How secure is your luggage on magical express

[joy3551]

I have a question. I am leaving for disney in a couple of weeks to meet my sister there for a few days. It would work out great if I could get off the plane, hand my luggage over to disney and go right to the park to meet my sister. Mostly because my other sister is coming to meet us there and is a Florida resident and she has to be the one to check in since she is the florida resident, but will not be there before I arrive.

So here is my question. I am travelling with my laptop and it honestly makes me nervous to hand my suitcases over to someone with my laptop in it. I would hate to start my trip with it stolen. What are your opinions on this?

 

[DebbieB]

Magical Express only takes your checked luggage, you can't hand them your carry-on luggage. You should not be putting a laptop in checked luggage.

 

[natashag76]

We just did magical express for the 1st time 2 weeks ago and had no problems at all. However, there was no "handing off" of luggage. They collected our checked bags and delivered them. We had to take care of all our own carry-ons. So if your laptop is a carryon, you're going to have it with you anyway.

 

[joy3551]

Well this is good to know, I assumed they took all of your stuff. Either way I am still in a bind because I cant check in at the hotel in my sister gets theres and do not want to leave my stuff with the hotel staff. Maybe I will ask my other sister to leave me a key for her room and drop my stuff off there.

 

[cogero]

We have left our stuff with bell services several time. You just give them your name. We have never had anything ever missing.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well this is good to know, I assumed they took all of your stuff. Either way I am still in a bind because I cant check in at the hotel in my sister gets theres and do not want to leave my stuff with the hotel staff. Maybe I will ask my other sister to leave me a key for her room and drop my stuff off there.

Many, many (many) Guests have left laptops and other valuable electronic items with Bell Services with no problem. Please understand, I'm not being critical or judgmental - only you can decide what's acceptable to you. I'm simply providing information.

 

[twinklebug]

For storing the laptop at the resort before or after I have a room, I ask the front desk to allow me to lock it in one of their safe boxes (remove the drawer and most laptops fit fine). I've done this at both SSR and VWL. Not sure if all resorts have this feature. I know all the deluxe hotels do.

BTW - if you ask and they try to talk you out of it (as a new CM at SSR tried) just ask to talk to their supervisor. It's not that they don't want to help you, it's because there are easier options - the young lady I had was telling me I was welcome to leave it on her managers desk. I kept the pressure on and soon learned that she had never been in the room with the boxes.

 

[goofy4tink]

I was just at BWV...with my laptop. When I had to leave it with Bell Services on our departure day, I did ask if there was a secure place to leave laptops and other 'valuables'. I was told to not worry about it, the laptop would be safe in the storage room. I had no issue with leaving it with them at all. If you are concerned, ask about leaving it in their safe. That might be an option.

 

[WillCAD]

I'm a bit paranoid about my electronics, and I refuse to leave them ANYWHERE where others have access to it, except when I leave my laptop in my resort room (chained to something with a steel locking cable).

I know that Bel Services at WDW resorts have a great reputation for safety and honesty when it comes to leaving luggage, but even so, I don't leave my laptop with them. It's too easy for stuff to happen, even accidentally - a pile of luggage falls over, and my laptop is slammed to the floor; stuff gets mixed up, and my laptop goes to Cleaveland with some other Guest; another Guest's cooler full of perishables leaks, and my laptop gets a shower. Uh-uh. I'm not taking chances with Mr. Murphy.

YMMV.

 

[Coll0610]

Aren't there lockers at the parks? You could go straight to the park and leave your carryon bag in the park until you're ready to go to the hotel.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Aren't there lockers at the parks? You could go straight to the park and leave your carryon bag in the park until you're ready to go to the hotel.

That's an option, but you will have to take DME to his resort first and then catch a bus to the park. There are no direct buses from the airport to the parks, only resorts. And, you have to go to the resort that you have a reservation at.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I'm a bit paranoid about my electronics, and I refuse to leave them ANYWHERE where others have access to it, except when I leave my laptop in my resort room (chained to something with a steel locking cable).

I'd be more worried about leaving it locked in your room, those cables are easily cut, if you leave it with bell services and they lock it in the safe deposit box its secure, and they are taking responsibility for it. The resort will never take responsibility for it in your room, locked or not (even in the safe).

 

[twinklebug]

I'd be more worried about leaving it locked in your room, those cables are easily cut, if you leave it with bell services and they lock it in the safe deposit box its secure, and they are taking responsibility for it. The resort will never take responsibility for it in your room, locked or not (even in the safe).

Bell services doesn't have safe deposit boxes - only the front desk does. Those require 2 keys to get into - one you keep, the other they keep.

Bell services has a cage. Everyone's items deemed valuable go into the same cage. It would be very easy for one item to be misplaced.

If the laptop cannot be replaced (read: data content or access to certain networking systems more than the hardware) I suggest you use the front desk's safe. Example: my daughter's laptop could go into the cage - minimal worries and it might be nice to see her shining face come out from behind the myspace pages once in awhile . With my work laptop - not only I, but my company would be in HUGE trouble with too may large clients if it went missing... it goes in the safe -or- accompanies me every step I take.

Beware of the room safes too - they're not much more secure than a shoe box would be in some cases. I have a locking cable I've used in my room. When it's left out I lock the hardware, but remove the hard drive. A thief can rip the cable out or break the furniture it's connected to, but the hope is they'd make a racket doing so and draw attention to themselves.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Bell services doesn't have safe deposit boxes - only the front desk does. Those require 2 keys to get into - one you keep, the other they keep.

Bell services has a cage. Everyone's items deemed valuable go into the same cage. It would be very easy for one item to be misplaced.

Thanks, sorry, should have been more clear, meant the safe deposit boxes at the front desk.

If the laptop cannot be replaced (read: data content or access to certain networking systems more than the hardware) I suggest you use the front desk's safe. Example: my daughter's laptop could go into the cage - minimal worries and it might be nice to see her shining face come out from behind the myspace pages once in awhile . With my work laptop - not only I, but my company would be in HUGE trouble with too may large clients if it went missing... it goes in the safe -or- accompanies me every step I take.

You don't run encryption on your work machine? None of our machines leave our office without being fully encrypted, which makes them useless if stolen.

 

[twinklebug]

You don't run encryption on your work machine? None of our machines leave our office without being fully encrypted, which makes them useless if stolen.

As a corporation, we use Pointsec. It alone will not make a machine useless if stolen. It really all falls back on the user and how responsibly they treat the machine & information.

Encryption is easily bypassed with knowledge of the password (I'm occasionally required to do security audits on our company computers and I've seen passwords written on sticky notes and stuck to the key pad LOL, other will tell me they have them written on their cell phones note pads or as a piece of paper in their wallet )

Also if a machine is left on or in sleep mode with a touch of effort a thief can get around the issue. Hibernation, or just plain shutting off the computer are best to ensure the data is protected if apps need to stay open and running. I've stopped counting the number of folk I know who travel with their computers in Stand By mode.

ETA: To get back to the point, yes, I do have encryption on my machine. But even so, we've been informed that if our computers are lost or stolen we are fired. We take the safety of our clients' data seriously and to enforce the importance of this, everyone understands the consequences of loosing their machines unless they can show they took every possible precaution to protect it, it's contents, and the systems to which it may be able to access.

 

[GoldenOldie]

...Either way I am still in a bind because I cant check in at the hotel in my sister gets theres and do not want to leave my stuff with the hotel staff...

As long as your name is on the reservation as occupying the room, you do not need your sister there to be able to check in. You can check in individually whenever you arrive.