Magical Express Replacement

[New Mouse]

I think the bigger question is do hotels in other area jack up the rates and claim a "free" shuttle is one of the perks and then years later take away that same shuttle making it a hidden rate increase.

 

[tgree9369]

Alright, fine. I guess I've just been lucky at all of the places I've stayed where I've needed a shuttle. Personally, I've used free airport shuttles at hotels in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio, and, yes, Walt Disney World. I've never traveled to a place where I wanted one and they weren't available. However, clearly other people have had different experiences than me and seem to find all of the places that don't offer them. To me, it seems like a standard service all hotels should offer if they have an airport in their city. It sounds like you all disagree and think it's no big deal not to offer one. I hope for Disney that most guests feel that same way and don't care that the Disney airport transportation is gone.

Well I for one - think for what you pay - the DME was a great perk. Disney has taken so much away and this was one of the features that did attract guests - families. One less think to worry about. Everyone knows you can figure out how to get from MCO to WDW - that's not the issue - again, it was nice to get something "extra" for what you lay down to go to WDW.
So to answer you...you are not alone - most places I have stayed offer this service for free.

 

[StageTek]

To me, it seems like a standard service all hotels should offer if they have an airport in their city. It sounds like you all disagree and think it's no big deal not to offer one.

You are misunderstanding what we all are pointing out; not that we all disagree and think it's no big deal, but that free airport shuttle are not common outside of airport hotels. This is a big change that will affect a lot of WDW guests and it's a big deal.

I hope for Disney that most guests feel that same way and don't care that the Disney airport transportation is gone.

Very dramatic. We all know you do not hope for Disney that most guests don't care. You hope most guests DO care and speak up and that Disney reverses their decision. I hope so, too.

You've been around these boards for a while, Becky Mouse, so you know the recent history:
People on the DIS flipped out and said they would never return to the resorts when Disney allowed dogs.
People on the DIS flipped out and said they would never return to the resorts when Disney charged for parking.

It sure seems the resort bookings didn't drop one bit. I would guess that 98% of WDW guests do not read these boards so the loss of free transportation from MCO won't mean much to them - even World regulars. You're posts are very dramatic but the reality is WDW guests will still go and will just add transportation costs to their budget. In 12 months this will be as controversial as pets and paid parking - and the parking fee adds a lot more to a WDW vacation than paying for transportation.

Disney airport transportation will not be gone. But I share your disappointment that Magical Express is gone.

 

[Vacation44]

Hey, I'm in my 70s, and I love going too....

And for our trip in Apr, we found hiring a private car to be very easy, convenient, efficient, and a great way to get to our resort quickly with much less hassle. The cost round trip including a grocery stop if we wanted it, was what we would have paid way back before DME was even a idea in someone's head - a taxi.

Now days, there are many options, but being picked up at the luggage carousel, riding in a clean, quiet vehicle, and having a great conversation with a dedicated driver, instead of having to stand in a line with 500 of my closest friends and families, wait for a bus, and possibly go to several other resorts before being finally dropped, is a choice I willingly will make from now on.

I do value the luggage service DME provided as well as resort luggage/airline check-in, but we did it ourselves before DME and can do it now if that option goes away. I would willingly pay extra if that were an add-on option going forward.

Now, I understand that families may not see it the same way as some adult only travelers, but it's good to look at this from all sides.

ETA: I believe that our car service used electric cars - much less environmental impact. Many of the shuttles and buses do too, now.

After reading your post, I just made reservations for a private van (the one we always used before Magical Express) to pick us up from MCO and drive us to our Disney resort.

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.

 

[whiporee]

The end of DME is still seven months away.

Stations at resorts are easy to rebuild.

If there is no free option, this becomes the math. There are roughly 35,000 rooms at WDW. Let's assume the average stay is a week. So that's 1.8 million unique rooms booked at the resorts over the course of a year.

If an oversized Uber charges $80 each way for those unique rooms -- families of whatever size -- then that becomes $292 million a year in revenue. If Mears charges $40 round-trip per person, it's about the same for a family of four.

