End of Magical Express

[quoo]

Our experience with ME was similar - big delays. It was cute once we were on it and did make it feel a bit like we were already at Disney. But I think we'd be just as happy to either get a car service or take a train. I do hope they come up with some sort of luggage transfer though - that will be the one part I miss.

But - we're also very used to taking trains given that we live right outside NYC (and used to live in NYC) so we're terribly used to taking a train with luggage.

I think I view trips to disney a bit differently than others here though. For us it's a 'luxury' trip. So splurging on something like a car service is all part of the budget, if that makes the trip more relaxing/easier for us. Although I do wish the deluxe resorts would move more in line with a luxury hotel experience.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

This has been said already dozens of times over the last year but the big unknown is how loyal Disney fans will be upon a full return to operation, especially with some things never coming back. This especially applies to DCL whose customers have been searching other vacation options for some time. My travel bucket list has grown this year considerably. I have had too much time to google and daydream. I wonder if Disney is expecting a bit of a slump coming up and dropping DME is part of that.

Will some families start to rotate Disney on and off, alternating years with something else? I absolutely think so.

We are looking at going down to the Dead Horse Point area early this spring. (I am sure you have seen the images if you don't recognize the name.) With the modest entry fee, no frills motels near by, a tank of gas we are looking at a small budget. We are so cautious we even like the idea of a motel room that opens straight outside rather then navigating hallways and elevators of a nicer hotel. Is it Disney? Not even close, but we will be able to control risks, remain outdoors and socially distant and we are really, really excited.

 

[disneyseniors]

We have plans to travel to the National/State Parks this year. We have so many beautiful parks here in the US.
We have also written off WDW for good. We've been thinking about it for a while, but all the "little" things have added up for us and opened our eyes. We have had alot of good years at disney, but I am looking forward to new experiences somewhere else. Disney should realize that many other huge companies, who thought they could do no wrong, have gone down the drain and eliminated. Not saying WDW will do this, but.....................
So thanks, Disney, for giving us the push we needed to explore other areas, especially Universal, which we love.

 

[eco-muse]

I seriously hope they have a plan they just haven’t announced yet. It certainly feels like they don’t care when theytake something a way and no word they are even working on a replacement

Mears has said they will continue so ideally you will still have a shuttle option simile to DME but it will cost $. I drink the Disney Koolaid so we like being on property, we trust Disney and pay more for them to take care of us. What I don’t like is now needing to rely on another company. It makes things more complicated and that’s just not a good guest experience.

Yeah, I prefer being on property vs. off property, too...but for now, I'm done with Disney World. (I'm not boycotting Disney as a whole, just the World bit. There are other parks/trips I haven't done, yet, and would like to cross off my travel list some day.)

 

[nkereina]

I don‘t believe for a second that Disney will leave us stranded in MCO. My best guess is that they will still collect and distribute luggage to resort, but direct guests to the high-speed rail being implemented in the next year. You would do the train ride to DS, then transit to resort-specific busses from there.

Brightline, the high speed rail service, estimates the line to Disney Springs will be completed sometime in 2023, so there will be at least an 18+ month period where there is no DME and no rail leaving people to choose their own way. If Disney does implement some sort of luggage collection/delivery like they had before, it could work with the rail line using the same process as before, but we wouldn't see that until the rail is up and running in 2023.

 

[rteetz]

Brightline, the high speed rail service, estimates the line to Disney Springs will be completed sometime in 2023, so there will be at least an 18+ month period where there is no DME and no rail leaving people to choose their own way. If Disney does implement some sort of luggage collection/delivery like they had before, it could work with the rail line using the same process as before, but we wouldn't see that until the rail is up and running in 2023.

2023 is an ambitious goal for that line. Not everything for that line is approved yet and that would be really quick even without delays. Realistically if that line still happens we are looking at 2024-25.

 

[Kitty & Covs Covs]

This thread is making me so sad, with so many people writing WDW off or their enthusiasm generally waning. Our 2019 trip to WDW was just me and our then 6 year old daughter and of course ME was a huge value add from a safety perspective—nevermind not needing a booster seat. (And since this news is happening too, EMH were really fun to plan around.) But my daughter has no idea what WDW had or didn’t have before her time, and I doubt she’s keeping score.

