Please educate me - Flying from Toronto + Magical Express

[scrappinginontario]

We visit Disney a few times a year but have always flown Southwest out of Buffalo. I was (finally) able to score competitively priced flights yesterday out of Toronto for our upcoming trip.

Please educate me how ME works re: luggage when flying from Toronto.

From Buffalo I check my luggage at the Buffalo airport and don't see it until it's in my room.

Is Toronto the same? Do I claim and then recheck my luggage in Orlando?

TIA

 

[WishingMom]

Yes, we check our luggage from St. John's and don't get it until we arrive at Disney (or sometimes we get it at the airport in Orlando ourselves if we don't want to wait until it gets delivered to our room) - we change flights in either Toronto or Montreal.

 

[Donald - my hero]

We visit Disney a few times a year but have always flown Southwest out of Buffalo. I was (finally) able to score competitively priced flights yesterday out of Toronto for our upcoming trip.

Please educate me how ME works re: luggage when flying from Toronto.

From Buffalo I check my luggage at the Buffalo airport and don't see it until it's in my room.

Is Toronto the same? Do I claim and then recheck my luggage in Orlando?

TIA

You will pre-clear US Customs in Pearson meaning your baggage will be treated the same way it is when you fly out of Buffalo. Simply slap those yellow tags on and chuck the suckers on the belt and see them when they get to your room!

There is some great info on the YYZ website that show how customs works -- you scan your passports and answer all the questions at a kiosk before you get to the agent.
Info about flying to the States out of YYZ on *MOST* airlines
Flying to the States from Pearson

A video about how the Automated Passport works is here:
Automated Passport Control

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks! Easy peasy!!

 

[Chip_Dale]

coming home the ME pick up is 4 hours. Also you need to take your luggage with you. No RAC.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thank you @Chip_Dale. I’d remembered the 4 hour pick up time (will Have lots of time as we don’t fly out until 9:25pm) but hadn’t thought about taking luggage to the airport. Appreciate you letting me know as I normally check it at Pop.

 

[samsteele]

Same drill flying down to Orlando but as your airline is likely Air Canada or Westjet, then as OP stated must take luggage with you on Magical Express for return flight to Toronto.

As Canada is an international flight out of Orlando, also extra early ME pick up time.

I would also add that if your flight to Orlando is scheduled to land after 5pm, think twice about using those yellow luggage tags. I skip the yellow tags and grab my own bag from the carousel & take it to ME with me as I don't want to wait up late after a long travel day. AC (Rouge) is notorious for 1 to 2 hr flight delays out of Pearson even in good flying weather. Usually minor mechanical issues. eg last Sept my 2pm flight was significantly delayed at the gate and I didn't arrive at my hotel until 9pm. Thank goodness I didn't use the yellow luggage tags.

ETA: have a great trip! So happy you got the FD that you wanted. You helped so many people on the FD thread this year that you deserve your own great vacation. Cheers!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Same drill flying down to Orlando but as your airline is likely Air Canada or Westjet, then as OP stated must take luggage with you on Magical Express for return flight to Toronto.

As Canada is an international flight out of Orlando, also extra early ME pick up time.

I would also add that if your flight to Orlando is scheduled to land after 5pm, think twice about using those yellow luggage tags. I skip the yellow tags and grab my own bag from the carousel & take it to ME with me as I don't want to wait up late after a long travel day. AC (Rouge) is notorious for 1 to 2 hr flight delays out of Pearson even in good flying weather. Usually minor mechanical issues. eg last Sept my 2pm flight was significantly delayed at the gate and I didn't arrive at my hotel until 9pm. Thank goodness I didn't use the yellow luggage tags.

ETA: have a great trip! So happy you got the FD that you wanted. You helped so many people on the FD thread this year that you deserve your own great vacation. Cheers!

Awe, Thanks so much for your best wishes!! We’re excited to go to Disney close to Christmas!! We normally visit in Sept but decided on a Christmas trip this year.

Thanks for the heads up about the luggage. You’re so right! There was one time our flight landed before 7pm but there was a delay at the airport and it was delivered to our room (by my request) around 2am!! There were things we needed for the parks the next day so I slept restlessly until 2am then unpacked, packed for the park and then fell asleep soundly sometime after 3am! Lesson learned!!

Thankfully this time our flights will give us 2 extra partial days in the parks. We’re flying Westjet for the first time in over 10 years as Southwest has become our airline of choice. Looking forward to fly g out of Toronto! We land around 10:30am and our flight home isn’t intl 9:30pm. Since I don’t need to factor in a 2.5 hour drive home from Buffalo we can take the earlier and later flights. I don’t mind a shorter drive, just not the longer one.

