Southwest Luggage Transfer Returns to Disney Value Resorts With Full Round-Trip Service

Southwest Airlines Airport Luggage Transfer Service at Disney Value Resorts

A helpful piece of vacation convenience has returned to Walt Disney World—and it’s now better than ever. If you’re flying Southwest Airlines and staying at one of Disney’s Value Resorts, since April 2025 you’ve been able to check your bags at the resort before your flight home, and now, thanks to a new expansion, you can even skip baggage claim entirely when you arrive at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

In the past, many guests experienced a combined effect of two different services: Disney’s Magical Express transportation (operated by Mears) and a separate luggage handling service (operated by a company called BAGS). When Disney’s Magical Express ended in 2022, all of that convenience disappeared.

In 2025, Disney and Southwest began carefully bringing back the luggage-only side of things—now operated by BagCheck. First, the ability to check bags at the resort for your return flight home quietly returned in April 2025. Then, in November 2025, Disney added inbound luggage transfer from MCO to your resort, creating a true round-trip baggage service once again.

This service is incredibly useful for families, especially when you want to squeeze every last minute out of your arrival and departure days. Let’s walk through exactly how it works now, what’s new, and what you need to know before you fly.

Participating Resorts and Airline

This luggage transfer pilot program is very limited in scope. It is only available to:

• Southwest Airlines customers
• Staying at Disney Value Resorts only

Participating Disney Resort hotels include:

• 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

No Moderate or Deluxe Resorts are included at this time, and this service is not offered at Shades of Green. However, if you finish your trip with a night at one of the participating Value Resorts (with a Split Stay), you can still take advantage of this service for your Southwest flights.

Disney’s official information and required forms are on their page here: Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney.

How the Inbound Luggage Service Works (Arriving at Walt Disney World)

The newly added inbound service lets you skip baggage claim at Orlando International Airport and head straight to Walt Disney World. Your checked bags will follow you and arrive at your resort hotel within a few hours.

1. Register for the service before your trip.
   You must complete Disney’s Airport Luggage Transfer registration form:
   • Register between 30 days and 5 days before your flight into Orlando.
   • Have your Disney Resort confirmation number ready.
   • Have your Southwest Airlines confirmation number ready.

   Once you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email that includes important details and a link to track your luggage after it’s been checked.

2. Check in for your Southwest flight as normal.
   Beginning 24 hours before departure, check in via the Southwest app or website and pay any baggage fees, if applicable. (Southwest’s usual baggage rules apply—this Disney service does not change airline policies.)
3. Check your bags at your home airport.
   At your departure airport, follow the standard Southwest procedures to check your luggage. Your bags are tagged and loaded just as they would be for any other flight.
4. Skip baggage claim at MCO.
   When you land at Orlando International Airport, you can bypass baggage claim entirely and head straight to your Disney Value Resort using whatever transportation you’ve arranged (rideshare, rental car, Mears Connect, private transfer, etc.).
5. Your bags go from MCO to your resort.
   Disney’s contracted partner, BagCheck, retrieves your checked luggage from the airport and transfers it directly to your resort.Disney states that your bags will arrive at your resort hotel in under four hours after your flight arrives.

How the Outbound Luggage Service Works (Leaving Walt Disney World)

The resort-to-airport luggage service for Southwest flights has been back since April 3, 2025 at Disney’s Value Resorts and has continued without interruption. It lets you check your bags at your resort before heading to the airport, freeing you up to enjoy more of your last day.

1. Check in for your Southwest flight online.
   Starting 24 hours before departure, check in using the Southwest app or website and pay any applicable baggage fees.
2. Bring your bags to Luggage Assistance at your resort.
   Head to the Luggage Assistance area in or near your resort’s lobby. You’ll need:
   • A valid government-issued photo ID.
   • Your boarding pass (mobile boarding passes are accepted).

   You can also call Luggage Assistance from your in-room phone for help getting your bags to the drop-off location.

3. Follow the updated bag drop-off deadlines.
   Disney strongly encourages dropping your bags the night before your departure. Officially:
   • When flying before 9:00 AM: Drop your bags off by 1:00 AM the night before your flight.
   • When flying at or after 9:00 AM: Drop your bags off at least 4 hours before departure or no later than 1:00 PM—whichever comes first.
4. Know the Luggage Assistance hours.
   Luggage Assistance is available to accept bags:
   • From 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM
   • And again from 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM, daily

   As long as you meet both the operating hours and the timing rules above, your bags can be accepted for transfer to the airport.

5. Head to the airport with no checked bags to worry about.
   Once your bags are dropped and processed, you are free to enjoy your last hours at the resort or in the parks before leaving for MCO. At the airport:
   • Go directly to security (you can skip the Southwest check-in counter).
   • Ride the tram to your gate area and enjoy your time before boarding.

   When you arrive at your final destination airport, pick up your bags at baggage claim as usual.

