Magical Express not too magical for us!

[kaytieeldr]

Suffice it to say I was COMPLETELY surprised to find our luggage had in fact made it to Newark with us.

I'd think your luggage was even more surprised that YOU got back to Newark with IT. Unlike you, your luggage was checked through with no problem

As far as the Disney computer not interfacing properly with the Jet Blue computer, they really need to work on that. Somone could easily miss a flight if they had to wait in a long line to "undo" the Disney computer transactions.

I think generally the Resort Airline Checkin computers DO interface properly with the airline computers, including JetBlue. Otherwise there'd be a LOT more complaints about this same problem (and I see one person flying Continental had a similar problem - computers are only as good as the people programming and operating them )

have absolutely no desire to do DME, not just based on your experience but everything I have heard.

I'm not sure what you've heard, but given that DME transports up to 10,000 passengers per day, I think it's working VERY well. Let's say they transport an average of 7,500 passengers per day, and, oh, each passenger has an average of 1.5 pieces of checked luggage. In the almost sixteen months since DME started, that's over three and a half million people and more than five million pieces of checked luggage. Relative to that, there are EXTREMELY few problems with the entire service. Unfortunately, Redmic seems to have experienced almost all of them in one trip.

I always advise people to pack a change of clothes, at least fresh undies and a shirt, and a swimsuit in the carryon for each person.

Well, okay, but if anybody makes a comment about how I have no business wearing a bathing suit and how I'm scaring the children, I'm going to tell them YOU made me do it!

My tote fits easily underneath the seat, so I'm not taking up the overhead spaces.

And the Flight Attendants love you, don't they? Well, okay, maybe they don't notice it as much with you - but I preboard (mobility issues, not that it's anybody's business ) and I've actually been thanked by an FA for being able to place everything under the seat in front of me!

 

[LakeAriel]

Just got back from an 8 night free dining trip, and I must say we have a terrific time! However the Magical Express operated poorly for us. For those of you who have had a perfect, error-free "magical" Magical Express experience, let me go on record right now saying "I BELIEVE YOU!". But, as Oprah would say "That ain't us!"

Our flight arrived at MCO at 5:50 p.m. We had no trouble finding the Disney representatives and checking in. We had about a 20 minute wait on the bus before we left. We went to All Star Sports, ate dinner, took a swim and returned to our room at 9:00 p.m. At that point I called the desk to inquire as to when our bags might arrive and was told, "between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m." This was said in a very matter-of-fact way, so I guess a 5 to 6 hour delay is typical. Since we had been told it would be "up to 3 hours", we hadn't packed our sleepware in our carry-ons, but there was no way any of us would be awake by 11:00 after travelling since early morning. I asked if we could go get them ourselves, and she said, "we'll bring them between 10:00 and 10:30". What is this, an auction? Anyway, the bags arrived at 10:15.

Lesson learned: If a wait of up to 6 hours doesn't work for you (especially if you arrive at night), bring your own bags.

After one night at All Star Sports, we checked into the Yacht Club for 7 nights. The day before our departure we received a letter telling us that our bus would leave for the airport at 6:30 a.m. and we should be there by 6:15. We actually were there to check in at the ME desk at 5:45. We were the only ones there. The Disney lady spent a half hour on the computer, and the end result was we had baggage tags, but no boarding passes. She then told us:

1. We couldn't have any boarding passes.
2. We needed to check-in at the airport.
3. We couldn't use a kiosk at the airport, because they had screwed up everything regarding our check-in.
4. We better find an airline representative and carefully explain that the Disney attempted check-in was messed up, because otherwise they would "uncheck us" and then check us in with new numbers, causing us to lose all of our luggage!

At that point we got on the bus. We went from the Yacht Club, to the Beach Club, then the Boardwalk, then Caribbean Beach. The Caribbean Beach stop was the longest, with lots of folks and lots of luggage. It put us behind schedule a little, so after everyone was loaded the bus driver started to pull away. A Caribbean Beach cast member SMACKED the side of the bus and started screaming so the bus driver stopped and asked what was wrong. The angry man said the bus driver hadn't waited long enough. The bus driver pointed out that the appointed time had passed and drove away while the angry man shook his fist at us and yelled, "you're going to get the call!" Very unmagical

We finally arrived at MCO and got in the Jet Blue check in line. When we got to the front, we were told that 3 our of 4 of us were checked in. We started to explain that Disney had unsuccessfully tried to check us in, and as soon as we said "Disney" she rolled her eyes, shook her head and started working on the computer. After about 10 minutes everything was fixed and our bags were matched up to us.

