Magical Express

[sausageman1]

We're flying in and renting a car. However, can I put my magical express tags on my luggage so I don't have to mess around with picking up my luggage. I don't need to check in with the the Disney people at the airport, do I?

Just thought this would eliminate one extra step, and I could get to getting my car, buy some groceries at Walmart and get to Pop. I understand it could take several hours till I get my stuff, but we'll have a carryon with our swim suits.

Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[Jestocost]

You can do that and it almost certainly will work. Whether Disney believes you should or not is one of the more important philosophical questions of our time; right up there with pool hopping and using Fast Passes after the window has closed. This is the cue for Edd and others to weigh in on a subject that has occupied many pages of many threads with no absolute winner declared. Where is Solomon when you need him?

 

[I'mNoPrince]

I agree they state DME is not a luggage transfer system.

They say it will not release the luggage unless someone is scanned onto the Bus.
I do know they scan you on the bus ,I do know that the Bags are tracked and moved by way of the BarCode.

Knowing my luck I would be the one that has their bags sitting in lalaland waiting for the release.

What we did when we did rent from MCO was send some on the ME bus and we just went and got the van. Now we just rent from one of the On-sights as DME works so well for us.

Good luck and give a firsthand report if you try it.

 

[MisMikiNikiLynne]

I would not take the chance that they scan for passengers and coordinating luggage and your luggage gets left at the terminal. If you are renting a car, go ahead and pick up your luggage and take it with you to walmart. After all, you will either rent a luggage cart for a couple of bucks at the terminal to take your luggage to your rented car, or to the bus that takes you to pick up your rented car. No biggie!
Please don't flame me as I appreciate MEx and use if frequently, and would hate to have it end because of abuse of it! Ie: people using it to only transport their luggage because of the inconvience to them to claim it.

 

[Jestocost]

Edd must be out to dinner or driving a client.

 

[goofy4tink]

Disney 'says' they are not a luggage transfer service, that getting your luggage delivered to your resort is a perk of riding the DME bus. So...do they want you to tag your bags, have DME transport the bags and you not ride the bus? That is what they say. However, lots of people have done exactly what you want to do with no problems.
However, if something happens to your bags, due to the airlines mishandling/directing, then you may have a problem. I'm not exactly sure how DME would handle it. If you have checked in, told them the number of bags you checked and then rode the bus, then DME will take care of finding your bags and getting them to you. If, on the other hand, you send your bags with DME but use a rental car to get to the resort, I'm not sure what DME would do. They may say that you never checked in so they have no obligation to track your bags. I'm sure that would be a very small chance to take, but it's out there in any case. Just a thought.

 

[sausageman1]

Well, I'm officially freaked out now. I think I will just spend the extra 10 minutes at baggage claim and get my luggage.

BUT, how about on the way home at the end of the trip, checking your bags at the hotel, to avoid the line at the hotel?????

 

[CleveRocks]

Well, I'm officially freaked out now. I think I will just spend the extra 10 minutes at baggage claim and get my luggage.

BUT, how about on the way home at the end of the trip, checking your bags at the hotel, to avoid the line at the hotel?????

The way home is totally different. IF you are flying a participating airline, you are free to check your bags with Resort Airline Check-in no matter how you are getting your body back to the airport. RAC is exactly like curbside check-in -- you check your bags through to your final destination and you get your boarding passes.

Since RAC is actually a separate service from DME, riding the DME bus is not a prerequisite of using RAC. However, you must be flying home on one of the "participating airlines" or you can't use RAC at all.

 

[hsmamato2]

-good info....

 

[seashoreCM]

The way the process is described, yellow tagged luggage arriving in Orlando will go with the flow to Disney even though the owner doesn't check in at the welcoming area let alone ride the Magical Express bus.

But behind the scenes fine tuning and improvements in the future could make the results unpredictable. By proclaiming that Magical Express is not a luggage-only service, Disney can work on making improvements at their leisure without worrying about some adverse impacts.

The current arrangement between Disney and the airport calls for Disney to take charge of yellow tagged luggage at the airport, which, done manually, is done summarily. There is no safeguard to passengers who forgot to remove their yellow tags and on a future journey somewhere else, luggage got misdirected and ended up in Orlando and got whisked away to Disney (probably rarer than winning the state lottery but the probability is non-zero). Such luggage would be declared totally lost by the airline unless and until Disney finds out by checking much more than the yellow tag itself that the bag does not belong to a current resort guest and sends it back, possibly days later. Patents may be applied for in the future for preventing mishaps such as this, such as putting in an automatic baggage conveyor, scanner and culler at the airport, making ...

They say it will not release the luggage unless someone is scanned onto the Bus.

