Magical express Questions....

[tchan03]

Hello

I live in Canada. We gonna stay at all-star sports resort, use the Magical express service.
I heard that at the end of our trip : our departure day, we could give our luggages at the front desk of our resort,, the the luggages will be then sent to airport , next time we see luggages will be at our destination airport.

Questions :
Q1 by the time i left the resort , got on the Express and arrived at Orlando airport, (flying on Southwest) how and where can i double-check my luggages were indeed picked up from the resort and will be sent on the flight back to Canada?

Q2 Our departure time will be 2:20pm, i heard Magical Express pickup time will be likely 3 hours prior, that means 11:20am..... but this is kinda too early, is it possible to request to delay the pickup time to be 12:20pm or something like that?

Thanks
TC

 

[Magpie]

Hello

I live in Canada. We gonna stay at all-star sports resort, use the Magical express service.
I heard that at the end of our trip : our departure day, we could give our luggages at the front desk of our resort,, the the luggages will be then sent to airport , next time we see luggages will be at our destination airport.

Questions :
Q1 by the time i left the resort , got on the Express and arrived at Orlando airport, (flying on Southwest) how and where can i double-check my luggages were indeed picked up from the resort and will be sent on the flight back to Canada?

Q2 Our departure time will be 2:20pm, i heard Magical Express pickup time will be likely 3 hours prior, that means 11:20am..... but this is kinda too early, is it possible to request to delay the pickup time to be 12:20pm or something like that?

Thanks
TC

Q1: It depends on your destination airport. I know that the Ottawa airport will do the whole check-through to Orlando and back thing, but I don't think all Canadian airports do. I believe it has something to do with whether there's an actual US customs in the Canadian airport or not.

Which basically means that from some Canadian airports, you may need to collect your bags from the luggage carousel yourself and at the end of your stay, you'll bring them to the airport yourself and check them through.

But to answer your question directly - you can't. You'll get luggage tags at your resort just before you leave. You affix them and hand your bags over to the Magical Express folks. And from there, your bags are Disney's responsibility. We've done this a couple of times, and never had any problems with our bags showing up at our home airport, in Canada.

Q2: Departure times are non-negotiable. The three hours is to ensure you won't miss your flight. In our experience, Magical Express busses are slow and sometimes late, and it takes considerable time to get through the airport's customs procedure. I've never felt that the wait at my gate, once I'd got through all that, was "too long".

If you miss your bus, you'll be paying for a cab. If you really think the bus leaves too early, then I'd recommend just skipping Magical Express and budgeting in the cost of the cab.

 

[Tinknalli]

A few things that may also affect your ability to check bags and use resort airline check in:

Resort Airline check-in is open from 5AM-1PM. You must check in and hand over your luggage at least 3 hours before your flight. So, if your flight is before 8AM you cannot use the service. Also if you bring your bags down less than 3 hours before your flight departs they will not be accepted.

The pick-up 3 hours before your flight is required because they usually pick up at approximately 3 resorts before heading to the airport. They may pick up at POFQ, POR and then Kew West before heading to the airport and then they drop off at various locations at the airport to accommodate all the different airlines. Also consider that security at MCO can entail long waits and lengthy lines with the many families that travel through there on any given day. We have never felt like the arrival and wait was too long. By the time we get through security, stop to use the bathroom, grab a snack or a magazine etc it never feels like the wait is too long. And I never feels like we are in a frantic rush either.

 

[tchan03]

With 220 pm departure time , when will be the most likely ME pick up time?

11am 1130 or noon?

 

[DebbieB]

Is Canada considered international for pickup time? 4 hours instead of 3.

I don't think you can check your luggage:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/f...ort-airline-check-in-international-travelers/

 

[Magpie]

Is Canada considered international for pickup time? 4 hours instead of 3.

I think Canada's considered the same as domestic... We've always taken the same ME bus as all the American travellers.

