Magical Express Question?

[rflors5432]

Can someone help me? I am going to Disney and staying at a Disney Resort. We want to use the magical express bus for only our luggage to be transfered but not actually ride on it ourselves. We are renting a car at the airport. Our travel agent has told me that, in order for our luggage to be taken, at least one of the people in our party has to ride on the bus. Is this true? What would be the reasoning for this. If it is true, I think its absolutely ridiculous! Whether we ride the bus or not, it doesn't change anything with them transporting our luggage.

 

[KippWade]

From what I know, that would be yes, you need to be with your luggage.

As to the reason why, it would be the same reason that the TSA doesn't want luggage just lying around. It is viewed as dangerous practice.

 

[Monty]

The luggage handling process for DME is regulated by the TSA the same way as it is on aircraft. The owner has to travel to the same destination as the luggage. If you're renting a car, you're not booking DME so they wouldn't collect your bags.

DME is a free service that provides transportation to Disney resorts for people staying there. I can't imagine having the added administrative nightmare of coordinating separate luggage retrieval for a limited number of people that chose not to use the transportation but still wanted their luggage delivered.

 

[natalia1681]

DME will only transport you with your luggage. They will not transport just your luggage.:wave:

 

[rflors5432]

I was thinking that the luggage didn't necessarily transport at the same time as you did. I was trying to think how it worked last year when I used magical express and I thought it was just randomly transported throughout the day and then delivered to your room at night. I was thinking that, when I checked the luggage in at my departing airport, that I didn't see it again until it showed up in the hotel room at night. Thats the only reason I couldn't understand why it mattered. I totally understand if the luggage needed to be received or checked in by me. I guess this isn't the case then???

 

[Tinkrbell]

I was thinking that the luggage didn't necessarily transport at the same time as you did. I was trying to think how it worked last year when I used magical express and I thought it was just randomly transported throughout the day and then delivered to your room at night. I was thinking that, when I checked the luggage in at my departing airport, that I didn't see it again until it showed up in the hotel room at night. Thats the only reason I couldn't understand why it mattered. I totally understand if the luggage needed to be received or checked in by me. I guess this isn't the case then???

When I was there 2 weeks ago, we used DME. While waiting for the bus back to the airport, I saw what they were doing with the checked luggage they were taking back to the airport. It looked like they fill large carts with the luggage. When the cart if full it is put on a truck about the size of a small u-haul. When the truck was full (about 4 carts) that truck left for the airport & a new one came for the luggage. It only took them about 20 minutes to fill a truck. I'm guessing they do the same thing getting the luggage from the airport to your room.

 

[maelstrom]

Your luggage does not travel with you unless you don't put on the DME tags and pick it up yourself, so that kind of puts the TSA thing out the window.

 

[Monty]

Your luggage does not travel with you unless you don't put on the DME tags and pick it up yourself, so that kind of puts the TSA thing out the window.

Actually, if you read my post, TSA requires that you and your luggage have the same destination. In acting on the regulations, Airlines attempt to ensure that you and your luggage travel together, but if something goes wrong they can send your luggage by other means. If it were otherwise, TSA regs would mean if your luggage got lost or missed your plane for any reason, the only way you could retrieve it would be to personally travel to whatever city it turned up lost in to claim it yourself.

The regs are onerous, but not ridiculous.

 

[dvitali]

New Question about the Disney Magical Express...
I plan right now to use only half of the service (from Airport to Disney) when I arrive. I would like to when I depart to spend a day or two at Universal hotel before going back to airport. When I made my disney reseveration they ask for my arrival and depart times but I have change my travel plans since then to include going to Universal. How do I go about informing Disney of the change in not needing the Magical Express Service to the airport? Since Universal does not have express service I guess i will need Mears to drive me to the airport by calling them day or two ahead of time.

 

[maelstrom]

Actually, if you read my post, TSA requires that you and your luggage have the same destination. In acting on the regulations, Airlines attempt to ensure that you and your luggage travel together, but if something goes wrong they can send your luggage by other means. If it were otherwise, TSA regs would mean if your luggage got lost or missed your plane for any reason, the only way you could retrieve it would be to personally travel to whatever city it turned up lost in to claim it yourself.

The regs are onerous, but not ridiculous.

Perhaps I am misunderstanding. The OP and his/her luggage do have the same destination.

If they take DME, they go on the bus and their luggage arrives later in whatever they use to transport it. This is not something going wrong, it is standard procedure for DME. If the TSA only wants you seperated from your luggage in extenuating circumstances, then DME must be a huge violation of that.

If they rent a car and drive that to their hotel, and their luggage takes the DME luggage transport, they still have the same destination. Not saying that DME should allow it. Just that they have the same destination.

I guess I'm confused but it doesn't really matter. I hate the TSA and I don't plan on letting DME transport my luggage ever.

 

[maelstrom]

How do I go about informing Disney of the change in not needing the Magical Express Service to the airport?

The one time we used DME we just told them that we were renting a car in the middle of our trip and wouldn't need return service to the airport. Not a problem.

 

[Monty]

Perhaps I am misunderstanding. The OP and his/her luggage do have the same destination.

If they take DME, they go on the bus and their luggage arrives later in whatever they use to transport it. This is not something going wrong, it is standard procedure for DME. If the TSA only wants you seperated from your luggage in extenuating circumstances, then DME must be a huge violation of that.

If they rent a car and drive that to their hotel, and their luggage takes the DME luggage transport, they still have the same destination. Not saying that DME should allow it. Just that they have the same destination.

I guess I'm confused but it doesn't really matter. I hate the TSA and I don't plan on letting DME transport my luggage ever.

OK, I understand why you're reaching your conclusion. As I understand the rules, the same company/organisation that transports your luggage has to also transport you. If you rent a car, then the luggage has to go with you.

Any particular reason you wouldn't let them take your luggage? Just don't travel there by air and stay on-site or object to the concept for some reason?

 

[maelstrom]

OK, I understand why you're reaching your conclusion. As I understand the rules, the same company/organisation that transports your luggage has to also transport you. If you rent a car, then the luggage has to go with you.

Okay, that makes a lot more sense!

Any particular reason you wouldn't let them take your luggage? Just don't travel there by air and stay on-site or object to the concept for some reason?

I don't like my posessions being away from me and in the care of who knows who. And I've heard way too many stories of luggage arriving way later than it was supposed to. I like my things to be with me.