Magical Express to end in 2022

[Katie & Glen]

So basically most of the same stuff you can get by staying at say bonnett creek, aside from "early entry" which really isnt a perk, its been happening for years.

You also were able to make ADRs before off site people, making it easier to snag hard to get reservations, and get fp+ before off site visitors.

iirc, you also were able to reserve tickets for special events and things like candlelight processional before off site guests.

Then they extended much of that to "good neighbor" hotel.

Now all that is pretty much gone.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Because you keep paying more for less for the equivalent of a 3.5* resort (at best). This is the reason they do what they do with the parks as well... because people just like going even if theres less being offered and we raise prices.

This was the exact answer I expected. Because you don’t find it worth it or understand it, that means it’s not worth it. Some people who like Disney resorts have never gone to an EMH. Some have never used DME. Some never knew they could book FP+ before everyone else, some didn’t care. Not everyone is marking off a checklist of extras. And many do resort only stays and enjoy them!

Just because it doesn’t make sense to you to stay there doesn’t mean it’s not worth it for someone else.

I understand why paying a premium and staying on site may not feel worth it to some. I understand why paying a premium and staying on site is important and worth it to others. People like different things.

 

[bookwormde]

If it is all about reducing costs, why would Disney have not just changed it to a fee for service model, rather than a full cancelation?

It is interesting, rather than continuing to be a vacation experience innovator, it feels more like Disney is simply sliding downward to match Universal and just relying on the Disney brand to draw guests. With Universal continuing to expand with the new huge south section I do not know if the Disney brand alone is going to be enough to prevent a significant drop in Disney's customer day market share in the Orlando market.

I would not be surprised if Universal now added a free shuttle service for their premium hotels and a fee for service shuttle for the other hotels including baggage handling

 

[Drew729]

Well, some people don’t like Universal. I’ve been to IOA and Universal and it did nothing for me. I wouldn’t go back unless I got free tickets and even then I maybe wouldn’t bother. So, yeah staying at a hotel near parks I have absolutely no interest in going to is worthless.

I can’t believe this has to be explained over and over again. For many people, staying at the Disney hotel is part of the whole experience. It is not just the parks for us - staying at a Disney resort is one of our favorite things about Disney trips. The theming, the ambience, the feeling, the nostalgia, the cast members, the Disney touches.

We didn’t join DVC because of this perk or that perk. Not because of EMH. Not because of DME. Because we love Disney resorts. Believe it or not, we even love the 3 resorts that aren’t at the parks! Because we love the Disney resort experience.

Why would someone want to stay at a place like the Contemporary or Grand Floridian or Boardwalk or Beach Club? Being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios - that’s not a perk at all!

I am very disappointed over DME being eliminated. Have used it countless times over the last 15 years. As a parent of small children, it makes travel to WDW a breeze.

But I love Disney resorts, DME or not. We didn’t join DVC for DME, we joined for the resort experience which is still top notch.

I would agree that there is still some appeal to staying onsite (especially those resorts within walking distance to parks) but this decision was poorly executed without offering a reasonable alternative besides “ figure it out on your own”.

When you water down the benefits of a product it affects all of us participating in that ecosystem. While the resort experience may still be top notch for you currently, it’s these small cuts here and there that erode that experience little by little over time. Those with large families, small children, and those in wheelchairs etc. will now pay more and have an added stress to their vacation.

 

[LovesTimone]

Local here...

So my question is the road that Disney is building from the Airport, to WDW, and To the Cruise port... If you don't have Magical Express what is that road going to be for? Plus the fact that all those restaurants, Across the street at the light at the end of hotel blvd, are going to closing, and given the chance to relocate at Flamingo Bay.

So just talking out loud... It seem to me that they may start offering some type of different transportation, using the minnie Vans with more people not wanting to be on a bus together... or maybe smaller buses like you get at the airport, more of a shuttle, not a tour bus... I would think that they are not building that road for the heck of it... ?

We headed over to the Cape to go out on the Gambling cruise, and the progress that they have made on that road is astounding... you can really follow it along the highway.
We like to go out on the day cruises. This time you could see several of ships anchored off shore... and We saw 2 of the Disney Ships, we even asked the cocktail server if those were Disney Ship, she said yes...As well the host came by and was pointing them out to everyone... It was nice seeing them, yet sad know they were just sitting there... waiting for us all to return...

