Magical Express Step By Step - Other Airlines

[clkelley]

I posted this in another thread, but it has gotten buried, so I thought I would give it it's own thread

Non-Participating Airlines Procedure

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Going to WDW

Put your Disney ME luggage tags on your luggage.

Check your luggage at your home airport.

Arrive at MCO

Go to the Disney ME Desk

Get on your bus

Get to your resort

Check in

Your bags will be delivered to your room.

Going home from WDW:

Leave your resort room with your bags (or call bell services)

Store your luggage with bell services if your flight is later in the day

Go the ME loading area with your bags at the designated time

The bus driver will load your bags on the bus

Board the ME bus

Arrive at MCO

Check-in, check your bags, and get your boarding pass at curbside or at the check-in counter.

Go through security

Board the plane

Your bags should be at the carousel at your home airport

 

[pershing]

It sounds like the luggage for non-participating air carriers also gets picked up by ME on Orlando arrivals.

That's not what I thought was gonna happen. I thought with non-participating airline travellers, you had to go to baggage claim and get your bags before getting to the ME designated area.

Little nervous about leaving the luggage behind
1

 

[nluvwithmickey]

How do you go about getting the designated time when you return to MCO with DME?

 

[jenndisney]

It sounds like the luggage for non-participating air carriers also gets picked up by ME on Orlando arrivals.

That's not what I thought was gonna happen. I thought with non-participating airline travellers, you had to go to baggage claim and get your bags before getting to the ME designated area.

Little nervous about leaving the luggage behind
1

Everyone can have their bags picked up at MCO. You can get your own, if you do not put the yellow tags on. We had them claim our luggage two weeks ago and it was fine.

How do you go about getting the designated time when you return to MCO with DME?

They hang a notice on your resort door the day before you leave. Take my advice. Show up when they tell you to. My DH thought he knew better and we were late and caught a later bus and almost missed our flight. You really need the 3 hours they tell say you need.

------we loved the service and will do it again on our next trip-------

 

[localdriver]

They hang a notice on your resort door the day before you leave. Take my advice. Show up when they tell you to. My DH thought he knew better and we were late and caught a later bus and almost missed our flight. You really need the 3 hours they tell say you need.

------we loved the service and will do it again on our next trip-------

In fact, be there 10 min early. Your pick up time provided by Disney, is the bus departure time. Why they don't put an emphasis on that is unknown. Please be 10 min early.

Also be advised, do to increased demand, the coach that picks you up could be, A DME coach, A Disney Cruise Line Coach, A Black and Yellow MEARS coach, A White and Gray Mears Coach, A Plain White Coach (MEARS not Painted) A RED coach with VIRGIN HOLIDAYS on it . They are all MEARS and can and will be used for DME as demand requires.

 

[CallaLily]

Thanks for cutting through the confusion, clkelley. I thought I couldn't use ME with Southwest, but now I know I can and save $$.

 

[goofy4tink]

And again....'participating airline' is only applicable when leaving WDW. There are still a lot of folks out there that think they can not use DME because they are flying a 'non-participating' airline. It matters only when you leave your resort...whether or not you can check your luggage at the resort or you have to take it with you to the airport (the 'old' way).

Another point to remember....
You may not get that 'over the doorknob' notice the night before you leave. My dh left from BCV 5 days before us and he never got anything the night before. And I forgot to give him the voucher for the bus that they stamp when you first check-in with DME upon arrival at MCO. But we knew which bus he should be on.
And then, when dd and I left from POR later that week, again nothing left for us overnight. And to show exactly what kind of an idiot I am, I left my vouchers in my checked luggage....they went to MCO at 9 in the morning!! I had to go to Bell Services to get a replacement voucher. We, again, knew which bus we should report to. And local driver is absolutely correct...be there early. I would say 20 minutes before your bus is scheduled to leave.

So, in short.......keep those return vouchers handy. Do not pack them in your luggage. If you don't get anything over the door the night before, check with the DME desk people early in the day as to what time to come back. Usually about 3 hrs. before your flight time.

 

[Missy1961]

Thanks for posting this. I was aware that I could use ME (I'm flying JetBlue), but I was unaware of how it works. This is great. I'm going to print it out & put it in my PassPorter!

 

[mpbs]

Thank you , that posting is a great help!

 

[twinklebug]

In fact, be there 10 min early. Your pick up time provided by Disney, is the bus departure time. Why they don't put an emphasis on that is unknown. Please be 10 min early.

Also be advised, do to increased demand, the coach that picks you up could be, A DME coach, A Disney Cruise Line Coach, A Black and Yellow MEARS coach, A White and Gray Mears Coach, A Plain White Coach (MEARS not Painted) A RED coach with VIRGIN HOLIDAYS on it . They are all MEARS and can and will be used for DME as demand requires.

