I have read on here and heard from friends that it isn't uncommon to have your luggage arrive hours after you do when you use the yellow luggage tags. Our flight arrives after lunch but we are only there for 4 days and I don't feel much like worrying about my bags or not having them when it's time or our ADR that night.
When it's a short trip and every hour counts, the baggage transfer component of Disney's Magical Express (DME) is especially welcome!
Chances are your room won't be ready if your flight arrives just after lunch, but will be ready later that afternoon.
Bring a carry-on bag onto the plane with everything you'll need the first day. This eliminates the chance that you won't have something if the airline delays your bags, or your bags are delayed in the DME process, or you need something before your room is ready. (You can leave the carry-on bag with bell services until your room is ready.)
Use DME as designed. Skip baggage claim. Take the first DME motor coach to your resort. Check in and go have fun! The front desk will text you with your room number when your room is ready. By the time you choose to return to your resort, your bags are likely to be in your room.
On the the other hand, I am traveling with my two young children and my 65 yo mother who will have had knee surgery the month before. So I also don't want to schlep across POR and MCO carrying luggage for 4 people. Opinions? What have your experiences been with receiving your tagged luggage in a timely fashion?
Especially under these circumstances, I think you'll love the DME baggage transfers. Your bags are delivered to your room and you don't have to be there because Disney takes care of the bell services gratuity.
As far as "receiving your tagged luggage in a timely fashion" is concerned, I think some people have unrealistic expectations. The bags need to be unloaded from the plane, turned over to Disney, sorted at the airport, trucked to the correct resort, queued for delivery, and delivered to rooms. Of course, this process takes longer than the passenger travel component of DME. In cases when the delay is much longer than it should be, chances are the bags came in on a later flight than the passenger (which is not unusual) -- in which case going to baggage claim would have not helped prevent a delay.
