Does Magical Express take your luggage to the resort for you?

[LeeAnn]

Does Magical Express take your luggage to the resort for you as in the past? I did not received tags as in the past. I just realized this. I wasn't planning on waiting for the luggage. I would cal Disney but it has been 2 - 3 hour waits. Not sure what to do. If it still exists.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Does Magical Express take your luggage to the resort for you as in the past? I did not received tags as in the past. I just realized this. I wasn't planning on waiting for the luggage. I would cal Disney but it has been 2 - 3 hour waits. Not sure what to do. If it still exists.

No, this service was discontinued upon reopening from the COVID closure. You will need to get your bags from the luggage carousel yourself and take them to the DME bus - they will travel with you under the bus to Disney.

Also note that the Resort Airline Check-In service is also no longer available, so when you leave Disney you will need to travel with your luggage on the DME bus, then check your luggage in with your airline at MCO.

 

[Dug720]

No, this service was discontinued upon reopening from the COVID closure.

Mainly because the third-party company Disney used shut down. (Yes, I've heard that they reopened privately, but reports of people who used them have not been great.)

Just making it clear this is not one of the "OMG Disney is cutting costs again" things.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

There is no longer a service that picks up the luggage from the baggage claim and transports it separately, but you will be collecting it yourself and taking it with you to the DME bus. It will be stored on the bus and taken to your resort along with you.

 

[LindaOwl1]

The good news is the one time I had to get my bags at Orlando Airport myself, they came out right away. This was in August.

 

[maryj11]

Disney is taking away a lot.

 

[StageTek]

LeeAnn's question got me thinking...

I wonder how many people who haven't been to The World in a couple of years and don't read the DIS boards go directly to DME and leave their luggage going 'round and 'round. We all know the ins-and-outs of changes so it's difficult to imagine, but there are a lot of guests who don't read these boards - or even pay much attention when they book a stay.

 

[Mle8308]

LeeAnn's question got me thinking...

I wonder how many people who haven't been to The World in a couple of years and don't read the DIS boards go directly to DME and leave their luggage going 'round and 'round. We all know the ins-and-outs of changes so it's difficult to imagine, but there are a lot of guests who don't read these boards - or even pay much attention when they book a stay.

It definitely happens! Not my last trip, but I think my December 2020 trip (?) we were waiting for the DME bus. We had been assigned the "line" by a CM. The group in front of us had no luggage with them, the first CM didn't notice. There was a second CM walking around and directing guests to the busses when they arrived. Our bus came, and fortunately the CM saw the group did not have any luggage. She asked them if they had bags, they said yes, she asked them where they were and they said they were on the way to the resort. She had to explain that bags were no longer automatically sent to the hotels. They had to get out of line and go back to the other terminal to get their bags. Good thing the CM was paying attention!

 

[sndral]

I‘m a bit surprised that folks actually make it to DME at MCO not knowing they have to collect their bags, I just made my DME reservations & received my email confirming them & it’s pretty clear -
Paragraph 3 starts w/ “Disney’s Magical Express will no longer be providing luggage delivery for those arriving and departing…”
Paragraph 4 “Since they are no longer providing luggage service…you will need to claim your luggage from the Baggage Claim area, bringing it with you so that it can be loaded onto your motor coach…”
Paragraph 5 starts w/“Once you have claimed your luggage,…”
And regarding departure paragraph 6 instructs “…. On the day of your departure, please bring your luggage with you to be loaded on to the motor coach….”
Maybe earlier emails weren’t as clear? Or folks somehow didn’t get their emails?

 

[floribr1]

I‘m a bit surprised that folks actually make it to DME at MCO not knowing they have to collect their bags, I just made my DME reservations & received my email confirming them & it’s pretty clear -
Paragraph 3 starts w/ “Disney’s Magical Express will no longer be providing luggage delivery for those arriving and departing…”
Paragraph 4 “Since they are no longer providing luggage service…you will need to claim your luggage from the Baggage Claim area, bringing it with you so that it can be loaded onto your motor coach…”
Paragraph 5 starts w/“Once you have claimed your luggage,…”
And regarding departure paragraph 6 instructs “…. On the day of your departure, please bring your luggage with you to be loaded on to the motor coach….”
Maybe earlier emails weren’t as clear? Or folks somehow didn’t get their emails?