 

[ky.]

Similar question here. We're flying from Montreal but with stops both there (in Atlanta) and back (in Toronto). Do we just check our bags at YUL and not see them again til we land in Orlando?

Also, for the magical express, since we have layovers, which flight number do I put in? The one from Atlanta to Orlando for the way there and the Orlando to Toronto for the way back?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Similar question here. We're flying from Montreal but with stops both there (in Atlanta) and back (in Toronto). Do we just check our bags at YUL and not see them again til we land in Orlando?

Also, for the magical express, since we have layovers, which flight number do I put in? The one from Atlanta to Orlando for the way there and the Orlando to Toronto for the way back?

I don’t know about the luggage portion but yes, you should give DME the flight numbers for the portions of your flights that land and depart from Orlando.

 

[Aladora]

I don’t know about the luggage portion but yes, you should give DME the flight numbers for the portions of your flights that land and depart from Orlando.

I’m not sure about Montreal and Atlanta but we fly Victoria to Seattle to Orlando and we had to clear customs in seattle which meant we had to claim our luggage then before we put it back on the connecting carousel I attached the DME tags.

I assume it will all depend on when you clear customs. If you clear it in MTL then you won’t see the bags until Orlando but if you clear in Atl then you will have to identify and clear with them there.

 

[Starwind]

Similar question here. We're flying from Montreal but with stops both there (in Atlanta) and back (in Toronto). Do we just check our bags at YUL and not see them again til we land in Orlando?

Also, for the magical express, since we have layovers, which flight number do I put in? The one from Atlanta to Orlando for the way there and the Orlando to Toronto for the way back?

You should pre-clear US Customs in Montreal: https://www.admtl.com/en/guide/customs-imigration-united-states

Be sure to allow the extra time needed to do that for when you arrive at the airport.

On your return trip you will clear Canada Customs in Toronto.

SW

 

[Creatingpeace]

Oh I thought we didn't get the luggage tags sent in advance if we were in canada...I guess I read that wrong?

 

[Donald - my hero]

Oh I thought we didn't get the luggage tags sent in advance if we were in canada...I guess I read that wrong?

We still get the tags sent to use that will allow you to send your bags directly to the resort -- they look just like the tags you put on at the airport like this:

The tags we do NOT get are the fancy-pants luggage tags that you use to find your bags in a sea of other bags on a luggage carousel like this:

If you book a package the ones above *should* be waiting at the resort with your magic bands (the tags might look different now but you still don't get them in the mail)

 

[Creatingpeace]

Ohhh ok makes so much sense! Thanks...does this come from my TA or once I am 60 days out? Sorry newbie here

 

[scrappinginontario]

Ohhh ok makes so much sense! Thanks...does this come from my TA or once I am 60 days out? Sorry newbie here

As long as your TA has provided Disney with your flight info, Disney will mail your luggage tags to you a few weeks before your trip. They will come fromMississauga.

 

[Creatingpeace]

Ahhhhh ok thanks! She did say she booked the ME, so I assume she must have also notified Dis but I will bug her closer to the date!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Ahhhhh ok thanks! She did say she booked the ME, so I assume she must have also notified Dis but I will bug her closer to the date!

If she booked ME she did it with Disney so you should be all set!!

 

[Sue M]

I’m not sure about Montreal and Atlanta but we fly Victoria to Seattle to Orlando and we had to clear customs in seattle which meant we had to claim our luggage then before we put it back on the connecting carousel I attached the DME tags.

I assume it will all depend on when you clear customs. If you clear it in MTL then you won’t see the bags until Orlando but if you clear in Atl then you will have to identify and clear with them there.

We fly Vancouver and change planes in SeaTac (Alaska ) and clear customs in Van. Gotta love the direct flight from Seattle! You can put DME tags on in Victoria, one less thing to worry about.
Next trip we are flying out of Bellingham. The one thing I’m looking forward to is being able to do resort luggage check in for the trip home.

 

[Aladora]

We fly Vancouver and change planes in SeaTac (Alaska ) and clear customs in Van. Gotta love the direct flight from Seattle! You can put DME tags on in Victoria, one less thing to worry about.
Next trip we are flying out of Bellingham. The one thing I’m looking forward to is being able to do resort luggage check in for the trip home.

I wish we could clear customs in Vic!

I was going to put DME tags on in Victoria but agent told us not to until we cleared customs in SEA.