Using RAC if not using Magical Express - has anyone does this recently?

[sand2270]

I tried searching for this but can't find the answer.

I will have a rental car for my upcoming trip and I know I can't use luggage delivery if we are not using Magical Express to get to the resort.

I know you can check your luggage through at the resort for the return flight. Does this have the same guideline, that you need to be returning on a Magical Express bus?

Thanks.

EDIT: I edited the title since I got more information from my Small World TA and wanted to see if anyone has experienced anything differently. Today she emailed me and told me you can no longer use Resort Airline Checkin if you are not using Magical Express.

All Ears says you can so there is conflicting information. Has anyone used RAC recently without using ME or can confirm that what my TA said is correct?

 

[sand2270]

nevermind I found the answer

If you are curious, resort airline check-in is separate from ME.

 

[sand2270]

I edited the title and original post since I got more information from my Small World TA and wanted to see if anyone has experienced anything differently. Today she emailed me and told me you can no longer use Resort Airline Checkin if you are not using Magical Express.

All Ears says you can so there is conflicting information. Has anyone used RAC recently without using ME or can confirm that what my TA said is correct?

 

[shoes99]

I edited the title and original post since I got more information from my Small World TA and wanted to see if anyone has experienced anything differently. Today she emailed me and told me you can no longer use Resort Airline Checkin if you are not using Magical Express.

All Ears says you can so there is conflicting information. Has anyone used RAC recently without using ME or can confirm that what my TA said is correct?

This must be new because we have used RAC and driven our rental car to the airport.

 

[Tara]

I'll believe it when I see it. RAC and ME are not connected. I used RAC in March and didn't use ME, and I'll be doing the same in 35 days assuming this "rule change" is as false as I think it is.

 

[Lewisc]

RAC is one of several services Disney includes under the DME program. You can use RAC and not ride the bus. Guests with an afternoon or evening flight will be checking their luggage hours before they take the bus. Does anyone think Disney will have a system of pulling bags if the guest doesn't board a bus?

Some possible confusion. RAC sometimes puts boarding passes and luggage drop tags on your door. I think that service is limited to guests who have signed up for DME bus service (maybe even taken the bus from MCO). RAC can't read your mind and know which guests want to use RAC but find their own way to MCO.

 

[sand2270]

This is from the email I received, I am not stating it's one way or the other, just curious which is accurate:

"Unless you are using Magical Express, they do not store this information on the reservation. (This is in reference to my flight info and getting the tags, etc. on my door in the morning, that seems in line with what you said above LewisC)

You can go to the resort airline check-in desk and they will print your boarding passes for you, but you will have to check your bags when you arrive at the airport. They only provide the service now to guests using DME."

Not a big deal, just a nice perk to not have to deal with the bags. I loved going straight to security.

 

[skelooch]

I hope this is not a new policy, I used it on June 5 and drove to the airport without a problem.
And I hope to be doing it again next week, we'll see.

 

[Lewisc]

This is from the email I received, I am not stating it's one way or the other, just curious which is accurate:

"Unless you are using Magical Express, they do not store this information on the reservation. (This is in reference to my flight info and getting the tags, etc. on my door in the morning, that seems in line with what you said above LewisC)

You can go to the resort airline check-in desk and they will print your boarding passes for you, but you will have to check your bags when you arrive at the airport. They only provide the service now to guests using DME."

Not a big deal, just a nice perk to not have to deal with the bags. I loved going straight to security.

Give Disney your return flight information, make your return DME reservation but don't board the bus.

Maybe RAC only has time (resources) to accommodate passengers for which they were able to print bag drop tags and give them to the guest the night before.

 

[CleveRocks]

sand,
Ignore your travel agent on this one. If Disney started doing it that way, it would mean there was a major overhaul in Resort Airline Check-in's computer system as well as other logistical changes. NO WAY this has happened unnoticed.

The computer system used by the RAC staff (who, by the way, are NOT Disney cast members) is not tied in with DME's computer system.

Furthermore, people who do get the bus ride from DME still have to use RAC prior to getting on a bus, and in many cases it's HOURS before boarding the bus. Once you check your bags with RAC, those bags are secured per TSA regulations.

I'll bet your travel agent doesn't know how DME and RAC work. Is she imagining that if you don't board your assigned DME bus that your checked bags are tossed out of the resort's secure baggage area and left there to rot? Is she thinking that the RAC staff are asking each person how they are getting back to the airport? THERE will be the instant proof, finding out from someone who used RAC in the past few days if they were asked how they're getting back to the airport.

