Disney's Magical Express -- Luggage Tag Info

[essmom]

thanks Eric- I don't fly very often so now I know- that makes total sense- Looking forward to the trip!!

 

[SLDL]

Thanks so much for such a useful thread...one question: how long does it take for the luggage to arrive in your room? We are arriving approx. 1p.m. to the airport & have plans for the Halloween party that evening. I'm wondering if I should carry-on my costumes or take a chance that they'll be there on time! I'm very nervous about this!!!

Thanks!

 

[CleveRocks]

Thanks so much for such a useful thread...one question: how long does it take for the luggage to arrive in your room? We are arriving approx. 1p.m. to the airport & have plans for the Halloween party that evening. I'm wondering if I should carry-on my costumes or take a chance that they'll be there on time! I'm very nervous about this!!!

Thanks!

The luggage may arrive 2-3 hours after you do. But more to the point, TAKE THE COSTUMES IN YOUR
CARRY-ONS. WHAT IF THE AIRLINE DELAYS YOUR LUGGAGE??? That way, you'll have no reason to feel nervous, because the costumes will ALWAYS be in your possession.

 

[UltimateWDWFan]

I'd like to run straight to the parks when I arrive. (I have an AP and would like to catch Illuminations that night.) This means that my bags might make it to my hotel before I've checked in. Will they assign a room and stick my bags in the room if I haven't check in when they get there, or will I have to hunt them down somewhere after I've checked in?

 

[Love2BinDisney]

I'd like to run straight to the parks when I arrive. (I have an AP and would like to catch Illuminations that night.) This means that my bags might make it to my hotel before I've checked in. Will they assign a room and stick my bags in the room if I haven't check in when they get there, or will I have to hunt them down somewhere after I've checked in?

I don't believe they will assign you a room if you have not checked in but will hold them in bell storage. We have done this where we did check in but did not bother to wait for our luggage because we just wanted to get into the parks. Our luggage was waiting in our room.

 

[flyfan]

We leave tomorrow and I cannot for the life of me find my DME tags anywhere! sob!!!

Is it really as simple as tyler says?


You can claim your bags like normal, or you can have Disney claim them for you as if you did have those yellow tags. Bypass baggage claim, and go straight to the Welcome Center. From there, give the Cast Member your luggage claim tickets. They will create replacement tags for you, find your bags, tag them, and send them to your resort.
__________________

Can we really bypass baggage claim and the bags will be claimed for us, even without the DME tags? This would be a huge relief as I am traveling with 2 kids and no other adults and was thrilled to be able to utilize this service.

Hopefully this will be a moot point and I will find the tags, but any help is appreciated.

Thanks!!!

 

[CleveRocks]

We leave tomorrow and I cannot for the life of me find my DME tags anywhere! sob!!!

Is it really as simple as tyler says?


You can claim your bags like normal, or you can have Disney claim them for you as if you did have those yellow tags. Bypass baggage claim, and go straight to the Welcome Center. From there, give the Cast Member your luggage claim tickets. They will create replacement tags for you, find your bags, tag them, and send them to your resort.
__________________

Can we really bypass baggage claim and the bags will be claimed for us, even without the DME tags? This would be a huge relief as I am traveling with 2 kids and no other adults and was thrilled to be able to utilize this service.

Never fear. All the above is correct. They have had this procedure in place since Day One. I know because I used it on Day Four.

 

[mostyn17]

Ok...we are going in Sept. We are not signed up for DME service, but will we still get the luggage tags in our reservation packet? I want to use the luggage service! It's great not worring about your luggage.

Thanks for your help!
Travis

 

[TeresaMc]

You cannot use the luggage service if you are not using the motorcoach service. If you don't get on the bus, your luggage doesn't go to the resort.

 

[goofy4tink]

Ok...we are going in Sept. We are not signed up for DME service, but will we still get the luggage tags in our reservation packet? I want to use the luggage service! It's great not worring about your luggage.

Thanks for your help!
Travis

In order to get the luggage tags that would enable your bags to be taken directly to the resort, you must be signed up. You won't get tags otherwise. Disney has stated that DME is not a luggage transferral system..it is for guests staying on-site to get to their respective resorts. The luggage transferral is a 'perk'. If you book DME, use the yellow luggage tags, and don't get on the bus, your bags may not get to your resort.

 

[clkelley]

Which makes it exactly like an airline/TSA luggage tag, the ones put on by skycaps or ticket agents. Those tags are looped, and are sticky only at the end of the loop. Same with DME tags. If there wasn't a loop, they wouldn't be able to move. If they weren't able to move, you'd have trouble gripping the luggage handle and then might end up tearing or otherwise mutilating the tag.

Actually, the sticky stuff is on the entire tag on both DME tags and airline routing tags. That way if you have a footlocker or are checking a cardboard box or something similar, they can take the entire backing off and stick it on the container flat.

 

[clkelley]

I have a question about gate checked luggage.

On a recent trip, I had checked luggage with the appropriate tags and also a carryon bag. I had very carefully packed the bag so that it would fit under my seat. Well, TSA decided to totally go through my bag and trashed my careful packing, so it would no longer fit under the seat. The FA "gate checked" my bag and gave me a ticket.

