DME won't pull your luggage after 11pm??

[Lewisc]

With the possible exception of the last buses of the night, DME buses don't wait for any specific passenger.

Ed seems to think DME may be trying to get rid of late night luggage service. Unclaimed bags would go to the airlines unclaimed baggage office. DME normally grabs yellow tagged bags from those offices. IFthe rumor is true, DME wants to stop late night luggage service, those bags wouldn't get grabbed by Disney until the next morning, wouldn't be sent to WDW util the first luggage trucks go out and guests wouldn't be able to get their bags before breakfast. I doubt many guests want their bags delivered at 3a. Disney could make most guests happy if they had one luggage truck make the rounds after the last plane arrives. Really wouldn't matter if it was 4a.

Could there have been a TSA misunderstanding lasting perhaps three days, where DME baggage handling was disrupted?

How many people just checked in at the DME welcoming area at 11:30 or so and got on the bus and, next morning found out that they "shoulda" fetched their yellow tagged luggage from the carousel themselves? What next?

1. Were they told to just go enjoy the parks and the concierge made the bags magically appear in their room later in the day?

2. Would the concierge have DME'd the guest back to the airport to fetch the luggage and the welcoming area DME's him back to the resort with the baggage under the bus? (and also Disney DME'd the party home normally after check out whenever)?

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

Several months earlier I hinted that, while retrieving yellow tagged luggage was not possible before 11 PM, it was mandatory after 11 PM. I added that it was counterproductive since the bus would have to wait until the guests got back from the carousel. I was promptly corrected by someone saying this never happens.

 

[clkelley]

Response from Disney Guest services in response to my email:

Dear Carol,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

I spoke with an agent from Disney's Magical Express and was explained that, the reason they were not prepared for the guest is that they weren't informed the guest was arriving after 11:00 pm.

So, to not have problem, the day before your arrival please call Disney's Magical Express at 866-599-0951 and notify them of your after 11:00 pm arrival, they will retrieve your luggage and will take it to your resort, if you do not want to be disturbed at 3:00 - 3:30 am with the delivery of your luggage, at check-in make sure you tell them to hold your luggage and the time you want it delivered by.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Maria Rine
WDW Online Communications

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your visit.

Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

Message:
This question is about Disney's Magical Express Luggage Delivery
Service.

On two recent occasions (within the last month) friends of mine have
reported arriving at the DME Welcome Center after 11pm and were told by
DME personnel that they had to go back upstairs and retrieve their
luggage from the carousel.

Yet Disney's Magical Express Information on the web states the
following:

Upon landing at Orlando International Airport, skip baggage claim and
proceed to the Disney Welcome Center. Disney will collect your luggage
and deliver it directly to your Disney Resort hotel room.

There is nothing that tells you that after 11pm you will have to go get
your bags.

In addition, the FAQ states the following:

The hours are 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., but we will be happy to extend
those hours if you have booked Disney's Magical Express Service and your
flight is scheduled to arrive after 11:00 p.m.

Each time one of my friends experienced this I called Disney's Magical
Express directly and was told that a guest does NOT have to retrieve
their own bags no matter what time they arrive at MCO, but that late
night flights might have to wait till the following morning to receive
their bags.

With each of these guests, they were prepared to not get their bags
until the next morning. They were NOT prepared to trek back upstairs to
retrieve their bags from the carousel.

In addition, in each of these instances, the DME desk staff told the
guests that this was a new airport rule or TSA rule.

I have received information from someone who works around MCO that there is
no new airport rule or TSA rule that would change this.

So to make a long story short, what is the policy with guest luggage
that has yellow tags on flights arriving after 11pm?? Does the guest
have to go to the carousel and retrieve their luggage, or does the guest
have the option of letting DME transport their luggage overnight and
receiving it the next morning??

This is very important to me because our preferred flight times have us
arriving well after 11pm. Our flight arrives on A side, which would
mean we would have to go to Level 2 Luggage claim on A side, go back
upstairs to move over to B side, then back down to Level 1 to get to
DME, all very late at night. I would prefer to do as the DME packet
states. Skip baggage claim and go directly to my resort and get my
baggage delivered later.

Thank you very much for your prompt reply.

