From the Chicago Tribune:

The nearly 20 resort hotels within the Walt Disney World complex in Florida have announced a new no-hassle baggage system for both inbound and outbound travel that will begin May 5. And, for 18 months, you won't even have to pay for it.

Here's how it works. You can arrange your accommodations at a Disney World hotel the way you usually do—through a travel agency, online, as part of a package or whatever—and you must fly to/from Orlando International Airport on American, Continental, Delta/Song or United/Ted.

Then, 10 days or more before departure, reserve your "Disney's Magical Express" transfer in Orlando. Disney will send you special tags to apply to your baggage.

When you check in your bags at your home airport, that's the last time you see or handle them until they arrive at your hotel room. On arrival at Orlando, you go right past the baggage claim and head for the Disney shuttle to your hotel. The "Magical Express" folks will claim your bags and deliver them to your hotel.

On departure, you can get a boarding pass and check your bags for the flight in the hotel lobby—whenever you leave your room, but at least three hours before departure time. You don't have to see or handle them again until you arrive back at your home airport.

The new service is especially helpful on your return if you have an 11 a.m. checkout time and an evening flight home.

I bolded that one bit because that's the first time I noticed it--does that mean that you don't have to check-in at the airport? How cool!

There was no special line?

No, but this was about 15 years ago. Maybe Customs has seen the light since then. It was was also during a period when Customs was severely understaffed, so I understood the rest of us having to wait.

Note to self: become a celebrity so I can smuggle contraband through customs hassle-free.

become a celebrity so I can smuggle contraband through customs hassle-free.

Was it Diana Ross that didn't work for?

On my flight back from England in 2003, Virgin Atlantic bumped me up to first class (which I'm still kvelling about) and I was directed to a discreet little "first class" security line which was much shorter than the regular.

I still had to walk like a mile (I'm not kidding, and I'm used to walking goodly distances, too) to my gate from there, and mix with the hoi polloi until we boarded, but by gosh and golly I got Special Security Treatment because I was a First Class passenger.

(Let me pause to reflect that, in fact, a large number of the 9/11 hijackers flew first class.)

Was it Diana Ross that didn't work for?

And Aaron Sorkin, just as his celebrity was at its most recent apex.

And Paul McCartney in Tokyo, IIRC. And didn't Christian Slater get caught with a gun a few years back?

Stacey Keach with cocaine in his shoes.

Clearly celebrity is not proof against customs, but on the upside, you'll likely not be doing much time if you're a celebrity.

Yeah, but everyone except hard-core fans couldn't pick AS from a line-up.

Those other people have no such excuse.