I'm hoping to open my own travel agency in the next year. It makes me cringe when I hear of other travel agents giving out bad information because it makes us all look like Clueless Wonders.

 

[Tara]

sand,
I'm hoping to open my own travel agency in the next year. It makes me cringe when I hear of other travel agents giving out bad information because it makes us all look like Clueless Wonders.

Sadly, the agent probably got this information directly from Disney.

 

[Lewisc]

Eric--I don't know if the OP is using "Small World Vacations" That's the Disney specialized TA suggested by a popular internet savings site specializing in Disney. I'd give this some credibility if that's the exact TA the OP is using.

BAGS is printing boarding passes and bag drop tags for guests with a DME registration. BAGs calls this service Remote Airline Check-in Express. The BPs and luggage tags are put on the guests doorknob.

It's possible BAGS can't handle the increased number guests resulting from the addition of SW and is considering limiting the service to those guests they can pre-process.

The "work around" would be to sign up DME for your return. Nothing requires you to board the bus.

 

[sand2270]

Eric--I don't know if the OP is using "Small World Vacations" That's the Disney specialized TA suggested by a popular internet savings site specializing in Disney. I'd give this some credibility if that's the exact TA the OP is using.

BAGS is printing boarding passes and bag drop tags for guests with a DME registration. BAGs calls this service Remote Airline Check-in Express. The BPs and luggage tags are put on the guests doorknob.

It's possible BAGS can't handle the increased number guests resulting from the addition of SW and is considering limiting the service to those guests they can pre-process.

The "work around" would be to sign up DME for your return. Nothing requires you to board the bus.

Yes, I am using Small World Vacations.

I figure either way I'll find out once I am there .

 

[Mike]

We just used RAC on Wed 7/21 and drove our rental car to the airport. It was very convenient. The CMs working at the RAC desk knew we were not using DME.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is from the email I received, I am not stating it's one way or the other, just curious which is accurate:

"Unless you are using Magical Express, they do not store this information on the reservation. (This is in reference to my flight info and getting the tags, etc. on my door in the morning, that seems in line with what you said above LewisC)

You can go to the resort airline check-in desk and they will print your boarding passes for you, but you will have to check your bags when you arrive at the airport. They only provide the service now to guests using DME."

Not a big deal, just a nice perk to not have to deal with the bags. I loved going straight to security.

This is not accurate.

RAC is equal to/is the same as curbside check-in. The only difference is, the 'curb' is thirty miles from the airport. To say one can only use RAC in combination with DME is to say one can only use curbside check-in in combination with DME. Ridiculous, right?

RAC will print your boarding passes AND your luggage tags. They'll weigh your luggage, they'll check your ID - they've done it for me when I wasn't using DME to get back to the airport. All the same things the Skycaps at curbside check-in would do. They'll place your luggage in the secure area, in cages. The cages will get loaded on the truck, and the truck will take it to the airport. Ground crews will sort and distribute all the caged luggage to the correct airlines, which will then place it on the correct flights (we can hope ).

Give Disney your return flight information, make your return DME reservation but don't board the bus.

Eh, I'm not so sure that's the best way to handle this. Granted, chances are slim, but if the OP were the only party scheduled for that particular DME bus, the bus's trip to her/his resort would be wasted.

 

[Lewisc]

BAGS, Inc is offering RACE service. BPs and bag drop tags are printed and left on the guest's hotel door knob.

The question is if RAC will continue to be offered or if BAGS, Inc will only be providing RACE service. It's plausible BAGS, Inc doesn't have the resources to handle bags that haven't been "pre-processed"

edited to add--I think the TA is mistaken. I suspect the email is referring to RACE. AFAIK Disney/Bags, Inc is continuing to offer RAC service. If true I would have thought we'd be seeing information from more then one source. DU would have gotten the same information as the OPs TA.

This is not accurate.

RAC is equal to/is the same as curbside check-in. The only difference is, the 'curb' is thirty miles from the airport. To say one can only use RAC in combination with DME is to say one can only use curbside check-in in combination with DME. Ridiculous, right?

RAC will print your boarding passes AND your luggage tags. They'll weigh your luggage, they'll check your ID - they've done it for me when I wasn't using DME to get back to the airport. All the same things the Skycaps at curbside check-in would do. They'll place your luggage in the secure area, in cages. The cages will get loaded on the truck, and the truck will take it to the airport. Ground crews will sort and distribute all the caged luggage to the correct airlines, which will then place it on the correct flights (we can hope ).

Eh, I'm not so sure that's the best way to handle this. Granted, chances are slim, but if the OP were the only party scheduled for that particular DME bus, the bus's trip to her/his resort would be wasted.