magical express luggage service

[tmbrea]

We're planning on magical express for our trip in June. I've read a lot of bad reviews about the luggage service, taking forever to get to your room. Here's my question, has anyone here had any problems recently? Should we get our own luggage on when we get to Orlando?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We're planning on magical express for our trip in June. I've read a lot of bad reviews about the luggage service, taking forever to get to your room. Here's my question, has anyone here had any problems recently? Should we get our own luggage on when we get to Orlando?

The same question came up yesterday. See If you take Magical Express, can you get your own luggage?

I haven't read "a lot of bad reviews about the luggage service," but the only Disney forums I read are this one and MiceChat.

Personally, I think the best part of Disney's Magical Express is being able to bypass baggage claim at the airport and having my bags delivered while I'm out having fun -- for free, because Disney even pays pays the inbound baggage tip!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We have used it 4 or 5 times and have been very pleased with the service. We still rent a car for off-sight stuff but now do so at a DTD hotel or on-sight rental. This is because it's so nice to start your vacation not having to wait for your bags at the airport.

I just got my ME package for our JUne trip in the mail yesterday so I know my trip is right around the corner.

 

[goofy4tink]

It would seem that some people believe that their luggage 'should' have arrived in their rooms much more quickly. But.....if your room isn't ready yet, there is no room to put the luggage in! If your room is ready, then it may be too soon to expect your luggage to be there. So, most of us here, believe that if it takes up to three hours to get your bags, that's not an issue.
I like to be able to unpack as soon as possible, but sometimes that isn't going to be possible. I just pack whatever I'll need for the first day at WDW in my carryon bag.
To answer your question...yes, you can go get your own bags. Don't put the yellow tags on them. However, you will add time to your trip. You will have to go to baggage claim, wait up to 20-25 minutes for your bags to get there, then head to DME checkin and then to the bus lines. If you are arriving on Side A of the terminal, add another 15 mins to that..you have to go down to Side A baggage claim, then back up to level 3 of the main terminal, then to Side B, and down to level 1 for DME. It sounds like a lot, and it really isn't, but it does add time.
If you are in a rush to get to WDW, let DME handle your bags. You can then look forward to about a 70 min span between deplaning to resort checkin.

 

[CleveRocks]

We're planning on magical express for our trip in June. I've read a lot of bad reviews about the luggage service, taking forever to get to your room. Here's my question, has anyone here had any problems recently? Should we get our own luggage on when we get to Orlando?

Hi!

Trust Disney.

For those of us who've been around message boards for a while, we know that what's MUCH more common than actual first-person bad reviews of the DME luggage delivery are threads like the one you started, where the first post says "I've heard there are problems." These are quite common. The problem is, these take on a life of their own. It's a rumor about a rumor. And then people figure, where there's smoke there's fire.

In addition, many of the first-person complaints posted are due to unrealistic expectations. On another board, for example, I responded to one guy who was bitterly complaining about his own personal DME luggage experience. He was going on and on how it wasn't as promised, how it was SOOOO terrible. I asked specifically what his complaint was, and he said that when he arrived at his resort (from the DME bus) that his luggage wasn't waiting for him inside his resort room, but rather it arrived about 90 minutes after he checked in. He was horrified and angry, and was shouting it all around that message board. I pointed out that the booklet Disney sends DME guests says to expect luggage about 3 hours after resort check-in. I further explained that he apparently got his DME luggage delivery about 90 minutes EARLIER than promised, and that he had no right to complain, since he expected something that only existed in his own imagination.

And then there are the legitimate complaints. They exist. They are very very very few and far between, but of course no system is perfect, not even Disney.

The problem unique to message boards is that people usually start threads for two reasons, to ask questions or to post complaints. It is VERY rare for someone to start a thread saying that everything went according to plan. For example, we never see threads like the following:

• Mousekeeping cleaned my room every day to my satisfaction

• I rode Space Mountain and it didn't break down

• I didn't get food poisoning!!!

• The sign said the stand-by wait was 40 minutes, and I waited in line for 40 minutes

See what I mean???

I love message boards, so I'm not complaining about them at all, but I just realize that threads are usually NOT started due to normal positive experiences, much like TV news is mainly about fires and accidents and missing children and not about the things that are running normally.

Go ahead, trust Disney. About 3 or 4 million of us have so far!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

The problem unique to message boards is that people usually start threads for two reasons, to ask questions or to post complaints. It is VERY rare for someone to start a thread saying that everything went according to plan. For example, we never see threads like the following:

• Mousekeeping cleaned my room every day to my satisfaction

Does this http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1412286 thread count?

