How do I arrive the night before and still use DME?

[Cmbar]

We were unable to get decent airfare for our trip and were planning on driving instead. I have DME scheduled on the reservation and indeed got my luggage tags yesterday but had no flight information (since we never were able to make the flights). Then today SW has $49 flights out and it will be cheaper than driving. Only problem is we have to fly in one day earlier. We are arriving later in the evening and want to simply stay overnight in a local hotel using reward points. We then want to go to Disney on DME the next morning.

So my questions are:

Can I still send my luggage using the tags if the flights are the day before my arrival date? Do I take the chance they will lose the bags because they are for the next day checkin? I can always get them by not tagging them right? And then bring them to the DME bus.

Can I ride the DME bus the next morning?

What flight information do I call and give DME? Does it matter if my flight information is for the previous day? Of course SWA uses the same flight numbers everyday so my flight number for Friday will actually be a late flight on my Check In day (Sat) but we want to use the bus early Sat morning.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[seashoreCM]

Pick a flight, any flight, any airline, arriving the next morning at the time you will be back at the airport to take DME to your resort and check in. Furnish this information to the phone agent when making your DME reservation.

You will need to not use the yellow tags, claim your baggage at the carousel, take it to the motel near the airport where you will be staying, and bring it back the next morning to be loaded under the DME bus.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/magicx.htm

 

[goofy4tink]

It's really very easy. In fact, you don't even have to give DME any arrival flight info. Do not tag your bags before you leave home....because you are arriving the day before your reservation starts, you are not able to use the luggage delivery service.
Just head over to the airport in the morning, with your bags. When you get to the DME counter, they will ask you about your return home flight info. You can give them your flight numbers/times then. Then, head to the bus lines. Your luggage will go underneath your bus, and you'll get them handed back to you when you get to your resort.
Be sure to bring your DME info packet with you, with the travel vouchers in them, in the morning.

 

[DisneyWalker44]

I do this all the time. I give ME the flight number for something arriving the next morning. I pick up my bags, take them to the hotel and back, and have them right under the ME bus.

Note that you can almost always get a nice MCO-area hotel via priceline for very cheap. See www.betterbidding.com or www.biddingfortravel.com for details (or just ask here.)

 

[Cmbar]

Thank you all for your responses!

Our flight Friday night gets in later (arrives around 9:40pm) so I think I just read that we wouldn't have been able to use the DME luggage service anyways since you have to pull those off the carousel anyways. So I think we will just give the information for an early flight on Sat morning.


Of course, now I am thinking about a car rental.


DisneyWalker, we have a free hotel at the Holiday Inn because of some old reward points and it comes with breakfast so I am real happy with that. But we are thinking of using priceline for the car rental. Have you done that? Is it as easy as it sounds?? Is it a hassle when you go to check in and do you end up with the yucky cars?? Never done priceline before!

Thanks again everybody!

 

[prncess674]

Of course, now I am thinking about a car rental.


DisneyWalker, we have a free hotel at the Holiday Inn because of some old reward points and it comes with breakfast so I am real happy with that. But we are thinking of using priceline for the car rental. Have you done that? Is it as easy as it sounds?? Is it a hassle when you go to check in and do you end up with the yucky cars?? Never done priceline before!

Are you trying to just do a one night car rental to get back and forth for your airport hotel or are you looking to rent a car for your entire vacation?

 

[a1tinkfans]

Pick a flight, any flight, any airline, arriving the next morning at the time you will be back at the airport to take DME to your resort and check in. Furnish this information to the phone agent when making your DME reservation.

You will need to not use the yellow tags, claim your baggage at the carousel, take it to the motel near the airport where you will be staying, and bring it back the next morning to be loaded under the DME bus.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/magicx.htm

I think you responded to me on an earlier thread. Very helpful, thanks.
After looking at flights for the following morning (after my night befores arrival) I noticed that they all come in LATER than I wanted to get to dme area, like at 9am....
So,
What times does DME start? If I can go at 7am, will I have to wait till the people that are flying in at 9am to arrive????
Should I consider getting private transport to resort instead?
I really would like to get to resort as early as possible, so whats the BEST way to do that????

 

[Lewisc]

You can go to the MCO website and find flights. Jet Blue 762 (BQN-MCO) is scheduled to arrive at 6:10a. It wouldn't be a reach to think DME may wait a little bit longer for the early buses to fill up with passengers. Very few flights arrive before 9a.

Best way is private transportation. You can book a car service in advance. The hotel probably has an arrangement with a company and you get you a flat rate car with almost no advance notice. Alternately take a taxi, although a metered cab ride may cost more then a flat rate car service.

Hotel shuttle is likely to be every 30 minutes. It can easily take 2 hours to go from your airport hotel to WDW vs 30 minutes with a car service.

 

[seashoreCM]

(Disney bound only)

It does not matter if you show up for Magical Express a few hours before or after the time you specified and/or the flight you named is scheduled to land. At the welcoming area you'll just be put in line for the next bus.

Now I was not sure whether DME buses don't begin running in the morning until after flights start to arrive.

Going home via DME, you must be ready to board your bus 15 minutes before the time stated in your reservation.

 

[goofy4tink]

DME buses run 24/7. They may not run as frequently for late evening/early morning arrivals as they do from 9am-7pm, but they do run.

 

[a1tinkfans]

THANK YOU for the updated answers regarding the "next day" DME and late nite arrival flights!!


I am still on the fence with it............I have a while to decide though...

 

[a1tinkfans]

You can go to the MCO website and find flights. Jet Blue 762 (BQN-MCO) is scheduled to arrive at 6:10a. It wouldn't be a reach to think DME may wait a little bit longer for the early buses to fill up with passengers. Very few flights arrive before 9a.



Would you mind telling me HOW you got that info???
I am unable to find that and the only BQN I see arrives at 2:15 pm, so clearly I must be doing something wrong

 

[Cmbar]

Are you trying to just do a one night car rental to get back and forth for your airport hotel or are you looking to rent a car for your entire vacation?

We are thinking for the whole trip. I would definitely use the DME to just get there. I am not in that much of a hurry. One of the SWA flights arrive just before 9am and I don't expect we would get to the airport prior to that time anyways. So we are set with DME if we want to use it. I am more concerned about going the week before July 4th. We have never been during a crowded time but we had no choice this year. We are staying at POP this time and I am worried about too many long waits for buses. Plus since this was a last minute type of trip since we had to change dates, I don't have dining reservations. We have been to Disney often and aren't really needing the dining experience this time and were planning to eat mostly offsite or at POP's CS or the parks CS. But now that we are flying we will be without a car. Thinking of trying Priceline to see if we can get a good rate for the week.

 

[clkelley]

There is also a Delta flight from LAX that arrives at 6: something am.

It DOES NOT HAVE to be a flight from your city.