Question about Magical Express AND Renting a Car

[erikwatts]

Hello All,

We will be heading to WDW in November, and we will be traveling with a group of people. My family (3) and 2 friends to be exact. The family is staying longer than the 2 friends, but we are arriving together. Please tell me if what I have planned is possible, or if I am making a mistake or breaking the rules.

We intend to tag our bags for ME when we depart Pittsburgh. My DW, DD and two friends will ride ME to POP Century, and I will pick up a car at the airport Hertz and meet them there. Question 1: Will I cause panic if my bag travels ME and I do not? I don't want them to expect me, then hold anything up if they don't check me in.

Our 2 friends are leaving on Sunday via ME bags and all, so that should be a no-brainer.

However, My family and I intend to do the following: Check in for our flight at POP and put our bags in queue to be shuttled by ME to the airport, and then home to Pittsburgh. However, the family and I will be spending the day at the park, and will drive straight to the airport when we are ready to leave, returning the car. we will NOT be riding the ME bus. This gives us more time at the park for our last day.

Does this break the rules or cause any panic? We could always take our bags along to the park, but I figured not having to mess with them at the car rental place or check them at the airport would be the least hassle.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

-Erik

 

[Mukta]

Are you all on one reservation?
Will you have 5 checked bags between you?
My thinking is how will DME know that the bags is yours specifically unless you each have one? If 4 people get on the bus with 3-4 bags, I don't see an issue.

 

[erikwatts]

Good point Mukta. We will have 5 people and I believe 6 bags.

 

[Rob562]

To answer your questions:

-As long as ONE person from your reservation boards the DME bus, *all* luggage associated with that reservation will be cleared for transport to WDW. They don't specifically worry about which bag belongs to which passenger, they just look for one of the Transportation Vouchers to be scanned as you get on the bus. But you'll want to make sure that when the DME-travelling group goes to the DME counter, they tell DME the *total* number of yellow-tagged bags checked with the airline. That way if one of the bags is mis-handled by the airline, DME will know to go inquiring about it.

-Although it seems like it's part of DME and they're often talked about in the same materials, Resort Airline Check-in at the Disney hotels is a separate service from Magical Express. The only requirement to use it is to be a Disney resort Guest, and that you're flying domestically on one of the participating airlines. RAC doesn't care in the least how you get from the resort back to the airport. You could use a DME bus, a taxi, rental car or hitchhike. (Hitchhiking not recommended)

-Rob

 

[erikwatts]

Thanks Rob, that's exactly what I was looking for!

-Erik

 

[ShookieJones]

Yup..

We do this all the time. For the record one year...I left for Hertz office which is offsite of the airport I forgot my credit card and my wife had to come to the Hertz office to bring it to me.
She never got the ME and all our bags made it the resort safe and sound.