 

[imbelle]

Although I also vacation elsewhere, I've always made multiple yearly trips to WDW because of all the perks that made it an "easy" trip. Magical Express with luggage handling, resort airline check in service with baggage handling, park purchase delivery to your resort, free resort Magicband that allows for room entry/purchase payment/park ticket and Fastpass storage, etc. With the loss of these "easy" features (and the current trend towards having to be constantly tied to a smartphone), I foresee reducing my Disney trips to maybe once a year and getting more vacation bang for my buck elsewhere.

 

[mshanson3121]

Sure it’s fine to be aggravated, but considering they are hemorrhaging money right now I am not really on board with sending complaint emails and nasty comments on DPB. Just my opinion.

Do you REALLY believe this is solely about Covid? They've been cutting perks for years - before Covid. They are still coming ahead, despite Covid. And they're not cutting the service until next year, when the travel industry will be rebounding. If it was really about Covid, they would have cut it beginning Jan 1/21.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Do you REALLY believe this is solely about Covid? They've been cutting perks for years - before Covid. They are still coming ahead, despite Covid. And they're not cutting the service until next year, when the travel industry will be rebounding. If it was really about Covid, they would have cut it beginning Jan 1/21.

Disney’s 2021 deal with Mears was likely negotiated long ago. The service is ending when the contract expires. They are also allowing guests who have booked Magical Express for 2021 to keep their plans and not leave them in a tricky situation, scrambling.

If there was no pandemic and Disney had every resort open and nearly full like normal, I do believe Magical Express would have been renewed as normal. Resorts were closed for months. Resorts are not at capacity. There are still resorts that are not open! The financial impact from covid will be felt for years to come.

Yes, I feel this cut was driven by the pandemic and is going to be part of an attempt to recoup some money in 2022.

While cuts have been happening here and there, I do not believe this particular cut would have happened if resorts never closed and resorts were open at full capacity.

 

[skeeter31]

Local here...

So my question is the road that Disney is building from the Airport, to WDW, and To the Cruise port... If you don't have Magical Express what is that road going to be for? Plus the fact that all those restaurants, Across the street at the light at the end of hotel blvd, are going to closing, and given the chance to relocate at Flamingo Bay.

So just talking out loud... It seem to me that they may start offering some type of different transportation, using the minnie Vans with more people not wanting to be on a bus together... or maybe smaller buses like you get at the airport, more of a shuttle, not a tour bus... I would think that they are not building that road for the heck of it... ?

We headed over to the Cape to go out on the Gambling cruise, and the progress that they have made on that road is astounding... you can really follow it along the highway.
We like to go out on the day cruises. This time you could see several of ships anchored off shore... and We saw 2 of the Disney Ships, we even asked the cocktail server if those were Disney Ship, she said yes...As well the host came by and was pointing them out to everyone... It was nice seeing them, yet sad know they were just sitting there... waiting for us all to return...

I’ve never heard of Disney building a road from MCO to property and also connecting to Cape Canaveral. Are you maybe thinking of the Brightline train service that could be built between MCO and WDW? The only thing being changed at the end of Hotel Blvd (the Crossings area) is that Florida DOT is changing the exit structure for that exit on I4. They are making a bigger cloverleaf that will have to go in the area that those stores and restaurants are located and they also have to put a new retention pond in there for road drainage. That isn’t Disney building a new road to MCO.

 

[skeeter31]

Do you REALLY believe this is solely about Covid? They've been cutting perks for years - before Covid. They are still coming ahead, despite Covid. And they're not cutting the service until next year, when the travel industry will be rebounding. If it was really about Covid, they would have cut it beginning Jan 1/21.

They wouldn’t have been able to just cut this service as of 1/1/21 as this was a contracted service with Mears. They ended the contract when it came up for renewal, they can’t just end it in the middle of a contract. Also, it is part of reservations that have been booked for 2021. They were in a spot that allowed them to easily end it 1/1/22 because they haven’t opened 2022 reservations yet because of COVID, something that would have been available already if there wasn’t a pandemic.

 

[New Mouse]

If this was about covid, we would also hear of a rack rate drop of $20 to $40 per room across the board which is in line with the likely cost of service currently being charged to every single resort guest on property.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Call me crazy but why did they pass up an opportunity to make money here? Why not enhance the DME service to include something like dedicated resort shuttles, perhaps choose your own airport return time and then charge for it? Isn't that in essence what Demaro did for Cruise line? He found a way to enhance what they had and people were willing to pay more for it. This has to be part of a bigger picture we aren't seeing but for the life of me I can't understand this being a smart PR decision. Announcing the end of this without at least saying "We are working on an exciting new offering to replace DME by 1/1/2022 to be announced later" was not keeping in mind the extra labor this will add to vacation planning.