To be on the safe side, I took the time to claim that bag at the carousel.

Could I have given the DME folks that gate check ticket and still bypassed luggage claim??

 

[kddlm]

Still feeling like an idiot here even after reading this thread.....so on the "REMOVE THIS PORTION ONLY" little square with bar codes only portion of the tag.......what happens to that part? Do I retain that and only loop the large tag around the luggage handle (part with name and resort).

 

[goofy4tink]

Still feeling like an idiot here even after reading this thread.....so on the "REMOVE THIS PORTION ONLY" little square with bar codes only portion of the tag.......what happens to that part? Do I retain that and only loop the large tag around the luggage handle (part with name and resort).

You got it! Only remove those little 1"x1 1/2" areas at both ends of the yellow tag. Slip the whole yellow tag around your luggage handle and then stick those two ends together. The tag should be able to move around freely.

 

[kddlm]

Thanks for the clarification goofy4tink!

 

[HolliePoppins]

We are only using dme to go back to the airport. Am I understanding right that you do not use the luggage tags for the trip back to the airport? We are staying at Pop so do we bring our luggage to the dme desk ourselves? Also with our carryons where do we leave these on our last day while we go to the parks? I do not want them to get mixed up with the checked luggage as we will need the stuff in them. Thanks

 

[CleveRocks]

We are only using dme to go back to the airport. Am I understanding right that you do not use the luggage tags for the trip back to the airport? We are staying at Pop so do we bring our luggage to the dme desk ourselves? Also with our carryons where do we leave these on our last day while we go to the parks? I do not want them to get mixed up with the checked luggage as we will need the stuff in them. Thanks

DME is fine with being used as a one-way operation, in either direction. No, no luggage tags needed on the way TO the airport.

And just to clarify, even though this is a pretty fine point -- there is no DME desk at the resorts. There is a Resort Airline Check-In (RAC) desk for those who are lucky enough to be flying a "participating" airline, but if you're not flying a participating airline (and hence can't check your luggage in at your resort) then there is nowhere and no one to check in with for DME purposes. You just have to have yourself at the right place by the right time to get the bus.

What to do with your luggage depends on what airline you're flying. If you're flying a "participating" airline, you can use RAC, where you check your luggage in for your flight at your resort, and then won't see it again until it's on your home airport's baggage claim carousel. HOWEVER, if you're NOT flying a "participating" airline, you have to get your luggage to the DME bus, then the driver will load it under the bus, and you'll get it right back as soon as you arrive a tthe airport, then you get it to your airline's check-in counter, etc.

If you're using RAC, you have to at least be with your luggage when it gets to the RAC desk. In other words, you can't just have Pop's Luggage Assistance pick up your bags in your room and then forget about them until you arrive back your home airport. Luggage Assistance can get your bags to the RAC desk for you, but then you have to personaly check the bags in with RAC.

Next subject. Any halfway decent hotel in the USA will store bags for you after you check out, up through 11:59 p.m. that day. Disney resorts are no exception. You can get them to store your carry-ons between the time you check-out and the time you ar waiting for your DME bus. If you're not using RAC, then the resort can, of course, also store your suitcases for you.

And if the resort is storing anything for you, make sure to ask for it AT LEAST 20 minutes before your DME bus is scheduled to arrive.

Last thing: HAVE FUN!

 

[cccm]

I leave tomorrow AM and found this thread very helpful. Now I know about the AK in the mickey.

Question though.....more the paranoid side of me. What if your checked bags got lost by airline?? You wouldn't know for quite a while and would then have to speak to someone at the airport from your resort. Has anyone had this happen before.

I am thinking I will not use luggage tags and just claim my own luggage.

 

[CleveRocks]

I leave tomorrow AM and found this thread very helpful. Now I know about the AK in the mickey.

Question though.....more the paranoid side of me. What if your checked bags got lost by airline?? You wouldn't know for quite a while and would then have to speak to someone at the airport from your resort. Has anyone had this happen before.

I am thinking I will not use luggage tags and just claim my own luggage.

Disney will do all of the luggage tracking-down for you. You wouldn't have to go back to the airport to track down your luggage, Disney will do it on your behalf as part of the DME service. You could continue having fun in WDW while Disney does your dirty work. Sounds nice.

If the airline mishandles your bags and they are NOT DME-tagged, then you'd have to waste time hanging around the airport filling out forms, etc., rather than starting your WDW vacation.

IMHO, put the DME tags on your checked bags, pack a sensible carry-on with your supplies for the first 24 hours, and enjoy your trip!

 

[goofy4tink]

I leave tomorrow AM and found this thread very helpful. Now I know about the AK in the mickey.

Question though.....more the paranoid side of me. What if your checked bags got lost by airline?? You wouldn't know for quite a while and would then have to speak to someone at the airport from your resort. Has anyone had this happen before.

I am thinking I will not use luggage tags and just claim my own luggage.

To add to what Eric said.....when you check-in at the DME desk, they will ask you how many bags you have checked. So, if something happens to them, DME will know how many bags they are tracking.