Magical Express and Luggage?

[dmbfan]

So tomorrow we leave for Disney... We are taking the Magical Express bus to Port Orleans where we are staying. Our TA told us that our luggage comes to the resort after we arrive, so it is not on the bus with us when we leave the airport.

Does anyone know what the general time frame is for the luggage to get from the airport to the resort?

I am trying to take extra clothing for the kids on our carry on cause we land in Orlando at 11am...so they kids want to get to the MK soon after checking in.

Any experience with this...

 

[naomi78155]

Last year we flew and took ME to WL. It worked out pretty good. We got there around the same time as you are planning on arriving. We went to our hotel and checked in and then went to MK for a few hours. Our luggage was in our room when we got back. It must have been around 5-6pm.

We had our carry on bag full of extra snacks, extra clothes for DS just in case and anything else we thought we may need at the parks.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[drmommy]

We've been to WDW several times and have always used the ME. The last two times we arrived around noon and our bags arrived at the CR some time that afternoon. The only time we had any trouble was on our first visit. We were staying at AKL, but we arrived around 9:00 pm. Our bags didn't get there til 3:00 am! My son's suitcase was a carry-on so he didn't have a problem. But I had to sleep in my regular clothes with make up on until my bags arrived. So not too much sleep that night...and not very happy.

So I would recommend taking a small bag with a change of clothes (at least for the kids), medications, snacks and anything else you can't live without. Overall, it's a convenient service...you don't have to chase down your luggage when you're excited to be at Disney World!

Have fun!

 

[squirrel]

Luggage usually takes about 3 hrs to arrive.

We finally got into our room about 3pm and a few minutes later our luggage was there. We spent the night before flying so we really wanted into our room.

 

[happymommy]

We took ME once (and I really didn't like it, but live and learn). We only take carry-ons so had our bags with us. You could check luggage without those tags and just retrieve it and bring it with you, which of course takes time (I found ME to take a lot of time anyway, about 2 hours from when we got in line for the bus to when we got to the resort, and I was about to look for a cab with two tired kids). Definitely, if they handle your bags, plan on having what you need for the first night just in case in a carry on.

 

[mousestruck]

Yep, it usually takes a few hours to get your luggage via DME. As others have suggested, simply pack what you'll immediately need in your take-on bags and you should be fine. We've found that we get our luggage more quickly at deluxe resorts than values, but that may have been our personal experience.

 

[KingdomKeepersFinn]

Personally I love Magical Express. I take it all the time and yes luggage USUALLY comes at least a few afters after you arrive. In the case that it doesnt, make sure you bring the things you want after you get ready and go off into the parks.

 

[wrighter]

Can't emphasize enough the need to bring those immediate essentials with you. The first year we went, DD was just 17 months old, and I had checked everything through ME. We landed at MCO at 1:00 - I figured it was plenty of time before we needed our nighttime stuff. But our bags did not get to our room until almost 9:00 p.m. I was beside myself.

Learned a big fat valuable lesson on that one! We have done it all ways - all bags through ME, no bags through ME, some bags through ME. And by far the safest route is to bring one bag with you of the bare essentials and let ME do the rest. If you don't want to deal with a carry-on, you can always check your bag with your airline and just not include the ME tags. Retrieve it yourself at the airport and bring it with you on the bus.

Good luck!

 

[jmartinez1895]

I was told that depending on the time you arrive, it should take 3-4 hours before your bags will be in your room.

 

[61292cna]

You should always have a carry on of essentials anyway, as airlines sometimes lose one or all your bags, as I have learned the hard way!!!

 

[*Seanaci*]

As a general rule of thumb, it can take anywhere from 1-5 hours for luggage to make it to your room. I've heard (and know from personal experience) that the time frame is based on the time of year you travel.

That being said, take a carry on with essential items (and perhaps a change of clothes per person just in case). And when you get to the DME counter, hand over your bag claim tickets (even if you tag your bags with the DME tags) that way they have the actualy claim ticket if a bag goes MIA (it happened to us in Dec 08...but all was well and the bag was found and delivered to our room before we even went to bed that night).