 

[bebec22]

Call me crazy but why did they pass up an opportunity to make money here? Why not enhance the DME service to include something like dedicated resort shuttles, perhaps choose your own airport return time and then charge for it? Isn't that in essence what Demaro did for Cruise line? He found a way to enhance what they had and people were willing to pay more for it. This has to be part of a bigger picture we aren't seeing but for the life of me I can't understand this being a smart PR decision. Announcing the end of this without at least saying "We are working on an exciting new offering to replace DME by 1/1/2022 to be announced later" was not keeping in mind the extra labor this will add to vacation planning.

I think that's what irks me most about this whole thing. They just announced dropping a huge perk (IMO) of staying at a Disney resort with no announcement of a possible replacement. I'm sure they've got something up their sleeve, or at least I hope they do, but it would be nice to know what it is!

 

[Katie & Glen]

When I emailed just now I sent it to the following addresses:

WDW.Guest.Communications@disney.com
dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com
(bc I also said why do i need to keep my DVC contract if there are no perks besides a room)
guest.services@disneyworld.com

Correct Guest communications email is

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

 

[SaintsManiac]

Do you REALLY believe this is solely about Covid? They've been cutting perks for years - before Covid. They are still coming ahead, despite Covid. And they're not cutting the service until next year, when the travel industry will be rebounding. If it was really about Covid, they would have cut it beginning Jan 1/21.

Yes, I do. It's easy to be angry with them over everything they do, but they are going to be recovering and changing because of this pandemic for years.

 

[jebiker852]

What is left to appeal to anyone to stay on property besides direct to park transportation? Ive done it once and the appeal was the hassle free ride to the hotel from the airport and not having to rent a car and some early or later magic hours? Now it costs a family more to either rent a car ( which you then have to pay parking at the hotel) or another mode of transportation which is costly.

Might as well stay off property, which is surely going to inflate the prices at the short term rental places around the resorts.

 

[New Mouse]

Yes, I do. It's easy to be angry with them over everything they do, but they are going to be recovering and changing because of this pandemic for years.

Yes and its also the convenient excuse they were looking for to implement these changes. $15 an hour salary was also going to be a boon until covid gave them cover to cut all their staff

 

[LovesTimone]

I’ve never heard of Disney building a road from MCO to property and also connecting to Cape Canaveral. Are you maybe thinking of the Brightline train service that could be built between MCO and WDW? The only thing being changed at the end of Hotel Blvd (the Crossings area) is that Florida DOT is changing the exit structure for that exit on I4. They are making a bigger cloverleaf that will have to go in the area that those stores and restaurants are located and they also have to put a new retention pond in there for road drainage. That isn’t Disney building a new road to MCO.

Okay... so I'm not sure now, I knew that there was talk about the Brightline going from the airport to Disney...and the Crossing area was going to be like the hub for it, or something like that... I thought that was squashed, not enough interest or anyone wanting to pony up for the cost of it.. and I was under the impression that the Crossing area actual belongs to Disney's, that's why they offered all the restaurants there a place at Flamingo Bay?

So now I wonder what in the heck they are doing or what they are building down the side of the 528, everyone calls it the Disney Road... ? It looks like a road, from the 528, not a train track, and the equipment out there is for road building, as well there was a trailer out there with the Mouse logo on it, there was a tarp over it, and I guess one of the storms blew it off and you could see it plain as day... it was in one of the staging areas with equipment, and machinery, and the sections, and rebar... they use to lay down for roads... ... and if you follow it it goes from the the last bridge leaving the cruise port to, down the 528 - right to the airport and picks up on the other side heading towards Disney... you do lose sight of it, yet in some other places around Orlando you can see construction happening... Not on I-4 - that work has been going on for 10+ years with no end in sight... LOL... so now I'm just confused...

On a side note about 1-4 We move to Georgia for almost 5 1/2 years, and and moved back almost almost 6 years ago... and the road is in worse shape, and still on end in sight... LOL

 

[hertamaniac]

This bucks the trend of what I've seen in Las Vegas for decades; get us onsite at the hotel/resort as that is where the largest share of our money (losses) will go. The offsite hotels often gave free shuttles to their establishment with this business model in mind. So I am a little bit dumbfounded at this move, but am confident there is/will be a stop-gap measure until when (or if) the rail project comes to fruition (not happening anytime soon).

 

[SaintsManiac]

Yes and its also the convenient excuse they were looking for to implement these changes. $15 an hour salary was also going to be a boon until covid gave them cover to cut all their staff

I don't share your cynicism.