ME Luggage - Many ?s

[ILoveDisney-Angie]

I've been trying to remain calm during this whole ME fiasco thing but the more posts that I read, the more stressed that I become. I still have 18 days until I leave (17 in which I can receive the ME tags since we're leaving in the morning on the 18th day).

Anyway, I swore that I would relax and just go with the flow. No reason for me to worry as I still have a couple weeks. However, after now just reading that we won't get the tags until 5 - 10 days prior to departing, I'm worried that once 5 days before our trip gets here that we still won't have the tags and I'll have to scramble to arrange other transportation. I don't care what any CM says. I am NOT taking the chance with having someone else get my luggage off the carousel. And I certainly do not want to have to bother with getting my own bags, giving it to a CM (only to have them screw up somehow - and I do believe it's possible - most of my calls to WWTC have been a disaster - and all the phone CMs have to do is check a computer, the CM at the airport would have to do much more than that), and then getting to the resort and (hey, guess what) our luggage is not there. I would completely freak out.

I will just feel much safer with getting my luggage, going to the regular Mears vans and putting our luggage on the van with us (even if I have to pay for piece of mind). So much for the smooth sailing we were all promised by Disney. I know, I know, I still have time until the trip but I can't help worrying. That's what I do best.

On another note, I think this is our last trip to WDW for a while. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. I have done nothing but stress the whole time I have been planning this. If you have read some of my other posts, you'll see the *wonderful* (I say this sarcastically) experiences with the phone CMs (with a few exceptions, and I mean FEW). Dependent upon how our stay at WDW goes this will be the determining factor on where we go on vacation next year and if we renew our APs in July. So far, not looking so good.

Sorry for being so negative but it's hard to be *magical* and look forward (without stress) to a WDW vacation when everything has been screwed up with reservations and now looks like Magical Express has the potential to be a disaster.

 

[ken skellington]

Hey - any way you fry it up, some of us are burned. I was promised no hassles and I've had nothing but hassles.

I agree. I agree completely.

 

[seashoreCM]

(copied from another post)
Bring pencil and paper. Copy down all the numbers and codes on your baggage claim checks while you are in flight.

Yes, Magical Express is a "checked baggage operation", not a "carry on baggage operation" and everyone was told that. The norm is for the CM's to handle your baggage, only in the event of short staffing should you be handling baggage. Yes, if you did not have baggage tags, the CM's may be pulling your baggage off the carousel while you go directly to the bus. But if you did have Magical Express baggage tags, the CM's will be pulling your baggage off the back side of the carousel (behind the wall) or a little sooner.

On another note, I think most folks are making a mountain out of a molehill about Magical Express.

The computers may screw up all they want but once you get there, the CM can see you and it is a no-brainer for the CM to begin or continue the magic with no further need to rely on a computer.

Print this thread (5 pages?) for use as a crib sheet or security blanket if you think you will lack confidence or feel uncomfortable meeting the CM's who are Disney's Magical Express airport hosts.

OT -- Print this web page: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disscav.htm (25 pages) for some fun hints if and when you succeed in getting to WDW after all this Magical Express hassle.

 

[goofy4tink]

As far as how are the CM's going to know which bags are ours? I would think that they will wait until just about everyone has taken their stuff off the carousel. THen, when the 'left-over' baggage is taken off and put aside, they will go through and match up the names/addresses/claims numbers they have to the baggage they have that has been uncollected. I would suggest that you make your luggage really stand out in some way. This would catch their attention and they would be able to grab it sooner. I just can't see getting all worked up over this. Disney does not want you to not have your luggage. They do not want to lose any luggage. They want to get it to the right person at the right resort. Way too much of a headache for them if they can't do that!!!

 

[ReggieB]

I'm disappointed because I was hoping to have the luggage pulled behind the scenes. I get very anxious (sp?) about someone taking my luggage by mistake, which is one of the reasons I was happy to sign up for ME. Part of the literature also gave the impression that in most cases (no pun intentended) your luggage would arrive to the hotel before you, which at present is not how the CM's at ME are putting it (It's going to take them some time to sort all those bags out without tags, which is fair enough) However with the very features that made me sign up for ME not being in place I have cancelled my ME reservation, I'm sure it would be fine, but I am on vacation and don't want to start stressing quite so soon into it!!

It will get better, I am sure, and all the features it was supposed to have will all be in place at some point. Disney is not going to let it's reputation slide on this. The cruise line version works just fine, so why didn't this? Obvioulsy they didn't/couldn't anticipate some of the bumps in the road that they have had. There do seem to be some major problems with getting info from the Disney travel company to the shuttle service.

 

[ken skellington]

Just got this Disney Email:

[/COLOR]Your exciting Walt Disney World® vacation is right around the corner and we couldn't be more thrilled!

If you are taking advantage of Disney's Magical Express Service, we wanted to send you these important reminders:

• Before you leave home, please don't forget to put the Disney's Magical Express Service bright yellow bar-coded luggage tags on the luggage you plan to check at the airport!


You'll find these adhesive luggage tags in the Disney's Magical Express booklet you received in the mail. By tagging your luggage before you take off, the Disney representatives waiting at the Orlando International Airport can claim your luggage on your behalf and send it to your Disney Resort hotel.

• Don't forget––if you haven't provided us with your flight information yet, call us at 866-599-0951.

Thanks. And we'll see ya real soon!


