Magical Express Mishap

[mopsmom31]

We just returned this week from our first trip. Just wanted to give some advice in case anyone else ends up in the same situation. We had checked in 2 pieces of luggage with the Magical Express tags and had a few more carry-ons for the plane. When we went to board the plane we were told that all overhead bins were full and we would have to gate check one of our bags and then pick it up in baggage claim, no big deal, except that now we wouldn't be able to avoid baggage claim. We got down to baggage claim in search of our one bag, but it was no where to be found. We go into the Air Tran office and try to figure where the bag is, but no luck. I asked the Air Tran employee if Magical Express could have picked it up even though it didn't have the tag on it and he said there was no way because they are only allowed to grab the luggage with the yellow tags. So we spent the next 3 hours buying new swimsuits, tennis shoes, sandals and hats. When we finally arrive at our hotel room we discover the missing bag that Magical Express had grabbed even though there was positively no yellow tag on it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point. Someone probably thought that they were doing us a favor, but it was a huge mess! We had a great trip after that but those first few hours were a bit of a nightmare.

 

[MariDisney]

We just returned this week from our first trip. Just wanted to give some advice in case anyone else ends up in the same situation. We had checked in 2 pieces of luggage with the Magical Express tags and had a few more carry-ons for the plane. When we went to board the plane we were told that all overhead bins were full and we would have to gate check one of our bags and then pick it up in baggage claim, no big deal, except that now we wouldn't be able to avoid baggage claim. We got down to baggage claim in search of our one bag, but it was no where to be found. We go into the Air Tran office and try to figure where the bag is, but no luck. I asked the Air Tran employee if Magical Express could have picked it up even though it didn't have the tag on it and he said there was no way because they are only allowed to grab the luggage with the yellow tags. So we spent the next 3 hours buying new swimsuits, tennis shoes, sandals and hats. When we finally arrive at our hotel room we discover the missing bag that Magical Express had grabbed even though there was positively no yellow tag on it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point. Someone probably thought that they were doing us a favor, but it was a huge mess! We had a great trip after that but those first few hours were a bit of a nightmare.

Sorry your vacation got off to a rough start. We had a somewhat similar expeience a few years ago. We do not use magical express, so when we checked our bags there was no tag on any of them. One went missing and we filed a claim with Air Tran. The bag showed up in our room several hours later with a ME tag added to it somehow. It was just dumb luck, I guess, that a bag Magical Express grabbed belonged to someone actually going to WDW. We were glad to have the bag back and had not replaced anything in it at tht point.

 

[seashoreCM]

We ... we were told that all overhead bins were full and we would have to gate check one of our bags and then pick it up in baggage claim ... We got down to baggage claim in search of our one bag, but it was no where to be found. We go into the Air Tran office and try to figure where the bag is, but no luck. ... So we spent the next 3 hours buying new swimsuits, tennis shoes, sandals and hats. When we finally arrive at our hotel room we discover the missing bag that Magical Express had grabbed even though there was positively no yellow tag on it. ... Someone probably thought that they were doing us a favor, but it was a huge mess! .

Psst! Provided you have a claim check for the gate checked item and you arrive before 10 PM, you can skip the baggage claim carousel and show the claim check at the Magical Express welcoming area and the yellow tagless bag will be ferreted out and delivered via Magical Express.

Did you return some of the things you bought?

I asked the Air Tran employee if Magical Express could have picked it up even though it didn't have the tag on it and he said there was no way because they are only allowed to grab the luggage with the yellow tags

Maybe at that moment the Air Tran employee made a note that you were going to Disney and after you left baggage claim, the bag was found and he dispatched it via Magical Express.

 

[amitrat]

Magical Express seems to find those bags. Last year on our 1st Family vacation, our flight was delayed 5 1/2 hours. so we arrived WAY after Magical Express supposedly no longer claimed bags. We went to baggage claim and found 1/2 the bags. After wasting over an hour, we found out the ME had grabbed the others - nothing like getting to your room at 1AM with an 8AM CRT reservation!

*Note - bags are probably not missing, but grabbed by ME

 

[mopsmom31]

Wish I would have known about showing the claim tag to ME I know that Air Tran did not find the bag and send off to ME, because they were contacting us later in the day to let us know that they still hadn't found the bag. Thankfully we were able return all of our stuff. I should have listened to my husband who said he had a feeling it was just going to magically show up

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Glad you got your bag in the end!

I does seem ME went over the top tp get your bag top you.....your issue seesm to be with the air line and therefore not a ME mishap but a Air Trans mishap!

AKK

 

[ToyStory]

One time I never received my tags and was told to just give a description of the bags when I checked in at the ME desk and ME will get them. My bags magically showed up in my room.

 

[BarbossasWench]

We got into the airport around 7:00 and boarded the ME bus around 7:45. We got into AKL around 9 PM after stopping at Caribbean Beach and Pop Century. We didn't grab our checked bags (unfortunately) as being on West Coast time we thought there would be no problem getting our bags until midnight. We got dinner at Boma, I went swimming and we proceeded to wait until midnight figuring that we would get the bags at any minute. I called and asked about our bags around 1 AM and nobody at bell staff knew where they were. I was told to be patient. It was already four hours after checking in. Around 1:30 AM I called and asked if anyone knew anything and I was told that I would be called soon and told where they were. At 1:45 AM I called and asked as I didn't have a clue where our bags were and I was getting really nervous about the loss of all of our luggage. Nobody in bell services was any help and I continually was told that they would call and tell me when the might arrive. I was basically getting the brush off. Around 2:15 I was told that they were on their way from the airport. I called again around 2:45 AM and demanded to know where the bags were and was told that they were sitting in front of the bell services manager and would be delivered soon. The bags finally arrived to my room just short of 3 AM with no explanation. The next morning I called and asked what took so long for our bags as the ME site says "Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort." I was told that there was a weather problem at the airport - it had been raining, but one would think that the bell services staff should have known this and would have at least told me that was what was going on. At least then I wouldn't have been thinking that they had lost our luggage. The next morning I called and asked to check out an hour late at noon instead of eleven as I had not gotten much sleep and was denied. I then called bell services to complain and our stay was extended an hour.

On the way back to the airport from OKW the bus was totally jammed full of people except for a couple of seats in the very back. When I requested the service, I had told the CS that my father was on oxygen and couldn't walk far and was told that he would be accommodated. Fortunately, a nice gentleman gave up his seat in the front to us. I don't think we will use ME again - too many problems and not worth the frustration. Bell Services at AKL needs to be more on the ball too!