 

[Disneyolic]

Thank you Carol for posting their response. I will still be watching these threads as to what transpires with DME after 11 pm for the next couple of months.

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 10:58 pm. That is such a tricky time. If all goes as your email response said, I will definitely call them and let them know what time our flight is expected to arrive. Still, with that time, a couple minutes may make a HUGE difference!

I think I will print out your response and keep it handy in my folder for future reference. Thanks again for taking the time to contact DME.

**DawnMaree

 

[Edd]

Are you guys making reservations for the DME? It looks to me like the Maria Rines with online communications was telling you you have to make a reservation with the DME. I think you'll did. There is something messed up as it looks like the hand (DME at MCO) doesn't know what the rest of the body (Disney) is doing.

 

[clkelley]

I agree Edd. Personnally, I think she is talking out her a**. But at least I have something in writing that says they pull luggage if they are expecting you.

I know one of the OPs had delayed flights and was rerouted to a different flight. So in that case, maybe DME did not know she was coming in that late.

The second OP was planning on coming in that late and double checked with DME that they would pull the bags, so there's no excuse there on Disney's part. Even if the flights were delayed, if they were on the same airline and flight number that DME had in the records, they should have known they were coming and when.

 

[Disneyolic]

I don't know about the OPs but I am sure that DME has made reservations mandatory. That being said, I am pretty sure that your airline information is given to DME upon reservation...

So, why wouldn't they know then? At this point in time, best for anyone arriving even close to 11 pm to call the day before.

 

[AllanJ]

If I remember correctly, the originally published rules for DME included:
A. Advance reservations are needed,
B. If you are to arrive after 10 PM you need to let DME know. (The flight number you gave is enough in case of delay provided you are on that same flight.)

But so many of us have become complacent and passed the complacent word to friends and others so people expect different things.

 

[taximomfor4]

I am the OP. My flight was cancelled completely, and we were sent on a massive sprint (with shoes in hand, instead of on feet we had to move sooo fast!) to a new flight. So yes, we were rerouted to an earlier flight that arrived later (lol). HOWEVER -- during my layover in St Louis, I called DH, got the number for my hotel to notify them of late arrival, called the hotel, AND CALLED DME. They certainly DID know I was arriving on a later flight!!

Anyway, the other people checking in at the DME desk were being told the same thing (new airport rule, sorry, go back and get your bags) and they were not reroutes from our original cleveland flight.

Oh, and my flight arrived a few minutes before 11pm but it is what time the luggage gets off the plane, not the landing time.

Carol, thanks for getting that email. In future, I will bring that with me if we do DME again. Then they can deliver my bags in the morning.

Beth

 

[judykay53]

I hope we continue to hear from people as they come back. We are going the end of May and I am not going to reserve DME unless "the right hand agrees to what the left hand is doing". If they are not going to pick up the luggage, then that is OK - I will make other arrangements. If there is a chance that we would have to retrieve our own luggage (six of us) then I am not going to take that chance. Hopefully, we will continue to receive reports back I'm anxious to see how this progresses.

 

[BethA]

this has me very worried--my parents are meeting us in June, but their flight arrives close to 11pm and with delays you know it will be after 11. The reason I suggested DME was so they would not have to get their bags themselves. My mother has health trouble and can't run all over the airport, and we are going on a cruise so they will have plenty of luggage.

I'll keep watch here to see what the rule is.

 

[seashoreCM]

I hope that the late night welcoming area CM is not brainwashing arriving guests that they "have" to fetch their luggage in order to generate more tips for the driver since, given the demeanor of parents with tired kids under those circumstances, the idea may backfire royally.

 

[Edd]

I am going to try to talk to the Disney people today about this rule. We will be in the same meeting. Is Disney still telling people to pick up luggage after 11:00 pm? I have not seen any reports lately on this. Maybe they have rescinded their policy. Let me know something if you have experienced this.

 

[Edd]

I talked to the Disney station manager at OIA. She is a very nice lady and very helpful. Here is the deal after 2300 hours. The airlines quit splitting off the Disney tagged suitcases after 2300. Now instead of going straight to Delta Cargo for sorting, the luggage goes with the regular luggage to the terminal destined for the carousels. At the carousels the CM's have to run around and pick up the luggage. The luggage picked up is than transported back to Delta Cargo, on a separate vehicle, where it will be sorted and sent to Disney.

