Keep your own luggage on Magical Express

[Edd]

That was a great idea. Mark your bags or just give the Disney rep an idea of what your bags look like. By the time you get to the Disney Welcome center and report them, the bags will be setting at the airline office, or in a designated area that bags are held. The CM will be notified and walk over to the airline holding spot and pick up your luggage. It is not like he will have to stroll thru the airport looking all over for them.

 

[bear_mom]

I feel for you that your luggage got lost, but I think that is a hazard of airline travel.

Personally, I thought not having to go get my luggage was worth it. I hate standing around waiting, then trying to get a spot where you can actually see and then trying to figure out which luggage is yours.

When I fly, I keep anything I need in the next 24 hours with me because I've had luggage lost before. The new regs make it a little more difficult, but a 1 qt. ziploc bag per person really adds up to a lot. Also, meds don't count for in that. Dd was on a amoxicillin when we flew last week. I put it in a small insulated lunchbox with ice in a baggie. When we got to security I handed it to the agent so he could visually inspect it. No problems on either end of the flight.

Emily

 

[goofy4tink]

I really don't mean to sound harsh, but this is getting silly....I can't believe people are complaining about a wait of 5-8 minutes, per resort, while people get their bags unloaded. The one time it took me 85-90 mins to get to my resort, POP, we were the last of three stops. We stopped at either CBR or CSR..can't remember at the moment, and AKL, then it was on to POP. At each one of the preceeding stops, it took about 8 mins. to get people off the bus and their luggage taken out and put on the walk. It normally takes me about 70 mins...so an addtl 16 mins is not going to kill me. Or make me get impatient with others starting their own WDW vacation.
quote]

Guess everyone has a different threshold as to what is acceptable.

For us, our trek of nearly 2 hours (with 3 stops) was way too long to reach our resort, guess we're 'spoiled' by usually renting a car. Not counting the time we spent on-line waiting for the bus either. Never thought it would take that long, felt bad for the families with small children who were getting fussy.

Live & learn, glad we did rent a car for later part of trip & back to MCO.

Two hours would be unacceptable for me also!! That is really out of the ordinary. As I said, 90 mins was the worst for me out of 4-5 trips on DME. And that was being last of three stops with a bit of a delay at the two resorts before us with people having to get multiple bags from under the bus. Sorry you had that experience....would really have irked me!

 

[CleveRocks]

That was a great idea. Mark your bags or just give the Disney rep an idea of what your bags look like.

A DME CM recommended this to me. When DME first started, there were lots of problems in printing and distributing the luggage tags, and many people in the early days flew without them.

I first used it on May 8, 2005. I got on the phone with DME on May 7, a couple hours before my mail came, which included the DME tags (in snail mail from my clueless TA's office 150 miles away). The DME DM suggested we tie some unique ribbon or something on the handle of each piece of checked luggage and then bring a swatch of that ribbon with us. My wife went out and found the most obnoxious, visible stuff she could find, orange with purple polka dots.

 

[kristenrice]

"You get what you pay for..."
...Magical Express is still free, right?

 

[goofy4tink]

A DME CM recommended this to me. When DME first started, there were lots of problems in printing and distributing the luggage tags, and many people in the early days flew without them.

I first used it on May 8, 2005. I got on the phone with DME on May 7, a couple hours before my mail came, which included the DME tags (in snail mail from my clueless TA's office 150 miles away). The DME DM suggested we tie some unique ribbon or something on the handle of each piece of checked luggage and then bring a swatch of that ribbon with us. My wife went out and found the most obnoxious, visible stuff she could find, orange with purple polka dots.

I still have mine on.....turquiose blanket binding,with bright Winnie-the-Pooh heads all over it!!! I took lime green grosgrain ribbon and sewed that along one side of the blanket binding....you certainly can't miss my bags!!!
I'm still a strong proponant of DME..it has worked for me every single time. But, I do realize that others have other requirements or needs. When staying at the S/D, I use a towncar service.

 

[CleveRocks]

"You get what you pay for..."
...Magical Express is still free, right?

That was rude and uncalled for. Do you have something to contribute?

 

[banjobears]

I just might have to carry my own luggage onto ME on my next trip.

I didn't receive my tags yet and we are leaving in 25 days. I called DVC Member Services today and somehow are reservation got lost.

The Member Services Rep told me today we could still use the shuttle but we would have to pick up our own bags.

I wanted the full treatment as we have two small children.
Hopefully all goes smoothly.

Does anyone have any experience booking in less than 30 days and getting their packet in time?