Lesson learned: If the Disney check-in doesn't work right, it actually makes things more complicated at the airport than if you didn't try to check in at all.

Bottom line: We have been going to Disney about once a year since 1998. In the past we have always used a town car or limo. We will go back to that, because the Magical Express experience was too inconvenient and stressful for me. Not a good way to begin and end an otherwise positive experience.

I had the same check in experience at the Beach Club on 8/25! I went to the kiosk, the young man saw our names online with our record locator number and all of a sudden his computer froze. He then got a message "tickets returned." After the trip from hell I had had there this was really the final straw! He made a call and he was told we could not do online check in and had to go to the airport check in also. It was American airlines to NY. Just as I was wondering if I shouldn't fly that day ( I was really feeling like this trip was jinxed) one boarding pass printed. A few minutes later the second one. I don't know what the screw up was, we wasted another half hour, but fortunately the glitch corrected itself and we got home safely.

Did I mention that my luggage was damaged between NY and POFQ? That I didn't notice it till I was leaving there for the BC? Or that Magical express had transposed my flight number? Good thing I checked a couple of days before. Check those numbers and confrim your flights! The airline phone numbers are in the phone book in the resort room. page 24

 

[wilderness01]

Sunray Transportation is reliable.

 

[LakeAriel]

How easy is it to retrieve your own luggage at MCO and take it on the bus with you?

 

[mathmagic]

How easy is it to retrieve your own luggage at MCO and take it on the bus with you?

Piece of cake - just don't put the ME tags on your bags, and pick up your luggage like you would normally. Then when you get on the bus they will load it under the bus, and you'll have it when you check in. We do it every time, as we have seen the way Disney collects bags tagged for ME and don't trust it.

We also don't use ME for the return trip, we take a cab. Yes, it costs, but we don't have to wait all that extra time for ME or go to any other resorts. Never tried checking in for our flights at the resort, and don't think we will. Just one more way for thinsg to get screwed up, so I'd rather not.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You've seen the way Disney collects bags tagged for Magical Express? I'm confused. You've been on the tarmac in Orlando when a plane has landed and observed Disney's CMs/subcontractors pulling al the DME-tagged luggage before any of the non-DME tagged luggage has been placed on the luggage carousel conveyor? HOW does Disney collect the tagged luggage that causes you not to trust the service? What do they do or not do that gives you this point of view, yet you trust the airline to handle your luggage in a way that allows you to trust it?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We do it every time, as we have seen the way Disney collects bags tagged for ME and don't trust it.

mathmagic,

There's a behind-the-scenes process at Orlando International in which the bags with yellow DME tags are sorted out before any bags go to the baggage conveyor. (In addition, Disney pulls some bags from the baggage conveyor, primarily at the request DME guests who did not use the yellow tags properly or who did not receive the yellow tags for any reason.)

How did you get to see the behind-the-scenes process in the secure area? And, as kaytieeldr asked, what did you really see about "the way Disney collects bags tagged for ME" that you don't trust?

It's certainly possible for DME guests to claim their own luggage at the baggage claim conveyor belt — but that means throwing away the best feature of DME. It means not being able to bypass baggage claim. It means dragging luggage through the airport. It's means checking in for DME later (for a later motorcoach) and thus arriving at your resort later. It means tipping the DME driver for handling your bags. Its means having to deal with your bags when checking in at the resort. And if you get assistance from bell services at your resort, the tip is your responsibility, not Disney's.

We also don't use ME for the return trip, we take a cab. Yes, it costs, but we don't have to wait all that extra time for ME or go to any other resorts. Never tried checking in for our flights at the resort, and don't think we will. Just one more way for thinsg to get screwed up, so I'd rather not.

How much later do you leave with a cab than with DME? 30 minutes? Is that worth around $50 plus tip?

Using Remote Airline Check-in (RAC) at your WDW resort is just like using curbside check-in at the airport. You get your boarding passes, and your luggage is checked through to your home airport. It's a wonderful, secure, TSA-approved service for anyone flying home on a RAC-participating airline — whether they use DME for transportation or not. What do you think makes this less reliable than having to transport your bags to the airport yourself and having to deal with check-in at the airport?

 

[mathmagic]

What I saw at the airport (on two different occasions) was someone in a little corded off area where the baggage claim conveyor belt starts with a clipboard, checking bags as they come in through the conveyor belt opening against some list on the clipboard. If this is a secondary area and there is some other system collecting bags behind the scenes, I didn't know that. But not knowing that, I beleived what I saw to be the only method for getting bags for the ME, and I wasn't secure with it.

