ME and Luggage

[BabsBunny]

After a few bad experiences of ME taking forever to get us our luggage, I haven't used that service in years. We just claim our bags, take them on the bus, and then have them held at the resort until our room is ready.

Well six of us leave for OKW on Saturday with our flight arriving at 10 am, and I'm thinking about giving it a try again. I'm assuming the four teens will head to the parks after check in, so they won't need their "stuff". DH and I will probably hang at the pool until the villa is ready.

My question is has anyone been using the service lately, and if so, how long does it take for them to deliver your luggage to your room after the room is ready?

TIA.

 

[pooch]

and only had 1 problem when they delivered our luggage to the next room. The lovely gentleman put a note on our door & waited for us to come in so he could give us our bag. So sweet!!

I haven't any clue how long it takes for the bags to arrive as I have NEVER waited for them. I have everything I might need for the first 24 hrs in a carry-on (which you should do when flying, DME or not) and take off for the parks. I see no reason to wait around. If my bag were not there when I got back, I'd be fine until morning at which time I'd call the front desk & let them find my bags. Waiting around is kind of like waiting for water to boil. Its gonna happen whether you watch or not & what a waste of time.

 

[BabsBunny]

Thanks for your response, Pooch. So you carry all that stuff around to the parks? Because of the liquid restrictions, I don't pack toiletries, make up, etc., in my carry on. I just carry on what is usually in my handback, my paperwork, medications, bathsuit and something to read. Especially when it's a direct flight from SYR.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Babs, you could carry on what you needed. Travel size toiletries are available. However, once you get to your resort and check in, you can check your carry ons with the bell hop and then head to the park with only what you need for the park.

 

[lizzygreen]

I'm not the original poster - but you don't have to take your carry-on to the parks if you arrive before your room is ready - give it to luggage storage to hold onto for you.

 

[nkereina]

I'm the opposite of PP Regardless of well I pack a carry on, I always end up needing something in my luggage. Plus I don't like to invest in 3oz liquids so I can't carry on those things anyway. Because of this, like you, I always grab my own bags and carry them on the bus. It's no hassle and on any other vacation, you'd have to haul your own luggage anyway so what's the difference?

If you do decide to use it, they are supposed to have your bags delivered within three hours. Could take slightly longer if it's a busier time. I rarely read reports of it taking much longer, or people having other problems.

I've always been curious to know what happens if the airline loses your luggage? Does ME deal with it or does someone inform you of this? I certainly would like to know so I could deal with the airline myself.

 

[goofy4tink]

I refuse to get my own luggage...that is probably my favorite thing about DME. Only one time did I wait around for my bags to get to my room...I was at Pop and it took about 5 hrs. BUT....I can't say for sure if that was the fault of DME or POP. Pop has notoriously slow baggage service. And the only reason I waited was because my idiot adult dd refused to pack her carryon bag correctly!!!
All other times, I've either been in my room when my bags arrived within 2 hrs, or I've been at a park, and have no idea when they got there. I take a carryon bag with anything I may possibly need for the first day/night. Then, if my room isn't ready yet, I can leave the carryon bag with Bell Services and get it later on. If the room is ready, I obviously leave it in there.

 

[pat fan]

This is interesting. We were going to let ME handle it all, but we are getting in at 7:00 pm, so I just assumed we would get our luggage by bed-time. What do you think? Should we just get it ourselves? Or let ME handle it?

 

[BabsBunny]

If I'm going to shlep my carry on over to bell services, I might as well just shlep the whole suitcase. I don't know guys, sounds like a royal pain to buy or make up all those little travel sizes and put them in baggies and deal with them in security for one 3-hour flight. It only takes a few extra minutes to go over to baggage claim and pick them up. To each his own. It's interesting to hear others' experiences.

Twice I have got to the room and no luggage after being at the pool all day. It's no fun when at 5:00 pm you are hanging around in a damp bathsuit and want to shower and dress for a dinner PS. Both times it was more than five hours from my check in. Their excuse? We are busy today. Another time we got into the room, and my husband's bag was delivered but mine wasn't.

 

[BabsBunny]

This is interesting. We were going to let ME handle it all, but we are getting in at 7:00 pm, so I just assumed we would get our luggage by bed-time. What do you think? Should we just get it ourselves? Or let ME handle it?

With my experience? I would get the luggage. Your room should be ready with such a late check in.

 

[sam_gordon]

This is interesting. We were going to let ME handle it all, but we are getting in at 7:00 pm, so I just assumed we would get our luggage by bed-time. What do you think? Should we just get it ourselves? Or let ME handle it?

