"Magical" Luggage Delivery

[RMAMom]

I have read just about every page on this board and while I have seen it written over and over that the average time from MCO to Resort is about 70 minutes I have only seen it written once that it takes approximately 3 hours for your luggage to show up.

Has 3 hours been everyone's experience? Is it three hours from arriving at MCO or three hours from arriving at your resort?

Thanks for your insight.
Mary

 

[OKW Lover]

3 hours is not everybody's experience. Its only a statement that most people get their luggage within 3 hours. Some will be longer than that.

As to when you start measuring the 3 hours, that's a really good question. I suspect most people measure it from when they get to the resort, but if it were me, I'd measure from when I landed.

 

[madenon]

From the moment I got to the resort, it was about.... 25 minutes untill my lugage came? I was only in the room for about 5 when the knock on the door came. This was about 2 hours after the plane first touched down.

 

[goofy4tink]

The exact wording is...'up to 3 hrs after checking into your resort'. I have gotten my bags, in my room, about 10 mins after getting into it. But, I didn't get into my room until 4:00 after arriving at 11:00 am. If there is no room to put the bags into, then the bags have to sit around waiting. Otherwise, my bags have been in my room waiting for me when I returned from the parks later in the day.
It all depends on when you get into a room. Generally speaking, if you get to your resort quickly (in less than an hour) and your room is ready for you, your bags will most likely not be there for a bit. They have to be sorted at the airport, then sorted by resort, then taken to the resorts, where they have to get sorted yet again. So..it takes longer for your bags to get to the resort than it does you. But, if you hang out at MCO, and don't make a mad dash for the DME area, then your bags may get to you as you get into your room.

 

[Baltazar]

We usually flew in the am and we have any clothes or supplies we need the first day in carry on luggage.

We show up at the hotel, check in, if our room is ready we leave some stuff in the room and go do our thing.

You don't have to use the yellow Magical Express tags. My travel agent told me she lugs her own bags around, the ME bus driver will load your bags under the bus for you and if your room isn't ready, the resort will hold them for you.

This last trip, our plane was delayed 2 hours so we landed at 10:30 pm. They won't deliver bags to your room past midnight unless you call them from your room and tell them different. We needed our bags so we told them to deliver them anytime, we got them at 1am.

 

[klwdisney]

We arrived at MCO at 7:40 pm and our luggage didn't arrive in our room until 1:40 am. I'd read somewhere that they stopped the luggage delivery at like midnight or something and had planned ahead by packing enough in our carryons so we could just get up, shower and go in the morning without needing our luggage. So the loud knock at the door in the middle of the night was a little shocking! Next time, if we arrive at night, I think I'd personally request that our luggage be held until the morning! haha

 

[Ladysunflr]

i prefer to not use the ME for the luggage function, and rather to pick up my bags and bring them on the ME bus with me.. that way I know that my luggage hasn't been lost by the airline!

 

[CleveRocks]

As to when you start measuring the 3 hours, that's a really good question. I suspect most people measure it from when they get to the resort, but if it were me, I'd measure from when I landed.

However, those who take the time to read the DME booklet that contains the vouchers, etc., notice that Disney specifically says to expect the bags about 3 hours after resort arrival. It's clear in black and white, no assuming or guessing necessary.
.

 

[OKW Lover]

However, those who take the time to read the DME booklet that contains the vouchers, etc., notice that Disney specifically says to expect the bags about 3 hours after resort arrival. It's clear in black and white, no assuming or guessing necessary.
.

Thanks Cleve. One of these day's I'm really going to have to actually read all that stuff.

 

[RMAMom]

However, those who take the time to read the DME booklet that contains the vouchers, etc., notice that Disney specifically says to expect the bags about 3 hours after resort arrival. It's clear in black and white, no assuming or guessing necessary.
.

