How happy are you with Disney Airport service?

[1coolnini]

Planning our first trip to WDW. We have decided to not rent a car, but utilize Disney transportation for our trip. My question is about the Disney airport shuttle. How happy are you with this service. I know they collect your bags and bring them to your room. Has anyone had their luggage lost or misplaced? Would you recommend collecting luggage and bringing it with us on the shuttle? We arrive on a Southwest flight @ 4:30 pm and we will be staying at BC for our mid May vacation. I have been on many cruises so I know what it is like to be separated from your luggage for hours, I guess I just want reassurance that Disney does a good job with this.

Thanks for your input.

Jan

 

[sam_gordon]

Planning our first trip to WDW. We have decided to not rent a car, but utilize Disney transportation for our trip. My question is about the Disney airport shuttle. How happy are you with this service. I know they collect your bags and bring them to your room. Has anyone had their luggage lost or misplaced? Would you recommend collecting luggage and bringing it with us on the shuttle? We arrive on a Southwest flight @ 4:30 pm and we will be staying at BC for our mid May vacation. I have been on many cruises so I know what it is like to be separated from your luggage for hours, I guess I just want reassurance that Disney does a good job with this.

Thanks for your input.

Jan

I think millions of people have used the service since it started. The amount of people who had luggage lost by DISNEY is probably less than 100. The odds are better on the airline losing your luggage.

You should ALWAYS have enough necessities for the first 24 hours in your carryon. This has nothing to do with Disney and everything to do with flying. If you arrive at 4:30, you should be at your resort by 6p. You should have your luggage by 9p. If you don't want to wait, feel free to go to baggage claim and collect your own luggage. Plan on adding 20-30 minutes at least to get to the resort.

 

[goofy4tink]

Stop and consider how many guests use Disney's Magical Express every single day. The vast majority of them have no issues what-so-ever. I myself have used DME so many times that I can't give you a number!
So....go ahead and use DME. If you arrive at MCO at about 4:30, you can expect to be at BC by 6ish. Your bags will arrive in your room up to 3 hrs after you checkin at the resort (not airport arrival!!!)..probably about 8ish.

IF you decide to get your own bags at baggage claim? Don't put the yellow luggage tags on them. If you do, the bags will never make it out to baggage claim. You can bring your bags to the bus with you, but the driver will now be expecting a tip for baggage handling! About $1 a bag is appropriate.

No matter which way you decide to go...be sure to pack your carryon bag with anything you will need for the first 24 hrs. This is NOT because of DME. It is because airlines routinely misdirect baggage. If a bag gets sent to St Louis, you will still be able to start your vacation if you have properly packed a carryon. Your misdirected bag will most likely get to you within 24 hrs.

Disney does a wonderful job of running DME. It isn't the same as having a private car service there, waiting for you at baggage claim. But, it's a very nice service that you aren't paying boatloads of money for!!!!

 

[1coolnini]

Thanks for the reassurance....exactly what I was looking for. I always carry on my medications and valuables when I fly, but I will be sure and throw in an extras change of clothing......just in case.

 

[WDWLover75]

LOVE DME! It is so wonderful to Not have to go to baggage claim and go directly to the DME area in the airport where you are greeted by super friendly faces then whisked away onto a comfortable bus. I agree with the others, I bring a change of clothes and what I need to freshen up before going out for my first vacation meal

Have fun!

 

[tjmw2727]

Love It - especially with kids ! We have been using it 1 or 2 times a year since it sarted and have never (knock wood) had issues with the bus service or the luggage delivery.

IMHO the best part is the luggage delivery (tied with the fact that it is free!) - just follow the advice posted above (sound for any travel) with regard to carryons and essential items and let Disney deal with the bags.

Land - use the restroom grab a snack or head right to DME! Either way skip baggage claim - check in with DME which has become ery streamlined in the past few years and board a motorcoach to your resort.

Yes you may stop at a reosrt (or 2) on the way but in my expereince you are at your resort about 70 minutes from checking in.

If you use online checkin then you can be checked in and on your way to the parks/pool in a reasonably short time !

We generally arrive late morning, check in and head to a park until after dinner heading back to the resort around 8ish on the first night. Our bags have always been waiting in the room. Maybe a quick swim and then early to bed that first night and then rope drop the next day

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The only time we had a really slooooow experience was with a late flight. We arrived at 9:20 pm and waited on the bus a long time before pulling out. We stopped at 3 other resorts first so it was midnight when we got to WL. That was a little annoying; if we had rented a car we would have been there by 10:30pm.
Other times we had earlier flights and serivce was great. No issues with luggage.

 

[Disneylover99]

Never had a problem! Great service! We always fly and never rent a car.

 

[Echo queen]

Great, on our last visit last month Jan 4 2013 our ME bus broke down on the side of the highway the driver called it in and a new bus was there in about 10min. We moved to the new bus, this added about 30 min to our trip. Outside of this all was well and we will do it again.
BTW this was our 13th trip in 12 years and the only no rental car for the whole trip.