 

[DebbieB]

I think Canada's considered the same as domestic... We've always taken the same ME bus as all the American travellers.

It would be the same bus, you just get picked up an hour earlier. Did you get picked up 3 or 4 hours before your flight?

 

[tchan03]

Sorry let me clarify , I will drive from toronto canada to buffalo and fly from there , so it's domestic flight back n forth.

So I want to know ,at the end of my trip , with 220 pm flight departure time, when will be the ME pick up time?
11 1130 or noon, I hope it will be 1130

 

[DebbieB]

Sorry let me clarify , I will drive from toronto canada to buffalo and fly from there , so it's domestic flight back n forth.

So I want to know ,at the end of my trip , with 220 pm flight departure time, when will be the ME pick up time?
11 1130 or noon, I hope it will be 1130

It depends on the resort, most likely between 11:15 and 11:45. You will not have an exact time until the day before.

 

[nkereina]

Sorry let me clarify , I will drive from toronto canada to buffalo and fly from there , so it's domestic flight back n forth.

So I want to know ,at the end of my trip , with 220 pm flight departure time, when will be the ME pick up time?
11 1130 or noon, I hope it will be 1130

Could be any of the above, but probably not noon. I've never heard of one that late. Last trip, we had an 8:15pm flight to Buffalo on Southwest and our DME pick up time was at 5:30. They do pick ups on the :15 and :45 marks of the hour too, so it may be 11:15 even. And you are required to be at the stop 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled time as sometimes the buses can be early.

As a warning, you may be glad they force you to have the three hour window. Between picking up the people at your resort, loading their bags, and possibly driving to 1-2 other resorts and doing the same, then the half hour drive to the airport (longer depending on traffic/time of day you are leaving), and then that security line... ugh. I've yet to fly out of Orlando and not had to wait at least 30 minutes in security, at best. If you are leaving at a popular time, that line can take the better part of an hour. Quite the opposite of security at Buffalo which takes me 15 minutes at most.

Also as others have said, you can't really confirm your bags got on your plane. We dropped our bags off around 9am and didn't leave on DME until 5:30pm so I was concerned too, but while we were sitting on the plane, we saw our bags being loaded on. And our flight was also delayed an hour and a half. I think they have it down to a science by now.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Most likely it won't be noon. Between 11:15 and 11:30 probably.

 

[siskaren]

As a warning, you may be glad they force you to have the three hour window. Between picking up the people at your resort, loading their bags, and possibly driving to 1-2 other resorts and doing the same, then the half hour drive to the airport (longer depending on traffic/time of day you are leaving), and then that security line... ugh. I've yet to fly out of Orlando and not had to wait at least 30 minutes in security, at best. If you are leaving at a popular time, that line can take the better part of an hour. Quite the opposite of security at Buffalo which takes me 15 minutes at most.

And if you make good time getting to the airport and getting through security, then you can use that extra time to get some lunch.

 

[nkereina]

And if you make good time getting to the airport and getting through security, then you can use that extra time to get some lunch.

Exactly. As I said above, our pick up time was 5:30 for an 8:15pm flight on a Saturday. By the time we got through security and had something quick to eat, we would have only had about 20 minutes to kill had our flight not been delayed.

 

[purple figment]

Hello

I live in Canada. We gonna stay at all-star sports resort, use the Magical express service.
I heard that at the end of our trip : our departure day, we could give our luggages at the front desk of our resort,, the the luggages will be then sent to airport , next time we see luggages will be at our destination airport. You take your luggage to the Resort Airline Check in podium (RAC) which is different from the front desk. RAC is curbside check in, but the "curb" is at your resort and not at the airport.

Questions :
Q1 by the time i left the resort , got on the Express and arrived at Orlando airport, (flying on Southwest) how and where can i double-check my luggages were indeed picked up from the resort and will be sent on the flight back to Canada?

