Traveling by Magical Express for the first time, any tips?

[Svhadden]

Forgive me foe being dense lol, but I'd just like to clarify. We're landing at MCO at 6:20 on 9/1. So I'm not expecting to check in at POR until around 7:45ish. I plan to have a change of clothes, bathing suits etc in our carryon, so no worries there. Will our luggage be delivered after 10:00, if we check in that late? No problem if it does, as we will prolly be at DTD. I'm just wondering if it will be delivered late, or held until the next morning. Thanks!

Oh, and do y'all put your pin lanyards in your carryon? Does the TSA allow that? Was thinking to put them in a Ziplock and not check them, if that's allowed.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

So I'm not expecting to check in at POR until around 7:45ish. I plan to have a change of clothes, bathing suits etc in our carryon, so no worries there. Will our luggage be delivered after 10:00, if we check in that late?

Here's the official word from Disney's official Complimentary Airport Transportation webpage:

Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort. Luggage delivery service provided by Disney's Magical Express is available for flights arriving between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm daily.​

Notice the phrase "within 3 hours after you check in at the resort." I've had bags show up in less than an hour after checking in. More often, I've had no idea how long it took because I haven't been in the room.

It makes sense that it takes longer for the bags to make it to the room than passengers. You could be on a DME motorcoach while airline baggage handlers are still unloading your bags from your plane. Then the bags have to be sorted at the airport, loaded onto the right truck, unloaded at your resort, and queued for delivery by bell services at at your resort when they're not helping other guests. Disney says this process might take up to 3 hours after you check in.

The 10:00 p.m. deadline is for arriving flights. It's not when the resorts stop luggage delivery to rooms.

Unless your airline messed up and your bags were not on your flight, you will not have to wait until the next morning.

Oh, and do y'all put your pin lanyards in your carryon? Does the TSA allow that?

No problem. The TSA does not consider souvenir pins to be weapons.

 

[sammielynn]

WE will be flying a non participating airline into Orlando, Frontier, can we still use the DME tags or do we need to get our own luggage?

 

[Alesia]

WE will be flying a non participating airline into Orlando, Frontier, can we still use the DME tags or do we need to get our own luggage?

Yes, you can use the DME tags. All airlines participate fully with DME. You just can't use RAC.

 

[Svhadden]

Here's the official word from Disney's official Complimentary Airport Transportation webpage:

Disney's Magical Express service will collect your luggage and deliver it directly to your Walt Disney World hotel room within 3 hours after you check in at the resort. Luggage delivery service provided by Disney's Magical Express is available for flights arriving between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm daily.​

Notice the phrase "within 3 hours after you check in at the resort." I've had bags show up in less than an hour after checking in. More often, I've had no idea how long it took because I haven't been in the room.

It makes sense that it takes longer for the bags to make it to the room than passengers. You could be on a DME motorcoach while airline baggage handlers are still unloading your bags from your plane. Then the bags have to be sorted at the airport, loaded onto the right truck, unloaded at your resort, and queued for delivery by bell services at at your resort when they're not helping other guests. Disney says this process might take up to 3 hours after you check in.

The 10:00 p.m. deadline is for arriving flights. It's not when the resorts stop luggage delivery to rooms.

Unless your airline messed up and your bags were not on your flight, you will not have to wait until the next morning.


No problem. The TSA does not consider souvenir pins to be weapons.

Thanks so much! I wasn't sure about the lanyards...the TSA at our airport (MSY) are, well...not the friendliest (gasp!). Last time I flew (about a year ago) the lady tried to THROW AWAY over $100 in face care products, claiming the bottles were too big for my carryon. I'd just bought them, and still had the plastic/label, so I showed it to her, and she had to let me leave them in my carryon, but she was unbelievably rude about it. Not on my Christmas card list.

 

[deegack]

Thanks so much! I wasn't sure about the lanyards...the TSA at our airport (MSY) are, well...not the friendliest (gasp!). Last time I flew (about a year ago) the lady tried to THROW AWAY over $100 in face care products, claiming the bottles were too big for my carryon. I'd just bought them, and still had the plastic/label, so I showed it to her, and she had to let me leave them in my carryon, but she was unbelievably rude about it. Not on my Christmas card list.

Were they in your carryon or your ziplock bag? If they couldn't fit in your ziplock they should have gone in your checked baggage

 

[HHSTigerFan]

Our flight arrives at 11:00PM, how crowded will DME be at that point?

 

[goofy4tink]

Were they in your carryon or your ziplock bag? If they couldn't fit in your ziplock they should have gone in your checked baggage

That was going to be my question. If they weren't in that quart sized baggie and /or larger than 3.4 oz (100ml), then they were fair game.

