Unfortunately, I have a VISION...of the number one complaint when ME starts in May

[dudspizza]

I agree, why is this so hard to understand?????? Argh.

The non-participating airline thing only exists for your departure from MCO back to your home. If your airline is participating (American, Delta, Song, Continental, United or Ted), then you can check in at your resort and they will take care of your bags from there. You will get your boarding passes right at your Disney resort.

If your airline is not participating, then you put your bags on the ME and you have to check them in, along with yourself, when you get to MCO.

All INCOMING domestic flights will have their bags picked up at MCO and delivered to your Disney resort, no matter what airline you fly. This is as long as you have reservations with Disney to do so.

That is it, not hard to understand.

Duds

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/magical-express.htm

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

Ok, I almost got confuzzled there for a minute lol.

 

[simzac]

I just don't understand why people are trying to make this more difficult than it needs to be. My suggestion is this: if you do not think ME will work like it is intended, then do not use it. You can get from the airport to WDW the old fashion way, those of us who have confidence in how ME will work will go straight from our plane to the bus, on to WDW, and will find our luggage in our room later that day, just like Disney states it will. JMO

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

OK- I don't want to be difficult--- but...

What if your luggage gets lost by the airlines. How will you know this- until you get to the resort, and have no bags?

I really want to use this for our Oct. trip (it won't be in place for our April trip)

 

[goofy4tink]

OK- I don't want to be difficult--- but...

What if your luggage gets lost by the airlines. How will you know this- until you get to the resort, and have no bags?

I really want to use this for our Oct. trip (it won't be in place for our April trip)

If you are flying direct, there shouldn't be any worry. I've flown many, many times and never had an issue with lost luggage!! With connections and without them...no issue. It's mostly when you have a quick connection somewhere you could have a problem but that is very rare. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I've never had a lost bag either, but with my luck, that would be the first time. I'm not too worried.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I'm sort of wondering how they will know when they have ALL of the bags for ALL of the passengers on incoming flights. If DH, DS and I all check 2 bags then they will need to look for 6 bags. In January we only checked 4 bags. I think it will be hard to keep track of how many bags they are looking for each time for each family. Obviously the bags will be tagged, but how do they know how many are supposed to be there? I think it is MUCH more likely that SOME of your bags will be misplaced, not ALL of them.

Fortunately I am a chronic over-packer so I will have PLENTY of stuff in MULTIPLE bags and my carry-on. If they lose some I can squeak by until they find it. Besides, we have 5 months to sit back and read about Magical Express experiences before we have to make a decision.

 

[Dumbo]

Joining the chorus of explainers..... now listen up...

Anyone, even those flying on the Orient Express.....

The Orient Express doesn't fly. It is a train!!!!!

Dumbo

 

[DebbieB]

One thing to be clear, they don't take the luggage to your bus so don't be looking for it. They will pull the tagged luggage behind the scenes and put them all on trucks to the resorts. I don't know if they sort them at the airport or somewhere else. My guess is they will not know if you have 4 bags or 6 bags. They just take all the tagged luggage and sort it by resort and deliver it. I don't know if they will have some kind of tracking system like the airlines have.

 

[seashoreCM]

I am led to believe that the Magical Express folks at the airport will just take all the Disney bound Magical Express tagged bags from any and all airlines and load them aboard the trucks contracted for that purpose. The bag tags would be scanned to get them headed for the proper truck going to the proper resort, and also assist in any lost bag followups later. Counting of bags would be done by the scanner computer, not by any person.

It has always been a good idea to have your name and address as a second ID on or in your bag. Some people use their home or office address for the second ID all the time. If you use Disney for the second ID on the DIsney bound trip, you should include the words Magical Express on it. This way, if the Magical Express tag got torn off by accident, the bag will still be delivered.

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

 

[Topper]

....I didn't know I still had to get my "luggage" and bring it to the bus.

For those of us who are not flying one of the airlines listed by Disney you should get your luggage from buggage claim and bring it to the bus.

I can vision a whole team of people now...board the bus...getting all the way to Disney only to discover their luggage is still going around the carousel at MCO.
Then blaming the ME for their issues when they have to travel all they way back to MCO to get their luggage.:

You can put a sticky on this theard so they can start posting

My advice and tip....please review what Magical Express airlines automically transfer your luggage and what Magical Express airliness don't. For those that don't please don't forget your luggage.

Don'tcha hate it when you're wrong?

 

[DebIreland]

The best approach, imho, is to view the resort check-in facility for outward flights as an EXTRA benefit for those travelling with certain participating airlines and shouldn't be viewed as any kind of criteria for PARTAKING IN THE ME SERVICE.

