SW and RAC...

[goofy4tink]

This is copied from the Resorts board, but it's pretty complete........

March 9th - Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and Disney's Boardwalk Resort

March 16th - Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Disney's Polynesian Resort

March 23rd - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House and Kidani Village), Disney's Wilderness Lodge, and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

March 30th - Disney's Port Orleans Resorts - Riverside and French Quarter

April 6th - Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Rollouts for Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort will be completed at a later date.

Southwest 24-Hour Check-In

The Resort Airline Check-In staff will process the 24-hour in advance check-in for all Southwest Guests as long as they have pre-registered at the Airport Welcome Center.

Will Southwest Guests receive their boarding passes to their resort room like other Resort Airline Check-In Express Guests?
Guests arriving to MCO utilizing DME will be pre-registered for RAC at the Welcome Center. Guests who are flying on eligible Southwest flights have the option with DME to sign up for RAC. These Guests will receive their boarding passes and temporary luggage tags at their room the morning of departure. The Welcome Center will have information fliers for Guests explaining the process.

What if a Guest does not elect to participate in pre-registration for RAC or does not come through the Welcome Center? Can they still utilize RAC?
Guests can utilize RAC on the morning of their departure to check-in for their flights and receive their boarding passes. They will not receive any documents in their room.

Southwest Airlines utilizes boarding groups for their flights rather then seat assignments. How does this impact the RAC process for pre-registered Guests?
For Guests who are pre-registered at the Welcome Center, RAC will automatically check Guests in for their flights 24 hours from their flight time. Boarding groups are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis by Southwest Airlines. RAC's automated check-in process does not guarantee a certain boarding group; however, the chances are the same as a Guest checking-in online.

At the Resorts, we have Southwest Guests who come to the Concierge Desk to check-in 24 hours prior to their flight. What should we do?
If the Guests have been pre-registered via the Welcome Center, they will be checked in by RAC and their boarding passes and temporary luggage tags will be delivered to their room the morning of their departure. For Guests who have not been checked-in via the Welcome Center, they are to follow the existing Front Desk process.

If I check-in a Guest on the Southwest website and they are re-registered for RAC, will it negatively impact the Guest's boarding group?
No, it will not. RAC's system automatically kicks off the check-in process 24 hours before flight time. If a Guest has completed the check-in online before the RAC system has completed the process, RAC will receive notification that the reservation has already been checked-in and it will receive the same boarding group that the Guest received. RAC will still send the printed boarding passes and temporary luggage tags to the Guest as planned. If boarding passes have already been printed out then they will receive duplicates on their door the morning of departure.

Can I add or delete luggage for the Guest via the Southwest website?
No, the Southwest website does not allow changes to the luggage; the site is for flight check-in only. If Guests have incorrect luggage totals and it is 48 hours prior to flight time, they may call the Service Center to add luggage documented with DME. Or, on the morning of departure when dropping theirs luggage off with RAC, they may add luggage to their reservation at the desk.

What if they receive too many temporary luggage tags?
Any unused temporary tags can be discarded. If not used, they are deleted from the airline system within a specific time before flight time (this is the case with all RAC airlines).

Does Southwest Airlines have baggage fees?
At this time, Southwest allows for passengers to fly without fees for two checked bags per ticketed passenger. Fees are assessed for overweight/oversized luggage and additional bags over two. Guests who need to pay fees follow the same process as all other RAC airlines and pay these fees at the Desk or to save time by calling Baggage Airline Guest Services at (407) 284-1231

 

[Jestocost]

The Resort Airline Check-In staff will process the 24-hour in advance check-in for all Southwest Guests as long as they have pre-registered at the Airport Welcome Center.

Will Southwest Guests receive their boarding passes to their resort room like other Resort Airline Check-In Express Guests?
Guests arriving to MCO utilizing DME will be pre-registered for RAC at the Welcome Center. Guests who are flying on eligible Southwest flights have the option with DME to sign up for RAC. These Guests will receive their boarding passes and temporary luggage tags at their room the morning of departure. The Welcome Center will have information fliers for Guests explaining the process.

What if a Guest does not elect to participate in pre-registration for RAC or does not come through the Welcome Center? Can they still utilize RAC?
Guests can utilize RAC on the morning of their departure to check-in for their flights and receive their boarding passes. They will not receive any documents in their room.

So, my question is what does pre registering at the Welcome Center involve? We flew SWA on our trip last week, stayed at the BC and used DME bus transport both ways. Upon arriving at the Welcome Center, however, we were just waved along to the bus queues and had our vouchers scanned there. We did not go to the actual Welcome Center desk.

