End of Magical Express

[TheMaxRebo]

I've never used this transport. My significant other didn't want to get trapped on property. But I can see the convenience for large families. But what's your alternative? This transport didn't exist when I visited as a kid in the 80s and 90s, so as an adult, it wasn't something I expected.

For me, I like G Adventures for some international travel. I don't have to worry about driving. But most of their trips aren't for families with kids.

Well, you can rent a car and rent car seats with it or bring your own (we've flown with 3 car seats, not fun), arrange for a private car - we did that for our cruise and they had 3 car seats for us and could do a stop at Publix on the way. Not "cheap" but not an insane price either and probably the route I would go.

With older kids you could do Uber/Lyft as generally can get one with one car seat or booster with boo much of a wait. I know some people are not comfortable with ride sharing - we don't have any where I live so we aren't super used to them (I use them when traveling for work though)

You could just drive instead of fly if able to (what we do the majority of time coming from New York).

There are options and some might even work out quicker/better - but it is something else to figure out vs the simplicity of being DME being included

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

I have 3 (soon to be 4!) small kids and the ME was a lifesaver. Without it, we will have to rent a car and rent car seats too... which will be hundreds of dollars added to our trip expenses. Not to mention that we did rent a car from the CCC once with car seats and they were terrifyingly cheap. I did not feel comfortable at all with my kids in the car seats Alamo offered. We have traveled with car seats and it’s a nightmare- they are so heavy and bulky and you have to rent a cart to get through the airport with them. I am devastated to lose the ME.

The other thing that is a shame is the loss of the “bubble” experience. We have done trips with and without the meal plan, and without the meal plan is cheaper (and better for our waistlines!) But it really does affect your mindset to see triple-digit receipts one at a time. When you do the dining plan, you pay it in advance and don’t think of it in terms of meal by meal. Paying $120 for a subpar meal (I’m looking at you, San Angel Inn!) can be a bummer. I think it’s the same with the bubble mindset of the ME. I can rent a car, with car seats, for a few hundred dollars. Maybe it doesn’t add that much overall to our trip expenses. But I will have to stand there and sign the bill for the car and now my mind is thinking about the couple hundred dollars I just spent, rather than being excited about the start of vacation.

 

[Jadeey]

This is a huge deal for my family. We travel from New Zealand so it is many, many hours of travel - including at least 2 layovers. Flight times mean we usually arrive fairly late at night and have 2 young car seat aged children in tow.

We aren’t bringing carseats all that way so need an option that has them. Don’t easily have wifi other than the airport wifi which (along with the car seat issue) makes Uber/lyft difficult. And neither myself or my husband feel comfortable driving on the other side of the road so a rental car is far from ideal.

That will leave a car service as our best option. BUT our last 2 trips have ended up with horrible flight delays at one point or another during transit, both times resulting in us being at least 24 hours later than anticipated. When we don’t have cell service once we leave New Zealand, that makes a private car service harder to deal with.

I’m not sure what we are going to do for future trips. It won’t stop us going forever, but it will make us think about what other holiday options might be both cheaper and easier for us.

 

[Sandiz08]

So Disneyworld will probably now feel like Disneyland upon arrival. The disneyland buses would drop you off at a central location on harbor, and you had to drag your luggage down the street to your hotel room. LAX miserable to get out of, and I’m sure MCO will be the same. Not looking forward to it. They dropped the ball with this one.

 

[disneysteve]

So Disneyworld will probably now feel like Disneyland upon arrival. The disneyland buses would drop you off at a central location on harbor, and you had to drag your luggage down the street to your hotel room. LAX miserable to get out of, and I’m sure MCO will be the same.

There are plenty of other shuttle services from MCO that take you right to the door of your hotel. ME may have been more convenient and included in the cost of your hotel room, but it certainly isn't the only option.

 

[nursejackie]

I don't feel safe using a taxi/uber/lyft service

That's my biggest problem. I'd planned to attend a run Disney event as a solo traveller but I'm worried about how to safely get from MCO to Disney. I've been told Mears will still be running shuttles to Disney (for a fee) so maybe that'll be an option? That's what I'm hoping for Feb 2022 if in-person races return.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Maybe it’s been at least partially buried in the cost of a room since the beginning.

@Ensusieasm - Totally wonder too - that's why - in the other thread here discussing this, I started my post off saying I've always been surprised it's been "free" just like that - with FREE in quotes.

The same has long been debated about "resort fees" being billed separately, and not just built into the cost of the room, especially when you can't get exempted from them. (I do remember the "early days" of resort fees, when you could, if you pressed the issue. I did that when I stayed at the Swolphin a LOLNG time ago).

 

[tellingson]

“Its time to grow up and forget, because the world does not revolve around your vacation”

Actually this isn't entirely true. From Disney World's perspective, their world should revolve around my vacation. Where I go, where I sleep, what I do, how long I stay, how much I spend.

 

[JoanneAZ]

That's my biggest problem. I'd planned to attend a run Disney event as a solo traveller but I'm worried about how to safely get from MCO to Disney. I've been told Mears will still be running shuttles to Disney (for a fee) so maybe that'll be an option? That's what I'm hoping for Feb 2022 if in-person races return.

I have a friend who has taken the paid Mears airport shuttles from MCO to the Swolphin and back for RunDisney weekends for years. She has only had a very occasional delay, the same that you could experience with any shuttle, including DME.