The BASE Magical Express service is:
All luggage of all Disney resort guests (who wish to participate in ME) is collected from MCO *regardless* of where the flight originated. (As proof of this, just go to Disneyworld.com, do a mock vacation search, add Magical Express and it will give you tons and tons of options re: countries and airlines. I'm in Ireland, I can take part in it, they don't mind who I choose to fly with! lol). It doesn't matter to Disney which airline you choose to use to *get to* MCO, the important criteria is that your luggage flies in to MCO. Why would they care which airline brought the luggage to MCO? You can merrily skip on to the bus, luggage free, go to your resort and your luggage will be brought in a separate truck. End of story.

On the way out, you get on the bus with your luggage and you are taken to MCO free of charge. Great deal!! It can stop there. That's the ME service if that's all you need it to be (which, let's face it, is plenty!!!). BUT AS AN ADDED EXTRA OPTIONAL BONUS FOR CUSTOMERS OF CERTAIN PARTICIPATING AIRLINES, you can check-in at the resort. You don't have to. But you can if it makes life easier. As with check-in at any airport, once you complete the check-in process you give your luggage over. Disney brings the luggage in a separate truck to MCO for those guests and for the rest of us, we travel with the luggage ourselves. Not too shabby at all

In short, don't focus on the resort check-in feature. It's just an extra!

 

[DebIreland]

What I think is going to be the number one complaint is the folks who instead of going to the bus stood at the carousel waiting and waiting for luggage that is already at Disney! LOL!

OMG! You're right! I never thought of that. I can see it now... sitting in that bus, the clock is ticking, we're going nowhere and a Disney castmember is calling out at 1000 decibels through a PA in the arrivals lounge "Would the folk hovering around the carousel looking distressed please come to the ME bus immediately. Your luggage is, we repeat, YOUR LUGGAGE IS, on its way to Disney World. We swear. It is. It really *IS*. Get your as*es on the bus NOW"*

 

[HappyLawyer]

wow that seems like the airport people will be sifting through, i hoep they are getting paid extra, i am also glad to see everyone is keeping this thread nice

it has been funny reading it.

 

[3PrezGirls]

This is a non-issue fortunately.

EVERYONE's luggage gets picked up behind the scenes at MCO and brought to your DIsney Resort. That's what the luggage tags are fo.

On the return trip only, will you have to bring your bags if you are not on a participating airline.

This is exactly what I understood when talking to my TA who also said SW (who we are flying) may be added by May. Disney is trying to add more airlines by May 5th. So we're crossing our fingers for our return trip home.

 

[Miss Mickey Mania]

OMG! You're right! I never thought of that. I can see it now... sitting in that bus, the clock is ticking, we're going nowhere and a Disney castmember is calling out at 1000 decibels through a PA in the arrivals lounge "Would the folk hovering around the carousel looking distressed please come to the ME bus immediately. Your luggage is, we repeat, YOUR LUGGAGE IS, on its way to Disney World. We swear. It is. It really *IS*. Get your as*es on the bus NOW"*

This is such a funny thread. Deb, I love it! If I hear a CM say something like this in July I will collapse in a heap.

I am so sure there are some poor misguided souls who will hover around that carousel. I will NOT be one of them as I am a knowledgable DISer and I know how ME works (I hope)!

 

[pumpkinboy]

I too am looking forward to taking advantage of DME.

I guess for our non-North American friends, I wonder how that would work with US Customs. Most of our Canadian friends go thru US customs in their home airports (can't you do that in Shannon too?). And I imagine, any of our non-North American friends who arrive via a connecting flight say at JFK, LAX, Dulles or Atlanta, would go thru US Customs there, then check luggage on the Orlando-bound final leg. But what about folks arriving from abroad directly in Orlando? Customs is gonna want thier "pound of flesh" as it were.

 

[Miss Mickey Mania]

I too am looking forward to taking advantage of DME.

I guess for our non-North American friends, I wonder how that would work with US Customs. Most of our Canadian friends go thru US customs in their home airports (can't you do that in Shannon too?). And I imagine, any of our non-North American friends who arrive via a connecting flight say at JFK, LAX, Dulles or Atlanta, would go thru US Customs there, then check luggage on the Orlando-bound final leg. But what about folks arriving from abroad directly in Orlando? Customs is gonna want thier "pound of flesh" as it were.

I can only speak from my own experience here, flying from the UK. My luggage arrives at McCoy, and I pick it up from the first set of carousels, that's where the customs come in. Then I hand the luggage back to them and I go on the monorail thingy. My luggage gets screened again and gets transported separately to the other terminal while I'm on the monorail. I then pick it up for the second time at the other carousel at the second baggage claim. This is where the ME system will kick in. So I'll be picking up my own luggage at one carousel but not the second one. Clear as mud? I bet I've really confused everyone now!

 

[dudspizza]

ME is only for domestic flights. International flights are not included.

Duds

 

[lsteadman]

Don'tcha hate it when you're wrong?

and bring it to the bus... I don't care about being wrong or right I care about my luggage get to/from. Like I said the number one complaint will be luggage issues.

Just wait only 43 days to go until the ME express starts.