Actually I have taken the time and I have read the DME booklet. I was asking what everyone's experiences have been, not what the Disney corporate office thinks should happen! KWIM

Mary

 

[goofy4tink]

Actually I have taken the time and I have read the DME booklet. I was asking what everyone's experiences have been, not what the Disney corporate office thinks should happen! KWIM

Mary

Ah, that 'corporate office' has a pretty decent idea of how it should work!! Otherwise, they would constantly be getting a ton of complaints. What it says in the booklet is exactly what happens. As I said, I have used DME 4-5 times, and I have yet to have an issue with my luggage delivery. But, I do carry what I'm going to need in my carryon, so that I can either have a nice swim at my resort or I can head to a park when I get all checked in. My bags have always been there in the appropriate time. When I got into my room, at 4ish, after arriving at the resort at noon, my bags were delivered to my room by 4:15. And that happened in August when I got into my room, the bags were delivered about 20 mins later. On the other hand, if you arrive at MCO at 10:00 am, get to your resort by 11:00 and you are lucky enough to be able to get into your room, you most likely won't see those bags until 12:30 or so. It is not nearly as quick to get those bags off the plane, sorted, put on the appropriate truck, taken to one of several resorts, then sorted again, by resort, then have to be sorted by guest's rooms.
If you checkin at 11:00 and you can't get into your room until 2:00ish, then you will be able to expect your bags will be close behind you into the room.

I don't think you will find too many instances where people have had excessive waits for their luggage. If it is of concern to anyone, then perhaps it would be best to not use the yellow tags and go to baggage claim and retrieve the bags yourself, and then bring them to your bus.

 

[CleveRocks]

Actually I have taken the time and I have read the DME booklet. I was asking what everyone's experiences have been, not what the Disney corporate office thinks should happen!

Actually, I was addressing what someome else said, and not directly addressing your question.

As for my experiences. Trip #1, the 4th day DME was running. 9:30 a.m. exit from airplane, 10:30 a.m. arrival at resort (63 minutes). We walked around, got lunch, went to the pool ... luggage was in our room when we got back from the pool, so we can't know the exact timing. I can only say it worked very well for us.

Trip #2, 10:00 p.m. exit from airplane, 11:00 p.m. arrival at resort (56 minutes). 1:16 a.m., phone call from Bell Services that our luggage was ready if we wanted it ... I forgot to request to have it held 'til morning. At that point, I asked for it to be held. I called for it at 6:30 a.m. and it was there 5 minutes later.

 

[Vijoge]

Our plane landed at 2 PM, we checked in at the resort about 3:30 PM and our luggage arrived shortly after 10 PM (which was an hour after we called the desk asking where it was. . ). We still don't know where it was but somebody found it somewhere.

 

[PlutoPony]

Many (even most) of us have no real idea how long it actually took for the luggage to arrive as we weren't in the room when it was delivered. We arrived at the resort at 11 am and our room wasn't ready (no problem) so went off to the parks. When we arrived back at WL at 4pm our room was ready and our bags were in the room - magic ! This is probably the ideal situation as far as the convenience of ME and we really had no waiting around from when the plane landed at MCO to getting to MK . Very easy way to start a vacation! YMMV...

 

[kaytieeldr]

The first time I used Magical Express, my luggage arrived about an hour after I got into the room (I had to wait for some vital stuff that I was sure I'd packed in my carry-on luggage, but nooooo ), a little after noon.

Second time, I don't know what time it arrived, since I went directly from Pop check-in to the Contemporary - but it was in my room when I got back.

This trip, again, my luggage was in my room when I finally first made it there - about 1 AM, after arriving at noon the day before

 

[SB in KY]

The luggage actually went up the elevator with us the last time we used DME and the time before it beat us to the room (we checked in at the hotel and went to lunch before going to the room)...the other 2 times we have used the service we had to wait for the room to be available so the luggage had to wait too! But it made it to the room within a few moments of the time we actually got into the room (30 to 45 minutes)