Nervous about using DME luggage tags!

[laurenfratt]

We are traveling on a nonstop flight to MCO from Manchester NH at 710am, arriving in FL around 1030. Should we use the DME tags on our luggage or should we grab our luggage at baggage claim and bring them to the bus ourselves? We're really having a hard time deciding what to do, so Any help is appreciated on your experience using the luggage tags and when the luggage was delivered! How many hours after you checked in was it in your room? We have a 830 dinner ADR in downtown disney so we would like to be all settled in before we leave for that and not sure that'll be possible if we use the tags! It's our first trip as "adults" without our parents haha so we're nervous and hope things go smoothly!

TIA!

 

[bumbershoot]

Landing at 10:30am? I would use them, absolutely. I think they are supposed to be delivered something like 3 hours after you check in at the resort, so they'd be there around 2:30?

If you want to wear something nice to dinner, pack it in a carryon and if your room isn't ready leave that with Bell Services for the time until your room is ready. (you can get that bag whenever you need it)

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Arriving that early you will have no problem. Let the headache of lugging them to ME, that's what it's there for. I would pack a carry on with change of shirts, and what ever you would want before lunch. I don't think they will be running behind that early in the day. You may even see them by the time the room is ready.

If you took them with you, they would have to store them until the room was ready anyway. Check in is usually much later then 11:00am. But, it could happen.

 

[sam_gordon]

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS pack what you need for the first 24 hours in your carryon. This has nothing to do with DME and everything to do with the airlines.

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[goofy4tink]

We are traveling on a nonstop flight to MCO from Manchester NH at 710am, arriving in FL around 1030. Should we use the DME tags on our luggage or should we grab our luggage at baggage claim and bring them to the bus ourselves? We're really having a hard time deciding what to do, so Any help is appreciated on your experience using the luggage tags and when the luggage was delivered! How many hours after you checked in was it in your room? We have a 830 dinner ADR in downtown disney so we would like to be all settled in before we leave for that and not sure that'll be possible if we use the tags! It's our first trip as "adults" without our parents haha so we're nervous and hope things go smoothly!

TIA!

If you land, on-time, at 10:30, you should be at your resort around noon at the latest. That means your bags should be in your room by 3-4pm....if your room is available. If your room isn't ready until after 4, your bags will show up shortly thereafter.
You should pack a carry-on bag with anything you might need for that first day. If you are planning on changing your clothes before heading to dinner, I would pack those clothes in the carry-on. Take travel sized toiletries, paperwork, etc. That way, if your bags get delayed somehow, you can still freshen up and change.

I have never had an issue with baggage delivery using DME...and I've used them more times than I can remember.

 

[OKW Lover]

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS pack what you need for the first 24 hours in your carryon. This has nothing to do with DME and everything to do with the airlines.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using DISBoards

Exactly!

DME is not likely to lose you luggage, its the airlines that are more likely to misdirect it. When that happens your luggage can wind up thousands of miles away and will take a day or more to get it back. If DME mis-directs your luggage, its only a few miles away and should be recovered quickly.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

With a 10:30 a.m. arrival, absolutely use the DME bag tags.

First, chances are you'll get to your resort 30 minutes sooner if you don't have to detour to baggage claim, wait for your bags to be unloaded, and drag them to DME.

Next, you're likely to arrive at your resort before noon, so your room is unlikely to be ready. That means you would have to check your bags with bell services and retrieve them later. (It's much more convenient to have your bags just "show up" in your room after it's ready.)

Finally, if you use inbound DME as designed, there's no tipping for inbound baggage handling. Disney compensates the bell services CM who leaves your bags in your room while you're out having fun. (Otherwise, you would customarily tip everyone who assists you with your bags.)

I agree that it's good advice to have a carry-on with anything you absolutely need to have the first day (or even the first 24 hours).

 

[laurenfratt]

Thank you for all the replies!!

Looks like we'll be using the tags haha

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We've had bad luck with DME.

First year...awesome.
Second year...bags arrived about 4 hours after checkin. Eh, not great, but it was only an hour outside the window they give, right?
Third year...bags arrived 7 hours after checkin. SEVEN! We'd been on the ground in Orlando for 9 hours and still didn't have our luggage.

We were debating whether to use the luggage service for our trip next month. I'm not convinced, but the husband wants to give it one more shot.