 

[Disneyolic]

One thing to consider is what time you will be arriving, especially if it is anywhere near 11 pm. You may be better off getting your own luggage at that time.

 

[tmbrea]

The reviews I've read have been on allearsnet.com. And most complaints are that it's taken upto 12 hours to get their luggage or in some cases the next day. My concern is that we are getting into Orlando after 7pm they day we fly in, I know we can get our own luggage, the question was is that the best idea or just go with the flow and pack enough to get by in the carry on.

 

[OntFamily]

I've used the luggage delivery option of DME a few times since it's inception. In all instances, it's worked perfectly -- luggage delivered within 3 - 4 hours of touchdown.

I love it. It's one of Disney's best ideas.

 

[Edd]

Don't believe everything you read, especially on these boards. If 1 person says 12 hours and 2000 say 3 - 4 hours, than just figure the one who said 12 hours has a great imagination. The Disboard posters seem to be pretty good for the last year. There are a few crazies once in a while, but for the most part the exaggeraters, in transportation, seem to have disappeared.

The Disney luggage scheme is the best thing going, so go with the flow. Take enough in a carry on for the day and don't worry about when, how, where or why. It will work out.

 

[OhMari]

The reviews I've read have been on allearsnet.com. And most complaints are that it's taken upto 12 hours to get their luggage or in some cases the next day. My concern is that we are getting into Orlando after 7pm they day we fly in, I know we can get our own luggage, the question was is that the best idea or just go with the flow and pack enough to get by in the carry on.

We came in at 7:30 p.m. Got to our resort in 30 minutes. Our luggage was brought to POR by 11:00 p.m. and we stopped in after DTD and told them to deliver our luggage. The check-in lady was able to track our luggage and she said it was on the truck outside POR.

We got a knock on the door at midnight. This was Peak Season during Easter. My dh wasn't to happy, but we tipped the guy 5.00, it wasn't his fault our luggage came from the airport so late.

I packed an overnite bag, just in case our luggage wasn't there by morning.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The reviews I've read have been on allearsnet.com. And most complaints are that it's taken upto 12 hours to get their luggage or in some cases the next day. My concern is that we are getting into Orlando after 7pm they day we fly in, I know we can get our own luggage, the question was is that the best idea or just go with the flow and pack enough to get by in the carry on.

Um, yeah - did you look at the DATES of those reviews? I couldn't find anything more recent than July 2005. Besides, as Eric pointed out above - conservatively, three or four MILLION people (I figure closer to 5,375,000 - but what do I know) have used Magical Express since its inception. Making a decision based on 33 negative reports? Nah. Even figuring an average of eleven negative reports per month, in two years that's 264. If each of those represents a hundred bad experiences that we never get to hear about, that's less than 7/10 of one percent of all DME users.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Um, yeah - did you look at the DATES of those reviews? I couldn't find anything more recent than July 2005.

You must be looking somewhere different than I am on AllEarsNet. Here's where I found many very recent reviews of Disney's Magical Express (MDE):

http://allearsnet.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=337&cat=88

I think this is what the OP was talking about. I agree that there are some legitimate complaints about DME -- not just complaints due to unrealistic expectations or failure to follow DME's guidance to bring a carry-on.

I've use DME four times inbound and four times outbound. I had checked luggage on three of the inbound trips.

Once (fall 2005), our luggage took over 7 hours from when we landed. We returned to the room after Epcot closed for the evening, expecting to find our bags waiting for us. Nope. I called bell services. They apologized and explained that they were way behind because they had twice the usual number of DME guests that day. Fifteen minutes later, we had our bags. (I also wouldn't be surprised if our luggage arrived at MCO on a later flight than we did that day.)

The following time (fall 2006), DME worked as it's supposed to. We left our room an hour or two after we checked in (afternoon); we returned to our room around 10 p.m. Our bags were sitting in the room. I have no idea if it took 2 hours or 6 hours after we checked in for them to be delivered -- and it really doesn't matter.

I trust DME, but I'm aware that DME bags require handling by people at various points, and these points can get backed up. So it makes sense to bring a carry-on with essentials. Actually, it always makes sense to bring a carry-on with essentials, because airlines delay or misroute luggage way too frequently.

Finally, regarding the reviews at AllEarsNet, keep in mind that people are far more likely to take the time to write a review if they have a complaint than if something works as it's supposed to -- yet, even so, the vast majority of the reviews at AllEarsNet are positive.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thanks, Horace! I couldn't find that on my own

And now, having checked that site and read some of the reviews and statistics - 97.5% of the reviewers WOULD recommend Magical Express. That's, frankly, an excellent stat. And Disney didn't pay any of 'em to say that.