So if they can use all these different looking busses, do the resorts have a specific ME pickup area to avoid becoming confused?

Also, how early do the busses leave for the airport? I changed our return flight to 50 min earlier after ME had been scheduled. I thought that since I read that they return you to the airport 3 hours ahead of your flight this change would have little impact, but I'm re-thinking that now if there have been folk scrambling to make a flight.

 

[Mears_Driver]

So if they can use all these different looking busses, do the resorts have a specific ME pickup area to avoid becoming confused?

Also, how early do the busses leave for the airport? I changed our return flight to 50 min earlier after ME had been scheduled. I thought that since I read that they return you to the airport 3 hours ahead of your flight this change would have little impact, but I'm re-thinking that now if there have been folk scrambling to make a flight.

I'm also a driver for the DME busses. There is a pickup area at each resort so that you will not be confused. Also, different busses drop off and pick up so the one dropping people off from the airport won't be the one taking you to the airport. Don't get angry about this, it is normal.

I'm not sure I understand your next question about how early the busses leave for the airport. The normal time for you to catch the bus is 3 hours and after the bus makes the stops it needs to it will leave Disney for the airport.

You want to keep your appointed time because the bus may make up to 3 or 4 more stops depending on where you are staying. Worst case scenerio it will take 1.5 hours from the time you get on the bus to the time you reach MCO.

 

[Mich Mouse]

Mears Driver,

What stop will Port Orleans French Quarter be on the route?

 

[Mears_Driver]

Mears Driver,

What stop will Port Orleans French Quarter be on the route?

It's hard to say because it all depends on how many people there are at that time and which stops they are going to. For example, if there are people going to Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, French Quarter and Riverside then I would make French Quarter the 3rd stop after S.S. and OKW. But if there was no one going there then French Quarter might be first. It's just hard to say.

The driver pretty much decides which stop is when, but the general rule is that you don't pass a resort and then come back to it so the first resort you come to on the property that you have on your bus would be the first one stopped at.

 

[Mich Mouse]

Thank You for the response! How long does the trip usually take from de-planing - arrival at your resort? One CM told me up to two hours, another said forty-five minutes.

We are arriving at around 10:45 am.

 

[Mears_Driver]

Thank You for the response! How long does the trip usually take from de-planing - arrival at your resort? One CM told me up to two hours, another said forty-five minutes.

We are arriving at around 10:45 am.

From the time you get off the plane to the time you get in line at the DME queue depends on too many things to be able to tell you how long it will take.

I do know that from the time the first person gets on the bus the Disney reps can hold the bus for as long as 30 minutes. The time they hold the bus will depend on how many people there are and how fast they come through the line.

Just a few days ago, I had a bus load in about 8 minutes because everyone was going to Riverside. Then again, I have sat with just a few people on the bus for about 25 minutes waiting for more people.

If you read some of the threads you will read different times from 45 minutes to 1.5 - 2 hours, it all just depends on the circumstances that unfortunately are out of our control.

By the way, really cool picture.

 

[Mich Mouse]

Thanks for the information. I am just so glad to have my luggage taken care of for me!

Thanks for the photo comment...My family loves Star Wars and my DH poses for this same picture with DD every single time we go to WDW.

 

[goofy4tink]

If it helps to judge times....we got to MCO at 11:50 a.m., we were on the bus at 12:15. Drove off at 12:30, stopped at CBR, YC, then BC where we got off, then the bus continued to BW. We were checking in at 1:05, at the pool by 1:15, in our room at 2:30, bags delivered at 3:00.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Thanks for posting this. I was aware that I could use ME (I'm flying JetBlue), but I was unaware of how it works. This is great. I'm going to print it out & put it in my PassPorter!

Missy1961, FYI I believe that JetBlue just signed up with DME and are now a participating airline (as of last Friday). I saw a thread here stating such, so you may want ot do a search on it. Nothing on JetBlue's site about it, but a Disney employee confirmed that they were told that this was now in effect.

Here's a link (tho not the one I saw earlier).

So you may be able to chekc you bags onto JetBlue at the resort after all. Check it out when you arrive.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

How do we find out who the participating airlines are? thanks so much for all this info it is fantastic!

 

[Harley-Mouse]

just want to know how it works. If you fly on the airlines in the plan does bellman take your bag from your room and you get it back at your home airport? Or do you still have to load you bag on the bus at the hotel? Also on the way in we don;t arive till 11:30 pm how is the bus service at that time? We will stay one night at All star moves then go to BCV. I asked if thay cound ship the bags to BCV for the next day and was told no. When will I get my bags at Allstar movies? I want to checkout earle and go use the pool at BC. before we get our room after check in.Thank you all.