Magical Express

[Mike_Ea]

So we plan to fly into Orlando and rent a car. However, we're going straight to the beach that first morning.

I was thinking I could still use Magic Express though for my luggage to be delivered to my resort and it be there when I get there. Correct? Anyone have any issues when doing that?

Thanks

 

[Rob562]

So we plan to fly into Orlando and rent a car. However, we're going straight to the beach that first morning.

I was thinking I could still use Magic Express though for my luggage to be delivered to my resort and it be there when I get there. Correct? Anyone have any issues when doing that?

Thanks

Official policy: at least one person must take the MDE bus from the airport for your luggage to be transported.

Unofficially: your luggage probably will be transported, but it's up to you whether to take the gamble.

-Rob

 

[flynnibus]

So we plan to fly into Orlando and rent a car. However, we're going straight to the beach that first morning.

I was thinking I could still use Magic Express though for my luggage to be delivered to my resort and it be there when I get there. Correct? Anyone have any issues when doing that?

Thanks

You're taking a gamble at that point and honestly probably wasting more of your time. You'd have to check-in to MDE, then hope the rest of the system works out. Just grab your bags and take them with you and avoid any drama.

 

[MickeyMomV]

Are you talking about your checked bags with yellow tags or your carry ons?

Check bags that are marked with your yellow resort tags should go to your room fine or be held at bell services until your room is ready. These bags (with the yellow resort tags) do not actually travel on the Magical Express with you. A separate transport brings all of the luggage back to the resort.
Carry on bags and checked bags you pick up from the turnstiles are given to the Magical Express driver as you board the bus. When you get off the bus the driver drops them on the curb. You must be there to either claim them and bring them to your room or check them into bell services.

 

[flynnibus]

Are you talking about your checked bags with yellow tags or your carry ons?

Check bags that are marked with your yellow resort tags should go to your room fine or be held at bell services until your room is ready. These bags (with the yellow resort tags) do not actually travel on the Magical Express with you. A separate transport brings all of the luggage back to the resort.

True - but irrelevant. They won't transfer your luggage unless you actually use the DME service for the passengers too. What I don't know if anyone has tested reliably though is, is it based on your check-in at the kiosk, or a later check that will green light your luggage transfer or not.

What the OP is asking to do is a “luggage only transfer” - which DME explicitly does not allow.

 

[MickeyMomV]

True - but irrelevant. They won't transfer your luggage unless you actually use the DME service for the passengers too. What I don't know if anyone has tested reliably though is, is it based on your check-in at the kiosk, or a later check that will green light your luggage transfer or not.

What the OP is asking to do is a “luggage only transfer” - which DME explicitly does not allow.

Once your luggage is checked in at the airport with the yellow tags it will make it to the hotel regardless if you take the DME or not. You are correct that you have to sign up for DME to get the luggage tags but you don't have to actually be on the bus.

 

[flynnibus]

Once your luggage is checked in at the airport with the yellow tags it will make it to the hotel regardless if you take the DME or not. You are correct that you have to sign up for DME to get the luggage tags but you don't have to actually be on the bus.

And you've personally validated that how many times?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

And you've personally validated that how many times?

I know this isn't what @MickeyMomV is saying, but I can at least confirm from personal experience that what @Rob562 said is correct. Specifically, your bags will make it just fine if just one person from your party rides DME. So if you're renting a car, you can send Mom and Brother on DME while Dad and Sister get the car and everyone's bags will be transported. I have no experience trying to send the bags with zero passengers.

I believe the reason for this is that Disney pays Mears and Bags based on passenger counts. Sending luggage with no passenger means those companies are providing their service to Disney for free.

 

[MickeyMomV]

We've only had to do it once and it worked fine. Normally we take the DME so this is not something we have done dozens of times.

As it was explained to me, the process goes..... Baggage comes off the planes and is pulled based on the visibility of the yellow tags. Once pulled and grouped. It is then scanned/viewed to determine the resort and it is then placed on the specified resort carts and the cart is staged for pick-up. The cart is then loaded on a truck and transported to the resort. At no point in my conversation with the CM was a cross reference with DME manifest mentioned, but I fully admit that I did not ask about it.

I would have to think that if every one of the thousands of bags was scanned to verify if its owner was on a bus it would take a lot more than the 2-3 hours that it does to get your bags. Personally I have to think the luggage, in some cases, is on its way to the resort before you are even on the bus.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I would have to think that if every one of the thousands of bags was scanned to verify if its owner was on a bus it would take a lot more than the 2-3 hours that it does to get your bags.

I don't think it would take any time at all with My Disney Experience. The same scan they use to determine what resort and what room to send the bag to could tell them "hold up, don't send this bag, the guest hasn't boarded."

I'm not saying they do this, mind you, just that they could.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I don't think it would take any time at all with My Disney Experience. The same scan they use to determine what resort and what room to send the bag to could tell them "hold up, don't send this bag, the guest hasn't boarded."

I'm not saying they do this, mind you, just that they could.

I certainly agree that they could, but it could be an hour to an hour and a half before you board one of the DME busses. Two trips ago I was made to gate check a bag due to getting there late and they were running short on overhead room, no big deal but the bag was damaged when it was given back to me at the gate in MCO (it was missing the whole wheel and bracket). I then had to stop at the service desk for the airline and they nicely replaced the bag (thank you southwest). When we got in line for the DME it was so long we had to wait for 3 buses. If I remember correctly it was right about the hour and a half point when we boarded the DME. Its for reasons like this I think it is very unlikely that they scan each bag for the purpose of comparing it to a DME manifest.
On a side note, we have also had it go the other way where we jumped off the plane and were on the DME in about 15-20 minutes.

 

[hayzer11]

Random question, do the all star share a bus with anyone?