I just have one quick question... how do you survive with just a carry on? With so many restrictions on what you can carry on planes these days I would find it hard to go to the resort and then head out to a park without my luggage!?! I mean you wouldn't even have sunscreen! Plus, we have a very long flight/day even before we arrive in Orlando so we like to freshen up before hitting the parks or a restaurant. Our day starts at 4am and we're feeling pretty gross by the time we get to our hotel room!
When I travel, I pack one checked suitcase, and use a backpack as my carryon, which goes under the seat.
In my carryon, I pack a change of clothes for the next day (shirt, shorts or jeans depending on the weather) plus an extra shirt to change into right after I get to the hotel, and small sizes of the liquids I'd need, which is pretty much just eye drops and contact lens solution. I have larger versions of those in my checked bags. I don't usually go swimming right away, but if I did I'd pack my swimsuit and use a hotel towel. If it might be cool and it won't fit in my backpack, I'll carry along a sweatshirt or light jacket.
I know that if my bag is delayed, I'll still be able to shower, have a change of clothes, take my contacts out and sleep in my underwear that night, all without my checked suitcase. It wouldn't be until the next morning that I'd start to have issues if I didn't have my suitcase, and at that point I'd start figuring out what to do about it.
Our last two trips we just picked our own luggage. The first time I picked up my luggage b/c I thought I had to (I thought international travelers had to claim their own luggage but if you go through customs first you're fine) but the second time I just felt I needed to pick up my own luggage!
I've never flown internationally, so I don't know the process, but from what I've heard in Orlando, you pick up your checked bags, go through customs, and then either take your bags with you or place them back onto a conveyor to be transported to the main terminal. It's not until this second conveyor that DME-tagged luggage is removed to be transported by Disney.
I just grabbed my DME booklet from September, and here's what it says:
International Guests
For our International arriving guests, if the Orlando International Airport is your first point of entry into the United States, please follow the U.S. Customs & Border Protection process and claim your luggage upon disembarking the airplane. Once you have completed this process, you will give your luggage back to the airport officials and proceed to the Disney Welcome Center located on the B side of the main Terminal on Level 1. Your luggage will be transferred to the Baggage Claim area, where we will collect it.
If you have already completed the U.S. Customs & Border Protection process in another U.S. city or before entering the U.S., please proceed to the Disney Welcome Center and we will claim your luggage.
-Rob