 

[DizDaD7]

Just to add 1 more thing:

If you are using ME & not letting them pick up your bags, then you will have quite a trek. We've done this now 3 times because we arrived late & had no choice.

When you arrive and you get off the plane at the gate, & then take the tram to the main terminal( I think A) then you have to go all the way downstairs and across to the other Terminal (Terminal B). Wait for the luggage to come out & then hit an elevator back up to the top floor and back over to Terminal A then back downstairs in (Term. A) then down a long walk on the ground level (Inside) to the end , where the ME is located....The good thing about this is , that you have your bags, so NO WAITING! Bad thing is having to wait for your baggage & all that extra walking.....I figure I'll be doing enough walking on my WDW trip so this time I'm letting ME do all the work..LoL

 

[CleveRocks]

DizDaD7,

Not everyone has such a long trek. Half of the gates are in the same terminal (same side of the airport) as DME. It just so happens that your airline has gates on the other side of the airport, but that isn't the case for everyone.

 

[DizDaD7]

DizDaD7,

Not everyone has such a long trek. Half of the gates are in the same terminal (same side of the airport) as DME. It just so happens that your airline has gates on the other side of the airport, but that isn't the case for everyone.

Ahhh. Good point...I didn't even realize that...Now I feel kinda silly

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I just used it last week and have no complaints but was surprised that on my trip to WDW I saw a DME bus broken down and people being transfered to another bus. Then on my way to the airport I saw the same thing. Folks on their way to the airport were on a broken down bus and being transferred. I was sitting in the front seat and heard the dispatchers trying to get a shuttle van to a family at this broken down bus that was close to missing their flight!


Oh and the DME is not located on the A side as a PP said its on the B side. Just remember B for Bus and that will get you to where you need to be.

 

[seashoreCM]

Just to add 1 more thing:

If you are using ME & not letting them pick up your bags, then you will have quite a trek. We've done this now 3 times because we arrived late & had no choice.

Pirated view from the Hyatt Hotel pointing out the long trek to the Magical Express area. You exited security for gates 60-129 out into the open at one of the red Xs.

It's like the curved balcony represents the 20 yard line of a football field and you need to get down to the 20 yard line at the other end and under the grandstand.

Gates 1-59 are at the other end where when you exit security you turn right sharply and go downstairs and you are almost at the DME welcoming area.

 

[DizDaD7]

I just used it last week and have no complaints but was surprised that on my trip to WDW I saw a DME bus broken down and people being transfered to another bus. Then on my way to the airport I saw the same thing. Folks on their way to the airport were on a broken down bus and being transferred. I was sitting in the front seat and heard the dispatchers trying to get a shuttle van to a family at this broken down bus that was close to missing their flight!


Oh and the DME is not located on the A side as a PP said its on the B side. Just remember B for Bus and that will get you to where you need to be.

Wow, close to missing their flight??? Don't they usually pick up at your resort roughly 3 hours prior to your flight....Even a small amount for the breakdown should've given them ample enough time....Methinks....More importantly though is that you saw this twice in 1 trip. Here's to hoping that not many more of these will happenin the future..

 

[DizDaD7]

Pirated view from the Hyatt Hotel pointing out the long trek to the Magical Express area. You exited security for gates 60-129 out into the open at one of the red Xs.

It's like the curved balcony represents the 20 yard line of a football field and you need to get down to the 20 yard line at the other end and under the grandstand.

Gates 1-59 are at the other end where when you exit security you turn right sharply and go downstairs and you are almost at the DME welcoming area.

So you're saying that I only went roughly 80 yards total.... I wish it was that easy.....when you exit the tram ride thingy you then walk through that main concourse then all the way downstairs to the baggage carousel other gate. Once you get that you have to get back up stairs to that concourse then back to opposite gate then back down to ground level then the final journy to ME. ANd that section alone is at least a football field at worst.

 

[LSchrow]

just adding another for DME.
love, LOVE not having to lug suitcases (called LUGgage for a reason ) around the airport, to/from resort.
btw, we do rent a car (usually at the dolphin) for off-site eating & shopping - but still use DME. to/fro MCO. we found DME takes about the same amount or less time (gate to resort, and visa-versa), and is infinately more relaxing and stress-free.
i don't want to say this too loudly , but would still use DME if we had to pay (a reasonable amt, of course).

 

[DizDaD7]

just adding another for DME.
love, LOVE not having to lug suitcases (called LUGgage for a reason ) around the airport, to/from resort.
btw, we do rent a car (usually at the dolphin) for off-site eating & shopping - but still use DME. to/fro MCO. we found DME takes about the same amount or less time (gate to resort, and visa-versa), and is infinately more relaxing and stress-free.
i don't want to say this too loudly , but would still use DME if we had to pay (a reasonable amt, of course).

Sshhh...Not too}}} loud!!{{{. You don't want to give them any ammo..LoL