... true, and the final result could be that the burden is shifted onto the more proliferous guests using Magical Express for luggage only. This elaborate scenario with the culler is unlikely to happen unless Disney determined that the cost would be made up in reduced labor costs and also the average delivery time to guests' rooms would not be impaired.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

OT: Patents have already been acquired by Disney for such things as "improvements" to Fast Pass (all at once, now, everybody groan) although no timetables have been announced for implementation.

 

[TylerAggie]

We will be flying in on a private plane, so we will not use the luggage tags, however, I do want to take the ME Bus to our resort. Will I get something to be able to board the bus?

 

[ppiew]

I believe that the ME service is attached to certain commercial airlines - not to a private plane.

 

[Lewisc]

We will be flying in on a private plane, so we will not use the luggage tags, however, I do want to take the ME Bus to our resort. Will I get something to be able to board the bus?

Just tell Disney your flight information is pending. You don't have to give them actual flight information.

DME works great, I use it, but if I was spending the $$$ for a private flight I'd probably pay the money for a car service.

 

[seashoreCM]

Coming into Orlando Int'l by private plane? You would make your reservation in the same manner as anyone else and report to the Magical Express wecoming area in the same manner as everyone else.

Since you and not an airport staffer will be taking your baggage out of the plane in Orlando, you would bring that baggage to the welcoming area in the same manner as everyone else with carry-ons.

Magical Express is not tied to specific airlines coming or going.

 

[goofy4tink]

We will be flying in on a private plane, so we will not use the luggage tags, however, I do want to take the ME Bus to our resort. Will I get something to be able to board the bus?

No problem at all. You can arrive at MCO via a yak and still be able to use DME to get to your Disney resort. When you make your DME reservations, just give them the time you are arriving. You could go on-line and find a flight that arrives about the same time and give them that info if they insist on flight numbers.
Then get off the private plane (lucky you!!!) and head to baggage claim, or whatever, head to the DME checkin desk, with your luggage in hand, and the bags will be stowed underneath your bus.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We will be flying in on a private plane, so we will not use the luggage tags, however, I do want to take the ME Bus to our resort. Will I get something to be able to board the bus?

Will the private plane land at Orlando International Airport or Orlando Executive Airport (or perhaps even one of the other Central Florida area airports)?

Commercial airlines use Orlando International Airport. Private aircraft could use either airport, but are more likely to use Orlando Executive Airport.

Disney's Magical Express only serves Orlando International Airport.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I believe that the ME service is attached to certain commercial airlines - not to a private plane.

That's incorrect.

Resort Airline Check-in, the remote skycap service at Disney resorts, is tied to a specific list of airlines.

Disney's Magical Express is a ground transportation and inbound luggage service for anyone using Orlando International Airport. You don't even have to arrive or depart on a commercial airline.

 

[mirthmaiden]

OK, I apologize for very briefly hijaking this thread. I'm leaving in a couple of hours and I've never used ME before. If I understand correctly, I put the yellow tags on before I fly out. Then, when I arrive in Orlando, we claim our bags and take them to the ME counter at the airport. On the way back, I can't do this because we're flying Southwest and they are not a participating airline.

Two questions:

1. Assuming I do not use the services of a skycap, is there anyone in this process I need to tip and how much?

2. On the return trip, will they tell me what time they're picking me up from the resort, or do I need to call and arrange a time?

Thanks!!

 

[TylerAggie]

Thanks for your responses! I feel like we got hit by the Disney Dream Team when we found out a company my husband buys from was going to fly us to Disney in a private plane for free. I didn't even think about landing in a different airport. I think I will go ahead and set set up a car to take us to our resort. Does anyone recommend a company or is the sponsor, FL Tours good?

 

[CleveRocks]

OK, I apologize for very briefly hijaking this thread. I'm leaving in a couple of hours and I've never used ME before. If I understand correctly, I put the yellow tags on before I fly out. Then, when I arrive in Orlando, we claim our bags and take them to the ME counter at the airport. On the way back, I can't do this because we're flying Southwest and they are not a participating airline.

Nope. Not how it works. It's even easier:

Put the yellow tags on your bags at home. Check the bags with your airline as usual. WHen you arrive at MCO, bypass baggage claim and go right to the DIsney Welcome Center (DME counter). Follow their directions to get on your bus. Your bags will be delivered to the inside of your resort room whether you're in there or not; figure on 3-4 hours after you arrive at your resort. The tip for this in-bound luggage handling is included. But if the bus driver helped you with carry-ons or anything like that then a tip there would be appropriate. By the way, this system is for everyone on every airline.

For the way BACK to the airport, take your bags to the DME bus. The driver will load them on, and when you get to the airport the driver will unload them and you'll have your bags back. Tip the driver. Then get your bags to a curbside check-in place or to your airline's ticket counter, like you would do anytime you fly anywhere.


On the morning of the day before your departure day, you'll get a DME envelope at your room, telling you your assigned DME bus time for the ride back to the airport.

SIMPLE! Print this out and take it with you if it helps!

HAVE FUN!