Magical Express Expert Help Needed

[AuroraBeauty]

First I would like to say thank you to all of you who have offered so much great advice.

I did not intend for my question to create any tension here on the Transportation board but it seems that DME can bring out some very passionate responses. But, again, thank you all for providing so much helpful insight to using DME.

I'm sure Disney has some way of tracking whether I get on the bus and stay on the bus and when/where I get off the bus. Maybe I already have some type of RFID in me because the CMs seem to know a lot about me already. Hmmm.

I think I have determined that if I tag my bags with DME tags and get to the airport to find that my crazy family has in fact shown up (which they wouldn't if I really needed a ride!) then going to the DME Welcome Center and just checking in might be sufficient to get my bags to my Disney on-property resort. Yes, there could be potential problems due to damage or non-arrival of baggage.

However, it seems very clear that if I put DME yellow tags on my bags then I might be waiting a very very very long time in hopes that they figure I'm not on the bus and just put my few bags on to a carousel to baggage claim.

It appears that the Disney machine starts up as bags come off of planes and that airport ground personnel at MCO are knowledgeable as to what these DME yellow tags mean and begin directing these specially tagged bags to appropriate Disney DME CMs. The chance of my getting my bag at this point if I wanted it would be very low.

To yellow tag or not to yellow tag? Now I have to figure out how reliable the family will be. I think that's going to be harder to do.

 

[goofy4tink]

First I would like to say thank you to all of you who have offered so much great advice.

I did not intend for my question to create any tension here on the Transportation board but it seems that DME can bring out some very passionate responses. But, again, thank you all for providing so much helpful insight to using DME.

I'm sure Disney has some way of tracking whether I get on the bus and stay on the bus and when/where I get off the bus. Maybe I already have some type of RFID in me because the CMs seem to know a lot about me already. Hmmm.

I think I have determined that if I tag my bags with DME tags and get to the airport to find that my crazy family has in fact shown up (which they wouldn't if I really needed a ride!) then going to the DME Welcome Center and just checking in might be sufficient to get my bags to my Disney on-property resort. Yes, there could be potential problems due to damage or non-arrival of baggage.

However, it seems very clear that if I put DME yellow tags on my bags then I might be waiting a very very very long time in hopes that they figure I'm not on the bus and just put my few bags on to a carousel to baggage claim.

It appears that the Disney machine starts up as bags come off of planes and that airport ground personnel at MCO are knowledgeable as to what these DME yellow tags mean and begin directing these specially tagged bags to appropriate Disney DME CMs. The chance of my getting my bag at this point if I wanted it would be very low.

To yellow tag or not to yellow tag? Now I have to figure out how reliable the family will be. I think that's going to be harder to do.

There's not much chance of your tagged bags making it to the public baggage carousel. Those bags with the yellow tags are pulled as soon as they come off the plane. They are then taken to yet another area, and scanned.
If you have tagged your bags, you won't be able to get them until you get to the resort. My only issue is a 'what if' scenario occurs. And to be perfectly honest, those issues don't happen enough to worry to much about.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

Disney has no policy on not transferring luggage if you don't ride the busses. If you have a reservation you are entitled to both or one or the other if you are staying at a Disney resort.

Just to say, this is both on the Disney website and on my DME documentation for my upcoming trip, so I would respectfully disagree that they do not have a policy:

Q. Can I book a "luggage-only" transfer?

A. No. To utilize Disney's Magical Express Service, you must participate in both the motor coach transportation and the luggage transfer services.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just to say, this is both on the Disney website and on my DME documentation for my upcoming trip, so I would respectfully disagree that they do not have a policy:

Q. Can I book a "luggage-only" transfer?

A. No. To utilize Disney's Magical Express Service, you must participate in both the motor coach transportation and the luggage transfer services.

