A very brief DME intro ....
You need to make DME reservations. It's free, but not automatic.
You'll receive special luggage tags in the mail. They are pre-printed with all sorts of personal info (name, resort, date of arrival, reservation #). You put one on each bag you'll check with your airline.
On your departure day, check your luggage with your airline just like every other time you fly. WHen you land, totally skip baggage claim. DME will get your bags for you before they even reach the baggage claim carousel. More on that later.
Meanwhile. you go right from the plane to the Disney Welcome Center. Check-in with them, get in line for your bus, get on your bus, ride to your resort.
DME is a shared ride. There will be guests from up to 4 resorts on each bus. They try to group them geographically as much as possible.
Because reservations are necessary, they know about when to expect people. n other words, there's no such thing as arriving too late ... they are expecting you and will be there for you. In addition, they are hooked into the airport's and airlines' computers, so if you flight is delayed, they know that too ... so even if your flight is 4 hours late and lands at 3:00 a.m., they'll still be there waiting for you because they know your flight is running late.
You DON'T have to wait on the bus for it to fill up. The bus must leave about 15-20 minutes after the first guest gets on, no matter how full the bus is (the last time I rode, there were 12 of us on the bus). The stops at the resorts are very brief.
You take your carry-ons into the bus with you. If they are too large, or if you just want to, the driver will store them under the bus, and then give them back to you as soon as you get to your resort.
Then you just go to the front desk and check-in, just like any other time.
Your checked bags will be delivered to the inside of your room within about 3 hours of your arrival at the resort. You don't have to be in your room when they arrive ... they'll be brought inside whether you're in there or not. DIsney even tips the bellman for you (so even if you're in your room when the bags arrive, you don't need to tip because the person is already getting one ... REALLY!).
About the luggage ...
The DME luggage tags have barcodes. DME-tagged bags are brought to a Disney luggage sorting facility on the grounds of the airport. The barcodes of the bags are scanned 5 times during their journey from airplane to your room. The luggage is sorted and loaded into locked cages. The cages are loaded into DME luggage delivery trucks. The trucks are tracked by GPS. The cages are dropped off at the proper resorts. The Bell Services cast members (Luggage Assistance at the Value resorts) then deliver the bags to the proper rooms.
Because of the 5 scans along the way as well as the GPS tracking of the trucks, Disney knows where your bags are at all times.
The direct phone number for DME is 866-599-0951.
