magical express question

[tigmickey]

I am staying at AKV with a check out date of 7-24 BUT I am flying out early 7-25. Can I have DME take me to MCO on 7-24 to stay at the Hyatt even though I am flying out the next morning?

[Fastpasssteve]

Wow. That is a good question. Part of the benefit of using Disney's Magical Express is that one doesn't need to deal with one's baggage as one arrives or leaves WDW. You would definitely want to make it clear to DME exactly what you want to do, and that you would want to get your baggage off the bus and not have them automatically hand it off to airport security to be stowed on a flight.

I would call Disney Reservations directly...the same people with whom you made your resort room reservation.

[AmandaChan]

I don't see why they would make an issue out of it if you want to go at a time where the DME is not too busy. We always leave really early in the AM and there is usually plenty of open seats by the time we get to theairport.

[CleveRocks]

Wow. That is a good question. Part of the benefit of using Disney's Magical Express is that one doesn't need to deal with one's baggage as one arrives or leaves WDW. You would definitely want to make it clear to DME exactly what you want to do, and that you would want to get your baggage off the bus and not have them automatically hand it off to airport security to be stowed on a flight.

I would call Disney Reservations directly...the same people with whom you made your resort room reservation.No need to call Disney. No need to tell them you don't want them to take your bags to the airport from your resort. That is a separate service, a service you have to opt-in to, and a service that needs NO reservation, you just wealk up and use it when you need it. Period.

Disney's Magical Express DOES NOT include baggage transfer from resort to airport. DME includes round-trip bus rides and automatical luggage delivery from airport to resort. But for the trip from resort to airport, baggage is handled by a separate service called Resort Airline Check-in. RAC is not an automatic thing, you have to choose to use it ... it's not something that will happen to you whether you like it or not. Hence, no need to call Disney about it. In the same way that if Disney gives you a coupon for a free souvenir at the Planet Hollywood gift shop, you don't need to call Disney or Planet Hollywood to tell them you won't be going there to claim your free gift.

RAC is also not available to everyone. It's not available if your airline is not on the list of "participating airlines." It's also not available if your flight departs at 8:00 a.m. or earlier.

In other words, there's no need to call Disney to tell them you don't want them handling your bags on the way back to the airport. If you did call to tell them that, they wouldn't even know how to handle that information ... they'd handle it in the same way if you called to tell them you don't plan to ride Space Mountain.:mickey:

[CleveRocks]

I am staying at AKV with a check out date of 7-24 BUT I am flying out early 7-25. Can I have DME take me to MCO on 7-24 to stay at the Hyatt even though I am flying out the next morning?Yes, you definitely can have them take you to the airport late on 7/24.

As a Disney resort guest, you are entitled to a DME ride back to the airport on (or before) your check-out day. They don't care when your flight is ... in fact, there's no requirement that you even HAVE a flight. For example, some people use DME to get back to the airport, and then rent a car there and drive on to a different location to continue their Florida vacation.

You can handle this one of two ways. I recommend the first way. One way is to call DME directly at 866-599-0951 and tell them your exact situation ... they will make a DME reservation for you for a ride back to the airport on your check-out day at a time relatively near a time of your choosing. You can also wait to do this until your ARRIVAL day ... after you land at MCO, go to the DME counter and tell them your plans and they can make your return DME reservation right there at that time. By either calling 866-599-0951 OR by waiting 'til you get to the airport on your ARRIVAL day, you will have your only two opportunities to interact with DME CMs, who are the only people in the entire Walt Disney World who are DME experts. For example, if you call the main Disney phone number or you ask at your resort, you are almost certain to get very incorrect (but well-meaning) DME information. [NOTE: If you call DME to do this, wait until you're within 60 days of your trip ... DME only has access to resort reservations 60 days out, and they'll need your resort reservation info in order to make your DME reservation.]

The other way you can do it, which I personally don't recommend, is make your return DME reservation by telling a little white lie ... you can research the airline and time of a late-night departing flight and tell DIsney that's your flight, and they'll schedule you for a DME ride about 3 hours before that time ... what you do with yourself after you get off the DE bus with your luggage is your business, not theirs.

[CleveRocks]

I would call Disney Reservations directly...the same people with whom you made your resort room reservation.
I realize I already made this point in another post, but I think it's important enough to emphasize. I strongly advise that if anyone has any DIsney's Magical Express question that they NEVER EVER call the regular Disney reservations line. The good folks there are simply not trained in DME policies and procedures and they often give out terribly inaccurate information. The call center CMs are trained in ONLY 3 things: resort reservations, dining reservations, and ticket sales. They are NOT trained in things like theme park operations, resort operations, or transportation operations. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop many of them from giving out uninformed advice anyway.

So please, if anyone needs DME info, PLEASE call DME directly at 866-599-0951. EVERYONE answering that line is a DME CM, and therefore a DME expert.

[tigmickey]

Holy Cow!!! Thanks for all the info CleveRocks. (FYI, I love your theme song sung by Drew Carey):number1: