Disney Magical Express

GoofyJayDawg

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Hello, All.

I have a question about DME and I am hoping some of you can shed some light on. We have used DME every time we've gone to DW and we love it. However, we have always arrived early afternoon at the latest. We usually go out to dinner and when we return our luggage is in our room. Very convenient. This Christmas, our plane doesn't arrive until 9:45 p.m. I know that's before the 10 pm cutoff for DME to pick up and deliver luggage. Here's my concern: Will the luggage be delivered in the middle of the night? I assume we'll get to the resort (POFQ) around 10:45 or so. Would it be wise to just go to baggage claim and take the luggage with us onto the DME? Just wondering if any of you out there have any similar experiences/recommendations?

Thank you!
 
Yes, there are many stories of 2 AM wake ups for delivered luggage. Plus, you're so close to the cutoff that if your plane is late, you'll miss it. I personally would just grab it myself rather than use the yellow tags. If you decided to use the tags, you can request they hold the luggage until morning, but also put the do not disturb sign on your door.
 
Welcome to the DIS :welcome:

There is a Transportation Forum here on the DIS as well for questions like yours.
If you land at 9:45 it is highly unlikely that you will be at POFQ at 10:45. The reported average is 90 minutes from the gate, not from landing. Disney says luggage will be delivered 3-4 hours after you checkin, not land.
So yes you are looking at a middle of the night luggage delivery. You can either pick it up yourself and take it to DME or ask Bell Services to hold it until the morning.
I would pick mine up
 
Personally, I would pick up the luggage at the airport myself.

In October, we arrived at ASMov around 9pm and, by 11 pm, our luggage still had not arrived. We went to the front desk and were told that they would deliver it as soon as it arrived, no matter what time it was. They said that if we were sleeping, they would just quietly slip the luggage into the room. Well, unfortunately, we had arrived so late due to a 6 hour mechanical delay in our flight so we hadn't packed anything in our carry-ons for bed. DH and the kids fell asleep, but I couldn't and stayed awake, hoping that the luggage would show up soon. At 4am, DH noticed I was awake and asked if the luggage had been delivered. It hadn't, but we suddenly noticed the message light was flashing on our phone. Sure enough, it was a 1am voicemail from luggage services telling us the bags were here and to call them and let them know when we were ready for them (but gave us no number to call). We went back down to the front desk, told them what we had been told, and she said we had been given incorrect information. Said they couldn't deliver after 10pm without express permission to do so. So she called baggage services and they were delivered 10 minutes later. It was so upsetting. Needless to say, if you do decide to have DME deliver your luggage, make sure they make a note in the system that it's OK to drop it off after 10pm!!
 


Regardless of where we travel we always put a change of clothes and all important necessities in our carry on.
Whether Disney or somewhere else, you may not receive your checked bags in a timely fashion...once waited 3 days for my bag to arrive at our hotel in Killarney, Ireland!
It's your call, pack accordingly and allow Disney to bring your bags in the morning or spend the extra time to go collect your bags. Either will work!
 
In October, we arrived at ASMov around 9pm and, by 11 pm, our luggage still had not arrived
Would have been highly unusual if luggage did arrive, even just at the resort, that fast. Typical delivery is 3-4 hours after guest arrives at the resort (so that 1 AM message was right on time.)
Well, unfortunately, we had arrived so late due to a 6 hour mechanical delay in our flight so we hadn't packed anything in our carry-ons for bed.
Always, always, always, any time you fly, pack what you would need for the first 24 hours in carry on luggage. Always. Whenever you fly.
 
If your flight arrives on-time at 9:45, and your tagged bags are picked up, you can expect them to be delivered to your room around 12:30 or later! Not sure that's what I would want to happen. Then, if your flight is delayed, or it takes you 20 mins to get to a gate, no one will be there to grab those bags, so they will remain at MCO until the morning!!! Not a good option.
I would leave the tags off, and go to baggage claim and get them myself. Then take them to the bus with me. Yes, a tip will be expected if you do this...a buck a bag is appropriate...but you'll be able to get settled in your room and go to bed, ready to start fresh in the morning!!!