So even if as few as half those people use some sort of transportation -- which I think would be a gross underestimation -- you're still talking $150 million or so. I find it VERY hard to imagine WDW washes its hands of the enterprise and just leaves it to whoever shows up with busses and cars in tow.

I think we get an announcement sometime in August that ether DME is staying, or that it's been renamed but offers fundamentally the same service. I think the feature is too important to the overall bubble and atmosphere they've worked hard to create, and will work hard to rebuild once COVID is fundamentally past us. And while I'm not one who says Disney is all about money, I don't think they aren't going to leave that much on the table for someone else to grab. Cause if they are, I need to get back to Orlando and buy some busses .

 

[DebbieB]

I don’t think it’s public how much Disney’s ME contract with Mears is but I would guess 8 figures annually. I don’t think they wanted to get the backlash of charging and having to manage it.

 

[Becky Mouse]

You are misunderstanding what we all are pointing out; not that we all disagree and think it's no big deal, but that free airport shuttle are not common outside of airport hotels. This is a big change that will affect a lot of WDW guests and it's a big deal.

Very dramatic. We all know you do not hope for Disney that most guests don't care. You hope most guests DO care and speak up and that Disney reverses their decision. I hope so, too.

You've been around these boards for a while, Becky Mouse, so you know the recent history:
People on the DIS flipped out and said they would never return to the resorts when Disney allowed dogs.
People on the DIS flipped out and said they would never return to the resorts when Disney charged for parking.

It sure seems the resort bookings didn't drop one bit. I would guess that 98% of WDW guests do not read these boards so the loss of free transportation from MCO won't mean much to them - even World regulars. You're posts are very dramatic but the reality is WDW guests will still go and will just add transportation costs to their budget. In 12 months this will be as controversial as pets and paid parking - and the parking fee adds a lot more to a WDW vacation than paying for transportation.

Disney airport transportation will not be gone. But I share your disappointment that Magical Express is gone.

I am so confused by your post right now. I'm baffled, so maybe you can help explain your post to me.

I had said that I think it's a mistake that Disney is discontinuing their shuttle from the airport. I said I think that will negatively impact people's experiences at WDW. Multiple people responded basically saying I was ridiculous, anyone can figure out their way to the hotel, and it's no big deal. I said I think a shuttle from the airport is a standard hotel service, and removing that service adds an obstacle for people getting from the airport, especially people with babies (due to car seats) and senior citizens who might struggle booking ride share apps. People responded by saying senior citizens will be able to figure it out without issue, just as they had for years before the Magical Express started. I said fine, I hope you guys are right and I am wrong, and I hope it is not a big deal.

Now you're telling me that I'm being dramatic, that I should have somehow known you actually agreed with me all along, and that you "know" I do not really hope that it's not a big deal? How can you "know" those things? How was I supposed to know you secretly agreed with me when you were defending Disney's decision to discontinue the shuttle?

Let's be clear. This is an internet forum and not a conference chat. What you write is what you say. I can't infer other meaning from nonverbal communication or anything like that. I can't guess that you secretly agree with me if you're arguing my points to tell me I'm wrong. Similarly, what I write is what I say. If you're adding in some sort of tone or sarcasm to it so that you believe I'm saying things I don't mean, then that's on you. You're the one adding in that tone. I meant what I said. Seriously.

 

[Jennasis]

Alright, fine. I guess I've just been lucky at all of the places I've stayed where I've needed a shuttle. Personally, I've used free airport shuttles at hotels in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio, and, yes, Walt Disney World. I've never traveled to a place where I wanted one and they weren't available. However, clearly other people have had different experiences than me and seem to find all of the places that don't offer them. To me, it seems like a standard service all hotels should offer if they have an airport in their city. It sounds like you all disagree and think it's no big deal not to offer one. I hope for Disney that most guests feel that same way and don't care that the Disney airport transportation is gone.

It wasn't even a thing prior to the implementation of ME in 2005. WDW opened in 1973. That's a looooong time of no free airport shuttle that Disney did not suffer during.

 

[MaC410]

Can we all just agree, whether you used it or not, that the DME was a fantastic service and perk that we are sad to see go?

 

[Becky Mouse]

It wasn't even a thing prior to the implementation of ME in 2005. WDW opened in 1973. That's a looooong time of no free airport shuttle that Disney did not suffer during.