We used EBCI, so were checked in at 36 hours, but we DID NOT receive any boarding passes or temporary luggage tags in our room. As a result, it would appear that we were not "pre-registered" at the Welcome Center and RAC WOULD NOT have checked us in at 24 hours.

So, does that mean that SWA passengers who want to have RAC check them in at the 24-hour mark need to go to the actual Welcome Center desk and should NOT follow any CM directions to skip the line and go straight to the bus queues? Is "pre-registering" something that can only be done at the actual Welcome Center desk and not by just having your vouchers scanned at the bus queue podiums?

If that's the case, I think we can be prepared for god-awful lines and delays at the Welcome Center desk OR for tons of SWA passengers to be upset when RAC doesn't check them in because they didn't stop at the Welcome Center desk. Maybe both.

Of course it could be that my experience was just an early-stage glitch in the process, which would be reasonable, but I think it's still unclear exactly how this is going to work.

 

[goofy4tink]

Your vouchers are still scanned. I would think that is all that is needed to be considered 'checked in'. This way Disney knows that you have used DME to get to the resort.

 

[Jestocost]

Your vouchers are still scanned. I would think that is all that is needed to be considered 'checked in'. This way Disney knows that you have used DME to get to the resort.

And yet they apparently did not have me as "pre-registered" even though my vouchers were scanned. I did receive a DME package, which included my flight information, the day before departure, but no boarding passes or temporary luggage tags from RAC. I can only assume that I was not "processed" 24 hours before my flight.

Glitch or no, it would make me leery about relying on RAC to check me in at the 24-hour mark until I see additional evidence over time that the process is working as advertised.

 

[Lewisc]

Rollouts for Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort will be completed at a later date.

.... Fees are assessed for overweight/oversized luggage and additional bags over two. Guests who need to pay fees follow the same process as all other RAC airlines and pay these fees at the Desk or to save time by calling Baggage Airline Guest Services at (407) 284-1231

One of the press releases suggested OKW and CBR need to find room to expand RAC luggage facilities before they can add Southwest.

Fees for overweight bags is a recent change. In the past RAC wasn't able to collect fees for overweight or oversized bags. Those passengers weren't eligible to use RAC. This might have been one of the things holding up SW.

 

[goofy4tink]

And yet they apparently did not have me as "pre-registered" even though my vouchers were scanned. I did receive a DME package, which included my flight information, the day before departure, but no boarding passes or temporary luggage tags from RAC. I can only assume that I was not "processed" 24 hours before my flight.

Glitch or no, it would make me leery about relying on RAC to check me in at the 24-hour mark until I see additional evidence over time that the process is working as advertised.

I believe it depends on what time your departing flight is. I 'think', but may have this reversed...if you depart before noon, you get the stuff on your door. If you depart after noon, you have to go down to RAC and get everything done as usual.
Perhaps someone who has had this service at one of the values can give the correct timing.

 

[goofy4tink]

One of the press releases suggested OKW and CBR need to find room to expand RAC luggage facilities before they can add Southwest.

Fees for overweight bags is a recent change. In the past RAC wasn't able to collect fees for overweight or oversized bags. Those passengers weren't eligible to use RAC. This might have been one of the things holding up SW.

But, don't all airlines have pretty much the same stipulations regarding oversize/overweight baggage??? How did they handle it when checking in with RAC? I 'thought' they just had to call BAGS and pay over the phone. That should also work with SW.

 

[bellebookworm9]

OK, I read all of that first post and I'm still a little confused

1) We are using EBCI on our return flight, departing at 1pm. So when we arrive in Orlando, we stop at the Welcome desk before getting on our ME bus to AKV, and we will be registered for RAC, correct? So, the morning we leave will get our boarding passes and luggage tags delivered to our door? Does it matter that we are using EBCI?

2)I know that prior to this, Southwest customers could go to the desk in the lobby to get their boarding passes printed, but could not check bags. Because the resort will deliver the luggage tags to the room, are we allowed to check the bags at the resort now? Does the number of tags you receive for the return flight equal the number of bags you checked for the arrival flight?

I'm trying to make sense of this and I am thinking it might just be easier to get our boarding passes/check our luggage at the airport, which was my original plan. I'm sure RAC is easier to use then I think it is, so could someone try to answer my questions?

TIA

 

[Goofygirl17]

Do you have to be using DME in order to be checked in 24 hours prior to flight time with RAC?

We're renting a car so not using DME. I was going to go to guest services in whatever park we're in at 24 hours prior to our flight home in order to check in w/ SW.

Thanks!

