ME - luggage transfer only or do you have to ride bus?.

[SEC]

My parents are renting a car at MCO so that they can drive to all the parks. They have done this their last two trips because my mother has mobility issues and has a handicap tag. They say it is less walking to the handicap parking than walking to wait in line for the bus. Anyway their plan is to use ME to get their luggage to the hotel, is this permissable? Or will they need to pick up their luggage and then head to the rental car?

 

[kaytieeldr]

All questions and discussion relating to this topic are restricted to this http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2015788 thread.

 

[seashoreCM]

You are "not supposed to" use only the Magical Express luggage delivery to your resort although tens of thousands have tried it and found it worked while at least one person tried it and found it did not work.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/magicx.htm

 

[goofy4tink]

You are "not supposed to" use only the Magical Express luggage delivery to your resort although tens of thousands have tried it and found it worked while at least one person tried it and found it did not work.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/magicx.htm

I don't remember anyone posting that it 'didn't work'...I do remember reading that someone didn't get a bag delivered to their room with the other bags. Seems it got left behind for some reason...can't remember why.
If Disney/DME doesn't know how many bags you checked, they have no idea how many bags to look for. When you get to the DME checkin, you are asked how many bags you checked. That way, they know that they are looking for 4 checked bags for the Smith family, reservation number 123455566. If only 3 come through, they can look for that missing bag.
If you didn't check in, no way of knowing, so you will get those 3 bags, and have to deal with that missing 4th bag when you realize it's missing, later in the day.

 

[Lewisc]

CMs have told posters to skip the DME desk and go directly to their bus. I suspect Disney no longer takes the time (assuming they ever took the time) to cross check bags checked against bags received.

 

[Edd]

Telling the DME desk how many pieces of louggage you have has never been a consideration on whether you use or not use the luggage transfer option of the DME. It has now come out that people are getting directed straight to the bus and skipping the desk check in. This obviously points out the fact that stopping at the desk and telling them the pieces of luggage you have is not important to Disney.

The luggage transfer option is one of the best options of the DME. Free transfer of passengers is the other. Both are separate so feel free to use each option separately or together, whichever gets the job done for you and your family.

 

[Lewisc]

Will your parents be using a participating airline on their flight home? Does their flight time work with RAC?

IF NOT, make sure their rental car is large enough to accomodate their luggage. Probably not an issue if it's just your parents, they can always stack their luggage in the back seat.

 

[seashoreCM]

CMs have told posters to skip the DME desk and go directly to their bus. I suspect Disney no longer takes the time (assuming they ever took the time) to cross check bags checked against bags received.

It is possible DME has without notice deleted some of the behind the scenes baggage tracking procedures which for all intents and purposes makes the room delivery more predictable for non-DME guests. But is it also possible that more behind the scenes baggage tracking procedures could be added in the future without notice and coincidentally render room delivery for non-DME guests less predictable.

Checking in baggage at the resort for going home has no restrictions on whether you ride Magical Express. Baggage must be checked in no more than than 24 hours and no less than 3 hours before flight time. This is not always possible given the check stand hours of approx. 5 AM to 1 PM; also don't cut it too close. Instructions are provided for paying for checked baggage in advance if your airline has such fees; Baggage requiring a fee but not paid for in advance will not be taken at the resort baggage check stand.

 

[Lewisc]

The OP can read the "sticky" previously linked to in this thread if they want to read more about "luggage only" Alternately they can do a search and find several threads where this issue is "discussed".

It serves no purpose to repeat those discussions in this thread.

I think the parents should book a participating airline, with a flight late enough to allow for RAC, for their flight home.

 

[Edd]

DME has deleted nothing from the behind the scenes operations. The luggage operation has been running this way since the inception of the DME. They have a successful program and have not changed it. It is possible they may change it in the future, but Disney will notify everyone well in advance when and how it will be changed. Example; cutting baggage delivery after 10:00 pm. Everyone was notified well in advance.

The biggest problem is those, on the boards, who speculate or draw conclusions, with no knowledge of what is going on.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here are my issues with the whole not having to stop at the checkin counter....by checking in at the counter, you were able to double check on your return flight info and make a change to it if need be; your resort was alerted that you were on the way from the airport which meant they had a room ready for you if at all possible; you were able to tell them how many bags you checked. I'm not at all sure this whole going straight to the buses is all that wonderful. Sure, you may save 10 mins, unless it's ridiculously busy.

 

[Lewisc]

Here are my issues with the whole not having to stop at the checkin counter....by checking in at the counter, you were able to double check on your return flight info and make a change to it if need be; your resort was alerted that you were on the way from the airport which meant they had a room ready for you if at all possible; you were able to tell them how many bags you checked. I'm not at all sure this whole going straight to the buses is all that wonderful. Sure, you may save 10 mins, unless it's ridiculously busy.

Disney is cutting expenses. This is "win" "win" for Disney. Most guests aren't as knowledgeable as you and think being able to skip a "long" line at the DME desk is a positive.

I know Disney was thinking of letting guests complete their resort check-in at MCO and giving us the option of being bused directly to a park. I guess they'd need to make sure the parks have enough lockers large enough to store our carryon bags.

 

[onelilspark]

Telling the DME desk how many pieces of louggage you have has never been a consideration on whether you use or not use the luggage transfer option of the DME. It has now come out that people are getting directed straight to the bus and skipping the desk check in. This obviously points out the fact that stopping at the desk and telling them the pieces of luggage you have is not important to Disney.

The luggage transfer option is one of the best options of the DME. Free transfer of passengers is the other. Both are separate so feel free to use each option separately or together, whichever gets the job done for you and your family.

I skipped the check-in desk in August, but they still asked me how many bags. The CM had a hand held device he was using to input information.

 

[Edd]

Some people just don't get it. There is no need for Disney to check how many bags you have. If any bag is lost and Disney can figure out they are responsible, they will reimburse the passenger. My experience is that they do well at that. When you get to Disney you will be assigned a room when the rooms are available. Rooms start becoming available when housekeeping gets them cleaned out and ready for a new occupant. Housekeeping begins work at 0700. Check-in times at Disney, which they encourage, is 1500h.

The hand held device you are probably referring to is the Mears transportation hand held which is used by Mears to count the passengers who use the DME for transportation. Mears than has a basis for billing Disney, which by the way is the same information Disney uses to pay the airport.

 

[goofy4tink]

Some people just don't get it. There is no need for Disney to check how many bags you have. If any bag is lost and Disney can figure out they are responsible, they will reimburse the passenger. My experience is that they do well at that. When you get to Disney you will be assigned a room when the rooms are available. Rooms start becoming available when housekeeping gets them cleaned out and ready for a new occupant. Housekeeping begins work at 0700. Check-in times at Disney, which they encourage, is 1500h.

The hand held device you are probably referring to is the Mears transportation hand held which is used by Mears to count the passengers who use the DME for transportation. Mears than has a basis for billing Disney, which by the way is the same information Disney uses to pay the airport.

But I do get it. When I first started using DME, I asked them why they needed to know how many bags I had checked. I was told that they were able to be sure they had all my bags if they had a number to match the bags to. That's what I was told. I was also told, by several people, that those who checked in at DME, had their resorts alerted. Those arriving via DME usually had a better shot at having a room ready than those arriving via other methods. Again..this is what I was told, repeatedly.
I suppose that could have been Disney/Mears feeding us a line in order to may that service look over the top. I will say that renting my own car is looking better and better though.