I WOULD LOVE TO GO THROUGH MY ME PACKAGE AND FIND THOSE YELLOW TAGS AND TAG MY LUGGAGE - THAT WOULD BE MAGICAL! EXCEPT YOU NEVER SENT THEM TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LisaS]

My DH just got that same email! What's really strange is that I booked our reservation in MY name and gave them MY email address but they sent the email to him (he is listed on the reservation as well).

I am composing an email message for my DH to send back to them explaining that we've done our best to let the DME folks know we're coming by signing up 2 months in advance, following up with calls to both the CRO and DME to confirm 2 weeks prior to our departure date but received absolutely nothing related to DME, not even a confirmation that we're signed up for this!

 

[bugsy]

My DH just got that same email! What's really strange is that I booked our reservation in MY name and gave them MY email address but they sent the email to him (he is listed on the reservation as well).

I am composing an email message for my DH to send back to them explaining that we've done our best to let the DME folks know we're coming by signing up 2 months in advance, following up with calls to both the CRO and DME to confirm 2 weeks prior to our departure date but received absolutely nothing related to DME, not even a confirmation that we're signed up for this!

me too!! My reservation/email is in my name, the email came to DH
and yes, no tags to boot!! Whats up with that? Apparently, disney is not
afraid to show it's 1950's chauvanistics side, yet cannot seem to join the
2005 technology side!!!! BTW we leave on monday, this is now Saturday
morning, I do not hold out much hope to get our tags!!!!

 

[manning]

My god, another Henney Penny thread!!!

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND RELAX.

Remember the name of that song..... Don't worry, be happy.

 

[bsmandi]

I am with a lot of you on this, especially LisaS, in that the lack of communication and the misinformation is the biggest problem with ME so far. I have had ME booked for over a month, so I don't see how they have been able to express ship luggage tags to people who just signed up for the service at the 10 days, yet I was told this week (a couple days over the 10) that it is too late for them to re-express ship luggage tags to me since mine have already been shipped. It doesn't help that the ME CMs changed their whole stance on the shipping of the luggage tags. Towards the end of just last week they said that if I don't have mine when it gets to be 10 days before I leave to call them back and they will re-ship me new ones by express mail. Since I leave on the morning of May 7, I am already past that time. A couple of days ago when I called the ME number they said that if I don't get the luggage tags to not worry because I can still use the free transportation. Except now I would have to either hand over my claim check ticket to one of the CMs at the airport or go get my luggage myself and take it to the ME Welcome Center (it depends which CM you talk to on the ME number of what they tell you to do). Now for people like me who have never flown before, one of the major reasons I signed up for ME was that I wouldn't have to deal with my luggage at all when I get to MCO. It sort of bugs me that they keep telling me that you can still use the FREE transportation when I think for a lot of people that probably isn't the reason that persuaded them to take ME instead of a town car or other method. You can pretty much see this by all the posts here on the boards with people asking if they can just use ME for luggage purposes only and not for the transporation. Another problem that I can see with not getting your luggage tags is that I'm not so sure I would want to hand over my claim tickets to my luggage if I would not have a copy of them. What would happen if the airline did lose the luggage (or Disney themselves), and you had no proof that you even checked your luggage. That could be a true nightmare! I am hoping that I receive my luggage tags in time (and that everyone else does, too), but if I don't, I might just reconsider taking a towncar instead if I'll possibly have to lug my luggage around the airport anyways. If I wasn't flying for the first time this wouldn't be such a big deal, but for me, this doesn't sound like a pretty scenario. I've only been in an airport once and that was South Bend, so you should all understand why I'm more than freaking out about this! Let's hope that everything (and I mean everything) gets straightened out before I leave Indy.

We are also leaving from Indy on May 19th. I just found out through another thread that our airlines (ATA) is not a "participating airline", however, we can still use the buses and they will take our bags to the hotel when we arrive, we just have to check our own bags at the airport (they will ride with us in the ME bus to the airport) for the return flight instead of doing everything at the hotel before you board the ME buses. Didn't know if this would be useful information to you, but just in case thought I would post!

 

[ken skellington]

We leave tomorrow and I rented a car! It was not worth the ambiguity of the whole arrival situation. Now, I cancelled my wegoshop order and we can pick up our own groceries without having to worry about our arrival time to be their for the delivery - also, we will have our luggage in the car with us the whole time! It actually sounds more convenient. Hopefully things will work out soon for ME - after Mary's review on Mousesavers I decided to go with my gut and get the rental.

 

[bytheblood]

I understand what your saying. My only problem is that Disney hasn't been able to tell us anything. They should KNOW who's tickets didn't print and send a letter or call to explain what to do. The service isn't "free" ... it's built into the price... kinda like when you buy furniture and they say "FREE DELIVERY"...we all know it's not free and probably could have saved $50 if you picked it up yourself. Bad analogy? Anyway, I got the town car, so we're OK. I guess my biggest issue is that we were originally scheduled to arrive May 4 and the Disney rep encouraged me to change my date by 1 day so I could take advantage of ME!!

I do not see how this is built-in to the price. It is complimentary for 18 months. How do you come up with the built-in cost.

Let's see...I called to book PC in 4/04 and was told that my room would be $99 a night. Disney announced MYW tickets and my room was still $99 a night. When DME was announced, I called and asked that it be added onto my reservation and my room was still $99 a night. I received an email pin in 2/05 and called CRO and asked what the rate for a mod would be and I was provided a rate of $79 a night for POFQ, still having DME. So how is it added in?

 

[bytheblood]

Just one other quick note - for tipping, the tip is only to be paid upon your return trip home, not upon arrival. That is a part of the service and is added into the salary of the CMs delivering your luggage.