Florida High-Speed Rail -- MCO to WDW

[Artuero]

If they wanted to be ambitious, Disney could offer resort check-in and baggage check. It'd help steer more guests to Disney resorts (could even make it a perk of a higher priced resort, if there are capacity problems). Due to the convenience and due to the fact that airport transportation costs help put a lot of people over the edge to rent a car, which in turn mitigates the Disney transportation system edge that resort guests have when on site. I am guessing it would help operationally as well, because knowing people are checking in long before they get there is probably helpful.

If you add park ticketing as well, you will probably get more people into the parks (spending money) sooner, and probably sell more days worth of theme park tickets.

I agree that luggage transport is the biggest hurdle to making this attractive for families. It'd be a fun hurdle to solve though, and Disney could do it.

Art

Edit: Just noticed that I used a lot more words to say the same thing that Indigo did. LAS is a good example.

 

[Andrew_Lubow]

This is certainly interesting. It would be ideal if Disney included a luggage handling service to your resort for room only and package reservations.

 

[bevgray]

I don't think the luggage will be that much of an issue. Disney already does luggage transfer on a small scale for their cruise passengers using the Disney ground transfers. They could just enlarge the process (perhaps give guests the chance to purchase "train transfers" when they book their resorts) and provide the train ticket and luggage tags that would enable Disney to transfer luggage directly from your airline to your resort. In that case, the guests would just need to get themselves to the train.

 

[seashoreCM]

Since there is not already a baggage transfer directly from the airport to resort using Mears' or others' buses, I doubt if there would be a baggage transfer service directly from the airport to resort using the train.

With the train station location at the outskirts of WDW (they said southeast which suggests near one of the I-4 exits Epcot, Osceola Parkway or 192), there could still be the need for a Mears type of shuttle from the train. Whereas a stop in the middle of WDW could well have Disney buses direct to your resort.

Meanwhile a train station location within WDW would be less convenient to the public which needs a gigantic park and ride lot.

 

[NotUrsula]

You know, after thinking about this for awhile, I'm thinking that when that LBV station is built, passengers who want to go to Tampa will have to change trains there. It would not surprise me if the train from MCO to WDW will be built so that the "turntable" point is one stop PAST the LBV station, actually inside WDW. That way, passengers bound for WDW would be delivered inside the property.

I'm still not sure about a luggage transfer service run by Disney as part of the train. Doing that would require setting up a luggage car only for the WDW onsite guests (perhaps including DD Resorts and S/D.) Those Bombardier cars are VERY expensive, so having to make the train a full car longer to accomodate luggage would seem like a poor use of resources. Of course, they could truck the luggage, but it would get there much later than the passengers.