Booked Flights!!! A couple questions...

mishel635

mishel635

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone!! Very excited that we were able to book flights today! We were trying to fly out of Buffalo but flights were over $600 round trip. Found flights out of Pittsburgh for about $300 round trip! Not great, but the best rates we've seen in the last two months...
I have a question about the DME shuttle- we will take it on our way to the resort, but I am thinking to get a couple extra hours at the parks on our last day, we will just get a cab to MCO for our return flight. Will DME take just our luggage to the airport? Or do we have to take the DME as well for them to take our luggage?
Also, does anyone have experience with Southwest? I have only flown AirTran and Delta in the past and I'm worried about getting seats with my kids who are 3 and 5. If we call right at the 24 hour mark for pre-boarding, do we have a good chance of sitting together? Thanks!
 
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Tinkerbell397

Tinkerbell397

Well-Known Member
We fly SWA all the time from Providence. You can pay an extra $15 per ticket in order to be guaranteed an "A" boarding pass with Early Bird Check-in. I think most people do this because when I don't, even if I check in exactly 24 hours before my flight, I get a "B" boarding pass. Most people who have "A" boarding passes grab the seats in the front of the plane and window seats. I cannot imagine that if you do not get "Early Bird Check-in", that you would not find 3 seats in a row somewhere in the back of the plane....or 2 and 2....looks like you are a family of 4.
As for your question about DME taking your luggage without you: You can check out at anytime in the AM and leave you luggage with the front desk/concierge. They will store it for DME, you can go into the park and then come back to the hotel to catch the DME bus so there will be no need for a taxi. That is what we do....On our last day, we check out, leave our bags and spend a few extra hours in the park. Our bags are safe and waiting for us to take DME to MCO.
I would call DME for an answer to your question about sending you bags without you on the bus.
Have a magical trip! :cat: We will be there Sept 17-23.
 
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75disney

75disney

Well-Known Member
We flew SW when my youngest was 5. They allowed us to do a family boarding (for people traveling with kids 5 or younger) which meant we went after the A group but before the B group. That was a few years ago. They may still do it. Just call and ask. I would definitely still call at the 24 hour mark as well.
 
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Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
lilclerk said:
For your return flight, you can check your bags the morning you leave at the Resort Airline Check in desk. That's separate from DME. Baggage services will hold your carry-ons for you.
Honestly though, you probably won't gain much time from taking a cab rather than DME.
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Correct on all counts. For your return flight, tell them that you want to do Resort Check-In. (I'm pretty sure you can tell them this when you first arrive at your resort). You can then bring your bags down the morning that you check-out and they will take care of getting them to the airport for you. They will also hold your carry-ons separately for you, so you can just come back and pick up your carry-ons in time to catch your DME bus.
If you do a park on your last day,remember to allow plenty of travel time back to your resort. I wouldn't recommend a cab to the airport - it will cost you a fortune, for very little extra time.
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
75disney said:
We flew SW when my youngest was 5. They allowed us to do a family boarding (for people traveling with kids 5 or younger) which meant we went after the A group but before the B group. That was a few years ago. They may still do it. Just call and ask. I would definitely still call at the 24 hour mark as well.
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This is still accurate, but I'd pay for early bird. Family boarding is still after up to 60 people are already on the plane. I prefer being in that first 60 so my wife and I can be across from each one, one child each.
 
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mishel635

mishel635

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks everyone! I guess we will probably just take the DME... I know it's only 90 minutes or so, but that's 90 more minutes of Disney magic darn it!!!!!!! :)
Does anyone know if you can add the early bird after you book and pay for your flights? I am thinking we should probably do that. I don't really care where we sit, but I really want all four of us to sit together.
Thanks again!
 
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cfry06

cfry06

Well-Known Member
mishel635 said:
Thanks everyone! I guess we will probably just take the DME... I know it's only 90 minutes or so, but that's 90 more minutes of Disney magic darn it!!!!!!! :)
Does anyone know if you can add the early bird after you book and pay for your flights? I am thinking we should probably do that. I don't really care where we sit, but I really want all four of us to sit together.
Thanks again!
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We added the early bird after booking when we flew SW in December. I would just give them a call - I've always had the most pleasant reps when calling!
 