When is "bed time"? I think the '3 hour' time frame is from when you check in, not when you land (could be wrong). Assuming you land at 7pm, you're checking in ~8pm. Start a 3 hour count from there, you SHOULD have your luggage around 11pm.

Me? I'd have all night supplies in a carryon (which again is a good idea WHENEVER you are flying... ME or no ME). Then leave a note with bell services that if the luggage comes in after 11pm, hold it until the morning. Otherwise, we'd still be up.

 

[sam_gordon]

If I'm going to shlep my carry on over to bell services, I might as well just shlep the whole suitcase. I don't know guys, sounds like a royal pain to buy or make up all those little travel sizes and put them in baggies and deal with them in security for one 3-hour flight. It only takes a few extra minutes to go over to baggage claim and pick them up. To each his own. It's interesting to hear others' experiences.

As you said, everyone's experience is different. When we arrived at MCO in June, we went to baggage claim (spending 3 nights with parents before checking in to Disney). There was some kind of problem with the baggage door at the plane... 45 minutes AFTER arriving at baggage claim, the first piece of luggage from the FLIGHT came out.

As far as a "royal pain"... our local stores (Meijer, Wal*Mart, etc) ALL have "travel size" items next to the normal items if not in a section by themselves. Also, what do you do if the airline loses your bag? Even if you're on a direct flight, something can go wrong (ie: it not get on the plane-- happened to my aunt one time). To me, it's more of a pain to schlep our luggage from baggage claim to the ME desk.

Twice I have got to the room and no luggage after being at the pool all day. It's no fun when at 5:00 pm you are hanging around in a damp bathsuit and want to shower and dress for a dinner PS. Both times it was more than five hours from my check in. Their excuse? We are busy today. Another time we got into the room, and my husband's bag was delivered but mine wasn't.

I agree that would be a pain... another reason to:
1) Have immediate (ie: 1st 12 hours) necessities in a carryon
2) Pack clothes for both people in both suitcases (ie: you put some of your clothes in hubby's suitcase and he puts some of his in yours).

Again, what happens when the airline loses luggage (more likely than ME doing so)?

 

[SaraJayne]

If I'm going to shlep my carry on over to bell services, I might as well just shlep the whole suitcase. I don't know guys, sounds like a royal pain to buy or make up all those little travel sizes and put them in baggies and deal with them in security for one 3-hour flight. It only takes a few extra minutes to go over to baggage claim and pick them up. To each his own. It's interesting to hear others' experiences.

Twice I have got to the room and no luggage after being at the pool all day. It's no fun when at 5:00 pm you are hanging around in a damp bathsuit and want to shower and dress for a dinner PS. Both times it was more than five hours from my check in. Their excuse? We are busy today. Another time we got into the room, and my husband's bag was delivered but mine wasn't.

You should always put in your carry on what you need within the first 24 hours.

You can only take one quart bag, so the liquids are in one bag.

My favorite part of DME is not having to haul my own luggage. Well, that and not having to drive in Orlando.

 

[Jestocost]

As you said, everyone's experience is different. When we arrived at MCO in June, we went to baggage claim (spending 3 nights with parents before checking in to Disney). There was some kind of problem with the baggage door at the plane... 45 minutes AFTER arriving at baggage claim, the first piece of luggage from the FLIGHT came out.

As far as a "royal pain"... our local stores (Meijer, Wal*Mart, etc) ALL have "travel size" items next to the normal items if not in a section by themselves. Also, what do you do if the airline loses your bag? Even if you're on a direct flight, something can go wrong (ie: it not get on the plane-- happened to my aunt one time). To me, it's more of a pain to schlep our luggage from baggage claim to the ME desk.

I agree that would be a pain... another reason to:
1) Have immediate (ie: 1st 12 hours) necessities in a carryon
2) Pack clothes for both people in both suitcases (ie: you put some of your clothes in hubby's suitcase and he puts some of his in yours).

Again, what happens when the airline loses luggage (more likely than ME doing so)?

This.

On one trip (were staying offsite for one night before a cruise, so no DME option) we waited nearly two hours at baggage claim while thunderstorms kept all ramp personnel off of the tarmac. Boy do I wish DME had been waiting for the luggage instead of me, DW and two bored kids.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

To me, there are three bad things about claiming my own luggage when using DME:

1. Waiting at baggage claim is no fun. While I've never had to wait two hours, I've had to wait one hour after a thunderstorm, 40 minutes for no apparent reason on the following trip, and typically 20-30 minutes (at MCO when not going to a Disney resort).
   
