DME Questions

[Lil ole moi]

We are taking a late flight into MCO which means we probably won't be in our rooms until well after midnight so we would prefer to take our luggage with us instead of it being delivered to our room later. Is it possible to do the following with DME:

We won't put our yellow tags on our baggage, but instead go to baggage claim ourselves to retrieve our luggage.

Then what? Do we then go to DME counter to let them know we have our luggage with us? Or do we do that before we go to baggage claim?

Then...does the DME driver put our luggage in the "belly" of the bus? Or does it follow us ONTO the bus?

 

[bradk]

i think it's more of a lower intestine than a belly, but.. you'll need to go to baggage claim after deboarding before you go to DME. not so bad if your airline comes in on the B side, but can't get mildly annoying if you're on the A side.

just bring it all to the welcome desk. they'll check you in and tell you which line to join and bring it all with you through the line and to the bus. the driver will then take care of it for you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, you can get your own luggage.
Yes, you get your luggage first, then proceed to the DME counter.
Yes, the driver will place your luggage in the 'belly' of the bus. PLEASE remember, it is customary to tip anyone who handles your luggage, generally a dollar or two per piece.

Couple of notes:
- Getting your own luggage will delay your check-in at the Welcome Center and, potentially, your arrival and check-in at your resort.
- DME will deliver luggage, even that of passengers arriving very late at night, although that wouldn't occur until early in the morning, e.g. 7 or 8 AM.
- When DME delivers luggage, Disney - not the Guest - is responsible for the tip.
- It is ALWAYS advisable to pack in carry-on luggage whatever one will need for the first 24 hours at a destination - in case the airline misdirects luggage.

 

[Lil ole moi]

Thank you, bradk. Sounds easy enough. How do I know if I'm coming in from A or B? I'm flying Delta from Boston. Can you tell from that information alone? Is A farther away from B and that means more walking, time, etc?

 

[bradk]

Couple of notes:

which are all extremely invaluable points. although i think the earliest it gets delivered is 8 am, from what i hear. i just know i've heard repeatedly that it wouldn't be early enough to make ropedrop.

another invaluable tip is never to pack all your eggs in one checked bag. each bag should contain items for each family member (as best you can). that way, if one bag does get lost, another bag will have something for everyone.

Thank you, bradk. Sounds easy enough. How do I know if I'm coming in from A or B? I'm flying Delta from Boston. Can you tell from that information alone? Is A farther away from B and that means more walking, time, etc?

lucky, lucky you. Delta uses the B side. http://www.orlandoairports.net/ops/airlines.htm

it's not the worst thing in the world to be on the A side, but what it means is starting out on level 3, you'd need to go to level 2A, claim bags, go back to L3, cross over to the B side, then go down to L1B (there is a little trek once you get to L1 to the DME desk though). as you're coming in on the B side, you can just go to L2B to claim bags and then proceed to L1B and go to the desk. the main building is like an n shape (only it's more of a [ on its side). the only way to get from A to B is to go cross over on Level 3.

 

[kaytieeldr]

orlandoairports.com
The 'problem' with landing on Side A is that you need to go down to the baggage claim level, claim your luggage, then go back up to the main level and walk across the terminal and go down to level one to the DME welcome center

 

[Lil ole moi]

Couple of notes:
- Getting your own luggage will delay your check-in at the Welcome Center and, potentially, your arrival and check-in at your resort.


Thank you kaytieeldr . I have never used DME before (obviously! ) so why would getting my own luggage delay check-in etc?

Thanks for helping me understand all this

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you use DME as designed, you head directly from the plane to the Welcome Center.
If you get your own luggage, you detour first to baggage claim. You need to wait for luggage to be off-loaded from the plane, then the DME-tagged bags are pulled, and then finally the non-tagged luggage is placed on the conveyor belt and appears inside the airport for passengers to pull. After that, then you still need to go to the Welcome Center.

 

[bradk]

i can give you a recent real world example. my plane arrived (late, i might add) around 11:30. I claimed my own bags on the A side. I was in my room around 1:45 am.

 

[Lil ole moi]

If you use DME as designed, you head directly from the plane to the Welcome Center.
If you get your own luggage, you detour first to baggage claim. You need to wait for luggage to be off-loaded from the plane, then the DME-tagged bags are pulled, and then finally the non-tagged luggage is placed on the conveyor belt and appears inside the airport for passengers to pull. After that, then you still need to go to the Welcome Center.

Oh! I misunderstood. I thought you meant there would be a delay at the Welcome Center, but if that's not the case I will stick with my plan of taking my luggage directly with me.

Thank you so much for your help (you too, bradk!)

 

[Lil ole moi]

i can give you a recent real world example. my plane arrived (late, i might add) around 11:30. I claimed my own bags on the A side. I was in my room around 1:45 am.

Holy crap!!! Did you regret your decision to do that or is that would you expected and still worked better for you in your particular case.

The reason I want to take me luggage with me is because I want to have everything organized the night we arrive as I have early breafast ADRs and I really don't want to have to deal with unpacking when we return to our rooms later that night. Make sense?

 

[bradk]

well, i wasn't crazy about the flight being later than i expected. and i lost probably 20 minutes just going between A and B as I described and the bus did wait longer than what i'm used to, but on the flip side, there was NO traffic at that time so we made it to the property in record time.

i would typically anticipate the entire DME process itself (even when not claiming bags) to be about 90 minutes from landing until the point where you're checked in. sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more. i find 90 to be the comfortable average.

i don't know if i'd be unpacking and organizing at that hour if i were you unless you were planning on having a late morning. i dunno what most would do in that scenario. i live out of the suitcase, so it's not an issue for me personally.

 

[Lil ole moi]

well, i wasn't crazy about the flight being later than i expected. and i lost probably 20 minutes just going between A and B as I described and the bus did wait longer than what i'm used to, but on the flip side, there was NO traffic at that time so we made it to the property in record time.

i would typically anticipate the entire DME process itself (even when not claiming bags) to be about 90 minutes from landing until the point where you're checked in. sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more. i find 90 to be the comfortable average.

i don't know if i'd be unpacking and organizing at that hour if i were you unless you were planning on having a late morning. i dunno what most would do in that scenario. i live out of the suitcase, so it's not an issue for me personally.

Thanks...really What exactly happens at the Welcome Centre?

And completely off topic, but I've got to share it cause I can hardly believe it! I went to the Delta link that you provided me with and I noticed the temperature in Florida (or at least at the Orlando International Airport) was only 75F (or to me...24C). Here in New Brunswick, Canada, which is much, much north of Florida, it is 100.4F with the humidex (or 38C to me)!!!

 

[bradk]

at the welcome center, you just give them your booklet and they scan it in to confirm your arrival and confirm your return then just give you some basic information on the return process. it's no big deal. your biggest challenge there is a line which you shouldn't have at that time. even around 12 or so, there were multiple agents working there.

that is weird about orlando's weather now, huh? i almost wish i was there. it 'feels like' 85 F in NYC. maybe the further north you go, the warmer it gets. it's backwards day! correction... it's NOT backwards day

 

[Lil ole moi]

Excellent! I've got it now.

Thank you so much for your patience in answering my questions. I know you have certainly helped put my mind at ease in using DME and I know if I question it, there are plenty others on the DIS that are following our question and answer session and are being helped out in the process...so thanks again bradk!