As for checking in for departing flights at the resort, clearly from the OP (and others) this is not a fail-safe system. I haven't had the need to use it in the past, but if you'll re-read my original post I wasn't bashing it anyway. I believe taking a cab to the airport saves more time than 30 minutes, and it's direct. My personal preference.

 

[CleveRocks]

What I saw at the airport (on two different occasions) was someone in a little corded off area where the baggage claim conveyor belt starts with a clipboard, checking bags as they come in through the conveyor belt opening against some list on the clipboard. If this is a secondary area and there is some other system collecting bags behind the scenes, I didn't know that. But not knowing that, I beleived what I saw to be the only method for getting bags for the ME, and I wasn't secure with it.

From what I've read over the past few months, it's likely what you saw was one of three different tasks:

1) Even though Disney and/or airline personnel pull the DME-tagged bags behind the scenes (that none of us in the public EVER sees, Disney also has CMs detailed to every airline (and thus every flight) to double-check to make sure no bags get "lost" because they were missed on the first pass.

2) People who never received DME luggage tags or forgot to put the tags on their bags can STILL get automatic delivery of their checked luggage -- they don't have to go to baggage claim to get it themselves. They go to the DME Welcome Center and tell the CM their bags aren't DME-tagged. The CM asked them for their baggage claim ticket numbers, as well as a physical description of each bag (picked from a photo array of just about every suitcase known to man). Then, a CM or CMs get dispatched to go to the proper baggage claim carousel and retrieve that luggage, then being it back behind the scenes to go on its merry way with the rest of the DME luggage.

3) I know that DCL also gets automatic luggage delivery. I have NO IDEA the mechanics of how that works, but perhaps that's what you saw.

Of course, you'll do and continue to do whatever makes you comfortable and provides you with the best vacation experience. I just wanted to share some facts/possibilities with you.

Also, from a few months back I saved a post from a CM detailing in excruciating detail exactly how DME luggage travels from airplane to resort room. Let me know if you want me to post that in this thread.

 

[qst4it]

This thread makes me nervous. We are having a magical gathering in October and my 20 year old sister is flying for the first time and is using DME for her flights. I am wondering if we should shell out the extra for a towncar of something to make sure everyting goes ok?

 

[seashoreCM]

I Did I mention that my luggage was damaged between NY and POFQ? That I didn't notice it till I was leaving there for the BC? Or that Magical express had transposed my flight number? :

A transposed flight number, or no flight number, will not result in damaged luggage. Those are two independent topics.

Flight numbers gathered by ME are for (1) planning the number of buses needed at any given hour, and (2) to avoid closing down for the night before your late night flight arrives at Orlando.

There is no need for the Disney CM's on the tarmac or behind the carousel to examine flight numbers on bags already there. The flight has already arrived so the flight number "is ancient history". All they need to work with is the resort name and your name.

 

[CleveRocks]

This thread makes me nervous. We are having a magical gathering in October and my 20 year old sister is flying for the first time and is using DME for her flights. I am wondering if we should shell out the extra for a towncar of something to make sure everyting goes ok?

I'm not being dense (I hope!), and I'm really not being sarcastic .... but exactly what have you read in this thread that makes you nervous and makes you feel that traveling by towncar will ensure that everything goes okay?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

This thread makes me nervous. We are having a magical gathering in October and my 20 year old sister is flying for the first time and is using DME for her flights. I am wondering if we should shell out the extra for a towncar of something to make sure everyting goes ok?

I would also be interested in the answer to CleveRocks' question.

My most recent DME experience was actually similar to the OP's experience. Yet I remain a big fan and advocate of DME.

The OP and I both had unusually late luggage delivery on the arrival day. The OP had to wait 6 hours. I had to wait 7 hours. In both cases, it's possible our bags came in on a later flight (not DME's fault) or that there was a bottleneck in the DME luggage system, such as a shortage of bellmen at the resort. The difference between the OP and me is that my wife and I had everything we needed in carry-ons, including our camera.

The OP and I both had problems with Remote Airline Check-in on the departure day. American Airlines would not allow RAC to issue my wife's boarding pass, so we had to stop at the American Airlines counter at MCO before proceeding to security. No big deal. We had enough time.

So here's my friendly advice to anyone reading this thread:

• Use the yellow tags for most of your luggage, but don't forget to bring carry-ons with anything you'll need right away (ideally anything you'll need the first 24 hours) — not because DME is always slow, but because airlines can delay luggage (sometimes even on purpose because of weight issues with full flights).
  