While I’m super disappointed at the changes, I keep trying to remember that to her the magic still exists and it’s my attitude that will make or break her experience. I’m not saying y’all aren’t paying attention to that, but it’s helping me see things from a different, more positive perspective.

 

[hertamaniac]

Yeah, I prefer being on property vs. off property, too...but for now, I'm done with Disney World. (I'm not boycotting Disney as a whole, just the World bit. There are other parks/trips I haven't done, yet, and would like to cross off my travel list some day.)

So we cancelled our AP's last year (and got a full refund), live in Central Florida and are not done with WDW. We stay onsite and offsite for our staycations and definitely have empathy for those where ME was a part of the vacation experience. While we opted out of visiting the parks, we are actually contributing to lower crowds and we're fine with that. However, the option and freedom of resort hopping is what effects us most right now.

That being said, I remember the days when ME wasn't an option. Once ME came to fruition, it soared in popularity and usage. Along comes quicker transportation methods (e.g. Uber) where the "fast food" style service has become more mainstream. I feel this is what started the demise of the usage/profit of the ME system.

If I was working for Disney Transportation, I would have our team analyze a $ per mile per minute ($/mile/minute or similar) calculation. I would compare that to the other transportation methods from MCO to WDW. I suspect that once ME couldn't effectively compete against those other options, they made the decision to eliminate it.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

This thread is making me so sad, with so many people writing WDW off or their enthusiasm generally waning. Our 2019 trip to WDW was just me and our then 6 year old daughter and of course ME was a huge value add from a safety perspective—nevermind not needing a booster seat. (And since this news is happening too, EMH were really fun to plan around.) But my daughter has no idea what WDW had or didn’t have before her time, and I doubt she’s keeping score.

While I’m super disappointed at the changes, I keep trying to remember that to her the magic still exists and it’s my attitude that will make or break her experience. I’m not saying y’all aren’t paying attention to that, but it’s helping me see things from a different, more positive perspective.

We are DVC members and bought into Disney for the long haul. While we are upset over the continued announcements of things being removed and taken away, we will still continue to go. A company can't always be perfect but we (speaking only for my family) choose not to give them a free pass when they make decisions we disagree with. With the current economy, Covid, and new leadership at Disney, we expect changes we won't be happy with. We just hope the magic being taken away returns sooner than later.

If I was working for Disney Transportation, I would have our team analyze a $ per mile per minute ($/mile/minute or similar) calculation. I would compare that to the other transportation methods from MCO to WDW. I suspect that once ME couldn't effectively compete against those other options, they made the decision to eliminate it.

My DH and I had been talking about Disney's excuse that guests were choosing other options and had to wonder. If you are a company offering something for free and the number of your guests choosing to pay for a different service is increasing, I would certainly hope the first step is identifying why and can we offer an alternative. I.E. Enhance what we offer to compete with whatever they are choosing and then examine if we can still offer it for free or if we need to charge for it. (Maybe Minnie Vans was part of this alternative but the cost difference between a Minnie Van and an uber was extreme) Obviously we have no idea what they talk about behind closed doors but it's crazy to me they didn't come up with an alternative paid option before announcing completely removing it.

 

[OKW Lover]

Brightline, the high speed rail service, estimates the line to Disney Springs will be completed sometime in 2023, so there will be at least an 18+ month period where there is no DME and no rail leaving people to choose their own way. If Disney does implement some sort of luggage collection/delivery like they had before, it could work with the rail line using the same process as before, but we wouldn't see that until the rail is up and running in 2023.

2023 is an ambitious goal for that line. Not everything for that line is approved yet and that would be really quick even without delays. Realistically if that line still happens we are looking at 2024-25.

And if it does go into operation, by then many people will have discovered other ways of getting around. At that point they would be deciding between a "1 seat" ride like Taxi/Limo/Uber/Lyft, and a "2 seat" ride involving getting to the train (in the C concourse) riding the train to somewhere near DS and then transferring to a bus to their resort. Cost will certainly play into that decision but also how long the train option would take from end to end.

 

[hertamaniac]

Obviously we have no idea what they talk about behind closed doors but it's crazy to me they didn't come up with an alternative paid option before announcing completely removing it.

