just a few random questions..

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
Agreed. The general rule of thumb is don't schedule anything less than three hours from your landing time. I scheduled something three and a half hours after I was supposed to land and still had my plans blow up due to a delay that was announced the night before. I missed and ADR and a pass for a show that came with it. Disney was nice about it and cancelled my fee, but it still sucked.

Quick question Mickey- I've heard that if you have ME take your bags using the magical tags, it 1. Makes it easier to track the bags if they get lost and 2. Means Disney will take over tracking the bags for you so you don't have to deal with calling the airline. Do you know if that's true?
I'm not really sure about that. The ME tags have your name and a bar code, so that's an extra ID, which would make them easier to ID- at least while they are at MCO.
I also imagine EVERY US airport luggage handler knows the ME Mickey stickers = WDW. :D!

If you use ME, WDW will send you luggage tags, but you don't have to use them. Most folks don't use all the ME stickers they get. If your luggage gets lost, I'm sure you'd have to report it to someone for them to know about it, but WDW should bring them to you if they show up at MCO with tags - I think.

We've only used the tags a few times, but they were kind of a hassle, IMO. Every time we used them, it took a long time to get our bags, and that slowed us down. the last time we used them we were supposed to land around 8pm, but our flight was delayed. We landed about 10pm, and our bags didn't arrive to our room until very late. I was the designated person who had to - ore or less - stay awake until our bags arrived. I think they arrived about 4 hours after we landed, which was like 2am.

Another time, before magic bands- we accidentally put our tickets in our checked bag. Argh! So we couldn't go to the park until our bags arrived.

So we try to limit ourselves to carry-on. If we use ME, we try to pick up our own bags- which you are allowed to do. You just don't put the Mickey stickers on your bags.

Lots of folks love the ME luggage service, just not us.

DO make sure your Mickey bands are I your carry-on! And anything you'll need in the first - say- 7 hours, like meds. (just in case)

NOW in reverse though - if you need to check bags, I think the ability to check luggage right at the WDW hotels is super! I have happily used that service!
Oh, one more thought....tipping is optional, but remembering to have some cash on hand for small tips is also another thing to remember. I think maybe the ME luggage delivery folks (at value and mod hotels) don't take tips, but at the deluxe hotels bell services does. I know the ME bus guy took tips (for loading luggage on/off the bus).
 
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MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
Oh, also where ADR's are concerned....
  1. Getting to an ADR on time can be tricky. If say, you are in MK, and your ADR is in MK, then it isn't too bad. From POFQ, it also would be easy to go from your room to Boatwrights, and even fairly easy to eat in Disney Springs. (though DS is a bit sprawling!)
  2. That said, even if you arrive on-time or early there in NO guarantee that they will seat you on time. Often enough, we have been seated well past our assigned time. Since you have 4 people (the ideal 3 of people), you SHOULD generally be seated on time, just not always. It is always good to make some allowance in your schedule.
  3. did I mention that getting around WDW can take quite a while. From every park, there is transportation to every hotel, but WDW generally does not offer hotel to hotel buses. All the monorail hotels are on the monorail line (+plus MK), and POFQ to POR is an easy walk.

In most other cases though, if you want to go from POFQ to another resort- and you want to do it for free via shuttle bus, then you have to go to a park and transfer to a second bus. Transportation can easily take over an hour, unless you opt to pay for a taxi or similar.
 

nickys

Premium Member
Just to clarify something to the OP. Seems like people haven’t realised you’re an international guest. So ignore everything about yellow luggage tags and magic bands! You won’t get them! They don’t ship them outside the Us and Canada.

The magic bands will be waiting for you at check in at the resort. You can still customise them online.

However, since you’re coming into MCO from another US Hub airport, you will already have cleared customs and immigration. Hopefully you have at least two hours between flights. You’ll have to collect your bags and go through customs and then drop them back for the next flight. It’s a faff, but saves time at MCO.