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StarWarsGirl

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Lemme explain the SWA system to you: you check in online 24 hours in advance. They organize it by whoever clicks first, and then there's a group that gets to board. You've got the A group, the B group, and the C group. There are 60 people in each group. You have to go online for your check in and click it right at the 24 hour mark or else you won't get it. If you are not in A group, you will go in family boarding since it's for families travelling with children 4 and under. I've been in B group and have never had an issue sitting with my younger brother or my parents sitting together. You should be fine, and even if you weren't the flight attendants would make sure you got seats with your children. They've done it before (I fly with them all the time, if you can't tell that, lol) where they'll say, "This flight will not take off until this mother and child are together." But in all honesty, I don't see you having a problem. You can pay extra to board early, which is what we do on our return trip, but I don't see you having a problem.

You can utilize airport check-in. Does not matter if you use Magical Express for your return trip or not.
 
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Poofiesdream

Poofiesdream

Well-Known Member
Tinkerbell397 said:
We fly SWA all the time from Providence. You can pay an extra $15 per ticket in order to be guaranteed an "A" boarding pass with Early Bird Check-in. I think most people do this because when I don't, even if I check in exactly 24 hours before my flight, I get a "B" boarding pass. Most people who have "A" boarding passes grab the seats in the front of the plane and window seats. I cannot imagine that if you do not get "Early Bird Check-in", that you would not find 3 seats in a row somewhere in the back of the plane....or 2 and 2....looks like you are a family of 4.
As for your question about DME taking your luggage without you: You can check out at anytime in the AM and leave you luggage with the front desk/concierge. They will store it for DME, you can go into the park and then come back to the hotel to catch the DME bus so there will be no need for a taxi. That is what we do....On our last day, we check out, leave our bags and spend a few extra hours in the park. Our bags are safe and waiting for us to take DME to MCO.
I would call DME for an answer to your question about sending you bags without you on the bus.
Have a magical trip! :cat: We will be there Sept 17-23.
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Early Bird Check in does not guarantee you group A. I use it every time and sometimes I get a B boarding.
 
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lilclerk

lilclerk

Well-Known Member
Poofiesdream said:
Early Bird Check in does not guarantee you group A. I use it every time and sometimes I get a B boarding.
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Right, if enough people pay for it, then it's going to fill up group A. I'm pretty sure they go after business class, too. I don't know what order they do early bird in, probably the order you bought it though.
 
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Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
lilclerk said:
Right, if enough people pay for it, then it's going to fill up group A. I'm pretty sure they go after business class, too. I don't know what order they do early bird in, probably the order you bought it though.
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I'm pretty sure that's how it works. They reserve the first dozen or so positions for business class, then Early Birds after that. When we flew this past May they were offering those unsold Business Class spots for something like $50 each, but I didn't see anyone take them up on it.
 
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KLeigh

KLeigh

Well-Known Member
Another question about adding Early Bird Check In:

I booked my tickets in May, but I'm just thinking about adding EB now. So will my boarding number follow my original booking date, or the much later EB date?

Thanks!
 
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dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
KLeigh said:
Another question about adding Early Bird Check In:

I booked my tickets in May, but I'm just thinking about adding EB now. So will my boarding number follow my original booking date, or the much later EB date?

Thanks!
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Quoting directly from Southwest.com
Is there an order in which EarlyBird Check-In Boarding Passes are reserved?
Yes. Customers who have purchased Anytime Fares will receive priority over other fare types that are assigned their position based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase.
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To the OP, the extra 60 minutes or so isn't really that much. And I'd rather be at the airport rather than missing my flight and having to try to deal with that hassle. I've been at MCO where the security line carried over to the other side of the lobby/rotunda area (with TSA in the middle directing people to the end of the line instead of cutting) easily 45+ minute wait.

And even if you don't meet the Family boarding requirements and somehow got stuck in "C", people will usually work with you. The attendants will usually ask if there are any people willing to move so that the parents can sit with their kids. (2 by 2, not all 4 in one place) I know that my wife and I have split up so that a mom could sit with her 6ish yo.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
75disney said:
We flew SW when my youngest was 5. They allowed us to do a family boarding (for people traveling with kids 5 or younger) which meant we went after the A group but before the B group. That was a few years ago. They may still do it. Just call and ask. I would definitely still call at the 24 hour mark as well.
Click to expand...

The policy is now that children UNDER 5 get to board after the A group.
 
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