The differences in experiences that each of you are describing is probably a big part of why Disney eliminated DME. I had one trip where our bags did not arrive at the resort until 12 hours after check-in. On another trip, we rented a car and were waiting for our bags at the carousels that never showed up. It turned out that even though they did
not have bar coded DME tags, they were pulled off because they had plastic Disney tags. I imagine DME luggage issues were a big part of complaints.
Dealing with different airlines for collecting and checking luggage, cost of Mears, agreement with MCO, bus delays, long lines, lost/delayed luggage, etc. While in concept, DME seems like a no brainer providing easy transportation for guests and keeping them on property, the reality is that the "system" often did not go smoothly. Many of the issues were out of TDO's control, but in the eyes of guests, the start of their vacation was ruined by Disney. So, why provide this service at a high cost if it generated so many issues/complaints? Just speculation, but eliminating DME may not have been just about reducing costs but eliminating a major source of headaches for management and improving guest satisfaction (people can't complain about a service you don't have, except of DIS boards
).