DME Experiences

[JROriole8Fan]

We have visited WDW countless times, but always drive. However to changes things up for our annual Christmas trip we are planning to fly. I'm really interested in how the Disney Magical Experience (bus) works, what others have experienced and if you can use the service if you fly Southwest.

[Catzle]

We thought the service was great. We just used it in May and everything went smoothly. Not much of a wait to grab it and perfect timing for going back. We would use it again in a heart beat. It was nice to have someone drive you and not worry about transportation and the bus drivers were very nice.

[disneymom15]

We've used DME since it was started. We've never had a problem and you can't beat the price. Any time we can save money is ok with me, makes our next trip that much sooner.

[CleveRocks]

Disney's Magical Express (DME) is great! I've used it twice, and it was excellent both times.

EVERYONE ON EVERY AIRLINE CAN USE DME.

Here's what DME is:
round-trip motorcoach transportation between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and your WDW owned-and-operated resort
one-way automatic luggage transfer between MCO and your resort
On your way home, at the end of your trip, SOME people can also use another service called Resort Airline Check-in (RAC). This is where airline matters. Only people flying on the so-called "participating airlines can use RAC. Think of RAC as curbside check-in which is done in your resort lobby rather than the curbside at the airport ... you check-in for your flight, check your luggage through to your final destination, and get your boarding passes.

RAC has nothing to do with DME bus rides. Regardless of airline, EVERYONE is entitled to a DME bus ride back to the airport on their day of check-out.

I hope this helps.

[coloradowendyl]

Anyone staying on Disney property may use DME. There is a misconception out there that you may only use it if you fly the participating airlines. This is not true!

The participating airlines are the only ones that offer At Resort baggage check in for the return flight. Guests using any airline other than the participating carriers will have their luggage transported with them to Orlando International and will do baggage check in either curbside or in the airport.

A good portion of Disney guests use Southwest, Midwest Air, etc...none of which are "participating" airlines at this time with no problems!

Wendy

[CleveRocks]

DME was launched as part of the Happiest Celebration on Earth, on May 5, 2005. It was supposed to end at the end of the HCOE in the Fall of 2006. However, in April 2006 DME was extended through at least the end of 2011 because it was so wildly successful with Disney guests and Disney suits alike.

DME is free but you MUST make reservations for it. About 4-6 weeks before your trip, you'll receive a DME mailing which will include special luggage tags. These aren't the decorative hard plastic kind that you write your name on. These are sticky paper, the same type of paper that the airline tags are made of (the ones with the 3-letter IATA airport code), except that they're bright yellow. They are pre-printed with a lot of info, including barcodes.

Before you leave home, you put one DME luggage tag on each piece of checked luggage. You check-in your luggage with your airline like normal (your airline knows nothing about DME, and they don't have to, since DME exists nly in Orlando and nowhere else). You won't see it again until it's inside your resort room. It will NOT be at Orlando's baggage claim, and you will not need to waste time at baggage claim.

After you land in Orlando, you skip baggage claim and go directly to the Disney Welcome Center. You check-in, get shown to your bus queue, then board the bus, then ride to your resort. The bus may hold people from up to 4 resorts. You can bring your carry-ons into the bus with you if they are small enough to fit under your seat or on the overhead shelf. If not, the driver will stow them in the cargo bay under the bus, and you'll get them back as soon as you arrive at your resort.

Back at the airport, all luggage with DME tags is pulled away from the rest of the luggage and is sent to a Disney sorting facility. The bags are then loaded into cages, and the cages are loaded onto delivery trucks. The trucks drop off the cages at the proper resorts. Bell Services staff then get the luggage from the cages and deliver the bags to the guest rooms. During this process, the barcodes on the bags are scanned 5 separate times, and the trucks are tracked by GPS. Disney knows where your bags at all times.

Your luggage will arrive about 3 or so hours after you arrive at the resort. Anything you immediately need you should pack in your carry-on. Your luggage will be delivered to the inside of your room whether you're in there or not. Go out and have fun ... there's absolutely NO NEED to sit around and wait for it.

Any other questions, please ask!!!

[Speedy1998]

Thought it was great. My only recommendation is that you bring any clothes that you will need when you arrive at the resort in your carry-on, as it can take awhile for your luggage to get to your room. The wait for your luggage will be extra long if you happen to arrive during a thunder storm.

[Goes4FastPass]

We use it and love it.

We each deliberatly pack a small carry-on- swim gear and what we need to go immediatly to a park and leave the rest to DME.

Our last trip was AirTran - recently added to Resort Airline Checkin and it was terrific. Dropped bags. Received boarding passes and relaxed.

[DisneyCrazyET]

I believe I read that if your airline doesn't participate you can ride the bus but you must go to baggage claim and pick up your own bags and carry them to the bus.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
We will be flying US Airways down and they do not participate.
Thanks

[Hammer]

I believe I read that if your airline doesn't participate you can ride the bus but you must go to baggage claim and pick up your own bags and carry them to the bus.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
We will be flying US Airways down and they do not participate.
Thanks

You do not need to pick up your bags when you fly down. As someone wrote earlier, yellow luggage tags will be mailed to you once you sign up to use the service. Place these tags on your luggage when you check your bags at your home airport. When you land at MCO, go directly to the Disney Welcome Center. Your bags will be collected and transported to you WDW hotel by DME employees. When the bags arrive they will be delivered to your room.

Now returning, you will not be able to check your bags at the resort unless you are flying on certain airlines (US Airways is not one of them). You'll put your bags in the cargo bay under the bus and retrieve them when you get to the airport. From there, you can check them in at curbside or the counter, whichever you prefer.

[CleveRocks]

I believe I read that if your airline doesn't participate you can ride the bus but you must go to baggage claim and pick up your own bags and carry them to the bus.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
We will be flying US Airways down and they do not participate.
ThanksPlease re-read post #4 above. I put it in big bold red capital letters, with 2 bullet points underneath. "Participating airline" ONLY has to do with luggage on the way home.

WHen you arrive at Orlando, everyone on every airline gets the full force of DME.

[TheMartellFamily]

We love DME and never had a problem with luggage. Great addition to a sevice offered when you stay on site for this.

[Pocahontas]

We love the DME service. Our luggage took about 6 hours to make it to our room, but that wasn't a problem for us. As others said, you may just want to pack a few items you may need in your carry-on. We will definitely use it again.