 

[Kitzer]

Ditto what Goof4Tink and CleveRocks said!!! Most of the time you'll get your bags in a reasonable amount of time. If you get there before your room is available, then theres no where for it to go until then. I've had to wait for several hours to get my luggage, but big deal. Just pack what you need immediately in a carry on.

Last year we got to our room, freshened up and headed right out to Epcot. Bags were all there when we returned. Disney knows what they're doing, go out and enjoy your resort or a park!

 

[clkelley]

Our family has used Magical Express 6 times since it started. 3 times, our bags were in our room when we returned several hours later, 2 times, our flights were late at night, and they delivered our bags the next day after we left for the parks (which is what we requested because we were prepared with an appropriate carryon).

The only time they weren't, it wasn't a Magical Express problem, it was at Ft. Wilderness and we were tent camping. (I drove the stuff down and some friends joined me for a few days and flew down.) They had our bags in a van, and since there were intermittent showers that day, they didn't want to leave the stuff where it could get wet.

We called the front desk and our luggage showed up in 5 minutes.

An again on May 9th, we'll be using Magical Express again late at night, and I expect my bags will arrive in the room sometime on May 10th. I don't care when cause I'll be at the parks.

 

[goofy4tink]

The reviews I've read have been on allearsnet.com. And most complaints are that it's taken upto 12 hours to get their luggage or in some cases the next day. My concern is that we are getting into Orlando after 7pm they day we fly in, I know we can get our own luggage, the question was is that the best idea or just go with the flow and pack enough to get by in the carry on.

Most of those posts say pretty positive things. There is one, I believe it was pretty recent, the poster had just joined in April of this year and had just one post...I believe they said it took 2 hrs. to get to the Polynesian and then a huge wait for their luggage. I have been on a bus where my stop was the last one on the route...took me 90 minutes from getting off the plane to my resort. Don't think that's too bad. Another person griped about not having anything for the night, and had to get the gift shop opened so they could buy toothpaste and a toothbrush. We are always telling people that they need to pack anything they may need for the first 12 hrs of their trip. Forget DME....the airlines are more likely to lose your bags. What happens then? You are much better off with some toiletries and some fresh clothes in the carryon. Don't forget...most people are inclined to post a review that is not complimentary.

Um, yeah - did you look at the DATES of those reviews? I couldn't find anything more recent than July 2005. Besides, as Eric pointed out above - conservatively, three or four MILLION people (I figure closer to 5,375,000 - but what do I know) have used Magical Express since its inception. Making a decision based on 33 negative reports? Nah. Even figuring an average of eleven negative reports per month, in two years that's 264. If each of those represents a hundred bad experiences that we never get to hear about, that's less than 7/10 of one percent of all DME users.

To be fair Ronda....I did see a bunch of them that were pretty recent. But, you are exactly right....so many have used DME and been more than satisfied. I wonder why human nature would rather believe that 1% who have had a less than stellar experience. I have taken DME about 4 times now....had anywhere from 60-90 mins from deplaning to resort, but still there are some who will argue and tell me I was lucky, that there are others who have had to be on that bus for hours on end and who didn't get their bags for about 12 hrs. Many more people report good things, but those posts go un-noticed!!!

Ah well, we try, that's all we can do. There are those who will only be happy with towncar service. That's fine. Sometimes I like to use a towncar for a change or to spoil myself. But, even then, I still have my travel sized toiletries, clean undies/shorts/shirt, swimsuit and all documents in my carryon. And that happens if I'm flying to WDW, to Seattle to visit my brother or just to NYC for a weekend. Better to be prepared and not need it, than to have to go out and buy stuff, at inflated prices not to mention the aggravation of the errand!!!

 

[Disneyolic]

An again on May 9th, we'll be using Magical Express again late at night, and I expect my bags will arrive in the room sometime on May 10th. I don't care when cause I'll be at the parks.

Just wondering Carol if you will try to call Bell Services in the morning of the 10th to see if your luggage is in... Remember, you are our guinea pig...

 

[clkelley]

Just wondering Carol if you will try to call Bell Services in the morning of the 10th to see if your luggage is in... Remember, you are our guinea pig...

I honestly wasn't planning on calling, because we won't need our luggage till we go to bed on the 10th, but I will give them a ring before we head out for the morning.

 

[Smitty844]

I have never had a problem getting my luggage when we arrive. It is usually there within a couple of hours after arrival. I would plan to have appropriate clothing, bathing suits etc in your carry on luggage. Just remember the TSA regulations against liquids and you should be fine until your luggage arrives.

Smitty