I think they did the calculations to break-even if they charged for the service. I just feel that the guest trend-lines started to skew towards favoring time over cost for the transportation to WDW. Since ME is more of mass transit style system, it adds time to the variable.

 

[RamblingMad]

Do you really want to get in an enclosed bus during COVID and ride all the way from the airport to the resort?

I think, the purpose of this bus was to keep people from leaving property.

What doesn't make sense to me is how much more staying at a Disney resort is versus staying off property. The big perk was advanced dining and fast pass.

 

[Techniwreck]

If you are traveling in a large group and have to transport 20 plus pieces of luggage and now must add car seats, it's a big deal.
I wouldn't be surprised if fast pass does not come back without an additional fee. Extra magic hours for on-property guests eliminated. Competing with all other guests for transportation for that "30 minutes" offered in the morning sounds like a logistical nightmare!

 

[rteetz]

Do you really want to get in an enclosed bus during COVID and ride all the way from the airport to the resort?

I think, the purpose of this bus was to keep people from leaving property.

What doesn't make sense to me is how much more staying at a Disney resort is versus staying off property. The big perk was advanced dining and fast pass.

Many “good neighbor” hotels also have those same perks.

 

[Kitty & Covs Covs]

We are DVC members and bought into Disney for the long haul. While we are upset over the continued announcements of things being removed and taken away, we will still continue to go. A company can't always be perfect but we (speaking only for my family) choose not to give them a free pass when they make decisions we disagree with. With the current economy, Covid, and new leadership at Disney, we expect changes we won't be happy with. We just hope the magic being taken away returns sooner than later.

I appreciate this. I do think Disney needs to hear honest feedback and not be given a free pass. I’m most encouraged people will still continue to go—I get worried it’ll end up just another abandoned amusement park!

I am looking forward to when they can recalibrate after COVID and figure out what they can replace the magic they took away with to keep it a similarly unique experience.

 

[Quicklabs]

They keep taking things away--death by a thousand cuts. I understand that they have taken a big financial hit due to the pandemic. But instead of taking away ME entirely, just increase the price of a room by $25 to $50 or so per STAY (not per night). Cost is whatever it would take to break even, proportionally distributed among the different classes of rooms. I doubt anyone would even notice this relatively small increase (because the price of rooms is never the same!) Disney would keep some good will, keep guests from venturing off property to a large extent and make the customers think they're getting something that is important to so many.

 

[disneysteve]

I don't have a horse in this race as we stay off site, but I would point out that Magical Express has only existed since 2005. It's not like it's been around forever.

We used it once, when we flew in for the DIS 20th anniversary event a few years ago. We waited in line in the terminal for about 15 minutes. Then we boarded the bus and sat there for another 20 minutes waiting for more passengers. What a complete waste of our time. I would never do it again. I'd much rather grab an Uber.

 

[disneysteve]

But instead of taking away ME entirely, just increase the price of a room by $25 to $50 or so per STAY

That penalizes a bunch of people who don't use ME because either they drive to Disney or rent a car or are locals. Charge the people who are actually using the service rather than trying to make it seem "free" by burying the cost in the room charges.

 

[StayAwake]

Count me as another who is disappointed to hear ME won't be happening after 2021. My recent experiences with non-ME transport at MCO haven't been good. The one and only time I got a rental car at MCO, I waited in that line for almost an hour just to get my car. And that was with all the people who use ME- what happens when all of them need cars? Plus then I'm paying for toll roads and parking at the resort?

The one and only time I took uber, it was disgusting having to wait in the enclosed area where cars are pulling up and idling. The car exhaust fumes were awful and gave me a headache for the rest of the day. It worked OK from a space perspective since there were only 2 of us, but I wouldn't want to cram 4 people + luggage into one- or have to pay the hefty extra fee for a rideshare big enough.

I would happily pay an extra fee per ride to keep ME, but no one from Disney asked my opinion. It will be interesting to see what evolves to take the place of ME.

 

[Heather07438]

I’d bet all the tea in China DME is getting chopped because it no longer gives TWDC any advantage. Visitors now quickly and cheaply Uber offsite for meals or shopping. There are cheap and easy grocery and shopping delivery services.
Guests are no longer ‘held’ in the bubble by MDE. So it’s no longer worth it for Disney to pretend that they’re trying to make that part of your trip ‘magical’.