Disney’s Magical Express is a complimentary shuttle bus provided between the Orlando International Airport and the Walt Disney World Resorts. A great benefit of using Magical Express is that, for most flights, your luggage will be collected by a Disney cast member at the airport for you. And then Disney will deliver your bags to your Disney Resort hotel room. Meaning you don’t even need to go to baggage claim yourself at all. This is all able to be done through the use of attaching special yellow luggage tags, that Disney provides, to your checked bags before departure. That way, Disney airport cast members can easily identify your bags and know they need to be delivered to your resort. But what happens when you have no luggage tags for Magical Express and you’re leaving in the next few days?
If you have no luggage tags for Magical Express you can either collect your checked luggage and bring it on Magical Express yourself. Or you can provide your airline baggage claim numbers to the Magical Express check-in cast members, ensuring Disney still delivers your luggage to your resort.
I have personally had first hand experience travelling on Magical Express without luggage tags. All I had to do was to give my baggage claim numbers to the cast members at Magical Express check-in. And then my bags arrived at my resort within a few hours without a hitch! So if you are leaving for Walt Disney World soon and you have no luggage tags, don’t worry. You have options, you will still make it, and have a magical vacation!
How To Check That You Have Magical Express Confirmed On Your Reservation
When you start wondering where your Magical Express luggage tags are, the first thing to do is to double check that you have been registered for the Magical Express. You can double check this in a few ways. The first option if to refer back to your original email confirmation you got when you confirmed your Disney reservation. That email has a section for Magical Express information and will say whether or not you have it confirmed.
If you can’t find your original confirmation email. Or if you can’t remember whether or not you added it, just call instead. You can also check if Magical Express is confirmed on your reservation by calling the Disney on the Magical Express hotline at 407-939-1936. Just ask the cast members on the phone to double check that you have the service confirmed. Make sure to have your reservation number handy when you call.
If you still need to make a reservation for Magical Express, you can do that up until 10 days before your arrival date. You can make a Magical Express reservation either online or by calling Disney on the Magical Express hotline at 407-939-1936. To make a reservation online, use this link and fill out the details on the form to confirm. Note that if you are adding Magical Express to your reservation less than 2-3 weeks before your arrival date, you probably will not get your luggage tags at all. In which case, just keep reading for the answers on how to still use the service without them.
Luggage Tags For Magical Express Are Mailed About 2-3 Weeks In Advance
According to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, luggage tags for Disney’s Magical Express are mailed about 2-3 weeks before your check-in date. The luggage tags are usually sent in a generic white envelope. Like the kind you would mail a letter in. So be on the lookout for any suspect generic envelopes in the mail. And make sure you don’t throw anything away without checking it in the weeks leading up to your trip.
If it helps ease your mind, you can always check on the status of your luggage tags in the mail. Just call Disney at 407-939-1936 and ask the cast members on that line to check if the tags been mailed out yet or not.
Luggage Tags For Magical Express Are Mailed Separately From Your Magic Bands
The yellow luggage tags that are used for Magical Express are mailed separately from the Magic Bands. So if you’ve already gotten your Magic Bands in the mail, and not yet the luggage tags, don’t get too worried yet. The luggage tags could still be on the way.
What To Do If You Have No Luggage Tags For Magical Express
Even if your luggage tags still have not yet arrived and you are only a few days out from your trip – DON’T PANIC! I know from firsthand experience that you can totally still use Magical Express without the luggage tags. Depending on your flight arrival time in Orlando, you can either collect your checked luggage and bring it on the bus yourself. Or you can still get your bags delivered to your resort, if you give the Magical Express check-in cast members your airline baggage claim numbers.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you do decide to go the route of giving Disney your airline baggage claim information, you are adding an extra layer of baggage handling. There is a slightly higher chance that your checked baggage may be delayed or lost. However, I have personally done this before and have had no issues whatsoever. But just make sure to keep this in mind when making your decision whether or not to collect your checked bags yourself. Or letting Disney do it.
For Flights Arriving Between 5:00am and 10:00pm At Orlando International Airport:
You can still skip baggage claim, if you’d like. When you are checking in for your first flight of the day and are given your checked baggage claim numbers from the airline, KEEP THEM. When you arrive at the Orlando Airport just head right to the Magical Express boarding area. Let the cast members there know that you did not get luggage tags. They will then ask you for your baggage claim numbers that the airline provided earlier. Then that’s it! Once the cast member has your baggage claim numbers you’re good to go. Your checked bags will be ready and waiting for you in your Disney Resort room later in the evening.
For flights arriving after 10:00pm at Orlando International Airport:
In this case, you will need to go to baggage claim and pick up your own luggage. This is because there are not any Disney cast members handling luggage on site at the Orlando Airport after 10:00pm. You can still take the Magical Express, of course, no problem! But you will need to collect your own checked bags and bring them on the bus yourself. Of course there will be cast members at the bus area there to help you load and unload your luggage.
How To Bring Your Own Luggage Onto Magical Express
Having Disney pick up and deliver your checked bags to your hotel room is a great benefit for most families and travel parties. However, there can be a wait for the bags to arrive in your room. In my experience it can be anywhere from 3-6 hours before your bags will show up in your hotel room. So the delay in the bags arrival may be one reason why you might choose to bring your own bags on board the Magical Express. Thereby forgoing having Disney collect and deliver them.
Or maybe you just want to keep track of your bags yourself. Rather than worrying about whether or not they will actually get to your hotel room. Whatever the reason, there is no problem at all with collecting your own checked luggage from baggage claim. And then bringing it on the Magical Express. Here’s what you need to do if you do decide to bring your own checked bags onto Magical Express:
- Make sure that, if you got them, you DO NOT put the luggage tags Disney provides on your bags. If you do, Disney will collect your bags before they make it to baggage claim. And then you will have to wait for them to be delivered later on.
- Once you’re off your plane, head to baggage claim and collect your checked luggage.
- Once you have everything, head over to the Magical Express area of the airport. It is located in the Ground Transportation Area on Side B, Level 1.
- Board the Magical Express like normal using your Magic Bands to scan in before getting on board. The cast members there will help to load and unload all of your luggage.
