Dme....luggage only.....don't want to ride the bus!!!!!

[goofy4tink]

Has anyone recently used DME for luggage service only? Two of us plan to ride DME while the other rents a car and drives to the resort, however if my daughter with autism has a meltdown in the airport we might all choose to take the car to the resort. Hopefully our luggage will still make it?!

I wouldn't call it 'luggage service'...there truly is no such thing. And if you ask Disney if you can do this, they will, most likely, tell you no. But, many people have done it with no problems whatsoever.

 

[AngiTN]

Has anyone recently used DME for luggage service only? Two of us plan to ride DME while the other rents a car and drives to the resort, however if my daughter with autism has a meltdown in the airport we might all choose to take the car to the resort. Hopefully our luggage will still make it?!

How recent? We did in August. No problem at all. The reason is the folks who grab your bags work for Bags Inc and the folks that run ME work for Mears and they don't cross check with each other. Bags Inc guys grab your bags (as long as they have the yellow tags) and stick them on their trucks and take them to the resorts. All that happens unrelated to who rides the bus. In some cases it could even happen before you ride the bus, if you want to say, grab something to eat first or wait for an additional party to arrive.

 

[dznyacct]

I am doing a girls trip in May. One of my friends is arriving a few days after the rest of us. She is renting a car to have her entire stay. She plans on returning the car to MCO just before our flight home. Can the rest of us check our bags with RAC and travel back to the airport with her in her rental car? Thanks !

 

[siskaren]

I am doing a girls trip in May. One of my friends is arriving a few days after the rest of us. She is renting a car to have her entire stay. She plans on returning the car to MCO just before our flight home. Can the rest of us check our bags with RAC and travel back to the airport with her in her rental car? Thanks !

Using RAC isn't connected with using DME, if that's what you're asking. Just think of it as curbside check-in, except the curb is at your hotel.

 

[dznyacct]

So, there shouldn't be an issue with us not using ME to get back to the airport? One more question. My friend with the rental car will likely not be a registered guest at our resort. Any chance that she will be able to use RAC? Thanks

 

[siskaren]

So, there shouldn't be an issue with us not using ME to get back to the airport? One more question. My friend with the rental car will likely not be a registered guest at our resort. Any chance that she will be able to use RAC? Thanks

She won't be able to use RAC if she's not registered at your hotel.

 

[dznyacct]

Thank you, that's what I thought .

 

[PSUGuy]

I'll have to inform RAC during our stay that we'll be checking bags with them on the return trip, correct?

Bill From PA

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'll have to inform RAC during our stay that we'll be checking bags with them on the return trip, correct?

Bill From PA

No. Just bring your bags to the counter the morning you are checking them. You must be traveling with one of the supported airlines.

 

[AngiTN]

No. Just bring your bags to the counter the morning you are checking them. You must be traveling with one of the supported airlines.

And there is one more thing that has to happen. I'm not clear on what it is exactly but we got hit with it.
Last April me, DD, DGD and my mom were leaving. All 4 of us on 1 flight, all 4 of us checked in and all 4 of us had boarding passes. Me, DD and my Mom could check our bags. DGD (who was 8) couldn't. Nothing they could do would allow them to check her bags. There was something flagged that told them she had to check in at the airport. It was the first, and only time, that's happened to us, any of us. The folks at RAC told me that it happens every so often and is some sort of check system TSA puts on them. So I do think it's rare but worth mentioning at the same time.

 

[dancin Disney style]

And there is one more thing that has to happen. I'm not clear on what it is exactly but we got hit with it.
Last April me, DD, DGD and my mom were leaving. All 4 of us on 1 flight, all 4 of us checked in and all 4 of us had boarding passes. Me, DD and my Mom could check our bags. DGD (who was 8) couldn't. Nothing they could do would allow them to check her bags. There was something flagged that told them she had to check in at the airport. It was the first, and only time, that's happened to us, any of us. The folks at RAC told me that it happens every so often and is some sort of check system TSA puts on them. So I do think it's rare but worth mentioning at the same time.

People are randomly selected for further screening at the airport. Has happened to me too. It's the same as when the TSA randomly pulls checked bags to open up. Had that experience many times too.

