My ME experience

[MidgeD79]

i just got back from a 60 hour/first solo trip to WDW at Riverside. I landed at 10am and was through the line and riding on the bus by 10:20! My room was ready and i dumped my heavy bookbag at noon and was at the MK by 12:30. Great experience!!!!!1 The return was very different. They now have an ME check-out so you can check your luggage and get a boarding pass from your hotel. In theory it's great - the reality was the computers were down and I waited 1.5 hours (9-10:30) for 2 minutes worth of checking in. I didn't have to get on the bus until 4pm, but there were some people right behind me that were unable to get their boarding pass and luggage taken care of. They were told to get out of line and take their own bags to the bus. I know things happen, but someone from Mears should have been going through the line and finding out who was leaving at what times to insure availability. Nothing worse than waiting in line and then being told sorry do it yourself. I rarely fly and with all of the hassels at the airport and potential for problems with ME, I think I'll stick to driving.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Mears does not operate the Resort Airline Check-In desk.

Even if everyone had to bring thier luggage on board the bus, there would still be plenty of room for it... no need for for someone to ask folks.

Computer glitches are never fun, but they are also not the norm.

 

[MidgeD79]

Sorry Chip n Dale, but Mears DOES operate the ME luggage/airline checkout. It's something new and they're still working out the bugs.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sorry, Midge, but Chip 'n Dale is an active Cast Member with complete current knowledge of DME operations

An independent company operates the Resort Airline Counter aspect of Magical Express. The people working at the counter, sure, should have been surveying the line for Guests with pending departures, but it's not the responsibility or realm of the bus driver.

 

[jackmac]

I just read in the Orlando Sentinal last week that BAGS, the company doing the resort airline check-in and ME luggage delivery, will be doing the bell service for Disney at all of the resorts in the future.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Actually, no... BAGS, Inc. (Baggage Airline Guest Services) operates the Resort Airline Check-In desk. All Mears does is drive the bus for the Disney's Magical Express passengers. Luggage transfers for the Resort Airline Check-In desk are done by yet another company called Arinc, Inc.

It's not new, either. These services premiered May 5th, 2005.

You can check this press release for confirmation:
http://www.airportbags.com/assets/pressrel/disney_dec2005.htm

 

[MidgeD79]

this did not include bell service. I talked to the people working the line and they said they worked for Mears.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I just read in the Orlando Sentinal last week that BAGS, the company doing the resort airline check-in and ME luggage delivery, will be doing the bell service for Disney at all of the resorts in the future.

That statement is not accurate. However, I am not able to discuss the details on this board.

 

[MidgeD79]

I guess I misunderstood the 3 people that I talked to and misread their id.. My fault. In the end it doesn't matter and each of us will have our own experience with checking out as it evolves.

 

[kaytieeldr]

but someone from Mears should have been going through the line and finding out who was leaving at what times to insure availability. Nothing worse than waiting in line and then being told sorry do it yourself

Sure there is. There's waiting in line, then NOT being told sorry do it yourself - and ultimately missing one's flight. A computer problem is just that. Nobody can snap their fingers and suddenly make the system work again. It really wasn't done intentionally (and I wasn't even there - I just know). As for going through the line, again, Mears has NO responsibility for the operation of Disney's Magical Express. Yes, sure, somebody could have been polling the line for immediate departures - but that'd be the BAGS Inc people. It's also reasonable to expect the potential passengers to make their needs known.

That statement is not accurate. However, I am not able to discuss the details on this board.

Completely understandable - but I think the information, possibly just as speculation, is available in a thread or two on the DISBoards

and each of us will have our own experience with checking out as it evolves.

I'm not sure how much a successfully-operating service that's been working well for over eighteen months will "evolve", but okay...

 

[MidgeD79]

the video I saw and paper I read that said that ME would soon offer resort check-in at the airport so you could go directly to the parks must have been my imagination (so much for not evolving). I'd like to thank everyone for bringing to my attention my inability to read, hear or comprehend. Maybe I just imagined the whole thing. The whole thread was just about my experience, which I apparently didn't have. My apologies.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I remember that thread, and I ordered the DVD. It just came last week. I watched it all, and I never heard anything about Resort check-in at the airport. They might have updated it, or I could have missed a section. Do you remember what section it was in?