6. Track your luggage.
   After drop-off, you can check the status of your luggage using the tracking link contained in your confirmation email.

Is This the Return of Disney’s Magical Express?

Short answer: No.

Some blogs and social posts have claimed that this is Disney’s Magical Express “returning.” That’s simply not the case. Here’s the real story:

• Disney’s Magical Express was a transportation service between MCO and Walt Disney World, operated by Mears.
• The luggage handling piece was previously run by a separate company (BAGS), and now by BagCheck.
• The current pilot program is luggage transfer only for Southwest Airlines guests and does not include transportation.

You’ll still need to arrange your own way to and from Orlando International Airport (Mears Connect, rental car, rideshare, private car service, etc.).

Tips for Military Families

As always, there are a few extra considerations for the military community using this service.

• Airline baggage rules still apply. Even though this service adds convenience, it does not waive or change Southwest’s baggage policies. If you normally pay bag fees, you’ll still pay them either online or at the airport during check-in.
• Eligible no matter how you booked. You can use this service whether you’re on a standard rate, a special offer, or a Disney military room discount, as long as you are:
  • Flying Southwest Airlines into or out of MCO, and
  • Checked into one of the participating Disney Value Resorts.
• Shades of Green guests. Shades of Green is not part of this luggage program. However, if you do a split stay and start or finish your trip at, say, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, you can use this service for either your arrival or return flight.
• Early flights require extra planning. For those very early morning departures, remember that your bags have to be at Luggage Assistance by 1:00 AM. Keep out everything you’ll need in the morning (medications, toiletries, a change of clothes) in your carry-on.
• Mobility and strollers. This service can take a significant burden off families juggling strollers, wheelchairs, scooters, and multiple suitcases. You’ll only need to manage your carry-ons during your trip to and from the airport.

Why This Service Matters

For many families, arrival and departure days can feel hectic—especially when you’re trying to balance park time, meals, kids, and transportation logistics. The Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney program helps by:

• Eliminating long baggage-drop lines at the airport on your way home.
• Letting you skip baggage claim when you arrive in Orlando.
• Reducing the amount of luggage you need to manage on buses, rideshare, or private transfers.
• Giving you more time to enjoy the parks or your resort on your last day.

For military families in particular—often traveling with multiple generations, strollers, mobility devices, or medical gear—this can make a big difference in how relaxing those “travel days” feel.

Things Can Always Go Wrong: What to Know Before You Trust the System

As helpful as the Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney service can be, it’s important to remember that no luggage-transfer system is perfect. Before 2020, when Disney and the airlines last offered similar services, we experienced a couple of situations that are worth sharing—so you can plan ahead and avoid surprises.

When Bags Arrive Much Later Than Expected

On one of our pre-2020 trips, we arrived at Orlando International Airport in the early afternoon. Based on the “within four hours” promise, our bags should have reached our resort room well before dinner. Instead, they did not show up until after 11:00 PM.

Calling for help didn’t provide much reassurance. What many guests don’t realize is that the “Front Desk” phone number at Disney hotels does not call the actual front desk of your resort. All calls are routed to a centralized Guest Services center. They can read the official timing policy, but they can’t tell you where your bags actually are or when they will arrive.

When Weather Causes Massive Flight Cancellations

On another trip years ago, we used the outbound luggage service and checked our bags early in the morning. Later that afternoon, severe weather moved through Central Florida and a large number of outbound flights—including ours—were canceled.

We secured another night at a different Disney Resort, but our checked bags had already been transported to the airport. The luggage team could not bring them back. That meant buying toothbrushes and basic necessities and wearing the same clothes the next day. Finding our luggage at MCO the next morning was a challenge as well—our bags were mixed in with hundreds of others being held in a large overflow area, with little direction on where to look.

Tips to Protect Yourself

• Keep essentials, medications, and a change of clothes in your carry-on.
• If weather looks questionable, consider keeping your luggage with you instead of handing it off early.
• Don’t rely on the “four-hour” estimate as a guarantee—treat it as a guideline.
• If your flight is delayed or canceled after your bags have been sent to the airport, be prepared for them to stay at MCO until the next day.
• On arrival day, keep anything you might need before bedtime in your carry-on in case bags arrive late.

Over to You

Southwest’s luggage transfer pilot at Disney’s Value Resorts is one of the most quietly powerful conveniences to return to Walt Disney World in recent years. With inbound and outbound service now available, it brings back much of the stress-free baggage handling that guests loved before 2020—just without the bus ride.

Have you used the Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney service yet—either on arrival, departure, or both? I’d love to hear about your experience and any tips you discovered. Share your story in the comments below!

• Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
• Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide 
• Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist 
• Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide

• Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
• Dining Overview Page
• Transportation Overview Page
• Technology Overview Page
• Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort

The Mouse Experts is a travel booking company specializing in Disney vacations. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!

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How To Use the Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney Service