And welcome to the DIS!!!!!
 


I have a different perspective. A big advantage to me of a Disney vacation is the luggage service. For a later flight, I would (and do) pack anything I need in my carry on luggage and ask bell services to hold our luggage until we request it in the morning. I hang the Do Not Disturb sign on our door. Then I call in the morning and ask if someone can bring us our luggage.
 
I highly recommend just grabbing your bags yourself. Last summer our flight arrived after midnight, so we had to get our own. I was amazed at how quickly the bags were on the carousel! We stopped to use the washroom and by the time we made it to baggage claim, the bags were starting to come out. So this past fall when we arrived around 6pm, I decided we would grab our own bags again. I had window decorations in our luggage and I wanted to get the windows done before bed. Once again, we stopped to use the washroom and by the time we got to baggage claim, we waited maybe 5 minutes for our bags.
 
I also recommend picking up the luggage yourself, and taking it on the bus with you. Even with the message to Bell Services and the DND sign on the door, you may still get a knock on your door in the middle of the night.
 
They said that if we were sleeping, they would just quietly slip the luggage into the room.

Someone at the front desk must have lost their minds. To have that happen yiuhave to have the most brave luggage person willing to enter a room while people are sleeping. And you will have had to not put the deadbolt on.

Well, unfortunately, we had arrived so late due to a 6 hour mechanical delay in our flight so we hadn't packed anything in our carry-ons for bed.

No matter what, always keep items for the first 24 hours in carryon.

Said they couldn't deliver after 10pm without express permission to do so.

Not sure that’s true either. What was up with asmo that day???

I was amazed at how quickly the bags were on the carousel! We stopped to use the washroom and by the time we made it to baggage claim, the bags were starting to come out.

Same experience every time. We don’t rush off the plane, we always stop at the restroom. We don’t rush through the airport and we’ve never waited much at all for bags.
 
I highly recommend just grabbing your bags yourself. Last summer our flight arrived after midnight, so we had to get our own. I was amazed at how quickly the bags were on the carousel! We stopped to use the washroom and by the time we made it to baggage claim, the bags were starting to come out. So this past fall when we arrived around 6pm, I decided we would grab our own bags again. I had window decorations in our luggage and I wanted to get the windows done before bed. Once again, we stopped to use the washroom and by the time we got to baggage claim, we waited maybe 5 minutes for our bags.

My flight this October it took more than 20 minutes for our bags to show. So it can be fast, or it can take some time.

The only time I get my own bags is when I have to. I'd much rather let someone else schlep them to the resort.
 
My flight this October it took more than 20 minutes for our bags to show. So it can be fast, or it can take some time.

Agree with this. The luggage time to carousel includes many factors... Gate, Terminal, number of arriving flights concurrently, etc. Just no way to really know!
 
Would have been highly unusual if luggage did arrive, even just at the resort, that fast. Typical delivery is 3-4 hours after guest arrives at the resort (so that 1 AM message was right on time.)

I wouldn't have minded a 1am message and knew it might take longer than 11pm when we checked. That was honestly why DH went to the front desk - to make sure our luggage arrived in Orlando and to find out how it would get delivered since it was getting late. It was more about being given the wrong directions/expectations. If I had known that they would call and leave a silent message, I could have easily kept an eye out for that message light and dealt with it as soon as it came in so I could have at least gotten a few hours of sleep. I'm just glad I know how it works now so I can make better plans for when we fly in the future. I'll just make sure we pick up our luggage if it's going to arrive later than 8pm or so I don't have to worry about it.
 
If I had known that they would call and leave a silent message, I could have easily kept an eye out for that message light and dealt with it as soon as it came in so I could have at least gotten a few hours of sleep.

Or you could have gone to sleep and worried about it in the morning.
 

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