Magical Express? Would you use it if....

[Tottwo]

If you want to get your own bags at the airport, THROW AWAY your yellow DME luggage tags. After your flight lands, go to baggage claim, get your bags, go to the DME Welcome Center, check in, and get in your bus queue. The driver will load your bags under the bus, and when you arrive at your resort the driver will unload them for you.

I just want to be sure you realize that if you use the automatic baggage delivery you don't have to sit in your room and wait for your luggage. It will be left in there whether you're in there or not.

No matter which you choose, it's always a smart idea to pack a carry-on with your first 24 hours' worth of supplies just in case the AIRLINE delays your luggage.

Thanks! That helps. I have a couple more questions - Do I need to make sure I check in first, or will they leave the luggage in the room that I'm due to check in?

Also, what happens if I arrive on a late flight, like 10pm - does ME run that late? Will my luggage show up really late at my room? I haven't booked my flights yet and may not book a late one if ME doesn't run that late.
Thanks!

 

[Edd]

Check out the thread just below entitled "DME won't pull my luggage after 11:00" Last page. You may find your answer there.

 

[tjmw2727]

Would you use ME on your day of arrival if you just planned on checking in to the hotel and swimming the first day you arrive.

Our flight arrives in Orlando at 10:30 a.m. We were not planning on going right to the parks. We thought we would get settled in and maybe check out the Poly and swim for the afternoon, nap (if we can) and then we have dinner at Chef Mickey.

I know that you do not get your bags right away so I was going to pack our suits and stuff in a carry on bag that I could take with me to the Poly when we check in.

I am just questioning if we should take ME or forget it and just get our bags and take a cab to Disney.

How much is a cab to Disney any way?

What are your expert thoughts? What have you done for your first day at Disney?

Thanks for your help!

This is exactly what we did last week, we used ME with the luggage delivery service and packed a carryon with pool gear and what we thought we would need for the day. Our flight arrived at 9:10 am and we were checking into POFQ at 10:30am. Our room was ready about 2ish and our bags were in the room waiting four us.

Unless I had a very late flight I would use DME with the luggage delivery again.

TJ

 

[CleveRocks]

Here's my question. We are planning on using the Magical Express and are arriving at Disney around 10:30AM. We plan on going to the parks that day. There are some items that I don't think you can carryon the plane, such as sunscreen, lotion, etc. I guess you can if they are really small bottles

Yes, 3 ounce containers or smaller. EACH TICKETED PASSENGER can bring as many containers as they want, as long as they fit into a quart-sized zip-top bag that can close comfortably.

, but my point is, what if there is stuff in your luggage you want to bring with you to the parks or vice versa....... What if there is stuff you have on the plane that you don't want to lug around the parks. For example, we'll probably be wearing jeans and will want to change into shorts. I don't want to carry around jeans with me to the parks if our room is not ready. What is your suggestion?

Easy. Bring everything you need for your first 24 hours in a carry-on. If your room is ready, change your clothes there and leave your carry-on there. If your room isn't ready, ask at the front desk where is the best place you can change. Then, have your carry-ons stored by Bell Services. Then go out and enjoy!

I would do exactly this no matter where I was traveling. In fact, I do it every time. For me, it has nothing to do with using DME and adjusting for the baggage delivery delay. To me, it has EVERYTHING to do with providing myself with a form of "travel insurance." What if the airline delays my luggage? Well, if that happens, I can still enjoy the first day of my vacation. If luggage is delayed and not truly "lost," it usually gets back to the passenger within the first 24 hours. This way, you protect yourself against a really crummy start to your vacation.

Where's the last place I flew, besides WDW? Hmm .... Phoenix. In the wintertime. One of the things I was looking forward to for the first few hours after my arrival was getting my rental car, driving to my gorgeous resort, swimming in the pool soon after arriving, and then going to hike among the buttes in Tempe. I made sure I had my bathing suit, beach shoes, and then decent clothes to hike in (rather than what I wore on the plane). Now let's say my luggage had been delayed -- I'd still have been able to do all that my first day, even if my suitcases had gone AWOL for a while. It's just self-protective.

I know it sounds like a lot of stuff, but I assure you it's not, especially when traveling to a warm climate. Go ahead and try it. Take a small bag and pack a bathing suit, cover-up (if needed), pool shoes, complete change of clothes, PJs, allowable toiletries, etc. It sounds like a lot, but it takes up very little space.