Well, sort of true. No one is trying to 'book luggage only' service. It's all in the wording. And I truly believe that wording is there for a reason. I think that at some time, down the road, Disney may make changes to their policy about allowing bags go without guests being on the bus. But, at present, that is not the case.
Again, it's all in the wording. If Disney truly wanted guests to ride the bus in order to get their luggage delivered, they would say...'in order to get luggage delivery to the resort, the guest must use the provided bus transportation.' Then, they could hold the luggage at MCO until the guest dealt with it, or they could just place a delivery charge on their resort bill. And yes, that would be stated right upn front...'failure to use the provided bus transportation while using the luggage delivery servcie will result in a delivery fee charged to the resort bill' type thing.

 

[AuroraBeauty]

It is not my intention to use DME as a 'luggage only' service. However, it does appear that if for some reason I don't get on the bus to go to the resort then DME won't get me my luggage.

To me it would be more of a hassle (and a waste of time) NOT to tag my bags for DME and then wait for them to come off the carousel and then transport them to DME Welcome Center and hope that DMEs CMs don't get mad at me for not following their directions and pre-tagging my bags when I'm pretty sure I'll be using DME.

In the off chance (say 20%) that my family shows up, I think it would be easier to just tag the bags for DME. For all I know I could be sitting on a DME bus already by time my family gets there. Don't want to tick off the family because I fear I may end up spending my vacation in the same outfit I arrived in b/c DME won't deliver my bags.

I guess I'll just have to take it as it comes. And if I need to go back to MCO then I that is something I'll have to deal with.

I will take it as having been forewarned. If my luggage gets there, great. If not, I will be going back for it. And all the while I will remain in my continued state of magical bliss.

Thank you all again.

 

[goofy4tink]

It is not my intention to use DME as a 'luggage only' service. However, it does appear that if for some reason I don't get on the bus to go to the resort then DME won't get me my luggage.

To me it would be more of a hassle (and a waste of time) NOT to tag my bags for DME and then wait for them to come off the carousel and then transport them to DME Welcome Center and hope that DMEs CMs don't get mad at me for not following their directions and pre-tagging my bags when I'm pretty sure I'll be using DME.

In the off chance (say 20%) that my family shows up, I think it would be easier to just tag the bags for DME. For all I know I could be sitting on a DME bus already by time my family gets there. Don't want to tick off the family because I fear I may end up spending my vacation in the same outfit I arrived in b/c DME won't deliver my bags.

I guess I'll just have to take it as it comes. And if I need to go back to MCO then I that is something I'll have to deal with.

I will take it as having been forewarned. If my luggage gets there, great. If not, I will be going back for it. And all the while I will remain in my continued state of magical bliss.

Thank you all again.

Please...don't misunderstand. Your bags will in all probability get to your resort just fine if you end up hitching a ride with someone else. I wouldn't worry about it at all. As I said, if Disney truly had an issue with that practice, they would do something to stop it...and they haven't.
SO...go ahead, tag those bags and say goodbye to them until you get to the resort. If you take the bus, great. If not, then have no fears..your bags will be fine.
I was only trying to be sure some understood the 'wording' Disney uses. If you tag those bags and you don't ride the bus. your bags are going to get to the resort. Well....at least they will as long as they get to MCO and into the hands of the DME people. If the airline misdirects them, then that's another story.
And believe me...I truly think that Disney (are you listening Edd??? ) would reall prefer it if people tagged their bags and then didn't use the bus vs not tagging their bags and then lugging them to the bus with them. That act just slows down the process for everyone. Yes, I realize that there are going to be those guests that have to bring their luggage with them to the bus. But, on the other hand, the last time I used DME (back in Jan), I couldn't believe the groups I saw with all their luggage with them. It was truly incredible And this is the kicker....I saw one person, a dad, in the line for the bus to the resort, actually put the yellow DME sticker on his huge checked bags as he stood there!!! I kid you not...while standing in the line to board the bus to go to his resort.
There's a ton of misinformation out there. Try to relax and have a great trip...no matter how you end up using DME!