On a related note, this item will become technically possible starting in the latter end of 2008. Whether or not it will come to fruition is another story altogether.

 

[OntFamily]

the video I saw and paper I read that said that ME would soon offer resort check-in at the airport so you could go directly to the parks must have been my imagination (so much for not evolving).

Just because it was in a newspaper, doesn't mean it was accurate......

 

[son3disfan]

 

[Luv'sTink]

Midge, we did not have a good expierence with ME when leaving either.

The computer and PEOPLE were having trouble, first the people showed up late and made 5 people miss their bus (5:10am), then they could only check in 2 out of 5 of our party but did somehow check in ALL of our baggage. Then they were able to check in my FIL and I but not DH, they said to do it at the airport at a kiosk. Could not do it at the kiosk because they had tried to do it too many times. Then come to find out even though we were told to be there for a 5:40 departure there was actually no bus scheduled to be there. They did get a bus to come and get the 5:10am people and us the 5:40am people at 6:00am and we still had to go to Old Key West to pick up a few people.

I don't care who disagree's with me because I was there and unless you are one of the five there with us you have no idea what happened.

It was about the only negative thing that happened during our whole trip, for that I am greatfull and it is a great thing when it works properly.

 

[CleveRocks]

I just read in the Orlando Sentinal last week that BAGS, the company doing the resort airline check-in and ME luggage delivery, will be doing the bell service for Disney at all of the resorts in the future.

What I read in the Sentinel last week was that BAGS employees will be replacing valet parking employees at GF, and then later possibly some other resorts, as well. From a Disney Human Resources terminology perspective, valet parking CMs are designated as "Bell Services" staff even though they don't perform the usual Bell Services tasks. At least that's what I read ....

 

[CleveRocks]

I rarely fly and with all of the hassels at the airport and potential for problems with ME, I think I'll stick to driving.

I've used DME twice, both times using an airline that was NOT a participating airline with Resort Airline Check-in (RAC). As a result, I never had to use the Resort Airline Check-in desk. Because remember, checking in your luggage and getting your airline boarding passes is a function of RAC and not DME.

Using DME to get back to the airport is as uncomplicated as can be. The day before you leave, a paper is left at your room telling you your bus pick-up time. You get yourself and your luggage to the designated DME bus stop a few minutes prior to that time, the driver loads your luggage, you ride the bus, you get to the airport and get your luggage back, then you go check in with your airline like you would at any other airport any other time.

It's really very simple. There's no one to check in with, no lines to wait in, etc. Oh yes, and it's free.

 

[Poohbear123]

When flying TO MCO, I DO NOT put the yellow tags on my luggage, I carry it WITH ME on the bus! When leaving RESORT, I put my bag at BELL SERVICES at said hotel, and retrieve it MYSELF when bus arrives, and place it UNDERNEATH the bus, that way, I check it into the Airline MYSELF! NO problem with lost luggage, who picks it up, etc.

 

[seashoreCM]

If the resort baggage check in desk is closed and your bus is due, you should proceed immediately to the bus platform with your luggage.

Check in can fail (even after waiting in line) because you were randomly preselected for secondary screening at the airport.

I am not sure whether this happens (all, not one of):
(1) at the time your return reservation was made the best bus was overbooked and you were therefore booked an extra half hour early,
(2) it turns out the best bus for you has room,
(3) the earlier bus you were booked on is cancelled.

somebody could have been polling the line for immediate departures ... It's also reasonable to expect the potential passengers to make their needs known....

Would passengers not departing so soon be cooperative if no "staff person" were polling the line and no mechanism similar to Fastpass were installed?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[havencruiser]

I think folks are confusing DME and RAC. RAC is for certain airlines and allows baggage checking at the resort. RAC seems to have serveral problems associated with it. DME is the transportation piece of getting back to the airport.