Luggage before DCL Transfer

[Xalthon]

We are heading out soon for our cruise. I just received this e-mail regarding our transfer:

Guests with Pre-Purchased Transfers​

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All Guests with Disney Cruise Line ground transfers are invited to meet with a Disney Cruise Line representative in the seating area in the main lobby at Disney's Polynesian Resort at 09:30 AM (EST) for a 10:00 AM (EST) motorcoach departure. Photo identification for all Guests 16 years of age and older is required to board the motorcoach.​

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For those of you staying at your Walt Disney World Resort pick-up location, Bell Services will begin luggage pick-up at 7:00 AM (EST) on the morning of your sailing. Please place the luggage you wish to transfer to the ship inside your resort room (with Disney Cruise Line luggage tags attached) near the entrance door. You do not need to be present for your luggage to be collected. Should you need additional Disney Cruise Line luggage tags, they may be obtained at the Bell Services Desk or from a Disney Cruise Line representative.​

The underlined portion is what I am a bit concerned about. They will be coming in our rooms around 7:00 am? My family and I likely would still be sleeping at that time. We don't need 2.5 hours to get ready and get to the lobby waiting area. Not sure why they don't do it like on the ship with the luggage set outside the room (I suppose it is to prevent theft, but that's not a concern on the ship, is it?) Is there an option to hand-carry luggage down and skip the early pick up?

 

[dreamer17555]

They knock on your door and collect your luggage at 7 AM and since you might want to put stuff in your bags that you are wearing to sleep or just using to get ready- you might want to be up and dressed (or at least know what you for sure are carrying on).

Its the downside of DCL transportation but it is just how it works

 

[lanejudy]

Not sure why they don't do it like on the ship with the luggage set outside the room (I suppose it is to prevent theft, but that's not a concern on the ship, is it?)

Just to explain here — onboard the ship it’s your stateroom host who collects the luggage the last night, and they are quite often nearby even if you don’t see them. At WDW it’s Bell Services who collects the luggage. Leaving it outside your hotel room would be a problem for theft or someone messing with it.

I do recommend being up by 7pm when Bell services comes for your bags. Keep a day bag with you for important items or even swim suits. Then have a leisurely breakfast if you have time.

 

[Flossbolna]

The 7 am pick up is a pain. And they might not even come at 7 am, ours wasn’t picked up until 7:30 am. Which was annoying as we are not early risers.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

They picked ours up right at 7am, we weren't in the room at that point since we got everyone up for breakfast early but I stopped back in to check (anxiety) and it was already gone.

Anything you bring down with you you'll have to lug around until your room is ready. Your luggage doesn't go on the bus with you. They load it into a van that pick up from the different resorts before going to the port.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Do they deliver you luggage to your room on the boat?

 

[dreamer17555]

Do they deliver you luggage to your room on the boat?

They deliver it right outside of your stateroom on the ship. It can take a little bit, but it will be there.

 

[Tripscarcare]

We had a similar time frame this past April, they picked our luggage up from our room and friends beside us close to 0730 at CBR. Just looked back at pictures. Make sure you have your kids in swimsuits under travel clothes, so once your on the ship they can take advantage of the slides ( Aqua Duck in our case on the Fantasy ship) Helps out as the room corridors were all blocked off until close to 2:00 when we boarded around 1145.

 

[mmouse37]

Carry on luggage only for boarding the ship. If you did drag your bags down to the bus you would have to hand it off to the porters once you got to the port. The scanners are set up like the airport. They only fit a up to a certain size. Full sized suitcases would not fit through the scanners. That is why they want only carry-on sized bags being carried on.

Your bags that the porters take are scanned in a bigger machine behind the scenes.

MJ

 

[Kwami]

When I stayed at Art of Animation in February, I got a call from the front desk at about 6:55am and the lady on the phone asked me if I had any luggage to collect. I told her that we wouldn't be ready until about 8:30am and she said that she'd send bell services up at 8:30am to collect our luggage. And that's exactly what happened!

So, maybe you can tell the front desk the night before that you'd like to schedule your luggage pickup to be later? They can probably make it work.

 

[dreamer17555]

When I stayed at Art of Animation in February, I got a call from the front desk at about 6:55am and the lady on the phone asked me if I had any luggage to collect. I told her that we wouldn't be ready until about 8:30am and she said that she'd send bell services up at 8:30am to collect our luggage. And that's exactly what happened!

So, maybe you can tell the front desk the night before that you'd like to schedule your luggage pickup to be later? They can probably make it work.

I would not count on that. I’ve actually never heard of that happening. The luggage is loaded onto a truck and taken separately and they are picking up from quite a few places, which is why they start so early.

I would be absolutely paranoid that if I asked them to wait, my bags would not make it on the ship and would be accidentally left at Bell services at the resort

 

[enzy65]

We did resort to port 1 time in 2005, never again too early to hand over bags. Stayed at the poly and at that time the bags were to be place outside our door, I was a nervous wreck about our luggage. Since then we only go to the parks after a cruise.

 

[Kwami]

I would not count on that. I’ve actually never heard of that happening. The luggage is loaded onto a truck and taken separately and they are picking up from quite a few places, which is why they start so early.

I would be absolutely paranoid that if I asked them to wait, my bags would not make it on the ship and would be accidentally left at Bell services at the resort

I seriously doubt that the front desk would tell me that it's OK if it isn't OK. Everything worked perfectly fine. My luggage arrived in front of my stateroom at the same time as all the others.

 

[Flossbolna]

I would not count on that. I’ve actually never heard of that happening. The luggage is loaded onto a truck and taken separately and they are picking up from quite a few places, which is why they start so early.

I would be absolutely paranoid that if I asked them to wait, my bags would not make it on the ship and would be accidentally left at Bell services at the resort

Well, we followed our bag (with AirTag) when we boarded in May and it didn’t leave WL until after 12 noon when we sat at lunch. So, that’s not the reason for the early pick up. But I would be too nervous to disturb the system as well as I would be afraid that something would go wrong.