Disney's Magical Express -- Luggage Tag Info

Hello All, I've been reading through, and searching, a lot of the posts here. I am concerned about travel/Magical Express arrangements for a young gentleman who will be joining us at Disney World as our guest from another country. I have some etiquette as well as procedural questions.

I am not sure yet if his flight will arrive anytime close to ours. We will arrive around 2:30. He might be really early at the airport, or late.

Etiquette Question: He is our daughter's boyfriend. We like him a lot. He will have a 9 hour flight or so. At home we would go to the airport to greet him, and bring him home. At Disney it is not so clear. Should he hang around for us if he is early? Should we wait for him if he is really late? Should we leave our daughter at the airport to wait for him, while we go ahead to the resort and check in/settle things - there may be an issue with this, as she is the primary on a second room. I don't think that I will be allowed to check in for her.

Being Practical vs. Welcoming:
I would like to encourage him, if he arrives early, to take ME to the resort, check his bag with bell services, and have him enjoy himself at the resort. Since he is on the reservation, will he be able to have access to the pool? If he will not get to the airport until late, I thought it would make sense for us to go ahead to the resort, and have him meet us there. It feels a little sad, though, if he were to come in, find his way around, all alone after the long flight. It feels like something much nicer for him to do with our daughter, or with us all together. Our daughter visited with his family, and they were so welcoming and gracious - the idea of his coming in late and alone makes me a bit sad. Advice here is very welcome.

Magical Express Voucher Question:
I will be sent the ME package - if we decide to arrive at the resort separately, how do I make sure that he receives his voucher? What if I mail it and he doesn't receive it? I thought I could scan it and mail it to him, so he could show it on his phone in case it doesn't get there in time. Has anyone done that?

Any and all advice welcome! Thanks.
Since you are all long distance travelers taking Disney bus transportation on this adventure it's ok if some normal guest protocol is different than usual. If it's only a matter of an hour or two you could choose to wait for each other, more than that is just too much to expect of tired people who have been traveling for hours themselves.
The young man will be able to get on the Magical Express as long as he is listed on the room reservation and you have set up bus transportation for him, even if he has no voucher to show. He could use his magic band, or if you haven't been able to send that to him, he can just tell them his name and they can look him up and get him on the bus. Yes, the reservation information that you email to his phone might also come in handy if needed. So, no worries there.
If he is the one that arrives much earlier, then he will be allowed to check in, drop his bags with bell services, enjoy the resort, and even access the room when it becomes available, as long as his name is on that room reservation. He doesn't have to be the primary. The option of you going on an earlier magical express bus to get settled in, and your daughter staying at the airport to await his arrival is also a fine idea if that is something she would like to do.
I have been on many Disney trips and have taken different magical express buses than other friends or family arriving at different times. If I'm at the resort first I always get some fancy Mickey Mouse rice crispie treats on a stick and greet the folks who arrive later out at the magical bus in front of the resort with much fanfare!
Have a great time! Enjoy!
 
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I have been on many Disney trips and have taken different magical express buses than other friends or family arriving at different times. If I'm at the resort first I always get some fancy Mickey Mouse rice crispie treats on a stick and greet the folks who arrive later out at the magical bus in front of the resort with much fanfare!
Have a great time! Enjoy!
Thank you so much, Ensusieasm! I know that I am over thinking this - your words put me entirely at ease now! After your suggestions, my hope now is that we arrive an hour earlier, my daughter stays, and my husband and I go get some surprises to meet them at our resort!
 
I am unsure if this is the right place to ask about this. I would be using Disney Magical Express but I have a plane change and 1 hour 20min layover. Is this enough time? Hows it work? Will my bags be automatically unloaded off the first plane and moved to the next plane? I can take a non-stop but it lands 3 1/2 hours later. Making getting to our dinner show or night plans much tighter.
 
JadeDarkstar, It shouldn't be an issue at all. My daughter recently had 20 minutes between flights (her first flight was running late) and her bags made the second flight. If for some reason they don't, they will still follow you to Orlando Airport, and Magical Express people will still collect your bags and bring them to your resort. Your bags don't end up at your resort for about 3 hours anyway (people take the Magical Express bus, and bags with the yellow tags are taken by the ME people behind the scenes, sorted by resort transport, and delivered. If for some reason you don't have your yellow tags in time (you should) you will provide the Magical Express people with a description of your bags, as well as your bag check numbers which are given to you when you check your bags by the airport personnel.) Your bags will magically appear in your room a few hours later. Whenever you fly by plane it is always best to carry whatever you need for that evening in your carry-on whether you use Magical Express or not. I also always photograph my checked bags as well as my claim tickets, just in case.
 