 

[AngiTN]

People are randomly selected for further screening at the airport. Has happened to me too. It's the same as when the TSA randomly pulls checked bags to open up. Had that experience many times too.

I realize that. Weird part was, she didn't get extra screening at the airport. She's 8. Not sure what extra screening she'd get anyway. Mostly just pointing it out that when it does happen you can't use RAC

 

[dancin Disney style]

I realize that. Weird part was, she didn't get extra screening at the airport. She's 8. Not sure what extra screening she'd get anyway. Mostly just pointing it out that when it does happen you can't use RAC

People can be selected for additional screening of either their baggage or their person or both. Children are generally exempt from being personally checked but not a bag that is checked under their name.

 

[icydog]

For what it's worth we took a trip to Disney's Old Key West in the beginning of February. Our luggage went on DME and we went in our rental car. No problems either way!

 

[KalamityJane]

Thinking about doing this going to the Fort - how does that work with the tent sites? We will have a rental car as well but I will have 3 kids by myself and that means I will have to cart everything to the rental, etc. It would be a heck of a lot easier if I knew the bags were on DME.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Just a note, if using the RAC make sure you're there early. We went to drip off our bags one time and we were one minute after the posted hours. Literally one minute. There was nothing they could do and we had to take our bags with us. It wasn't a big deal, but they can't make any exceptions I guess because of TSA rules. Now we do it right in the morning on our departure day so there are no issues.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just a note, if using the RAC make sure you're there early. We went to drip off our bags one time and we were one minute after the posted hours. Literally one minute. There was nothing they could do and we had to take our bags with us. It wasn't a big deal, but they can't make any exceptions I guess because of TSA rules. Now we do it right in the morning on our departure day so there are no issues.

Very true!!! I sat on the DME bus, at CBR, earlier this year, and watched a family stroll up to the RAC counter, with their six or seven bags...large family. Well, it seems they were supposed to be on our bus!!! They were told that they couldn't use RAC...too late, by about 20 mins!!! Seems CBR was the last stop, so we were about 2 hrs 15 mins before flight time!!! Man, they were mad. But, all the literature states you need to be there, and walking away from the counter, no less than 3 hrs prior to flight departure. No exceptions!!!

 

[toolmanjan]

Staying at SSR in June. Driving down flying home. I'm not using DME to get to the airport. I have a 7pm flight on Spirit. Can I check my bag with the airline at the hotel in the morning?

 

[siskaren]

Staying at SSR in June. Driving down flying home. I'm not using DME to get to the airport. I have a 7pm flight on Spirit. Can I check my bag with the airline at the hotel in the morning?

According to the first post of this thread, Spirit isn't a participating airline, so no:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dme-and-rac-faqs.944813/

 

[Minniekins]

For what it's worth we took a trip to Disney's Old Key West in the beginning of February. Our luggage went on DME and we went in our rental car. No problems either way!

Okay, this is great! We are thinking of doing this on our August trip, staying at OKW. Just checking so we are clear on everything, and so DD26 can see it detailed, as she's not sure this would work or be a good idea, lol. We are flying SWA. So, we just yellow tag as usual and then instead of going to ME, we go wherever the Uber's(that's what we'll be taking if we don't do the ME), are picking up guests, correct? And our bags will show up, just as they would had we taken the ME, like they do their own thing in getting to the resort, as usual, and regardless of how we get to the resort?
We're supposed to land around 12:15 p.m. on a Saturday, our Aug trip, and 12:30 pm Wednesday, on our Nov trip. Any idea how much time this saves in getting to the resort? Usually for us, most times except maybe last time, it's about 90 min from landing to resort arrival, though of course things could change on any trip from what we've usually experienced. Can we expect to save a decent amount of time if we decide to Uber instead? And, where can we head to get the Uber car? Is it near where we get the ME?

So, how about the return home then. We take our bags to Rac before noon(thought it used to be 1 pm?). And, when ready to leave we can either take the ME from our resort at the time they notify us is our time to leave, or we can choose to leave a bit later and call an Uber to the resort and use that instead, correct? So, say our flight back to Chicago is about 10:30 p.m. When would we need to call for an Uber? Don't expect we need all that 3 hour time the ME allots us, but don't wanna leave too late either. Anyone know where we will be dropped off at MCO compared to where the ME drops us?

TIA to any who can help us!