Our flight arrives at 11:00PM, how crowded will DME be at that point?

No way of knowing. Just be sure you understand that you can't tag your checked bags. You will have to get them yourself at baggage claim and bring them to the bus with you. You most likely won't be alone on the bus, but there shouldn't be a huge crowd either.
This can work for, or against you, time-wise. Some people have reported spending very short times waiting for the buses and then on the bus vs others saying that they had longer than anticipated wait times.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Our flight arrives at 11:00PM, how crowded will DME be at that point?

Very few flights arrive that late, so Orlando International is pretty empty.

By that time of night, you'll have to get your own bags at baggage claim. The Magical Express baggage service is only for flight arriving between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.

DME motorcoaches are still running, but the operation is scaled down by then. During busy times the same motorcoach typically goes to a few resorts in the same part of WDW. At night, it's based strictly on demand.

I once took DME late at night. The good news is that I didn't have to wait long for to get on a motorcoach and for that coach to be dispatched. The coach was almost empty. That bad news is the I was a DME run whose first stop was the Grand Floridian and then had two more stops before finally taking me to SSR. It was my longest DME trip ever. At least I didn't have checked bags, so I didn't have to spend time waiting at baggage claim.

Summary: DME is not at all crowded late at night, but it can take longer than when DME is busy.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

Thanks a bunch!

I am a person that would rather drive, this trip was talked into flying, not my first time in MCO, but first in maybe 10 years.. So what do I need to do, if flying Southwest, to get my bags and get to DME? Grab bags, hop in train and go to main terminal?

 

[KrazeeK120]

Thanks a bunch!

I am a person that would rather drive, this trip was talked into flying, not my first time in MCO, but first in maybe 10 years.. So what do I need to do, if flying Southwest, to get my bags and get to DME? Grab bags, hop in train and go to main terminal?

Short story...yes.

When your DME mail arrives, it includes a map of MCO, pointing you where to go in the airport. You'll have a bit more work to do if you arrive on the "A" side than if you arrive on the "B" side. But the DME check-in isn't too hard to find.

 

[dburg30]

Thanks a bunch!

I am a person that would rather drive, this trip was talked into flying, not my first time in MCO, but first in maybe 10 years.. So what do I need to do, if flying Southwest, to get my bags and get to DME? Grab bags, hop in train and go to main terminal?

Well, again, I would use the luggage delivery service that WDW offers so you dont have to deal with bags. If you want bags before you leave MCO though, and want to deal with them, get off plane, get on tram, goto baggage claim (no clue where it is, since in my 5 or 6 trips or so, have never been to it with DME) then head to DME counter to board bus (again, not sure if you will need to go down to luggage, then back up and across and then down again for DME or not) And this isnt toward anyone in particular, just in general, but why would anyone want to drag their luggage onto DME with them? Let them deliver your bags to your room for you! You are on vacation, let someone else deal with it!!!!

 

[HHSTigerFan]

Well, again, I would use the luggage delivery service that WDW offers so you dont have to deal with bags. If you want bags before you leave MCO though, and want to deal with them, get off plane, get on tram, goto baggage claim (no clue where it is, since in my 5 or 6 trips or so, have never been to it with DME) then head to DME counter to board bus (again, not sure if you will need to go down to luggage, then back up and across and then down again for DME or not) And this isnt toward anyone in particular, just in general, but why would anyone want to drag their luggage onto DME with them? Let them deliver your bags to your room for you! You are on vacation, let someone else deal with it!!!!

Like I said in an earlier post, our flight doesnt get into MCO until 11:00...

 

[Svhadden]

Were they in your carryon or your ziplock bag? If they couldn't fit in your ziplock they should have gone in your checked baggage

Nope. A Ziplock. I couldn't believe she made a big deal of it, as I knew the rule and thought, "How can SHE not know the regulation???" After I was through, other passengers behind me were coming up to me and saying that they were amazed she didn't know the guidelines for liquids etc.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks a bunch!

I am a person that would rather drive, this trip was talked into flying, not my first time in MCO, but first in maybe 10 years.. So what do I need to do, if flying Southwest, to get my bags and get to DME? Grab bags, hop in train and go to main terminal?

You will get off the plane, head over to the tram area...take the tram to the main terminal. Then, head down to level 2 on Side A, get your bags, and return up to level 3. Cross over across the terminal, to Side B, and go down to level 1, ground transportation, and go to DME. Your bags will be stowed beneath your bus and off you'll go.

 

[dburg30]

Like I said in an earlier post, our flight doesnt get into MCO until 11:00...

ahh missed that earlier post obviously, was just replying to this post.