Caribbean Beach Resort guests can now skip baggage claim entirely. Grand Floridian guests cannot. That is the actual situation as of Tuesday.
Some context.
Look, getting from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World has never been the magical part of anybody's trip. Bags roll off the carousel. Somebody watches the kids while somebody else fights the suitcases. You figure out transportation, load everything, and eventually the whole operation lands at the resort.
It works. Seamless it is not. Anyone who has run that gauntlet with small children and a stroller knows the precise flavor of misery involved.
Disney has been quietly building something to delete the luggage half of that problem, and it keeps growing.
The catch was that it only existed at Value resorts. Moderate or Deluxe? Enjoy baggage claim like everybody else.
That just broke.
Caribbean Beach Is In
Airport Luggage Transfer went live at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort on Tuesday.
The first moderate to get it. Real milestone for a program that has been Value-exclusive since day one.
Still restricted to guests flying American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or United Airlines. Delta is not in the program.
How It Got to This Disney Resort
The pattern tells you where this is headed.
Pilot launched last year with Southwest at Disney's Pop Century Resort. One airline, one hotel.
Then it grew to three airlines across all five Values:
- Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney's All-Star Music Resort
- Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney's Art of Animation Resort
- Disney's Pop Century Resort
Caribbean Beach makes six hotels total and the first one outside the Value tier.
BagCheck runs the whole thing, hauling luggage to and from Orlando International Airport.
Why That Disney Resort Specifically
Disney did not pull this out of a hat.
Caribbean Beach is one of the biggest Moderates on property, works as a Skyliner hub, and processes a serious volume of guests. Make the logistics work there, and they will work at basically any other Moderate.
It also shares a footprint with Disney's Riviera Resort, which sits in the Deluxe Villa category. Whether that proximity plays into what comes next is pure speculation, but infrastructure gets a lot easier when buildings are already next to each other.
Arrival
Register between 30 days and 24 hours before your flight. Bring your Disney Resort confirmation number and your flight confirmation number. You get a confirmation email with a luggage tracking link.
Tags get mailed if you register more than seven days out. Register inside seven days and no tags arrive, but the bags still get delivered. People panic about this constantly, so once more: no tags does not mean no service.
Check in for your flight normally, hand bags to your airline at your departure airport. Land in Orlando, walk right past baggage claim, go straight to Disney transportation.
At the resort, hit Luggage Assistance by calling from your room or stopping at the lobby desk. Bags can take up to four hours from your flight's arrival time.
One catch. Flights landing after 11 p.m. give you two options. Grab luggage at baggage claim, or wait for BagCheck to deliver within four hours. Delayed flights arriving after 11 p.m. follow the same rules.
Departure
Honestly the better half of this.
Check in online starting 24 hours before departure and pay baggage fees through your airline's app or site.
Drop bags at Luggage Assistance in the lobby between 24 hours and 4 hours before your flight. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Desk is open 24 hours, and you can call from your room if you need help getting everything down.
Then head to the airport, skip the check-in line entirely, walk straight to security. Bags are waiting at baggage claim at your final destination.
Two things from the FAQ. Boarding passes are not printed at bag drop, so have yours ready. If your flight gets cancelled, the bag automatically reroutes to your new one.
Do Not Send These Through
Disney's carry-on list:
- Medications
- Electronics including laptops, tablets, power banks, and cameras
- Perishable or heat-sensitive items
- Important documents like passports and travel itineraries
Strollers and car seats can usually ride along. Want to keep yours? Check it at the departure gate and tell the agent you want it back at the gate of your final destination.
Who Is Next at Disney
Everybody wants to know.
Disney has given no timeline for further expansion and said nothing about Coronado Springs, Port Orleans, or the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
But the trend line is obvious. One airline at one resort became three airlines at five resorts, and now it has jumped a tier for the first time. Roughly a year between each move.
Booking a Moderate in the next year? Feel cautiously good about it.
Booking Caribbean Beach
Register at least 24 hours out. Free to sign up. Need your Disney Resort confirmation number and airline confirmation number.
BagCheck: bcsupport@bagcheck.com or 407-505-7443, 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern.
Domestic flights only. American, Southwest, or United. International does not qualify.