I am unsure if this is the right place to ask about this. I would be using Disney Magical Express but I have a plane change and 1 hour 20min layover. Is this enough time? Hows it work? Will my bags be automatically unloaded off the first plane and moved to the next plane? I can take a non-stop but it lands 3 1/2 hours later. Making getting to our dinner show or night plans much tighter.
This isn't a ME issue at all.
Plane changes are handled by the airline, not ME. Your bags are tagged by your airline at the departure airport for your destination airport. The bag will follow you from plane 1 to plane 2. Airlines do this every day, all day. ME will get the bags off plane 2.
 
Thank you. I have never taken a flight with bags changing to planes. I thought I had read something about us having to collect them and then make sure they were on the 2ed plan or ME wouldn't find them. Thank you though these post's help me understand that once it's checked in they will end up in my room. Now after I went through a long list of questions on the southwest site. I found if you have two different airlines it can get dicey.
 
Thank you. I have never taken a flight with bags changing to planes. I thought I had read something about us having to collect them and then make sure they were on the 2ed plan or ME wouldn't find them. Thank you though these post's help me understand that once it's checked in they will end up in my room. Now after I went through a long list of questions on the southwest site. I found if you have two different airlines it can get dicey.
Oh, is your connecting flight changing airlines and planes?
 


I found if you have two different airlines it can get dicey.
Yes, I'm not sure how using two different airlines would work. You would need to collect your bag then go through security again, is what my best guess is. You may even need to go to another terminal - have you checked the connecting airport's terminals? I know that in Boston, my daughter needed to change airlines, so had to get from terminal A to terminal B.
 
No southwest is what I plan to use both ways. I just normally have nonstops as times do not matter, but if all works how I wish it. I would be getting in 3 in half hours earlier just have to have a connection to another Southwest plane. I did not check different terminals, but it is all southwest. I know my family, and I can run if we need to but not having to collect the bags makes it less stressful.

Honestly, I thought I'd have to go collect them then check it on the new plane that worried me for an hour and 15-20min layover. The bags could have taken an hour themselves lol.

That is a huge stressor off my shoulders. So Thank you.
 
Ok, if you are staying on the same airline they'll handle it all. You will indeed drop your bags at your home airport, hop on the plane, change planes, land at MCO, get on ME and your bags will show up in your room several hours later. Works like "Disney" magic ;)
 
What happens if I check my bags at the departing airport with the Magical Express luggage tags attached, however, I am unable to make the Magical Express? I assume my bags will show up in my room no matter if I am on the bus or not.
 
What happens if I check my bags at the departing airport with the Magical Express luggage tags attached, however, I am unable to make the Magical Express? I assume my bags will show up in my room no matter if I am on the bus or not.
They should be fine.
 
What happens if I check my bags at the departing airport with the Magical Express luggage tags attached, however, I am unable to make the Magical Express? I assume my bags will show up in my room no matter if I am on the bus or not.
For arrival, you're not scheduled for a specific bus. You arrive at the airport, make your way down to the DME counter, and they will put you on the next bus going to your resort. It is completely impossible for you to not make it on the bus.
 
What happens if I check my bags at the departing airport with the Magical Express luggage tags attached, however, I am unable to make the Magical Express? I assume my bags will show up in my room no matter if I am on the bus or not.

Yep, the bags go separately from you and are tracked separately from you. We did not take the bus, we rented a car. Our bags were waiting in our room when we got back from the parks. From what I gather - they just grab all the bags with yellow tags and take them to the resorts. They dont know or care if you are physically taking the bus or not.
 
We will be staying at a different hotel the night before our resort stay begins. Can we tag our luggage to go to our resort the day before like that? Since we're coming from the west coast & we don't want to take a red-eye, we don't want to waste a day in the Parks
 
We will be staying at a different hotel the night before our resort stay begins. Can we tag our luggage to go to our resort the day before like that? Since we're coming from the west coast & we don't want to take a red-eye, we don't want to waste a day in the Parks
No. You'll need to collect your luggage at baggage claim and take it with you.
 
I booked our vacation in March through TA- couldn't book flight until May- I am having trouble finding how to add our flight to our reservations with Disney so we can add our MAgical Express reservations could someone help me out here- thanks
 
How far in advance of our trip should I expect to receive our DME booklet & luggage tags? I can't remember from past trips.
 

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