Magical Express from airport-- do it or rent a car?

[CleveRocks]

I should have added more about my planned November trip. Our flight will arrive at MCO around 9:30 p.m. Since we'll have PJs and a change of clothes or two in our carry-ons, anyway, we will definitely skip baggage claim and use DME as designed. When we check in at our resort, we'll ask the front desk and/or Bell Services to hold our luggage until the morning, since we won't wanna get a knock on the door at midnight.

I added this just so you don't think I'm talking from the cheap seats.

 

[glencoe]

For the ME "veterans"-
Our family is going July 30, however I will already be in Fl. w/ my 3 kids (visiting my dad) and driving up to Orlando that day, my husband will fly in and take ME to the poly and meet us there. We all plan on taking ME back to the airport for our flight home together.

Here are my questions
-When do you get your ME info packs? I have read 10 days before, but I wont be home to get them I will be in Fl already! My DH is not "travel savey" and I am the control freak of the planning so he wont have a clue what to do w/ it!
-If we don't use ME on arrival can me and the kids use it for departure?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[legalslave]

In December, we got our DME package about 3 weeks before departure. If you don't receive them before you leave, there is nothing complicated about it. You get a little booklet with the yellow tags (which are the strip type). You place them on your luggage and go to the airport. Check your luggage as usual. There will be a page in there that is shown to the DME people when you arrive to check in at the DME counter. There's also one for the return. If your husband forgets them for the return, don't worry about it. They will take care of it at your resort. Yes, you can use DME for your return even if you are not on the inbound. HTH

 

[Elisa]

For those of you who have arrived at mco by US Air, whereabouts is the counter for DME. Is it a far walk / down stairs/ up stairs ? I don't want to waste a lot of time searching, as I'm the type who gets lost EVERY TIME. Thanks Elisa

 

[ro80]

Hi -
we haven't used ME before but I have heard horror stories about people not getting their luggage until late at night, but FYI you can take your luggage with you if you want. I am going in September and we are just going to check our own baggage. You can still ride the bus for free. It's just a way of me making sure I get my luggage when I want it. So, it is an option. Have fun!!!!!!!

 

[BillyFeat]

If you are staying on property without wanting to travel off property, I say use ME. I have used it three times without complaint. Since you are already paying for it, you might as well use Disneys transportation.

 

[Lewisc]

I'd take DME but meet your Mom at your resort. She'll have a much better time waiting at your resort than at MCO. Use the DME luggage tags. Even if she can't check in she'll much happier waiting at your resort than waiting at MCO.

I'm still torn about this too.

My mom and I are flying in separately (meeting at MCO.. she gets in much earlier than me and will already have been sitting around the airport with her luggage for 5-6 hours waiting). I am arriving late afternoon (4:30), and we are in a hurry to get to the parks for a little bit of evening magic in the "world." Also, I'll probably just have carry ons, so no luggage transport necessary.

If SPEED is our top priority.. but we also don't want to spend $100 on transportation.. which would you do?
ME
Cab
Tiffany Town Car
??

 

[CleveRocks]

Hi -
we haven't used ME before but I have heard horror stories about people not getting their luggage until late at night, but FYI you can take your luggage with you if you want. I am going in September and we are just going to check our own baggage. You can still ride the bus for free. It's just a way of me making sure I get my luggage when I want it. So, it is an option. Have fun!!!!!!!

"Horror stories ...." Hmm ....

[Please read the following as it was intended, in a helpful and friendly way ....]

A lot of those "horror stories" are really just examples of people not knowing what to expect. To put it another way, they can be examples of people having unrealistic expectations. DME luggage arrives in your room a few hours after you do. There's no horror there if you know that, but if you were expecting it to beat you to your room and had planned to change into nice clothes to go eat at Victoria and Albert's a half-hour later, then yeh, that would seem like a pretty horrific realization. But if you KNEW your luggage would lag behind a few hours, you could take your immediate needs in your carry-on. Simple. Problem solved. The last time I used DME, we were in our resort pool when our luggage was apparently delivered to our room. We had our swim stuff in our carry-ons. It would have been a horror story to tell the kids the first thing we would do is swim but then not be able to because it was in our checked luggage and we didn't know it would be in our room some time AFTER we checked in.