I would call Disney Magical Express 1-866-599-0951 and talk to them. Make sure they have your flight info, both arrival and departure. They should be able to help you. Also if you show them your comfirmation papers for your resort, you should also have no problems. Call Disney Magical Express. If you booked less than 30 days, you still should get them.

 

[kristenrice]

That was rude and uncalled for. Do you have something to contribute?

My apologies...I did not mean to offend, I only meant to be concise. Please allow me to elaborate....

People seem to be having grand expectations of ME. They are expecting direct, efficient service customized to their needs. My point was merely that ME is a fantastic service that Disney offers but it has its limitations. Sure, there is plenty of room for improvement, but at what cost? Is it really all that horrible of an operation for something that is provided at no cost? That was all I was trying to say.

 

[CleveRocks]

My apologies...I did not mean to offend, I only meant to be concise. Please allow me to elaborate....

People seem to be having grand expectations of ME. They are expecting direct, efficient service customized to their needs. My point was merely that ME is a fantastic service that Disney offers but it has its limitations. Sure, there is plenty of room for improvement, but at what cost? Is it really all that horrible of an operation for something that is provided at no cost? That was all I was trying to say.

Gotcha!

THANKS!

 

[goofy4tink]

The bad experiences with DME are few and far between. Most people realize what they are getting when they sign up for it...or at least they should. There have been plenty of bad reports for towncar services as well, and people have paid oop for those rides. Nothing is going to be perfect. Those that expect that their luggage is going to be in their room, when they checkin, are going to be disappointed. But, I know, for a certainty, that DME tells people the bags will not be there for a few hours. All the literature states this.
A trip of more than 90 minutes is unacceptable. I have used it 4-5 times now and the average has been 70 mins. With a towncar service, and checked baggage, it has taken me 60 mins, and with just carryon, about 40 mins, after deplaning. THe Mears bus used to take 2 hrs. on a routine basis....at least we are paying for a long ride now.

 

[Hope73]

I love the fact that disney transports my luggage. I knew that what we wore on the plane our first day was what we wore to the park. I think they give themselves a 3 hour windoe to get the luggage to your room.

 

[rabx5]

We are arriving late at night so we chose to get our own luggage. As somebody said earlier, we don't want a knock on the door in the middle of the night or hope that it's there the next morning.

 

[Edd]

Yesterday I talked with a friend who drives for Mears (DCL and DME). He said they are getting to load more and more luggage. Also said because of the loads a stop at a Disney resort would run almost 15 minutes, sometimes more because of a problem getting to a spot to unload. They are dropping off 3 and 4 groups who carry luggage and it is becoming more common.

You guys keep going and pretty soon you will be filling the whole bus with luggage. You will blow up the idea of the DME. There are already people leaving the DME for private transportation because they want to get out to WDW and the resorts fast. Either that or Disney will soon put a charge on carrying luggage in the bus. They could even refuse you using the DME if you are carrying a certain amount of luggage.

I would suggest you plan appropiately and let Disney get the luggage out to your rooms, before you blow it for everyone else.

 

[Lewisc]

Guests who bring their own luggage are skipping one of the most valuable features of DME. Every week or so we see another new thread from a poster that wants to use DME luggage delivery but use a car service or rent a car.

Drivers have to load and unload luggage, many of our carry on bags have to go under the bus, even if every passenger uses DME tags.. Assume 3 families bring their own bags. That's one family per stop or an extra 3-6 bags per stop. I can't see that taking even an extra 5 minutes. My guess is the drivers don't like handling luggage from passengers that don't tip. Many passengers don't even know the driver isn't tipped by Disney for handling bags.

The "solution" is easy. Just do the same thing airlines do when the overhead bins are filled. Gate check the bags. DME would put a tag on the bag and send it over to the luggage sorting facility.

Airlines sometimes delay bags. A passenger should be able to wait a few hours for luggage delivery to their room. Golf clubs, for a guest with a tee time shortly after landing, and a tent for a FW guest are about the only examples of items that some guests might need to grab at MCO and not wait for luggage delivery.

Yesterday I talked with a friend who drives for Mears (DCL and DME). He said they are getting to load more and more luggage. Also said because of the loads a stop at a Disney resort would run almost 15 minutes, sometimes more because of a problem getting to a spot to unload. They are dropping off 3 and 4 groups who carry luggage and it is becoming more common.

You guys keep going and pretty soon you will be filling the whole bus with luggage. You will blow up the idea of the DME. There are already people leaving the DME for private transportation because they want to get out to WDW and the resorts fast. Either that or Disney will soon put a charge on carrying luggage in the bus. They could even refuse you using the DME if you are carrying a certain amount of luggage.