At MCO you can either collect your bags and take them with you to the bus. Or hand over your luggage receipts from the connecting airport to the DME desk and they will collect them for you. But it may take a few hours to deliver, so you may want to ask the front desk when you arrive to hold them until the next morning.

If you’re at all hungry get something at the airport; as you come down the levels there’s a food court. It takes a while to get to your resort and then to a food place, so don’t think you’ll just wait until you get there.

Checking into DME is easy. CMs will meet you with an iPad. Have your resort reservation number to hand, although they can find you with your name. Then ask to go to the desk if you need to hand them your luggage receipts. You’ll be directed to a queue for your resort. Buses are shared with a few resorts each, but not always the same ones. If taking luggage with you, a tip is normal.

The Magical Express bus is fine. They leave as soon as they’re full or, if there aren’t a lot of people, every half hour or so. They play a video all the way back, with quizzes, park previews etc.
 
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CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Oh, one more thought....tipping is optional, but remembering to have some cash on hand for small tips is also another thing to remember. I think maybe the ME luggage delivery folks (at value and mod hotels) don't take tips, but at the deluxe hotels bell services does. I know the ME bus guy took tips (for loading luggage on/off the bus).
Is there not bell services at moderates and values?
 

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
Is there not bell services at moderates and values?
No bell services at the values, but I think they have bell services at the mods. I just haven't done that combo recently (mod+ trying to use bell services).

Most of the time we rent a car, and stick to carry-on. Mostly we just carry our own bags to the car when we leave.

You can still use luggage delivery at the value resorts, they just don't have full bell services.

On departure day, I think the values will hold luggage,. (I think) they just don't come to your room to get it. I think you have to bring your bags to luggage storage area. but maybe someone else knows more than I do.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
No bell services at the values, but I think they have bell services at the mods. I just haven't done that combo recently (mod+ trying to use bell services).

Most of the time we rent a car, and stick to carry-on. Mostly we just carry our own bags to the car when we leave.

You can still use luggage delivery at the value resorts, they just don't have full bell services.

On departure day, I think the values will hold luggage,. (I think) they just don't come to your room to get it. I think you have to bring your bags to luggage storage area. but maybe someone else knows more than I do.
Hm... my only recent moderate stay was at the Fort Wilderness cabins and they are unique so it's not a good comparison.

Even at the deluxes though, luggage delivery isn't done by bell services, it's a separate team entirely. One of the major differences that I'm aware of is that the luggage delivery people are allowed to enter your room when you're not there, but for bell services you have to be present.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Magical Express - knowing you are traveling a long way, tired, hsve a young child... I would consider getting your luggage and bringing it to the Magical Express. Sometimes, it takes awhile for your luggage to reach your room. I’d think you may want it ASAP after your travel.

Very good point. We wasted over 2 hours on a trip waiting for luggage because they wouldn't deliver it to our room unless one of us was there to accept the luggage. I have no clue if we simply arrived when they were short staffed or when they had lots of other people arriving at the same time, or possibly someone just overlooked our luggage but I know I made several phone calls after the first hour and it wasn't until we had wasted 2 hours waiting on luggage that it finally arrived. So unless you plan on staying in the hotel room for a few hours when you first arrive take the luggage with you and don't rely on Disney to move it for you because it may be delayed for who knows how long.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
ADR have been booked pretty much to capacity lately so don't expect to get in early just because you show up early, but it also depends on the popularity of the ADR. As for showing up with one less than you booked, we did that at Cinderella's castle once and because we had already prepaid prior to arrival they didn't give us a cash refund for the missing person instead we were given a Disney gift card with the amount of money we had paid for the missing person. We haven't had that happen to us in a while so I have no idea if it has changed or not, maybe someone else that has had this happen to them recently can relate if it still works like this.

One other thing is when in May are you arriving because schools in the US tend to end the later part of May and with those school years ending you get a big wave of vacationers boosting the crowds. Also be aware that some school around Florida will sometime have graduation trips of high school students in the mid part of May... Hopefully your going to be there in the earlier part of May because that is the better part of that month.
 

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