Magical Express Questions...

[vtwep]

Hi,

I think I understand the basics for the Magical Express:
- call ahead and reserve
- get info and luggage tags in mail
- check in at airport as normal
- get to Orlando, go to the Magical Express check-in and take bus to resort
- luggage gets to my room a few hours later

That sounds great! A couple questions:
- if we call and request extra luggage tags, do they all have to be used? Do you call and "register" tag numbers or anything like that? For example, if we have 6 tags, and end up packing 5 suitcases, do we have to let anyone know about the 6th unused tag?
- I believe we can use this one-way only, correct?

Any other details I need to be aware of?

 

[notaclue]

Let me see if I can help answer your questions. If you book directly with Disney they should send you luggage tags about 3 or 4 weeks prior to your departure date. If you book with a travel agent Disney will send the tags to the travel agent who will forward them to you. They usually send 2 plastic ID tags per person. You'll also receive a packet with yellow paper tags that go around the handles of your luggage that have the name of your resort. We've never had to call ME directly. I'm sure you can request extra tags if you need them. They aren't numbered or registered so far as I can tell. You can use ME on your arrival and your departure but you need to remove the yellow paper tags before you board the plane for home because you don't want you luggage getting misrouted back to WDW. Hope this helps.

 

[Alesia]

Let me see if I can help answer your questions. If you book directly with Disney they should send you luggage tags about 3 or 4 weeks prior to your departure date. If you book with a travel agent Disney will send the tags to the travel agent who will forward them to you. They usually send 2 plastic ID tags per person. You'll also receive a packet with yellow paper tags that go around the handles of your luggage that have the name of your resort. We've never had to call ME directly. I'm sure you can request extra tags if you need them. They aren't numbered or registered so far as I can tell. You can use ME on your arrival and your departure but you need to remove the yellow paper tags before you board the plane for home because you don't want you luggage getting misrouted back to WDW. Hope this helps.

Correct, except that they are now only sending 1 luggage tag per person.

If you check out the transportation board, you will get great info about ME.

 

[Baltazar]

ME tags/booklet come right from Disney, it's your resort pack that goes through your TA.

When you get your booklet from ME, make sure the flight info is correct. If it's not right or you need more yellow luggage tags just call them.

When you arrive in Orlando, you go right to the bus lines where you are directed to the proper bus.

You can use all the tags or none, it makes no difference. The tags have bar codes that direct your bag to the right place. They send one per person but if you need more they will send them within a week of your call.

 

[vtwep]

thanks for the replies! appreciate it. I'll also check the transportation board for other ideas/suggestions. Thanks.

 

[VeroBeach]

ME tags/booklet come right from Disney, it's your resort pack that goes through your TA.

My TA gave me both.

 

[Chelmarie53]

I have a question. If I booked a vacation package directly through Disney (and said on the phone that I want Magical Express) and then proceeded to give them my airline info through their website/My Disney Vacation, is that all the reservation I need? Or do I need to call or something?

 

[goofy4tink]

If you book your trip through a travel agent (not Disney), everything will be sent to that travel agent, who in turn has to get it to you...even the DME packet. If you have a travel agent who isn't on the ball or takes their sweet time about getting the stuff to you, it may not reach you in time. Just keep that in mind.

Chelmarie53....most likely you are now booked with DME. But, you may want to call Disney directly just to make sure they have the correct info in their system.


There is no need to use all the luggage tags. You may call DME and request more if you need them. When you get to the DME checkin area, most likely you will be asked how many bags you checked. Now, the number of bags is in the system and if one goes missing, they will be aware of it. Those bags are scanned many times from the time they come off the baggage belt to the time they arrive at your resort.

 

[Baltazar]

I can only go by what my TA told me, she said the ME tags come right from Disney. The envelopes concur because the resort pack came from Smallworld Vacations (my TA) and the ME pack said Magical Express. I guess it depends on how your TA does it.

 

[ODaddy]

We didn't use any tags as I wasn't comfortable with our stuff arriving a few hours later, so we scooped it up at baggage and boarded the bus. Departing was another story, the POLY has the resources to check your bag at the hotel, so there is no need to deal with a checked bag at MCO. One less headache. Magical Express actually worked quite well, just build in a little extra "hold" time as I cut it too close and missed our ADR that night.

 

[Baltazar]

Departing was another story, the POLY has the resources to check your bag at the hotel, so there is no need to deal with a checked bag at MCO.

All resorts do that but only certain airlines.

All airlines you can use ME baggage handling coming to Disney but only certain ones do resort check in for the flight home.

 

[nonnasally]

All resorts do that but only certain airlines.

All airlines you can use ME baggage handling coming to Disney but only certain ones do resort check in for the flight home.

I have received our tags ( only one person, use to be 2 each). For the first time we will be flying back home via AirTran which is one of the airlines that will check your bags at the hotel prior to leaving. Can someone tell me if they provide special tags for you the day you check out? Also, is it done earlier enough that you don't waste the last day with your bags. Thanks everyone for the great info.

 

[snykymom]

I have received our tags ( only one person, use to be 2 each). For the first time we will be flying back home via AirTran which is one of the airlines that will check your bags at the hotel prior to leaving. Can someone tell me if they provide special tags for you the day you check out? Also, is it done earlier enough that you don't waste the last day with your bags. Thanks everyone for the great info.

You don't get special tags on the way out. What happens is you check into AirTran at the special ME desk just as if you were checking in at the airport. You get your boarding pass, and the computer prints out your luggage tag (the bar-coded one with the airport code for your destination) for that particular airline as if you were at the airport. The CM takes your luggage and puts the airline's tag on it, and it disappears, to reappear at your destination's luggage area.

Very neat, very simple.

 

[Justin the Hook]

I have received our tags ( only one person, use to be 2 each). For the first time we will be flying back home via AirTran which is one of the airlines that will check your bags at the hotel prior to leaving. Can someone tell me if they provide special tags for you the day you check out? Also, is it done earlier enough that you don't waste the last day with your bags. Thanks everyone for the great info.

I agree with the above poster that this is a great service and is quite magical. The only thing to add to this is that you can do this early in the morning when you check out. Last year our flight out of MCO wasn't until 8 pm. We checked our luggage at 8 am at the hotel and were off to the parks for a great last day. We got back to the hotel around 4:30 grabbed some dinner walked out got on the ME to MCO arrived got on the plane and landed in Baltimore at 10 pm viola luggage with everyone elses! Love ME.

 

[Baltazar]

nonnasally - you can call ME if you need more yellow tags and they will send them within a week.