm sure it'll work out!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone!! I will more than likely trust that my luggage will magically find its way to my room within the three hours time. It does worry me though because I have read horror stories of those who don't receive it for quite a bit longer than that. I appreciate all of your feedback!! I'm sure it'll work out!

I'm one the people whose DME luggage delivery once didn't happen until around 10 p.m., even though our flight arrived around 7 hours earlier.

It was back in 2005, a few months after DME was launched. It really wasn't a "horror story." My guess is that our bags were on a later flight than we were. (That's not uncommon in the airline business.) If that was the case, I'm glad we didn't try to get our own bags at baggage claim.

Two other times, the bellman came with the bags less than an hour after we got to the room. And, in a couple of other cases, I have no idea how long it took because we left the room right away and were out having fun. Our bags were there when we got back to the room.

It's great to skip baggage claim and go straight to the DME counter. Chances are the baggage handlers are still taking the bags off the plane when we're already checking in for DME. And by the time other passengers' bags get to baggage claim, we're already on the DME motorcoach.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It does worry me though because I have read horror stories of those who don't receive it for quite a bit longer than that. I appreciate all of your feedback!! I'm sure it'll work out

Well, sure - because the ten million or more people for whom luggage delivery worked fine RARELY, if ever, post that experience. The few hundred who've had problems - including Our Esteemed Moderator, once - do post.

 

[ColinCodyMom]

Well, sure - because the ten million or more people for whom luggage delivery worked fine RARELY, if ever, post that experience. The few hundred who've had problems - including Our Esteemed Moderator, once - do post.

I figure that is the case for just about everything on these boards. People feel compelled to speak about things that didn't go right. With the number of guests arriving at MCO daily, I'm confident that DME does a fantastic job of getting the luggage to people as quickly as possible. I'm hoping they do the same for us!! Thanks for the reply!

 

[goofy4tink]

The DME info packet will say to expect your luggage, in your resort room, up to four hours after resort checkin. Most people have no idea when their luggage arrives because they are off in a park, having a ball.
The one time I waited for my luggage to arrive was a nightmare. My idiot dd (31 at the time) felt the need to pack only her shoes in her carryon bag. Even though I told her to pack what she would need for the first 6 or 7 hrs of our first day. But nooooo, she didn't listen to me. So, when we arrived at Pop, around noontime, we had to hand around, until 5:30 or so, waiting for the checked bags to get to the room. She refused to do anything until she changed out of her travel clothes. And of course, Pop has some of the worst luggage service. They don't make constant runs to the rooms, they wait and do them every few hours. So, if your bags arrive just as they are leaving on a run, well, you could be waiting for a few more hours. Drives me nuts..the only thing I don't like about POP.

So...long story short...pack anything you will need for the first day of your trip in your carryon bags. Then, you won't have to worry about getting your checked bags quickly.

 

[Missytara]

Thank you, Diane. I am too one of those people, who travels by themselves, and let ME do all the work - loathe having to wait several minutes, while multitudes of luggage are being pulled out from under the bus. Why do they make you wait in the bus at your resort, while the people who brought all their luggage are allowed to get off the bus? They pick one person to get all the luggage and the rest of the people go inside to check-in, while I am stuck on the bus waiting with my backpack. The last two times I went, they made us wait on the bus and let the others off first????

If I were traveling with several people, I would take one carry-on with all of our clothes for the first day and let ME bring the rest, even if it arrives hours later.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thank you, Diane. I am too one of those people, who travels by themselves, and let ME do all the work - loathe having to wait several minutes, while multitudes of luggage are being pulled out from under the bus. Why do they make you wait in the bus at your resort, while the people who brought all their luggage are allowed to get off the bus? They pick one person to get all the luggage and the rest of the people go inside to check-in, while I am stuck on the bus waiting with my backpack. The last two times I went, they made us wait on the bus and let the others off first????

If I were traveling with several people, I would take one carry-on with all of our clothes for the first day and let ME bring the rest, even if it arrives hours later.

I have been on buses where they held everyone on the bus until the driver had taken all the luggage out for that resort. We have now been told that the drivers are not supposed to do that....everyone should be able to get off that bus when the bus pulls up to the resort.
I would go nuts if I was held on the bus while those with luggage were allowed off. I would suddenly 'remember' that I had luggage under there..then walk right past that driver.
If anyone is held on the bus, you really need to let someone higher up the chain know. I would most certainly let Disney know...I would have the driver's name, the bus number, the time of day...the whole deal. And I would be sure the driver knew I was going to be getting in touch with Disney about that behaviour.

 

[Missytara]

I have been on buses where they held everyone on the bus until the driver had taken all the luggage out for that resort. We have now been told that the drivers are not supposed to do that....everyone should be able to get off that bus when the bus pulls up to the resort.
I would go nuts if I was held on the bus while those with luggage were allowed off. I would suddenly 'remember' that I had luggage under there..then walk right past that driver.
If anyone is held on the bus, you really need to let someone higher up the chain know. I would most certainly let Disney know...I would have the driver's name, the bus number, the time of day...the whole deal. And I would be sure the driver knew I was going to be getting in touch with Disney about that behaviour.

Thank you so much! I will remember that next time.....

 

[verticalchaos]

The DME info packet will say to expect your luggage, in your resort room, up to four hours after resort checkin. Most people have no idea when their luggage arrives because they are off in a park, having a ball.
The one time I waited for my luggage to arrive was a nightmare. My idiot dd (31 at the time) felt the need to pack only her shoes in her carryon bag. Even though I told her to pack what she would need for the first 6 or 7 hrs of our first day. But nooooo, she didn't listen to me. So, when we arrived at Pop, around noontime, we had to hand around, until 5:30 or so, waiting for the checked bags to get to the room. She refused to do anything until she changed out of her travel clothes. And of course, Pop has some of the worst luggage service. They don't make constant runs to the rooms, they wait and do them every few hours. So, if your bags arrive just as they are leaving on a run, well, you could be waiting for a few more hours. Drives me nuts..the only thing I don't like about POP.

So...long story short...pack anything you will need for the first day of your trip in your carryon bags. Then, you won't have to worry about getting your checked bags quickly.

If that was my family, the "offender" would have been given the choice of 1) go in your travel clothes or 2) you can hang out here while we go to the parks. ESPECIALLY as we are all "of age" as your dd is.

 

[goofy4tink]

If that was my family, the "offender" would have been given the choice of 1) go in your travel clothes or 2) you can hang out here while we go to the parks. ESPECIALLY as we are all "of age" as your dd is.

Yeah...I know. I just didn't want to deal with the ensuing drama...and believe me, there would have been drama.

 

[Lewisc]

If that was my family, the "offender" would have been given the choice of 1) go in your travel clothes or 2) you can hang out here while we go to the parks. ESPECIALLY as we are all "of age" as your dd is.

I would have given the offender a third choice. Go to the gift shop and buy (with her own money) whatever is needed. Disney would be happy to take her money.

 

[verticalchaos]

I would have given the offender a third choice. Go to the gift shop and buy (with her own money) whatever is needed. Disney would be happy to take her money.

Very true. That probably would have been an option too...even if of the offender's own thinking.

Of course there is always the other option... Don't travel in something you're not comfortable wearing elsewhere. I don't get the flying in pj's (or similar) thing unless you're under 5. Maybe it's that I have to travel via cab or public transit to get to the airport, but going there less than dressed in street clothes would never occur to me.