Q2 Our departure time will be 2:20pm, i heard Magical Express pickup time will be likely 3 hours prior, that means 11:20am..... but this is kinda too early, is it possible to request to delay the pickup time to be 12:20pm or something like that?

Thanks
TC

Q1. There's no way to check if your luggage is at the airport. If you are concerned, you don't have to use RAC. You can take your luggage with you on the ME bus and check it at the airport, but you are going to need more time at the airport.

Q2. As others have already said, ME will pick you up approximately 3 hours before your flight - give or take about 15 minutes. You need to be at the ME bus stop 15 minutes BEFORE the time listed on the paperwork you'll receive in your room the day before because the time listed is when the bus is scheduled to leave the resort. Allow time to pick up carry ons and a last bathroom stop and plenty of travel time if you are visiting a park or another resort that morning.

If you decide not to check your luggage with RAC, you might want to contact ME and request an earlier pick up to allow more time at the airport. They will allow earlier pick ups, but not later ones. The 3 hour minimum time frame is firm. If you miss the bus it will be your responsibility to get a cab to the airport. You can't wait for the next bus.

 

[tchan03]

I wanted to spend time in magic kingdom that morning...if pickup time is 1130 then what time should I leave MK? How often does shuttle bus come? How long is bus ride from MK to all star resort?

( assuming I took care of my luggages already)

Tc

 

[bumbershoot]

I wanted to spend time in magic kingdom that morning...if pickup time is 1130 then what time should I leave MK? How often does shuttle bus come? How long is bus ride from MK to all star resort?

( assuming I took care of my luggages already)

Tc

I have awful luck with transportation.

So if I were brave enough to go to a park before DME, I would take a cab. But I'm not brave enough, especially not for a situation where you'll need to be at the resort, with your carryons IN your hand, by around 11:15 if not 11!

There's no way I would do this. But if you do, just budget for a taxi. When you get to the park, find out where exactly the taxis pick up. I *believe* we took a taxi, and it picked up at the Ticket and Transportation Center. To get back there, you have to exit the park and take a monorail or boat. So you have to factor in time for those things, getting to those things, and WAITING for those things.

If someone forced me to go to MK on such a day, I would be walking OUT of the gates of MK at 10am, and I would be walking quickly.



You might consider using RAC for your luggage, but using some other way to get to the airport. That is something totally allowed. Maybe you could use a private car service instead that will pick you up later. Might help you do all you want to do.

 

[siskaren]

I wanted to spend time in magic kingdom that morning...if pickup time is 1130 then what time should I leave MK? How often does shuttle bus come? How long is bus ride from MK to all star resort?

(assuming I took care of my luggages already)

Tc

Honestly, I don't think you'll have enough time because you should probably be at the MK bus stop no later than 10:00. This would give you time to wait for the bus back to your resort, plus give you time to make a last pit stop at your hotel and pick up your carry-on bag from Bell Services (if you left one there) and then just relax for awhile before your bus comes.

 

[siskaren]

When you get to the park, find out where exactly the taxis pick up. I *believe* we took a taxi, and it picked up at the Ticket and Transportation Center.

Getting a taxi at the Contemporary would probably be easier and faster.

 

[tchan03]

Oh no.... MK opens at 8 (extra magic hr) ....only 2 hrs of fun?...

 

[purple figment]

Oh no.... MK opens at 8 (extra magic hr) ....only 2 hrs of fun?...

Yes, you should be walking out the MK gate 90 minutes before pick up time to get back to your resort, pick up any carry ons at bell services and last bathroom stop.

Trying to squeeze in more time in the park at the risk of missing the ME bus is not a good idea. As I said upthread, if you miss your scheduled bus you will have to take a taxi to the airport. ME buses are scheduled as needed so if no one from your resort is leaving after you for a couple hours, there will be no bus. And even if there is another bus 30 minutes later it may not have room for people who aren't on the passenger list. As much as we all want to extend our park time, sometimes it's not a good idea.