Late SW Flight and DME

[WDWFanatic]

It looks like we may choose a Southwest flight that gets us into MCO at 12:30 am. We are also using DME.

How will that work? We've never used it before. Do we go get our bags at the baggage area and then bring them to the bus?

Is there any way we can take our bags off the bus when we get to our resort. I really don't want to have to wait until the next morning.

Thanks!

[lindique]

Yes, you may absolutely get your own bags and take them to the DME bus! Just DON'T put the yellow tags on them that you will receive - bags with yellow tags will not come out to the baggage carousel.

From Southwest (A Side), you will have to go up to the main floor, cross over to B side, and go downstairs again on the B side to the DME area. Don't worry - it's not much of a pain at all!

When you get on your bus, the driver will load your bags into the bottom of the bus. When you get off at your resort, he/she will give them back to you. You then take them with you into the hotel and then on to your room.

[NLODisney]

Nov will be our third trip to Disney with a late flight. WE arrive at 11:45. We usually do carry on only so we have our luggage with us other wise I would get it myself and not wait to have it delivered. I am always amazed at how long the lines to check in at the DME are but they move quickly and it usually isn't a long wait for the bus to get you to your resort. I like arriving late so we are ready to start our Disney time first thing in the morning! Have a great trip

[WDWFanatic]

I am always amazed at how long the lines to check in at the DME are but they move quickly and it usually isn't a long wait for the bus to get you to your resort. I like arriving late so we are ready to start our Disney time first thing in the morning! Have a great trip

So the lines are still really long late night? Do we have to tell the driver we want our bags when we get to the resort?

Also is it true that if we put the tags on the bags won't even be picked up until the next morning? We don't want to spend the next day waiting for bags!

[kdsjjb]

My advice to you:

Dont put the yellow tags on your bags. Just check them and pick them up like you would on any other flight.

Once you get on the DME bus, your bags will be with you. You will get them off the bus when you arive at your resort.

We did DME one trip when we got in at 12:10 Am - our bags got to the room at 4 AM. Granted this was the VERY FIRST week that they started the DME, so maybe delivery is better timed now. We have used the luggage service when arriving early enough to go to a park. The luggage usually arrives in a few hours.

The other thing we do is always pack essentials and one days worth of clothing in a carry on, just in case luggage is lost or delayed for some reason.

Getting in that late, I'd just check the luggage so you have the control.

BTW, I have seen the DME line 50 people deep at times, but I have never seen it busier then a few people when we arrive that late.

Good luck.

[WDWFanatic]

Thank you! I'm guessing we will just get our own bags, that way we have them when we check in. I think I'd be nervous that they wouldn't make it or show up just as I was falling alseep.

Now if the flights would just open up....

[DisneyWhirled]

Having done a late arrival it just a few weeks ago, please be aware that your DME bus will probably have several stops.

We arrived at MCO at midnight. We got our baggage and were on the DME bus by 1:00AM. There were several resorts on the bus, and we were the last stop. We got to the check-in at about 2AM.

Hope this helps!!

[CleveRocks]

By design, DME buses may stop at up to 4 resorts. Stopping at a resort or 2 before your own is not a creature of late-night ... it's the way DME is designed to run all the time.

They tell you right in the DME packet to expect your luggage to arrive about 3 hours after you arrive at your resort. So for kdsjjb, you landed at 12:10 a.m., you probably got to your resort by 1:15 or 1:30 a.m., and then got your luggage delivered at 4:00 a.m. ... it seems you got the luggage delivery right when they promised (within 3 hours of your resort arrival).

Late at night, I value DME's luggage service even more than during the day. Very late at night, I'm eager to just get to my room and get to sleep, especially if I have kids with me. If you stop to get your luggage at baggage claim, it's likely you will miss the first available bus to your resort and will have to wait for the next one, which will delay your getting to your room as early as you could have.

No matter where I fly, I ALWAYS pack a carry-on with the first 24 hours' worth of supplies, just in case the AIRLINE delays my luggage. Because I pack this way, it really doesn't matter to me when my luggage gets delivered.

My DME luggage experiences:

May 8, 2005 (DME's 4th day in operation): flight arrived around 9:30 a.m., we got to CBR 63 minutes later around 10:30 a.m., luggage was in our room when we returned from the pool around 2:00 p.m. ... in other words, we have no idea when it got there, because we weren't in our room, we just know it was in there some time before we returned at 2:00 p.m. And because we packed our swim stuff in our carry-ons (including for our 5 year old and 2 year old), it's not like we needed to wait for our luggage to go swimming).

November 4, 2007: flight arrived around 10:00 p.m., we got to POFQ 56 minutes later around 11:00 p.m. I meant to ask to have our DME luggage held 'til morning, but I forgot. The phone rang at 1:16 a.m., with Bell Services asking if we wanted the luggage now or in the morning. "Um, morning please." I called for our luggage at 6:30 a.m. and it was at our room at 6:35 a.m.