DME and rental cars

We were thinking of renting a smaller car for our family of 5 but are worried about fitting our luggage. Our plane gets in around 7pm. Can we check our luggage to DME and then have one or two members of our party ride MDE and the other adult take an older kid and the luggage to get the rental car (so we are not waiting several hours for the luggage). Then, on the way home can we check the luggage with DME and then “miss the bus” and all take the rental car back to airport and our luggage will go right to the airport. I’m sure that’s totally not kosher but I figured I might ask if anyone had any suggestions.

I’ve heard of mixed results with this. Disney won’t guarantee the transport of luggage if no one is on the bus.

Now, I’m not sure what disney does if the person checks in, gets on the bus, and then runs away without Disney identifying who that person was.

The safest bet is to just send a sacrificial lamb on ME.

AFAIK, WDW will not transport luggage from MCO if someone is not on the DME bus, so if you want some/all of the luggage on the bus then at least one of you party needs to be on it.

However, I am finding your post a little confusing. Do you want to have all the luggage in the rental car, and some of the people riding DME? If so, book DME, but don’t put the DME tags on your luggage. The people in the car will pick it up at baggage claim, and then take it in the car.

However, the trip back would be much easier. Forget about DME, and just use the Resort Airline Check In to check in to your flight and check your baggage. Everyone goes back in the car and you are all set. For RACI info, see https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/resort-airline-check-in/

I was going to send a few of us on DME from MCO to AoA so there would be more room in the car for the luggage. I am really interested about this Resort Airline Check in. We would check the bags at AoA then they would transport them for us to MCO or does this just put tags on the luggage and then we transport them to the airport with the bag check tags on them. If they transport the luggage for us that would be PERFECT! No one wants to leave the park to get on DME to go back home. We want to go straight from the park to the airport.

OK, then book DME but do not do not out DME tags on your luggage as you will be picking it up and transporting it to the resort in the rental car.

Yes, with RACI you check in to your flight and check your baggage. They tag it and transport it to MCO for you. Read the link I posted for more details and to make sure that your airline participates.

I did read the link but it didn’t make it clear that they were taking the bags from us at the resort and transporting them to the airport. It was honestly kind of vaguely written but I did read it while avoiding actual work so I’ll take a look at it again. If they take the bags for us then that will solve our problem completely and we can rent the smaller rental car.