How to Deal With Having No Luggage in Disney World

You’ve arrived! You land in Orlando International Airport, ready to be whisked away to the happiest place on earth. You de-plane and rush to baggage claim…only to find that the airline has lost your luggage and are doing “all they can” to find it for you in the “timeliest manner.” Don’t panic; all is not lost for your Disney dream vacation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Give all pertinent information to the airline’s baggage claim center; color/size of bag, name/address on bag tag, hotel you’ll be staying at and phone numbers where you can be reached.
2. Locate the Disney’s Magical Express station and repeat your entire story to them, complete with all pertinent luggage-related information shared in Step 1. Disney employees are generally happier, friendlier, and more helpful than anyone else you’ll deal with almost anywhere else in the world. If you are staying at a Disney resort, tell them this as well and they will most likely get you set up to arrive there via the Magical Express, as well as work with you for how the Magical Express can deliver your luggage to you once it is found. If you are not staying at a Disney resort, ask if there is any way they will still be able to assist you with the retrieval of your luggage once it is located.
3. Once you check into your hotel, call housekeeping and stock up on whatever toiletries they have available. Most hotels offer soap and shampoos in the showers; see about getting extras of these items for everyone in your party affected by the missing luggage and inquire if there are any other free toiletries that can be obtained upon request.
4. Head to Downtown Disney. This is where you’ll find the largest selection of stores with apparel, from traditional souvenir t-shirts and sweatshirts all the way down to Tinkerbell underwear. Be sure to keep all receipts to submit to the airline for a refund; they should reimburse you if you write a letter of complaint detailing the circumstances and showcasing how many days you were without your belongings.
5. If your previously-purchased park admission tickets were in the lost luggage, contact a Disney representative about what you can do to get replacement ones. A confirmation number is usually attached to each ticket package purchase, and having this number handy is helpful in issuing new tickets. Should you not know or not have that confirmation number with you, see if you can remember which credit card you booked the tickets on as they might be able to look up the order that way. Being able to distract yourself by visiting the parks as originally planned is a great way to avoid sitting in your hotel room, waiting for the phone to ring and stewing about how annoyed you are.
6. Inquire with your hotel’s guest services department about laundry facilities, either on-site or in the area. Should your clothes be lost for more than 24 to 48 hours and you don’t want to purchase several different Disney-themed outfits, you could wash and re-wash the clothes you do have.
7. Call the airline as well as Disney’s Magical Express periodically for updates. Once the luggage is located, someone should be able to tell you the route it is going to take to your hotel from the airport. Be sure to check on its progress should you feel it is taking an unnecessarily long amount of time to actually reach you.