2. Wasting time with baggage claim means leaving the airport on a later DME motorcoach. During the time spent waiting at baggage claim and walking the extra distance, one or even two DME motorcoach departures to my resort would be leaving the airport without me.
   
3. If my bags are delayed by the airline (on a later flight than I am), it's much more of a hassle to make arrangements with my airline's baggage services than simply to let DME deliver my bags (late) when they get them.

Chances are that in the rare cases when DME fails to deliver bags within three hours of resort check-in, those bags were delayed by the airline.

 

[BabsBunny]

As you said, everyone's experience is different. When we arrived at MCO in June, we went to baggage claim (spending 3 nights with parents before checking in to Disney). There was some kind of problem with the baggage door at the plane... 45 minutes AFTER arriving at baggage claim, the first piece of luggage from the FLIGHT came out.

As far as a "royal pain"... our local stores (Meijer, Wal*Mart, etc) ALL have "travel size" items next to the normal items if not in a section by themselves. Also, what do you do if the airline loses your bag? Even if you're on a direct flight, something can go wrong (ie: it not get on the plane-- happened to my aunt one time). To me, it's more of a pain to schlep our luggage from baggage claim to the ME desk.

I agree that would be a pain... another reason to:
1) Have immediate (ie: 1st 12 hours) necessities in a carryon
2) Pack clothes for both people in both suitcases (ie: you put some of your clothes in hubby's suitcase and he puts some of his in yours).

Again, what happens when the airline loses luggage (more likely than ME doing so)?

Wow. Forty-five minutes is a long time to get your bags. Thankfully I've never had that experience. I've just had 5+ hours of waiting for DME to deliver my luggage to my villa.

Again, I don't want to spend more for an item in a 2 oz container than I would for the 16 oz, and I don't want to be bothered filling containers, cleaning them later, etc. I can't even find my contact lense solutions in trial sizes, and it would be unhygenic to fill them into travel sizes.

If for some reason the airline lost my luggage on the direct flight, my only real necessity would be my medications. Actually, even they aren't very important. You can always ask for a toothbrush and some toothpaste at the desk or buy it at the resort store should your luggage not get on your flight for some reason.

 

[honeymo78]

You can bring saline solution in larger bottles, just have to declare them http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1059.shtm

A change of clothes and my meds (which go in the carry-on, liquid or otherwise) is all I need for several hours/next morning. If I need to clean up, there is soap and shampoo in the room. It's quite convenient not to wait for luggage then wait for a bus. That extra time can mean having to get on the next bus that's heading to my resort rather than the first one. Stopping at bell services after checking in is usually just a desk away and takes less than 5 min. I've never gotten out of baggage claim in less than 25 min at MCO. Maybe its the airlines we fly. I'd rather get to disney 25 minutes earlier.

 

[SaraJayne]

Wow. Forty-five minutes is a long time to get your bags. Thankfully I've never had that experience. I've just had 5+ hours of waiting for DME to deliver my luggage to my villa.

Again, I don't want to spend more for an item in a 2 oz container than I would for the 16 oz, and I don't want to be bothered filling containers, cleaning them later, etc. I can't even find my contact lense solutions in trial sizes, and it would be unhygenic to fill them into travel sizes.

If for some reason the airline lost my luggage on the direct flight, my only real necessity would be my medications. Actually, even they aren't very important. You can always ask for a toothbrush and some toothpaste at the desk or buy it at the resort store should your luggage not get on your flight for some reason.

I wear contacts and every brand I've ever seen on the shelf has travel sized bottles, and most have right on the front "TSA approved size".

You put your medications in your carryon, so you don't worry about them being lost.

 

[BabsBunny]

Thank you for all your advice on how to pack a 12 to 24 hour survival carry on. But...

I DO NOT WANT TO PACK AND CARRY ON ALL THAT STUFF.

My question is has anyone been using the service lately, and if so, how long does it take for them to deliver your luggage to your room after the room is ready?

 

[SaraJayne]

Thank you for all your advice on how to pack a 12 to 24 hour survival carry on. But...

I DO NOT WANT TO PACK AND CARRY ON ALL THAT STUFF.

My question is has anyone been using the service lately, and if so, how long does it take for them to deliver your luggage to your room after the room is ready?

"All that stuff"?? How much do you need in 24 hours?

Contact stuff, meds, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, PJ's, pair of underwear and MAYBE an outfit for the next day and/or a swimsuit. All can easily fit in a small carryon bag.

We last used the service in May (and will be using it again in a week)...and I have no idea how long it took, since I was out enjoying my vacation and not waiting on my luggage.