if our flight home leaves at 6:30, the tragical express will pick us up at 3:30… what time do our bags need to be tagged and checked in downstairs?
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/resort-airline-check-in/
3 hours before is the minimum.
I bet you can check them the night before.
I believe the the airline check in desk closes early. I usually bring my checked luggage down in the morning and then bring my carry on to bell services to hold until MDE. You cannot do airline check in the night before.
My spreadsheet has this note, which may or may not be old info:
"Can chk in no more than 12 hrs & no less than 3 hrs prior to flight departure time.
Airline chkin open 5am-1pm."
This might help too, though its original posting was from 2012:
You didn’t say if you’re going to a park that morning or not, but regardless, I’d do the airline check-in thing 1st thing in the morning. (If you’re going to park, you can leave your carry-on bags w/bell services. If not, enjoy the resort.) One thing: The line at the airline check-in at the resorts can vary greatly & ebb & flow quite a bit. And there aren’t any FPs for them. 
So if you encounter a really long line, you could consider leaving the bags you planned to check w/bell services also, and return for them later. Sometimes I’ve walked right up & been done in 2 minutes, other times I’ve encountered long lines.
Don’t forget to tip everyone who handles your bags.
It can be a nice… insurance policy…
Go well.
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In May 2014 you had to have bags in by 1pm. And not a minute later!