Magic Express- LOST LUGGAGE???

[donald-doc]

I did not recieve my luggage tags before our departure in 10 days...

Will they still get our luggage to the right hotel, or lose it?

I called the folks at M.E., and they said they can not get luggage tags to our home in less than 10 days. (odd, they have no access to express mail envelopes)

I am a bit concerned, should I worry?
:confused:

[faline]

Many people have used Magical Express even without the Magical Express tags. As I understand it, you simply provide your luggage check tags along with a description of your luggage to the folks at the Magical Express counter and they take it from there.

[thumperbug]

I once booked a last minute trip and didnt have tags and had no problem with my luggage. I even provided pics of my bags but the DME agent said they didn't need it.

Worked just as smoothly as if we did have tags. Hakuna Matata

[BigRedDad]

We went in November. We did not have our tags. The counter for DME took a little longer because ofit, but no issue. Our luggage was delivered to our room right when it was available. The luggage was already there, but our room was not.

they ask how many bags, size, description, color, etc. It was no muss no fuss. Plus, we walked right onto our bus which they held and off we went.

[CleveRocks]

As you've already learned, you shouldn't have any trouble doing it the way DME said to do it.

And just to reassure you, what you were told is the established procedure that's been around since Day One ... it's NOT like the person just made something up off the top of their head.

Using your baggage claim receipt number and your description of your bag, a cast member will be dispatched to baggage claim to retrieve your bag for you. The CM will take the bag back behind-the-scenes in the airport and will immediately print out a new DME luggage tag and place it on the bag. This "new" DME tag will be white, not the usual yellow of the DME tags that get mailed out.

The CM will then take the bag to the pick-up area, where all the DME bags wait until they are picked up and brought to DIsney's luggage sorting facility, which is on-site at the airport.

Since it has a DME tag on it, complete with barcode, it is now exactly like all the other DME tags, and will receive the same attention.

[Disneyfun]

I will start by prefacing my comments that I think that DME is a great program and I hope that it never goes away.

That being said, what the above posters have stated is correct - however - I would strongly recommend that you do NOT pack anything essential in your checked luggage that you will need for the first 12-24 hours.
Explination - on one of our trips, we stayed at PoP (most likely contributed to the issue due to the larger sized groups and families that stay in the values - nothing wrong with it, just the demographic) and used the DME to pick up and deliver our bags. This was during the height of the ever changing rules with carry on items and my wife had a few perscriptions, of which some were liquid, due to an emergency oral surgury that she had 2 days before our trip. Due to this, we checked her luggage as we figured that she would not need it again until well after we landed from the 4 hour trip from DC. Needless to say, DME completely lost our luggage. After much argueing and detective work on my end, I contacted someone at the airport that walked down to the lost luggage area and verified that our bags were still there. DME did not get them until after 2 AM - 14 hours after we landed.
Now, over all, DME is great and ussually get it right. Due to the fact that they are dealling with thousands of pieces of luggage every day going in and out, when it goes wrong - it goes horribly wrong.
So, in short, pack what you need for the first 12 hours in a carry on or realize that there is a chance, although, minor, that your luggage may not make it to your room by the time that you need it.

[CleveRocks]

So, in short, pack what you need for the first 12 hours in a carry on or realize that there is a chance, although, minor, that your luggage may not make it to your room by the time that you need it.Well said. I totally agree.

In fact, I recommend you do it this way wherever you fly, just in case the AIRLINE delays your bags.