DME is very easy to use. Your TA will need to add DME to the reservation. You just need to have your flight info ready to go, so they can give it to the DME people (or Disney reservations, whomever is used). Then, the TA will get the info packet sent to them...they in turn need to get it to you. Inside the packet you will find a booklet that gives you info you need about how to find the DME area at MCO. It should also have your travel vouchers for each person in your party. These will be scanned at the bus, so pack your booklet in your carryon, NOT your checked luggage like I did early on!! There will also be a yellow DME luggage tag for each person. If you think you may need more, they will send you addtl tags.
Just attach the tag to your piece of checked luggage and say goodby to it until you see it again in your resort room upon arrival. Understand that you may not get your checked bags for up to 4 hrs after resort checkin...not arrival at MCO!! So, pack a carryon bag with anything you may need to start your trip so you don't have to wait around for checked bags to arrive.
Okay....you've tagged you bags and you have now arrived at the airport, so you head down to level 1, ground transportation where you will find DME located past the car rental counters. You will be sent to the appropriate bus line, then board your bus and head to your resort. Figure on it taking between 70-90 mins from the time you get off the plane (at the gate) and the time you arrive at your resort.
Now...participating airline only matters when you are flying home. If you are flying on a participating airline, you can head to the RAC (remiote airline checkin) counter at your resort. There, you can check your bags and get your boarding passes issues. It's just like curbside service at the airport, but the curb is about 30+ miles away!!! You need to be completely finished with your checkin no less than 3 hrs prior to flight time. The counter opens around 5am, so if your flight is earlier than, say, 8:15am, you won't be able to check the bags then. In that case, you will just bring your bags with you to the DME bus and they will be stowed beneath the bus you are on, and handed back to you when you get to MCO. Then, you will check your bags at the airline counter and get your boarding passes.
Many people think that there are only certain airlines they can arrive on in order to use DME...that is not so. As long as you tag your checked bags with those yellow DME tags, and arrive between the hours of 5am-10pm, your bags will be taken care of. Luggage service stops between 10pm and 5am..so if you arrive during this time frame, don't tag your bags and just go to baggage claim to get them and then bring them to the DME bus area with you. The DME buses run 24/7...so no issues with that.
Hope this helps a bit.