• Use RAC if you're flying on a RAC-participating airline. It's great. But be aware that there's always a small possibility that you might be unable to use all or part of RAC — due to your airline, security, or computer problems. If so, you'll have to check in at the airport (just like guests whose airlines don't participate in RAC).

Sure, I wish that DME had worked perfectly for us, as it has for many other people who have posted on this board. And I remember that I was annoyed at the time. But I quickly got over being annoyed, because, overall, DME and RAC are great.

I also wish all of my towncar experiences had been perfect, but that also hasn't been the case.

 

[qst4it]

I will already have left when my sister is flying out. If she has any troubles with check in she will have a nervous breakdown. She is very scared about flying. I wanted everything to go smoothly for her and thought that DME would be the best option. It seemed like people had diffaculty with different areas and maybe paying a car service would go easier. I don't know because I have only ever flown on my own and always had a rental car. She panics if things go bad. But I have to get her to Florida somehow so flying was it. No way she could drive. She gets lost in a parking lot.

 

[havencruiser]

I have flown all over the world and to Disney many many times. I used to rent a car and the hassle of that was always an adventure. From long lines at the counter to those dreaded off-site shuttles! Usinde DME, in contrast, is delightful! Friendly people wait on you at the counter and equally charming folks are right there to put you on a bus. Depending on what time in the schedule you get to the bus, you may or may not have to wait a few minutes on the bus as they are set to stay at the airport for a predetermined number of minutes. Contrary to what some people think, the bus is not there for a specific patron based on flight numbers. Flight delays and people's ability to stay in the terminal as long as they like after the flight are variables Disney has no control over. So, when you get to the DME desk, you get on the next bus that is leaving for your resort.
Luggage is wonderful when you don't have to wait at the carousel to get it! Again, Disney has little control over when it gets off-loaded from the plane. I'm sure the few folks that have had problems are far louder than the thousands of people each day who get their bags in a timely manner and hassle-free.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I wanted everything to go smoothly for her and thought that DME would be the best option. It seemed like people had diffaculty with different areas and maybe paying a car service would go easier.

I think that using DME is the simplest, least stressful way to get from Orlando Airport to Walt Disney World resort hotels.

Right off the bat, being able to bypass baggage claim is big advantage. That eliminates the need to find the right baggage claim conveyor, waiting for bags to appear, and dealing with the situation if the bags don't appear.

Also, using a towncar service means that you're relying on the driver to be waiting for your sister when she takes the escalator from Level 3 to Level 2, the baggage claim level. What if the car service driver is delayed or doesn't show up? (That's never happened to us at the airport, and it's rare, but it does happen.)

With Magical Express, it's a simple matter of going from the arrival to the DME Welcome Center. Any airport employee should be able to point your sister in the right direction. As havencruiser wrote, at the Welcome Center, there are friendly cast members to help her.

The ride itself is quite pleasant. DME uses deluxe motorcoaches. There are video screens onboard showing a DVD about Walt Disney World (starring Disney characters).

And, of course, it's free.

 

[Edd]

Why doesn't someone tell this lady to walk up to Disney greeter 15 forward steps from the escalator and ask the greeter if she could find a Disney employee who will take her to the DME Welcome Center. Descibe the greeter, Medium blue captains coat with gold bars and tan bottoms, to the lady and have her watch for the greeter as she goes down the escalator. Everyone walks toward the escalator from the third floor and she can just follow the crowd down the escalator where she will find the greeter on the second floor. If she wants a picture let's get her a picture of the greeter. Disney has enough employees walking around the airport that they can find one who will walk the lady over to the DME.

 

[havencruiser]

I would definitely go with DME rather than a car for a nervous flyer (although she will have FLOWN successfully by the time it's necessary to find ground transportation . DME will always be there and be friendly. With a car service, you're taking a chance that the driver will be there on time, that he/she will be friendly and then you have the luggage to deal with.

 

[Edd]

If a driver knew her problems he could probably be depended on. The posts on these boards which make drivers look like they are irresponsible are stretched a lot. The lady needs someone to meet her at the escalators and take it over from there, whether it be a driver or the ME representative.

 

[LoveWDW]

We used FLTours towncars. The driver was not there when we arrived, so we walked over to luggage and collected it ourselves. When we had carried it back to the escalators, the driver was there. Other than that we were very happy with the towncar service. I got it as a treat for our anniversary, but I think I'd get it again.