 

[Alesia]

You should always have a carry on of essentials anyway, as airlines sometimes lose one or all your bags, as I have learned the hard way!!!

Absolutely!

My husband has only flown 3 times and the airline has misdirected his luggage twice.

 

[lllGurulll]

I'm actually considering pulling my luggage myself this time around. I really don't like waiting for it to arrive.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

We now just pick up our luggage at the carousel and take it to the Magical Express bus.

The first time we used the service my luggage was lost. Magical Express blamed the airline and the airline blamed Magical Express.

If you pick up the luggage yourself, then you can file a missing luggage report with your airline if they do not deliver the bag. You are much more likely to track down your luggage if you can report it missing in a timely manner.

We love the cost savings and convenience of Magical Express, but we find that we enjoy the peace of mind that comes from picking up our luggage and taking it to the bus. Each time, the bus driver just throws it under the bus and then unloads it for us at our hotel. Perfect!

Oh, Magical Express lost my bag, not the airline. It was finally tracked down days later.

 

[Alesia]

I'm actually considering pulling my luggage myself this time around. I really don't like waiting for it to arrive.

Don't forget to tip the driver for putting your luggage under the bus.

 

[jlk51496]

OK so i am glad this is an option..never used ME before....but I was thinking it worked like that: take your own bags to the bus like you would a taxi...I think Id rather do that so the stuff is with us right away!

 

[avirose]

I think picking up our own bags may be easier...I never thought about the lost luggage issue. Thanks!

 

[lllGurulll]

We now just pick up our luggage at the carousel and take it to the Magical Express bus.

The first time we used the service my luggage was lost. Magical Express blamed the airline and the airline blamed Magical Express.

If you pick up the luggage yourself, then you can file a missing luggage report with your airline if they do not deliver the bag. You are much more likely to track down your luggage if you can report it missing in a timely manner.

We love the cost savings and convenience of Magical Express, but we find that we enjoy the peace of mind that comes from picking up our luggage and taking it to the bus. Each time, the bus driver just throws it under the bus and then unloads it for us at our hotel. Perfect!

Oh, Magical Express lost my bag, not the airline. It was finally tracked down days later.

Hmmm, I never even though of that. Interesting dilemma. I assume ME owned up to it quickly.

 

[aripantaloon]

Our flight arrives at 6:30, so this has been on my mind lately. We have 2 small kids (ages 3 and 6) and I'm 6 months PG, so we already have our hands full. The kids will have small bags with entertainment items and we will also be carrying my DSLR camera and a laptop in a backpack designed to carry both, so that doesn't leave us with much space for lots of other things. I guess DH could bring a small rolling carry-on with all the things we'll need for the evening and hope for the best about our bags or we could grab them ourselves. I'm now leaning toward grabbing them ourselves since we'll know if our bags all made it and we'll have all of our stuff. Can we still put the ME luggage tags on the bags in case we decide not to get them at the airport ourselves? We will need to grab dinner at the airport, I'm assuming. We'll do this before we pick up luggage, of course. How soon do they retrieve ME luggage? Do they wait until you check in with ME to get them or do they just have a list of arriving flights and who is to arrive and then troll for the ME tags on bags?

When bags arrive at say, 2 am, do they knock on your door to deliver them or are they just left outside until you discover them? Or are they kept at the front desk for you to pick them up the next morning?

 

[seashoreCM]

Regardless of who blames whom, if your yellow tagged bags don't arrive in your resort room, you file a baggage claim at your resort.

You can request that bags not be delivered in the wee hours otherwise the bellhop will knock on the door. The bags should not be left unattended outside the room if the bellhop gets no response.

If you put the yellow tags on, then you will not be able to get the baggage at the airport carousel yourself except if you arrive after 10 PM then everyone has to get baggage at the carousel themselves.

The DME CM's troll for the baggage as the planes arrive, with no lists in hand. It's a simple maneuver: if it has a yellow tag, away it goes to Disney. With a stopover at a sorting area a little ways from the main terminal building.