DME: I need convincing

[stevea20]

I just received our luggage tags for the DME. We are not comfortable with checking in our bags at our home airport and not seeing them again until up to 3 hours after checking in. This is from an incident when my In-laws went on a trip and their luggage never made it to the plane.
Please, convince me, why should we let DME handle our luggage?

 

[robinb]

I just received our luggage tags for the DME. We are not comfortable with checking in our bags at our home airport and not seeing them again until up to 3 hours after checking in. This is from an incident when my In-laws went on a trip and their luggage never made it to the plane.
Please, convince me, why should we let DME handle our luggage?

Your airline is more likely to lose your bags than DME Don't worry! Just make sure that you back everything you need right away in your carry-on bag.

 

[tinka-belle]

And if each person is taking one bag, cross pack. Put some of each passenger's stuff in each bag, so if one goes missing you at least have some of your own clothes.

In reality more luggage gets delayed by the airlines than completely lost. Eventually the bag gets there. I've never heard of DME losing a bag, those yellow tags are hard to get off, and the bar code has the resort destination info on it too. Worse case is a CM at the resort writes a wrong room number on the tag so it doesn't get to your room right away.

 

[RCMommy]

Never had a problem and plan to do it again! *knocking on wood*

I agree it is more likley the airline that will lose the luggage than ME.

I love that we get to the resort, check in and head to lunch or one of the parks. Later on, get back to our room and voila are luggage is sitting waiting for us.

I do cross-pack as someone above suggested in case.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We have used DME 3 times now and never had a problem!

AKK

 

[Lewisc]

I just received our luggage tags for the DME. We are not comfortable with checking in our bags at our home airport and not seeing them again until up to 3 hours after checking in. This is from an incident when my In-laws went on a trip and their luggage never made it to the plane.
Please, convince me, why should we let DME handle our luggage?

Assume you share your in-laws experience.

1) Don't use the DME tags. You'll have to wait until all the luggage from you flight is put on the carousel. You'll then have to wait in line to file a preliminary claim. You luggage will show up on a later flight. The airline might ship your bag to your resort. You'll be notified your bag was received at your resort and you'll wait for bell services to deliver it. Perhaps the airline will give the bag to Disney and DME will delivery it and place the bag in your room.

2) You use your DME tags. You don't go to the carousel. You don't wait to file a claim. Your bag winds up on a later flight and is delivered to your room. The bag doesn't show up. Disney sees the bag count is off and checks with the airline or you call to check on your bag and Disney contacts the airline.

Much easier letting Disney take care of it.

 

[design_mom]

I know this wasn't the exact question -- just to be clear, you don't *have* to let DME handle your bags.

I never have. We never flew on a "partner airline" and I didn't realize until recently that it was even an option for us. We just claimed our bags as usual, took them to the DME bus and the driver loaded them underneath. It was no problem at all.

I have never heard of DME losing a bag, but I have heard some complaints that it takes a long time for them to be delivered. So I'm not sure what I'll do next time (now that I know I *could* let them handle the bags if I wanted to). I might still continue to do it myself.

 

[dburg30]

And again, there is NO way for you or I to know if the AIRLINE misdirected it or DME misdirected it. My money would be on the airline more. And even if DME would misdirect your luggage, it would be AT WDW SOMEWHERE.. If the airline messes up, who knows where your bag may wind up at and when it will finally make it.

 

[stevea20]

That's what worries me. If we can't see the bags before they get on the bus, there's no way to know who messed up. A woman I work with thinks I'm crazy if we don't let DME handle them, but I just don't know and that's not a good feeling.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've used DME many times...and when I have checked bags, DME takes care of my baggage. Yes, I have to wait for the bags to get to my resort, but I have packed my carryon appropriately, so don't need to worry about my checked bags. They have always been waiting for me in my room when I return to it much later that day, or night.

You are perfectly free to not tag your bags and then go to baggage claim and grab them your self. It will add time to your overall time though. And it will require a tip for the bus driver...as long as he gives good service. Then, when you get to your resort..if your room isn't ready yet, your bags will have to be checked with Bell Services...another gratuity expected.

It's up to each person to make the choice that works best for their family. But remember that when you use DME they ask you how many bags you checked so that they know how many bags to look for and then start the search for any missing bags.

 

[maxiesmom]

That's what worries me. If we can't see the bags before they get on the bus, there's no way to know who messed up. A woman I work with thinks I'm crazy if we don't let DME handle them, but I just don't know and that's not a good feeling.

Even if the airlines misdirect your luggage, odds are you will get it. If DME misplaces your luggage, odds are you will get it.

And if you want to keep your hands on your bags, you are free to claim them at the luggage carousel and bring them to the DME bus. Whatever you choose to do, remember to pack enough stuff to get you thru one day in your carry on bag. That way if your luggage is misplaced, it won't be such a big deal.

Take a deep breath, and relax.

 

[aubriee]

I go to WDW 4-5 times a year and have used DME since the very first week it was in existence. Yeah, I was one of the original guinea pigs. We've never had a problem and in fact will be using it again in less than 2 weeks and then again in Dec. It's a great service and I've never had a problem in well over 20 times using it. We love being able to just walk off the plane, hop on the DME bus, check into our resort, go have fun in the parks, and then find our bags waiting for us just inside the door when we arrive back that night. I did a trip to Universal Studios August 29th-Sept 4th and really, really missed the DME service. I hated having to deal with luggage.

When you check in at the DME podium they ask how many bags you checked and punch it into their little hand held scanner. They know exactly how many bags you checked and if one is missing they start looking for it immediately. Again we've never lost a bag, but if the airlines do, then let DME find it for you. They'll be tracking it while you're out having fun at the parks.

