How late does the Magical Express run to the resorts?

[MinniesYooHoo]

Just curious. Looking at flights and may be able to fly in the night before and add a night to our trip.

 

[minnie mum]

ME runs 24/7. But there is no luggage service after 10 pm. If you are arriving late, leave your yellow tags off and collect your own bags before proceeding to the ME desk. There is a ME sticky on the Transportation board.

 

[MinniesYooHoo]

ME runs 24/7. But there is no luggage service after 10 pm. If you are arriving late, leave your yellow tags off and collect your own bags before proceeding to the ME desk. There is a ME sticky on the Transportation board.

Thanks! Good to know.

 

[BrianL]

It does run 24 hours but waits can be longer for a bus to fill at night and you may make more stops around the resorts. It just kinda depends though. Last time we got in later than expected, it was almost 2 AM, and they dispatched our bus only to AOA & POP with 6 or 7 people on it. The driver mentioned that we were lucky in that case.

 

[ktlm]

We learned our last trip that even if you come in earlier in the evening you might want to pick up your own luggage. Our flight on our last trip got in between 7 and 7:30. We were staying at
YC. At 11:00 p.m. we still had not gotten our luggage, so we went down to the front desk. We were told that when people come in on evening flights if there are not that many people coming in to that specific resort that evening, they hold the luggage until the last flight eligible for ME luggage service that has people coming to that resort arrives (usually 10:00 p.m.). We were told they do that so they do not have to make multiple trips to a specific resort for just a few pieces of luggage. We were told that we could expect our luggage to arrive around 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. They would not have brought it to our room that late and we would just have gotten it the next morning had we not advised we wanted it as soon as it arrived. DH went downstairs when it had not arrived by 12:40 to check on it and stayed down there when it arrived (just before 1:00) and had them give it to him downstairs and he brought it up himself- so we wouldn't have to wait for bell services or have them coming to the room door that late. We have never had an issue with ME luggage delivery before and we were never warned that was a possibility for an evening flight. Had we known that they won't deliver evening luggage to a resort until the last truck of the night if only a few guests arrived at that resort that night, we would have picked the luggage up ourselves. The CM at the front desk made it sound like this was a VERY common occurrence and that if your flight arrived at 7:00 p.m. or later on a low or moderate crowd WDW time, that it would be pretty expected. We were not pleased!

 

[maxiesmom]

We learned our last trip that even if you come in earlier in the evening you might want to pick up your own luggage. Our flight on our last trip got in between 7 and 7:30. We were staying at
YC. At 11:00 p.m. we still had not gotten our luggage, so we went down to the front desk. We were told that when people come in on evening flights if there are not that many people coming in to that specific resort that evening, they hold the luggage until the last flight eligible for ME luggage service that has people coming to that resort arrives (usually 10:00 p.m.). We were told they do that so they do not have to make multiple trips to a specific resort for just a few pieces of luggage. We were told that we could expect our luggage to arrive around 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. They would not have brought it to our room that late and we would just have gotten it the next morning had we not advised we wanted it as soon as it arrived. DH went downstairs when it had not arrived by 12:40 to check on it and stayed down there when it arrived (just before 1:00) and had them give it to him downstairs and he brought it up himself- so we wouldn't have to wait for bell services or have them coming to the room door that late. We have never had an issue with ME luggage delivery before and we were never warned that was a possibility for an evening flight. Had we known that they won't deliver evening luggage to a resort until the last truck of the night if only a few guests arrived at that resort that night, we would have picked the luggage up ourselves. The CM at the front desk made it sound like this was a VERY common occurrence and that if your flight arrived at 7:00 p.m. or later on a low or moderate crowd WDW time, that it would be pretty expected. We were not pleased!

Magical Express has a 3-4 hour delivery window, and that time doesn't start ticking until after you arrive at the resort. So going by the average time you were not at your resort until around 9? That means Disney aims to have your luggage to you before 1 am.

 

[AngiTN]

It does run 24 hours but waits can be longer for a bus to fill at night and you may make more stops around the resorts. It just kinda depends though. Last time we got in later than expected, it was almost 2 AM, and they dispatched our bus only to AOA & POP with 6 or 7 people on it. The driver mentioned that we were lucky in that case.

They explained to us that the guide they use is they leave either when the bus is full or it's first passengers have been on for 30 min, whichever comes first. So yeah, if you are the first to arrive on the bus and there are not many others arriving at that time you may wait 30 min before you depart.

 

[ktlm]

Magical Express has a 3-4 hour delivery window, and that time doesn't start ticking until after you arrive at the resort. So going by the average time you were not at your resort until around 9? That means Disney aims to have your luggage to you before 1 am.

