Question about ME and luggage

[sydneysmom]

Hi everyone! I'm hoping someone with experience can help w/ my question. We are going in Sept and we're flying in on Delta. We've never used ME before but we're going to definately do ME.... now, I don't think we'll need anything essential from our suitcases since we're going to be landing at 12:30pm, get on ME to the GF, then we'll get our tix and hit the MK.

Has anyone had a bad experience with having ME pick up your luggage at the airport and delivering it to your room or will we be fine ? The whole "out of my hands" thing makes me nervous I guess... It's a great idea though...I like the fact that we won't have to go to baggage claim in Orlando. Have your experiences been okay w/ this ?

Thanks for any help you can give me !!

 

[dacky041208]

We haven't had any problems with ME. Only used it twice (the last two summers) but both times our luggage was in our room 2-3 hours after we checked in. I think that is really quick compared to the average time, but it is just so nice not having to carry the bags around. You go out somewhere, and when you come back, your bags are sitting there in your room.

 

[seashoreCM]

Still, pack a carry-on with things you will need for the first 24 hours (toothbrush, swimsuit, etc.) together with all valuables.

There have been a few recorded instances where, despite a noon or forenoon arrival, the baggage didn't make it until the next day. Haven't had a chance to play around with the DIS search function to try to find one of those.

In the vast majority of those rare late baggage instances, the bag didn't make it into Orlando until much later. What if you were to claim your baggage yourself and one item didn't show up at the carousel?

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's likely some people have had 'bad' experiences with Magical Express-delivered luggage. Mostly, that's based on unreasonable expectations (for example, despite being told by one's well-traveled and WDW-experienced mom to pack essentials in one's carry-on, if you instead fill it full of shoes and then have to wait four hours - instead of the 'up to three after you check into your resort' - for your luggage to be delivered so you can change into your ESSENTIAL swimsuit, making your travel companions' lives miserable in the meantime ) or, as indicated above, airline-misdirected luggage.

But well over ten million Guests have used Magical Express since its inception just over five years ago. You're giving up more control of your luggage to the airline than you ever are to DME. Once the plane lands, all yellow-tagged luggage is pulled on the tarmac before any bags appear in the terminal. It's sent to a sorting center, sorted, loaded in cages, then on trucks, then delivered to resorts. Through this process, each tag is scanned no less than five times, and the trucks are GPS-tracked. Walt Disney World pretty much always knows where your luggage is.

 

[bastraker]

Hi everyone! I'm hoping someone with experience can help w/ my question. We are going in Sept and we're flying in on Delta. We've never used ME before but we're going to definately do ME.... now, I don't think we'll need anything essential from our suitcases since we're going to be landing at 12:30pm, get on ME to the GF, then we'll get our tix and hit the MK.

Has anyone had a bad experience with having ME pick up your luggage at the airport and delivering it to your room or will we be fine ? The whole "out of my hands" thing makes me nervous I guess... It's a great idea though...I like the fact that we won't have to go to baggage claim in Orlando. Have your experiences been okay w/ this ?

Thanks for any help you can give me !!

We use ME every time we go to disney, 2-3 times a year for the past few years. We have never had a problem.
It's so convenient to check your luggage at the airport and not have to deal with bags again until they are in my room at disney. We have 2 small kids, diaper bag, DVD player, and a double stroller to deal with - that's good enough for me.

 

[goofy4tink]

It's likely some people have had 'bad' experiences with Magical Express-delivered luggage. Mostly, that's based on unreasonable expectations (for example, despite being told by one's well-traveled and WDW-experienced mom to pack essentials in one's carry-on, if you instead fill it full of shoes and then have to wait four hours - instead of the 'up to three after you check into your resort' - for your luggage to be delivered so you can change into your ESSENTIAL swimsuit, making your travel companions' lives miserable in the meantime ) or, as indicated above, airline-misdirected luggage.

But well over ten million Guests have used Magical Express since its inception just over five years ago. You're giving up more control of your luggage to the airline than you ever are to DME. Once the plane lands, all yellow-tagged luggage is pulled on the tarmac before any bags appear in the terminal. It's sent to a sorting center, sorted, loaded in cages, then on trucks, then delivered to resorts. Through this process, each tag is scanned no less than five times, and the trucks are GPS-tracked. Walt Disney World pretty much always knows where your luggage is.

Obviously that story has been told waaaaay too many times. But, it is so very true.
Pack anything you 'may' need in a carryon, then forget about those checked bags. DME does a great job of getting them and putting them in your room.