 

[DisneyBarlans]

In May, I am driving down with the kids, and my husband is flying down two days later after work. Can he take the ME straight to Magic Kingdom, or does he need to go to the hotel first? We'll already be checked in since I'm arriving first, and he won't have any luggage-I'll be bringing it with me in the car.

If he has to go to a hotel, can he go to the Contemporary or the Polynesian so he'll be closer to the MK, or does he have to go to Pop Century where we're staying?

 

[Disneyof3]

So does anyone know of anyone not getting there luggage at all?? Also how long (approx only) does it take for your luggage to get to your room? So we plan on landing around 12 noon and the way everyone says it takes approx. 1 hour from landing to getting to resort. So we get to resort around 1pm, we get our room and then we head out for the day. How do you pay the bell guys for your luggage?? When I return later on that night they will be gone and my luggage will be left in my room.

 

[Pooh's Pal]

I have a question about an earlier comment about using ME and picking up your own bags at the airport.

I would really like to do this because I don't want to wait approx 3 hours before I get my bags delivered to my room. So, does this mean that once I land, I go to the baggage carousel, get my bags off the carousel, bring them to the ME bus and they will load them on the bus? Then, when we arrive at our hotel, I can get my bags as I get off the bus?

I've done this before....arrived at MCO, picked up my bags and headed over to ME checkin..brought my bags right out to the bus and had them off at BW. You do the lugging thou'!

 

[stemikger]

I have used ME on my last two trips and I highly reccomend it.

 

[goofy4tink]

In May, I am driving down with the kids, and my husband is flying down two days later after work. Can he take the ME straight to Magic Kingdom, or does he need to go to the hotel first? We'll already be checked in since I'm arriving first, and he won't have any luggage-I'll be bringing it with me in the car.

If he has to go to a hotel, can he go to the Contemporary or the Polynesian so he'll be closer to the MK, or does he have to go to Pop Century where we're staying?

The DME bus doesn't go to any of the parks. Each DME reservation is tied to the resort you have a reservation at. Therefor, your dh will have to go to your resort first, then take a bus to MK.

So does anyone know of anyone not getting there luggage at all?? Also how long (approx only) does it take for your luggage to get to your room? So we plan on landing around 12 noon and the way everyone says it takes approx. 1 hour from landing to getting to resort. So we get to resort around 1pm, we get our room and then we head out for the day. How do you pay the bell guys for your luggage?? When I return later on that night they will be gone and my luggage will be left in my room.

I haven't heard any reports of people not getting their bags. Your bags could get to your room anytime from 1-3 hrs after the flight lands....depends on the route of the luggage truck. So...if you get to your resort, and your room is ready, your luggage could be in the room in two hours. Either way, head out to a park or do whatever you want to do. Bell Services do not expect a tip for bringing DME delivered bags to a room..it is part of the service. That's one of the nice things about using DME...no tipping is expected.

 

[simzac]

We never go to the parks on the day we arrive, and have used ME on our last 2 trips. Just pack in your carryon what you will need when you arrive at your resort. JMO

 

[DJT]

My sister and I are leaving in six days. We booked through SW Vacations. We don't have our luggage tags yet and I'm afraid we're not going to get them. So, if you were in our place, would you pick up your luggage yourself and go to the Disney counter, or would you go straight to the Disney counter and give Disney the luggage "receipts" from SW and let Disney get the luggage? I just want our luggage to actually get to our resort. I don't want it left at the SW luggage area very long and I don't know how long it would take Disney to get the luggage once we give them our SW luggage "receipts".

 

[goofy4tink]

While I know there are those out there who are very comfortable with giving their baggage claim receipts to the DME people, I would much rather just go to baggage claim and get my own bags. I know it's nice to not have to schlep the bags around the airport, but for me it just isn't all that big a deal. I would much rather be safe than sorry, and spend one minute worrying about my bags not being picked up.

 

[CleveRocks]

In May, I am driving down with the kids, and my husband is flying down two days later after work. Can he take the ME straight to Magic Kingdom, or does he need to go to the hotel first? We'll already be checked in since I'm arriving first, and he won't have any luggage-I'll be bringing it with me in the car.