For domestic flights it is supposed to be "up to 3 hours" (International is up to 4). We have used ME at least 10 times, and this is the only time it has ever taken more than 3 hours after the flight landed for the luggage to arrive at the resort. I looked at the FAQS on Disney's website and they currently state that it is "up to 3 hours" after arrival "at the resort" (I could swear they used to say up to 3 hours after your flight lands- but I don't know how long ago that was). I know that we were checked into Yacht Club before 9:00 p.m. because we had a club level room that had a view of the EPCOT fireworks, and we were in our room before Illuminations started and we watched it from start to end from our Balcony, so they definitely did not make the "up to 3 hours" posted on their website. We had our arrival drink and snacks in the lounge before heading to the room, too (FYI we had never stayed club before and the CMs on the YC club floor are fantastic! I think we got spoiled- it will be hard not so stay club level in the future!)

It could be a whole lot worse though. My friend who went last May stayed at YC resort checked her family's luggage for the trip home and it never arrived at home. The airline originally told her they thought it would show up, and then when it had not shown up after a few days they claimed that they don't think it ever actually got to the Orlando airport from the resort. I told her to try to get ahold of WDW to see if there was a possibility that it somehow got mixed up and held at bell services and was still sitting in storage at the resort instead of being put with the bags that were resort checked and headed to the airport, but she never got anywhere with that. The sad thing was other than what they brought back in their carry-ons, her 3 boys lost all their souvenirs from the trip. So, the fact that we were up a little later than we planned to be that night was no big deal!

 

[maxiesmom]

For domestic flights it is supposed to be "up to 3 hours" (International is up to 4). We have used ME at least 10 times, and this is the only time it has ever taken more than 3 hours after the flight landed for the luggage to arrive at the resort. I looked at the FAQS on Disney's website and they currently state that it is "up to 3 hours" after arrival "at the resort" (I could swear they used to say up to 3 hours after your flight lands- but I don't know how long ago that was). I know that we were checked into Yacht Club before 9:00 p.m. because we had a club level room that had a view of the EPCOT fireworks, and we were in our room before Illuminations started and we watched it from start to end from our Balcony, so they definitely did not make the "up to 3 hours" posted on their website. We had our arrival drink and snacks in the lounge before heading to the room, too (FYI we had never stayed club before and the CMs on the YC club floor are fantastic! I think we got spoiled- it will be hard not so stay club level in the future!)

It could be a whole lot worse though. My friend who went last May stayed at YC resort checked her family's luggage for the trip home and it never arrived at home. The airline originally told her they thought it would show up, and then when it had not shown up after a few days they claimed that they don't think it ever actually got to the Orlando airport from the resort. I told her to try to get ahold of WDW to see if there was a possibility that it somehow got mixed up and held at bell services and was still sitting in storage at the resort instead of being put with the bags that were resort checked and headed to the airport, but she never got anywhere with that. The sad thing was other than what they brought back in their carry-ons, her 3 boys lost all their souvenirs from the trip. So, the fact that we were up a little later than we planned to be that night was no big deal!

It may state up to 3 hours after you are at your resort, but during peak seasons they will tell you it is up to 4 hours. I have verbally been told that by the CMs at the Magical Express section of the airport. You have been lucky to receive it so quickly most of your trips, but as far as I can remember it has always been after your flight has landed that the clock starts ticking.

As far as your friends go, if they checked their bags in at the resort DME does not handle it. Checking it at the resort is handing it over to the airline. DME has no blame on that one. Your friend needed to contact the airline, not Disney.

 

[subtchr]

My friend who went last May stayed at YC resort checked her family's luggage for the trip home and it never arrived at home. I told her to try to get ahold of WDW ... but she never got anywhere with that.

I realize it is too late for this family, but someone is still responsible for the luggage. They give you the claim tags when you check your bags at the resort. I would have absolutely pursued this further with both the airline and the resort.

 

[maxiesmom]

I realize it is too late for this family, but someone is still responsible for the luggage. They give you the claim tags when you check your bags at the resort. I would have absolutely pursued this further with both the airline and the resort.

Again, when you check your bags at the resort for your return trip you are handing them over to the airline. It is just the same as handing them over at the airport.

 

[ktlm]

Again, when you check your bags at the resort for your return trip you are handing them over to the airline. It is just the same as handing them over at the airport.

It is the same as an airport curbside luggage check in would be (do they still do that anywhere- our airport quit doing it in the last year or two ) because you are not handing it off at an airline specific counter. It is basically the same as if they did not make it from the curb to the inside of the airport and the conveyor belts. Here, after the luggage did not show up for a few days the excuse was that somehow it was not transported from the resort check in counter to the airport. I guess that could mean anything from it got left somewhere at the resort and never put on the truck, to a stranger walked up and stole it while it was sitting by the resort check in desk. The airline told her they thought it might still show back up within a week or two, but it never did.

We don't go to WDW during peak seasons which is probably why it has never taken more than 3 hours to get the luggage. I have heard stories about 4 hours or more during Christmas break or Spring Break weeks from people I know.