Also, let's say you're like me this coming November and will be arriving at MCO at 9:30 p.m. with a 4 year old and 6 year old. If I didn't know my checked luggage would take a few hours, then sure, I'd be reporting a horror story that I couldn't get my kids to go to bed because their jammies and bedtime comfort objects and toothbrushes and nighttime medications (for example) weren't available to me because of that danged horrific Magical Express. But since I KNOW that my luggage will arrive a few hours later, I'll have all the necessary stuff in my carry-on. Simple. A rant is prevented. No horror here, move along ....

If I didn't know to ask at the resort that they hold my luggage until morning, I'd be on here reporting a horror story that a rude Bell Services CM woke us up at midnight. But since I know what to expect, my simple request PREVENTS a horror story.

I gave this example elsewhere. Let's say you and your kids are VERY hungry and go into a table-service restaurant. Your food is not delivered to you the moment you completed giving your food order to the waitress. Is it a horror story that you had to wait 20 minutes to get your food? Of course not, because you know to expect that time lag, and you plan accordingly by either eating a little earlier or bringing a little snack for the kids to keep them happy until the meal arrives.

A ittle knowledge and planning PREVENTS most horror stories, because most are not actual horror stories.

I'm much happier to pack a few things in a carry-on, not have to carry my luggage, and get to my resort sooner by avoiding baggage claim. But that's just me. To each's own.

 

[Lewisc]

"Horror stories ...." Hmm ....

[Please read the following as it was intended, in a helpful and friendly way ....]

A lot of those "horror stories" are really just examples of people not knowing what to expect. To put it another way, they can be examples of people having unrealistic expectations.

and some of the "horror stories" are complete fiction posted by shills for town car companies.

There a (very) few real horror stories, guests who waited a few hours before leaving MCO but there are almost as many (few) horror stories about towncar drivers who just didn't show up.

 

[DisneyJade]

thanks for the advice folks!
i'm considering the suggestion that my mom go ahead to the resort without me. the problem is... check-in isn't until 3pm anyway. how is disney about letting people check in early? would she just be sitting in the resort lobby with her bags?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

thanks for the advice folks!
i'm considering the suggestion that my mom go ahead to the resort without me. the problem is... check-in isn't until 3pm anyway. how is disney about letting people check in early? would she just be sitting in the resort lobby with her bags?

Regarding check-ins before your room is ready...

If you are using Magical Express, you can check in at the resort any time of the day. You'll get your key cards (but not your room number). You can go off and have fun. Your checked luggage will be delivered to your room after your room is assigned and available; you don't have to be in your room when your bags are delivered because Disney pays the inbound luggage delivery tip. When you get to your room later in the day, your bags will be there waiting for you.

If you are not using Magical Express, you can also check in at the resort any time of the day. You'll also get your key cards (but not your room number). You would leave your bags with bell services, so you don't have to sit in the lobby waiting for your room to be ready. When you get to your room later in the day, you would call bell services for luggage delivery. Depending how busy they are, you could get immediate delivery or you may have to wait a while. It is customary and appropriate to tip the bellman.

In either case, when you're having fun at a theme park, water park, or your resort pool before your room is ready, you can charge meals and purchases to your key card.

Also, in either case, if you have carry-ons, you can leave them with bell services when you check in, if you wish. If you used Magical Express, you would typically pick them up from bell services when you return to the lobby (a tip is customary and appropriate). If you didn't use Magical Express, the carry-ons would be with your checked bags and would all be handled together (including the tip).

 

[CleveRocks]

thanks for the advice folks!
i'm considering the suggestion that my mom go ahead to the resort without me. the problem is... check-in isn't until 3pm anyway. how is disney about letting people check in early? would she just be sitting in the resort lobby with her bags?

The last time I was at WDW, last May, I checked in at CBR at 10:30 a.m. and my two connecting rooms were ready.

If they have a room available, your Mom will have it; they don't make people wait simply because it's before check in time.

 

[DisneyJade]

this is very good information. thank you so much!