 

[sydneysmom]

thanks everyone for your great advice. I think we'll just go ahead and check our luggage w/ ME and know that they'll take care of it.

bastraker, I'm with you.....we're going to be worrying about DD4, the stroller and carry on bags. If we don't have to deal w/ getting luggage, that's kind of a bonus !! We can just get off the plane and get to the ME station.

I think I'm going to bring on the plane my Vera Bradley miller bag. it's a huge tote, so I can get whatever essentials I think we'll need. I know we're not going to the pool after check in, so I'm not worried about that. All we're going to do is check in, get our park tix and hop on the monorail to the MK and start the fun. The only thing we "might" need is my DD's princess dress for dinner. our first dinner is 1900 Park Fare. But I think I'll not worry too much about that one.

Thanks everyone ! have a happy Memorial Day !!!

 

[CarolMN]

It's likely some people have had 'bad' experiences with Magical Express-delivered luggage. Mostly, that's based on unreasonable expectations (for example, despite being told by one's well-traveled and WDW-experienced mom to pack essentials in one's carry-on, if you instead fill it full of shoes and then have to wait four hours - instead of the 'up to three after you check into your resort' - for your luggage to be delivered so you can change into your ESSENTIAL swimsuit, making your travel companions' lives miserable in the meantime ) ...........(snip).....

Obviously that story has been told waaaaay too many times. .......

Maybe, but it is the first time I have seen it and I thought it was hilarious! (Sorry about the miserable part, it's only funny because it wasn't my kid, LOL).

I think there are many of us who know someone like that.

P.S. We've used ME several times and I love it. We are no longer park commandos and I am happy to let someone else deal with both the driving and the luggage. AND IT"S FREE! A carry on with the essentials, free and a "go with the flow" attitude works for me!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Obviously that story has been told waaaaay too many times. But, it is so very true.
Pack anything you 'may' need in a carryon, then forget about those checked bags. DME does a great job of getting them and putting them in your room.

Certain stories can't be told too many times - especially when they so perfectly exemplify the VERY rare negative DME-delivered experience.

This story was related in a humorous and entertaining manner - thanks, CarolMN - indicating that the poster potentially does have a future in comedy/comedy writing.

No names were mentioned; in fact, specific measures were taken in relating this story to avoid identifying the person or persons to whom this actually may have happened - if, indeed, it actually did happen. The poster cannot be held responsible for any feelings of guilt experienced by other posters who may or may not recognize themselves Any resemblence to any actual persons or experiences may be entirely coincidental.

 

[bookwormde]

I trust them much more in ME's hands than the airlines. I often wonder how manyo f the rare ME stories are because the airline lost them first.

bookwormde

 

[goofy4tink]

Certain stories can't be told too many times - especially when they so perfectly exemplify the VERY rare negative DME-delivered experience.

This story was related in a humorous and entertaining manner - thanks, CarolMN - indicating that the poster potentially does have a future in comedy/comedy writing.

No names were mentioned; in fact, specific measures were taken in relating this story to avoid identifying the person or persons to whom this actually may have happened - if, indeed, it actually did happen. The poster cannot be held responsible for any feelings of guilt experienced by other posters who may or may not recognize themselves Any resemblence to any actual persons or experiences may be entirely coincidental.

Yeah right!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ah, c'mon - it IS funny... now. Isn't it? It's one of those rare 'exception that proves the rule' experiences. Someone who carries on everything they need for the first few (six to twenty four) hours at their destination naturally doesn't care when their Magical Express-delivered checked luggage arrives in their room.

It's just those rare cases when even just one member of a party who fails or refuses to follow the advice of much more experienced travel companions gets the entire trip off to a less than pleasurable start that, well, stand out in one's mind. When everybody has to wait for checked luggage - and when that luggage ends up taking longer than WDW's stated "up to three hours after check-in", well, it's memorable. Fortunately, it happens SO seldom that one story has to be repeated because, well, it's about the only one I know.

 

[darwinsrule]

ME is one of the bonus things about staying onsite. My DW and I had only stayed off-site before we had kids. With kids, and everything that goes along with it (diaper bags, car seats, etc), I can't imagine hauling all the extra stuff around through MCO. Yes it costs more to stay onsite, but Disney makes it so easy I can't imagine staying off property with the kids.

Like others have said, I would trust Disney more than your average airline with your bags.