 

[sam_gordon]

We've had bad luck with DME.

First year...awesome.
Second year...bags arrived about 4 hours after checkin. Eh, not great, but it was only an hour outside the window they give, right?
Third year...bags arrived 7 hours after checkin. SEVEN! We'd been on the ground in Orlando for 9 hours and still didn't have our luggage.

We were debating whether to use the luggage service for our trip next month. I'm not convinced, but the husband wants to give it one more shot.

Is it possible the delays (especially the 7 hour one) was caused by the airline and not DME?

Sent from my Kindle Fire using DISBoards

 

[dbramer]

Your luggage will definitely be there before your room is ready. When you get to your room it should already be there.

 

[maxiesmom]

We've had bad luck with DME.

First year...awesome.
Second year...bags arrived about 4 hours after checkin. Eh, not great, but it was only an hour outside the window they give, right?

Sometimes they extend their delivery window to 4 hours when they are really busy.

I have to ask, are you waiting around for your bags? You don't have to, why not go out and have some fun? They will drop your bags in your room, even if you are not there.

 

[nkereina]

We opt NOT to use the tags sometimes because we like to unpack right after we check-in and get settled. We only grab them ourselves when we're arriving around check-in time, and know there's a good chance our room will be ready.

At 10:30am, I'd want to get to a park after arriving so I would definitely use the tags. You will have them in plenty of time for DTD.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Is it possible the delays (especially the 7 hour one) was caused by the airline and not DME?

The Bell Desk said that MDE was "really running behind" on our last trip (with the 7 hour delay), so I don't think it was an airline issue.

Sometimes they extend their delivery window to 4 hours when they are really busy.

I have to ask, are you waiting around for your bags? You don't have to, why not go out and have some fun? They will drop your bags in your room, even if you are not there.

Both times this happened in October, so not super busy times. And no, we weren't sitting around waiting around for our bags either time, but both times the luggage delivery was so delayed it ran into our kids' bedtime and it was aggravating not to be able to unpack and get settled in fully before we put them to sleep. Not having your luggage arrive when promised without any explanation isn't a fun way to start your vacation.

 

[lmmantini]

OP, we have flown out of MHT to MCO in the past and are doing so for our August trip.

Our first trip, we arrived really late (11:30 p.m.), used the tags and didn't get our luggage until the wee hours of the morning. Since then, we've always opted to use the tags when we're arriving early, but choose to get our bags from baggage claim when arriving very late, so that we don't have to wait for our luggage.

As others have recommended, I would definitely use the luggage tags since you'll be arriving so early in the day. Although Disney has never lost our luggage the airlines have, so I always recommend cross packing. That way if one suit case is lost no one person is without clothing.

 

[laurenfratt]

OP, we have flown out of MHT to MCO in the past and are doing so for our August trip. Our first trip, we arrived really late (11:30 p.m.), used the tags and didn't get our luggage until the wee hours of the morning. Since then, we've always opted to use the tags when we're arriving early, but choose to get our bags from baggage claim when arriving very late, so that we don't have to wait for our luggage. As others have recommended, I would definitely use the luggage tags since you'll be arriving so early in the day. Although Disney has never lost our luggage the airlines have, so I always recommend cross packing. That way if one suit case is lost no one person is without clothing.

Thank you for your help! We're flying with southwest, nonstop flight, but all the rumors and horror stories about lost luggage with sw airlines, we'll definitely be cross packing! Great idea!

 

[pooch]

Horror stories? Been hanging out on the transportation board for many years and have flown SWA almost exclusively since 2006. I don't think I've ever heard a horror story about them losing luggage. They've never lost mine!

 

[laurenfratt]

Horror stories? Been hanging out on the transportation board for many years and have flown SWA almost exclusively since 2006. I don't think I've ever heard a horror story about them losing luggage. They've never lost mine!

Well I hope I have your luck then! My friends and family haven't been so lucky in the lost luggage department of southwest! I'm hoping since it's an easy nonstop flight bright and early there won't be delays and problems with luggage! Cross your fingers for us!

 

[goofy4tink]

Many flights on SW....have yet to have a bag lost or misdirected. Now, there was a Delta flight to Seattle that managed to lose my bag for a few days, but they found it and drove it out to me!!! Other than that, not an issue with any airline..even with connecting flights!