 

[goofy4tink]

Many, many people trust airlines to take their checked luggage, put it on a plane, take it off that plane and get it onto another plane....possibly several times in one trip....with no issues. BUT...for some reason, they worry about allowing DME to take the bags from the last plane and get it to WDW resorts. I'm not sure why, but it is what it is.
If the airline misdirects my luggage, DME will track it down for me. It may arrive at the resort later than expected, but it isn't going to be any different than the one time my luggage got 'lost' when we flew from Boston to Seattle....I made do until I got my bags the next night. And at that time, I was a very inexperienced traveler...I didn't have close to what I needed in my carryon bag...

 

[dburg30]

That's what worries me. If we can't see the bags before they get on the bus, there's no way to know who messed up. A woman I work with thinks I'm crazy if we don't let DME handle them, but I just don't know and that's not a good feeling.

Ummmm... do you see your bags get on your airplane? How can you even get on the plane and fly away if you dont see your bags get on the plane? And heaven help if you have a connecting flight and your bag has to make it off one plane then onto another.... I dont get the whole 'cant see the bags before we get on the bus' thing.. Like Diane said, not sure how people can be ok with the airlines where one miscue could send your bag to who knows where how many thousands of miles away, but if WDW screws up it will probably be max of 20 miles away. And the chances of it not getting scanned and being able to be 'tracked' at WDW is pretty slow. ie: I'm sure they can type in your tag / ressie number and see 'where' your bags are. I guess I really, really, really just cant wrap my head around the worry people have.

edit: Oh and we wont be able to convince you. All we can do is give you info. YOU will have to DECIDE if you want to use DME or not.

 

[seashoreCM]

When you use the yellow tags as described, arrive at the airport main terminal before 10 PM, and go directly to the DME bus and then your baggage does not arrive in your room, you file a baggage claim down at the front desk. It will be handled the same way as if you were going elsewhere and your baggage did not appear at the airport carousel except that the 4 hour time limit from airplane landing (here, DME bus arriving at resort) to file a claim does not apply.

 

[stevea20]

Many, many people trust airlines to take their checked luggage, put it on a plane, take it off that plane and get it onto another plane....possibly several times in one trip....with no issues. BUT...for some reason, they worry about allowing DME to take the bags from the last plane and get it to WDW resorts. I'm not sure why, but it is what it is.
If the airline misdirects my luggage, DME will track it down for me. It may arrive at the resort later than expected, but it isn't going to be any different than the one time my luggage got 'lost' when we flew from Boston to Seattle....I made do until I got my bags the next night. And at that time, I was a very inexperienced traveler...I didn't have close to what I needed in my carryon bag...

That's funny. The one time the airlines, 'lost', one of our bags was from Seattle to Boston, must be something aboout that route. But to be fair, Newark was involved and that's where the problen was.
Thanks, everyone for the opinions. We most likely will use DME, it'll just be some initial anxious moments until the bags arrive.

 

[Missytara]

Thanks, everyone for the opinions. We most likely will use DME, it'll just be some initial anxious moments until the bags arrive.

Yes, but you will be enjoying those anxious moments already in the parks, starting your vacation.

 

[CleveRocks]

DME uses a pretty high-tech system.

At some point during the process of getting luggage from the belly of the airplane to the baggage claim carousel, employees look for the bright yellow DME tags and pull those bags from the luggage stream so that they don't make it out to the baggage claim carousel. The bags are brought to collection points, and then are picked up from those collection points and brought to Disney's luggage sorting facility on the grounds of the airport.

Each DME tag has a barcode. The barcode is scanned 5 separate times between the collection process and the drop-off-in-your-room endpoint. They are sorted by zone, and then sorted by individual resort. They are then loaded into cages, and the cages are then loaded onto dedicated DME luggage delivery trucks. The trucks are tracked by GPS. The cages are then brought to each individual resort.

From that point, the resort's Bell Services department takes over (Luggage Assistance at the Value resorts). The 4th barcode scan occurs as each bag is unloaded from the cage. The 5th and final barcode scan occurs when the bags are dropped-off inside your resort room. This drop-off occurs whether you are in the room or not.

Due to all of these scans, Disney knows where your bags are at all times.

 

[clkelley]

If you pack your carryon appropriately, you "really" don't need what's in your luggage for about 36 hours. If you have sleep clothes and 1 change of clothes.

Arrive day 1, you have on the clothes you need for that day. Go to bed, you have your sleep clothes. If your luggage has not arrived by the time you go to bed, call and complain!!

Day 2, get up the next morning, you have your clothes for that day, go to bed, you have sleep clothes. If your luggage has not arrived by the time you get back from the parks, call and complain and wash the clothes you wore day 1!!

Day 3, get up the next morning, wear the clothes you washed the night before, complain again, rent a car and make a Wal-Mart run. If stuff has not arrived by the end of the day, complain some more and ask for reimbursement of your rental car and Wal-Mart run!!!

But, I'm telling ya, 99.9% of the time when you get back to the room at the end of day 2, that will be as far as it goes.

 

[Missytara]

Cleverocks makes a good point. Here's some real convincing.

Back in 2006, I took three girlfriends along; we added the third friend at the last minute. Back then, you got two tags per person. When I called ME, they said no need for us to mail you additional tags, just take one extra tag, cross off your name only (without going across the bar code) and write her name in permanent marker. No problem.

We get off the plane, go to the ladies room and get down to ME desk. Back then, one person from each party had to check-in at the desk. I was second line.

The CM asked me how many bags we had checked; I said 4. He says, oh yes, let's see, one, two, three, and four with a name crossed out and a new one written in. You are good to go.

Literally, that quick they had already retrieved and scanned our bags.