I would suggest you plan appropiately and let Disney get the luggage out to your rooms, before you blow it for everyone else.

 

[Edd]

Lewis,

He was not talking about the carry on bags. He is talking about the bigger bags that could have gone on the luggage delivery. They are evidently getting more of those and of course most people don't tip so that may cause some aggravation. The drivers want to pull into the resort, get off their passengers and their carry on stuff and get going to the next resort. Evidently the people are looking for luggage service at the resort not wanting to get their bags right off the bus and that cost time, plus a few other small catches in the process.

I have watched many times the DME resort stops and I don't think I have seen busses do stops of 5 minutes. At some resorts it takes them 5 minutes or better just to get to the right spot where they can unload. A normal stop, from pulling into the resort and pulling out takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes normally. If you unload one family it may take 5 minutes but if you have a bus load I will guarantee you it will take a good 15 minutes. Five minutes is not an average and is not realistic for a DME bus stop. Guess what, I will check on that statement in the near future.

 

[Lewisc]

Anything that goes in the overhead bins in the airplane generally has to go under the bus. The driver has to unload bags at the resort. The extra time to unload 4-5 large bags shouldn't even take 5 minutes. I think the driver is exaggerating on the amount of extra time, the real complaint is with the lack of tips.

Rental car customers and car service customers ask if they can use DME for luggage. There are very few valid reasons for a guest taking the time to grab their own bags at the carousel. I'll add one to my previous list. An international passenger, who clears customs at MCO, might decide to just keep their own bag.

Lewis,

He was not talking about the carry on bags. He is talking about the bigger bags that could have gone on the luggage delivery. They are evidently getting more of those and of course most people don't tip so that may cause some aggravation. The drivers want to pull into the resort, get off their passengers and their carry on stuff and get going to the next resort. Evidently the people are looking for luggage service at the resort not wanting to get their bags right off the bus and that cost time, plus a few other small catches in the process.

 

[goofy4tink]

I can easily see Disney making some changes to DME if people continue to drag their bags along to the bus. There will always be a small group who need to have their bags with them..those arriving very late, perhaps those not comfortable with not getting tags in time so have to describe their bags, etc.
So...perhaps DME will institute a charge for 'checked' luggage going on the bus. When you go to checkin and they ask if you have checked luggage with you, you would have to pay a charge. Then, they would give you a 'tag' for the bags. Without that tag, your bag doesn't go on the bus. As long as there was enough info regarding the change, it might benefit the company. I, also, have seen more and more people with their checked luggage going to the bus. This does tend to make it less 'magical' experience for those who are using it the way it was intended.
If I'm going to have to spend 90-120 minutes on that bus, while the majority of people get their checked luggage out and sorted, at the previous two resort stops, then I'll either rent a car or use a towncar service again. I like the 70 minutes, but that's about it for length of time.

 

[goofy4tink]

Anything that goes in the overhead bins in the airplane generally has to go under the bus. The driver has to unload bags at the resort. The extra time to unload 4-5 large bags shouldn't even take 5 minutes. I think the driver is exaggerating on the amount of extra time, the real complaint is with the lack of tips.

Rental car customers and car service customers ask if they can use DME for luggage. There are very few valid reasons for a guest taking the time to grab their own bags at the carousel. I'll add one to my previous list. An international passenger, who clears customs at MCO, might decide to just keep their own bag.

A year ago, I would have agreed with you. But three trips to WDW in the past year, two of which I used DME, the third I just watched at both ends, and I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot more people taking all their checked luggage with them, for whatever reason. I agree....by doing so you are bypassing one of the big benefits of DME. But, as I said before, there are those who feel they have to have those bags with them.
I have seen people boarding those buses with more than carryon bags....if you take 5 parties, of 3-4 people each, you'll have about 35 pieces of large luggage that are going to have to be off-loaded, in addition to the smaller carryon bags. And that has been my experience. I've watched the bus driver stowing large numbers of bags...boggles the mind. In May, I almost wanted to ask people why they were dragging their bags around with them!! But, I kept my big, fat ole mouth shut and minded my own business. But, it will start impacting the efficiency of DME, and that will begin to impact my experience. If that happens, as I said before, I'll seek other transportation.

 

[Edd]

Thank you, I think the drivers complaint was along the same lines as above, only he sees it every day he works, not once a year. Bus drivers like to drive, not act like a glorified luggage boy. The DME idea was to get passengers and bits of luggage to Disney in an efficient manner, with the luggage getting there in another manner. The tone I gather is that it is being abused now, probably even worse than the Disney take the luggage and I will get a car service idea.