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

 

[DebbieB]

I think people accept it as a business decision during a hard time. I’ll withhold judgement until Mears announces their plans, including price. Their service recently has not looked good with long lines. A friend’s return bus was 30 minutes late last week.

We’ve been using a car service rather than being crowded on a bus.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

I agree with you. As a family with 2 kids in car seats I am not looking forward to bringing them in order to use a taxi/car service. I hope there is an affordable bus option that goes to Disney without lots of stops elsewhere.

 

[New Mouse]

It wasn't even a thing prior to the implementation of ME in 2005. WDW opened in 1973. That's a looooong time of no free airport shuttle that Disney did not suffer during.

It was never free, the resort price skyrocketed over time as they added "free" perks, which were used to justify the unusually fast price jumps.

 

[Tink3815]

It was never free, the resort price skyrocketed over time as they added "free" perks, which were used to justify the unusually fast price jumps.

You are correct, but Disney will not be reducing the resorts costs when they take these perks away.

 

[Tink3815]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

I agree with you. We have been going to Disney for years and always rented a car. Because of the high rates for car rentals, we have been using Magic Express. I really enjoyed the convenience, especially on the way back to the airport. We did do Uber to the resort once when the line was long. That was an additional 40.00 out of my budget. May not seem like a lot to some here, but if you are on a budget quick trip for a bit of magic it is.

 

[tgree9369]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

You are not wrong and I would put you in the majority of sane people. Who didn't like exactly what you described? My kids were so excited when they entered that bus - to them it was then "official". It was a great service and I am still not convinced that Disney is going to take it away or that Mears will be charging anything near ride share prices. I did see that they are surveying guests and that one of the questions has to do with the removal of DME and I would think a vast majority of people polled would say that it should not be taken away. Disney has whittled down the "on site" perks so much that it isn't really much of an incentive to stay on property.
I get that there were many, many years without DME. Guess what, for me there were NONE. Every year that we have gone, we used DME and that is 9 years running. So, I would think that I have a pretty good argument on behalf of using DME.
I certainly do not want to have to pay more to get from MCO to WDW - and I don't want one more added stressor in finding transportation. Yes, I will if I have to but it was nice when I didn't have to think about it.
Common sense, which seems to be lacking these days, dictates that a free service will be missed - for those who didn't use it - you opinion really has no weight.
In summery, you were not wrong!

 

[tgree9369]

You are correct, but Disney will not be reducing the resorts costs when they take these perks away.

That's the point - the "perks" are going away FAST! and yet the prices continue to climb...

 

[Kerry1957]

@Becky Mouse Although I do not agree with all of your recent posts, I very much appreciate your thoughts and am glad you took the time to share them. As you said, this is an internet forum. Given that, there will always be differing opinions, some expressed well and some quite clumsy. Just because somebody disagrees with you, or questions your assumptions, does not require you to respond, even if you are right and they are wrong. Let it go.....

I think we can all agree that some hotels in some cities offer free shuttles to the airport (especially if located in a "hotel row" near the airport), some offer paid transportation, and many do not offer any options. As a frequent business traveler, I have stayed over 1,000 nights just in Marriott hotels and have seen many examples of each option.

Our family has been to Disney well over 30 times and as out-of-state APs usually rent a car. It's not inherently better or worse, it's just what meets our families needs the best. I know many people love the Magical Express and now wonder/worry if the replacement, in whatever form it takes, will work for them. This is true especially for the many families who place great importance and derive much satisfaction from remaining in the Disney "bubble". Until we really know pricing, schedules, luggage assistance, number of stops, etc. we are all just speculating here. For the right options, I might even consider using the new service when I stay on property and rent a car when I do not.

 

[Yankee626]

The best part of the DME service wasn't the ride from the airport but the fact that you would drop off your luggage at the airport and not see them again until your in your room . Saved a lot of aggravation dragging luggage around . The new train service wont help either . We are now stuck paying hundreds of dollars more for less service.

 

[Dsny4fun]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

I also agree with you....yes Ive been to WDW before the Magical Express....but have now been using it for years and its an inconvenience to be losing it.