If he has to go to a hotel, can he go to the Contemporary or the Polynesian so he'll be closer to the MK, or does he have to go to Pop Century where we're staying?

If you guys will already be inside Magic Kingdom when your husband lands at the airport, he might consider paying for a taxi from MCO to MK. I'm a big fan of DME, but if it were me, and I'd been apart from my family for a few days, I'd gladly pay $50 to go join them an hour or 2 earlier inside the Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[CleveRocks]

My sister and I are leaving in six days. We booked through SW Vacations. We don't have our luggage tags yet and I'm afraid we're not going to get them. So, if you were in our place, would you pick up your luggage yourself and go to the Disney counter, or would you go straight to the Disney counter and give Disney the luggage "receipts" from SW and let Disney get the luggage? I just want our luggage to actually get to our resort. I don't want it left at the SW luggage area very long and I don't know how long it would take Disney to get the luggage once we give them our SW luggage "receipts".

Here's an opinion opposite from goofy4tink's.

Go ahead and skip baggage claim and trust Disney to deliver your bags.

I'm not just talking from the cheap seats here ... I was ready to do this myself. I used DME on its 4th day of operations. Back then, there were BIG problems with getting luggage tags out on-time. The day before my trip, I called DME and asked for advice. They told me of their established procedure to get untagged bags. He also gave me the off-the-record suggestion to tag the bags with some very identifiable ribbon or yarn, and then tell the CM about it.

My wife went one further. She not only got the brightest and ugliest and most obnoxious ribbon I've ever seen (ORANGE with PURPLE polka dots), she also packed some swatches in her carry-on so she could give them to the DME desk to aid in their ID of our luggage.

We lucked out and our DME packet arrived in the mail later that day, but we were fully prepared to just go for it with an untested, unreported on system. Now that it's been around for almost 2 years, it's not like we've read any horror stories from people who trusted this system and were disappointed.

 

[alldiz]

Would you use ME on your day of arrival if you just planned on checking in to the hotel and swimming the first day you arrive.

Our flight arrives in Orlando at 10:30 a.m. We were not planning on going right to the parks. We thought we would get settled in and maybe check out the Poly and swim for the afternoon, nap (if we can) and then we have dinner at Chef Mickey.

I know that you do not get your bags right away so I was going to pack our suits and stuff in a carry on bag that I could take with me to the Poly when we check in.

I am just questioning if we should take ME or forget it and just get our bags and take a cab to Disney.

How much is a cab to Disney any way?

What are your expert thoughts? What have you done for your first day at Disney?

Thanks for your help!

I have always used ME....and I ALWAYS pick up my bags....
Dont put the yellow stickers on and go pick up your bags..
Then go to ME counter with your luggage and get on bus.
there is a compartment under bus for your luggage if you bring it.

We always hang at resort the first day...And I cannot get
"settled till I have all my stuff" in my room...
Kerri

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's an opinion opposite from goofy4tink's.

Go ahead and skip baggage claim and trust Disney to deliver your bags.

I'm not just talking from the cheap seats here ... I was ready to do this myself. I used DME on its 4th day of operations. Back then, there were BIG problems with getting luggage tags out on-time. The day before my trip, I called DME and asked for advice. They told me of their established procedure to get untagged bags. He also gave me the off-the-record suggestion to tag the bags with some very identifiable ribbon or yarn, and then tell the CM about it.

My wife went one further. She not only got the brightest and ugliest and most obnoxious ribbon I've ever seen (ORANGE with PURPLE polka dots), she also packed some swatches in her carry-on so she could give them to the DME desk to aid in their ID of our luggage.

We lucked out and our DME packet arrived in the mail later that day, but we were fully prepared to just go for it with an untested, unreported on system. Now that it's been around for almost 2 years, it's not like we've read any horror stories from people who trusted this system and were disappointed.

Now I wonder how I knew you were going to disagree with me!!!??? It all boils down to personal pref. I still have my bright aqua blanket binding, with Winnie-the-Pooh on it, with the bright lime green grosgrain ribbon sewn onto the side on each of my bags. I put them on there for the exact same reason...I booked my trip and hadn't gotten my luggage tags yet..it was only about 4 days before we were to leave. So...put those atrocious ribbons on my bags. I did get the yellow tags but kept the aqua/Winnie/lime green bows on the bags. Makes my bags a lot easier to see coming out of baggage tunnel!!