Yes, I agree. And even if they did not bother to read the emails - or perhaps read too quickly - you would think they would be clued in that things are different when they never received the luggage tags. It sounds like this is what happened with the OP.

 

[Dug720]

Disney is taking away a lot.

Again, this one is NOT on Disney. The third-party company they used shut down.

 

[Joe Brig]

It was great, drop off your luggage at your home air port and it will appear in your room like magic. Now Disney ended all that. Don't blame some 3rd party, Disney could find another company or do it themselves. Soon they won't even take you from the airport to the resort.

 

[Planogirl]

Again, this one is NOT on Disney. The third-party company they used shut down.

Mears shut down? It was Mears wasn’t it?

 

[jcarwash]

Mears shut down? It was Mears wasn’t it?

Mears operates the DME buses and they are still in business. A different company transported the luggage.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Bags, Inc, the company that handled Disney’s luggage service, did not shut down or go out of business. Bags, Inc. is a national company that handles all sorts of travel related baggage services, valet services, and event services for various industries - airlines, cruise lines, hotels, etc. Disney valets are Bags, Inc. employees, just as an example.

Granted I’m sure their employee headcount was decimated by the COVID closure and who knows if they could have even serviced the contract, but none of us really know the contractual relationship/business rationale between Disney and Bags that led to these services no longer being offered.

 

[Mle8308]

I‘m a bit surprised that folks actually make it to DME at MCO not knowing they have to collect their bags, I just made my DME reservations & received my email confirming them & it’s pretty clear -
Paragraph 3 starts w/ “Disney’s Magical Express will no longer be providing luggage delivery for those arriving and departing…”
Paragraph 4 “Since they are no longer providing luggage service…you will need to claim your luggage from the Baggage Claim area, bringing it with you so that it can be loaded onto your motor coach…”
Paragraph 5 starts w/“Once you have claimed your luggage,…”
And regarding departure paragraph 6 instructs “…. On the day of your departure, please bring your luggage with you to be loaded on to the motor coach….”
Maybe earlier emails weren’t as clear? Or folks somehow didn’t get their emails?

You would think......

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Bags, Inc, the company that handled Disney’s luggage service, did not shut down or go out of business. Bags, Inc. is a national company that handles all sorts of travel related baggage services, valet services, and event services for various industries - airlines, cruise lines, hotels, etc. Disney valets are Bags, Inc. employees, just as an example.

Granted I’m sure their employee headcount was decimated by the COVID closure and who knows if they could have even serviced the contract, but none of us really know the contractual relationship/business rationale between Disney and Bags that led to these services no longer being offered.

They laid off a lot of people and backed out of the Disney contract: https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando...airline-guest-services-laying-off-560-workers

It would be fairly challenging for Disney to spin up and run their own baggage service of that nature. They'd have to get a depot, trucks and staff to do it. It's certainly not a "decide Monday, start Friday" operation.

Blame Disney for cutbacks where blame is due, but this one... don't expect them to spin up a complex business operation requiring staff and equipment (trucks are hard to come by right now) on the fly.

 

[RoseGold]

I went end of October, and baggage claim was slow and ugh. I would try to carry on if possible.

 

[Dis Dragon]

I went end of October, and baggage claim was slow and ugh. I would try to carry on if possible.

It seems to be getting worse as it goes along. We waited more than 15 minutes the last time we went after we got to the baggage claim conveyor.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

They laid off a lot of people and backed out of the Disney contract: https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando...airline-guest-services-laying-off-560-workers

It would be fairly challenging for Disney to spin up and run their own baggage service of that nature. They'd have to get a depot, trucks and staff to do it. It's certainly not a "decide Monday, start Friday" operation.

Blame Disney for cutbacks where blame is due, but this one... don't expect them to spin up a complex business operation requiring staff and equipment (trucks are hard to come by right now) on the fly.

I don’t see anywhere in that article that says they “backed out” of the Disney contract - source?

I don’t suggest Disney would ever want to self provide such a service, for the reasons you cite, not to mention the myriad of complications with airline/TSA regulations and other rules regarding luggage handling.