Also- we're staying at SSR and going home on 4/17

 

[mmouse50]

If I use RAC for Southwest but am renting a car - when or do I do the return flight boarding pass thing? Do I stop by the Welcome Center at the airport prior to getting my car or can I do the whole thing the morning that I leave? I have EBCI with my ticket

 

[Jestocost]

OK, I read all of that first post and I'm still a little confused

1) We are using EBCI on our return flight, departing at 1pm. So when we arrive in Orlando, we stop at the Welcome desk before getting on our ME bus to AKV, and we will be registered for RAC, correct? So, the morning we leave will get our boarding passes and luggage tags delivered to our door? Does it matter that we are using EBCI?

2)I know that prior to this, Southwest customers could go to the desk in the lobby to get their boarding passes printed, but could not check bags. Because the resort will deliver the luggage tags to the room, are we allowed to check the bags at the resort now? Does the number of tags you receive for the return flight equal the number of bags you checked for the arrival flight?

I'm trying to make sense of this and I am thinking it might just be easier to get our boarding passes/check our luggage at the airport, which was my original plan. I'm sure RAC is easier to use then I think it is, so could someone try to answer my questions?

TIA

Based on the OP, SWA started RAC service at AKV 3/23, although I haven't read a specific report of anyone using the service at AKV yet.

If you are using EBCI, you will be checked in automatically and if you use DME bus service on the way in to WDW you should be preregistered for RAC. Whether or not you will or won't get BPs delivered to your room appears to be a function of if the process is working properly or maybe what time of day your flight is. We used EBCI and RAC from BC and should have been preregisterd for the service, but we did not receive any BPs or luggage tags on our door. The theory posited is that guests with flights later in the day (our flight was 6:50 p.m.) don't get BPs and luggage tags delivered, while guests with earlier flights do. That would explain our experience. Regardless, we still were able to use RAC to get our BPs printed and to check our luggage.

The number of tags you receive on your door should be the same as the number of bags you had DME collect on the way in. It doesn't really matter, however, as they are just temporary tags and will be replaced at the RAC desk anyway. You still need to take your bags to the desk to actually check them in and at that time you can check more or fewer bags than you had on the way in.

 

[Jestocost]

If I use RAC for Southwest but am renting a car - when or do I do the return flight boarding pass thing? Do I stop by the Welcome Center at the airport prior to getting my car or can I do the whole thing the morning that I leave? I have EBCI with my ticket

If you're not using the DME bus service, I wouldn't bother going to the DME desk as you won't have a reservation for them to do anything with anyway. The only thing you get from "preregistering" is that RAC will automatically (supposedly) check you in with SWA at the 24-hour mark. If you are using EBCI you don't need that. All you'll have to do is go to the RAC desk no earlier than 12 hours before your departing flight to check your bags and get your BPs printed. You also have to have that process completed no later than three hours before your flight.

 

[Jestocost]

Do you have to be using DME in order to be checked in 24 hours prior to flight time with RAC?

We're renting a car so not using DME. I was going to go to guest services in whatever park we're in at 24 hours prior to our flight home in order to check in w/ SW.

Thanks!

Also- we're staying at SSR and going home on 4/17

If you don't use DME it appears to me that you will have to get yourselves checked in for your flight; either by paying for EBCI or doing as you have planned.

 

[lionqueen]

I will be flying into Disney on southwest in about 2 weeks and we are using DME and staying at BLT. Do we need to stop at the Welcome Center at the airport to have them check us in at the 24 hour mark or if they scan our tickets when we get on DME are we automatically going to be checked in 24 hours before our flight? Our flight coming home leaves around 11 am. Does that mean everything will be printed out for us and we just have to get our bags down to RAC desk? Thanks in advance for anyone's input.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I will be flying into Disney on southwest in about 2 weeks and we are using DME and staying at BLT. Do we need to stop at the Welcome Center at the airport to have them check us in at the 24 hour mark or if they scan our tickets when we get on DME are we automatically going to be checked in 24 hours before our flight? Our flight coming home leaves around 11 am. Does that mean everything will be printed out for us and we just have to get our bags down to RAC desk? Thanks in advance for anyone's input.

I strongly suggest two things..

For all the questions similar to this in this thread..

1. Before you depart - call the phone number in the post above and ask for details about what you need to do in your situation. As we can see here -- there is no 'cookie cutter' answer for folks with different situations.

2. At some point during your trip - simply stop at the RAC desk in the lobby of your resort and confirm what steps you need to talk to make sure everything is set for you and your situation.

Personally - I haven't used this service anymore than anyone else in this thread.. so I am loathe to give advice that may adversely affect someones trip.

So - taking those two simple steps above should cover off any concerns you may have before arrival and before departure.

Hope this helps,

Knox