She said that it was not a requirement that you pick up your luggage and bring it to the welcome center. She recommended it because you would be able to get your luggage when you arrive at Disney. Disney will definitely transport it for you if you do not pick it up. There will be extra time involved in Disney picking it up and it may be 3 - 4 hours before it is received at the resorts.

She explained this, usually at the resort at that time in the morning it is a grave yard shift. Many resorts only have one or maybe even no one that can get your luggage to you. You can tell the cashier as you check in that you want your luggage as soon as it comes in and they will do their best to get it to you when it arrives at the resort. Otherwise it will be delivered first thing in the morning.

She quaranteed me in no way was DME telling you to carry your own luggage, but was only trying to recommend the procedure for you to follow that would get your luggage to you faster. Your luggage is under Disney control the minute it leaves the airplane.

Please let me know if you are experiencing any problems contrary to what I have found out.

 

[taximomfor4]

She quaranteed me in no way was DME telling you to carry your own luggage, but was only trying to recommend the procedure for you to follow that would get your luggage to you faster. Your luggage is under Disney control the minute it leaves the airplane.

Please let me know if you are experiencing any problems contrary to what I have found out.

I only know my experience. In NO WAY did the DME people "suggest" I get my own bags. She was extremely apologetic, and was definitely, certainly going to make me go all the way back and get it. I didn't want it till morning anyway!!

I do find it a pretty good sign that there haven't been any other reports in the past week or 2! Maybe it has relaxed to what you were told in the meeting, Edd. I hope so!

Beth

 

[Disneyolic]

Thank you so much Edd for taking the time to look into this matter with DME for us, especially all of us who are arriving around or after 11 pm. I really appreciate it. Now, I'll have to decide what to do with our luggage....

 

[taximomfor4]

Thank you so much Edd for taking the time to look into this matter with DME for us, especially all of us who are arriving around or after 11 pm. I really appreciate it. Now, I'll have to decide what to do with our luggage....

well duh, you are our guinea pig-- didn't we tell you? You are to show up WITHOUT your luggage, and see if they make you drag yourself and all the kids to go back and get it, or if they just "suggest" that you do so. How else will we know the true state of things?!

Beth

 

[Disneyolic]

well duh, you are our guinea pig-- didn't we tell you? You are to show up WITHOUT your luggage, and see if they make you drag yourself and all the kids to go back and get it, or if they just "suggest" that you do so. How else will we know the true state of things?!

Beth

Way too funny! I'll be happy to be the guinea pig if y'all can wait until the end of June. I'm hoping we find someone sooner than that though....

Now I wonder what will happen as my flight is supposed to arrive at 10:55 pm. Just suppose that it arrives promptly at that time or, with any luck, sooner just to make it before 11 pm. Will my luggage get picked up and directly put onto Delta Cargo to go to DME truck delivery?

Oh decisions, decisions.....

 

[taximomfor4]

Way too funny! I'll be happy to be the guinea pig if y'all can wait until the end of June. I'm hoping we find someone sooner than that though....

Now I wonder what will happen as my flight is supposed to arrive at 10:55 pm. Just suppose that it arrives promptly at that time or, with any luck, sooner just to make it before 11 pm. Will my luggage get picked up and directly put onto Delta Cargo to go to DME truck delivery?

Oh decisions, decisions.....

Hmmm...hard to say. My flight arrived at about 10:50-10:55 too...and I got the "I am sooooo sorry, hate to do this to you, ......" thing.

Beth

 

[goofy4tink]

THanks Edd for the update. I have to wonder what would happen if a guest was told they had to go back and get their own bags after 11:00 (2300 hrs.) If they ignored the CM and just boarded the bus, you would think that their luggage would make it to the resort the morning. I almost wish I could make a quick trip down to test it out.

 

[Disneyolic]

THanks Edd for the update. I have to wonder what would happen if a guest was told they had to go back and get their own bags after 11:00 (2300 hrs.) If they ignored the CM and just boarded the bus, you would think that their luggage would make it to the resort the morning. I almost wish I could make a quick trip down to test it out.

I almost wish you could too....actually I don't almost...I really wish you could!