Magical Express as part of dues

[Sandisw]

Except it's like if the Government gave free cell phone service to everyone. Come back in 10-15 years and the infrastructure is not built for private companies to take it over again without lots of issues.

In 2005 when ME started total visitors to WDW was 42.8m while in 2019 total visitors was 57.5m total visitors.

MCO went from 34.1m visitors to 50.6m over that same time span.

You have them thinking a train, one of the worst forms of transportation in the US, is going to make sense because of road congestion, and people already complaining about the highway with congestion.

We will see but I don't think any part of the chain has the bandwidth to take this on. Expect car rental costs likely to increase as well.

Everyone can scream about lasting impacts and global depression but we will see. It's not like they are cutting this now (with reduced crowds) they are not cutting it until the 50th, when vaccines will be well under way, and people will start traveling again.

My point is that lots more ride share options now than every before, and other ways to get there.

I guess I just don’t stress about a private company, including Disney, making their own decisions on how to run their businesses.

When it was originally announced, it wasn’t supposed to remain free. It was supposed to cost after a short trial period. It will have gone 18 years that way.

If the parking lots begin to fill up, they will adjust. There will be many people and families who will simply use a different way to get there...and I’m not talking the train.

It is definitely a huge loss of a perk. No question but as I said, people will judge based on their wallet instead.


Personally, I think they will have to come up with another plan once it’s gone because I agree there could be issues. But, it also means I can fly into Orlando Sanford direct cheap now that I have to pay to get to Disney anyway.

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

Now I don't know but how much of our dues goes towards ME but will we see less of a jump in dues in 2022? To me this whole thing stinks because of sheer convenience. If Minnie Vans were still running I think we are having a different conversation but they cancelled it. It's just more of a pain for families. But in terms of finances if we aren't paying for it anymore then that's fine, get rid of it. But chances are we will still be "paying" for it and not getting it.

 

[sethschroeder]

My point is that lots more ride share options now than every before, and other ways to get there.

Except those are built to the capacity today and highly likely shrinking.

Infrastructure with dramatic increases in required capacity is a large potential issue.

I never said it can't be fixed its just a huge issue that now needs to be solved.

We are planning a trip next January and I will likely get a town car service booked soon. I can already see the threads on long waits.

I honestly can't think of such a large reduction in transportation capacity maybe someone else has an example though.

 

[sethschroeder]

But chances are we will still be "paying" for it and not getting it.

Well we can't be and people will be watching it closely next November/December when dues are released.

DVC can do lots of things but can't charge for nonexist services.

Doesn't mean dues will decrease but that cost will be.

 

[heynowirv]

My point is that lots more ride share options now than every before, and other ways to get there.

I guess I just don’t stress about a private company, including Disney, making their own decisions on how to run their businesses.

When it was originally announced, it wasn’t supposed to remain free. It was supposed to cost after a short trial period. It will have gone 18 years that way.

If the parking lots begin to fill up, they will adjust. There will be many people and families who will simply use a different way to get there...and I’m not talking the train.

It is definitely a huge loss of a perk. No question but as I said, people will judge based on their wallet instead.


Personally, I think they will have to come up with another plan once it’s gone because I agree there could be issues. But, it also means I can fly into Orlando Sanford direct cheap now that I have to pay to get to Disney anyway.

Sandi what airlines fly into sanford from the NE besides Alligeant ?Any idea?

 

[New Mouse]

My point is that lots more ride share options now than every before, and other ways to get there.

I guess I just don’t stress about a private company, including Disney, making their own decisions on how to run their businesses.

When it was originally announced, it wasn’t supposed to remain free. It was supposed to cost after a short trial period. It will have gone 18 years that way.

If the parking lots begin to fill up, they will adjust. There will be many people and families who will simply use a different way to get there...and I’m not talking the train.

It is definitely a huge loss of a perk. No question but as I said, people will judge based on their wallet instead.


Personally, I think they will have to come up with another plan once it’s gone because I agree there could be issues. But, it also means I can fly into Orlando Sanford direct cheap now that I have to pay to get to Disney anyway.

Why do you think it hasnt cost guests money for 18 years? Disney has been quite public about the reason their resorts cost more is because of things like magical express. Dvc also pays for it as part of their dues.

 

[Sandisw]

Except those are built to the capacity today and highly likely shrinking.

Infrastructure with dramatic increases in required capacity is a large potential issue.

I never said it can't be fixed its just a huge issue that now needs to be solved.

We are planning a trip next January and I will likely get a town car service booked soon. I can already see the threads on long waits.

I honestly can't think of such a large reduction in transportation capacity maybe someone else has an example though.

But Mears can continue offering a similar service for a fee. It’s simply Disney is not providing a free way to get here.

The fact that they are not ending until 2022 gives them time to share more info for others to plan.

 

[MrsNick]

But Mears can continue offering a similar service for a fee. It’s simply Disney is not providing a free way to get here.

The fact that they are not ending until 2022 gives them time to share more info for others to plan.

Unless Mears offers better service and convenience (such as the luggage transfers that are such a huge convenience with ME), families will calculate the cost of the round trip transportation (purchase of ticket for every traveler) and conclude that they are better off taking private transportation such as ride shares or rental cars. This is going to add a lot of volume on the roads between the airport and Disney.

I hold out hope that Disney intends to incorporate the Brightline train as a viable alternative. I think it is more environmentally friendly to keep the additional volume off of the roads, and I'm only speculating, but I don't think Brightline would make the financial commitment to building the infrastructure if there weren't some type of assurance from Disney that they expect their guests to use the service. I think using Disney Springs as the arrival point makes a lot of sense. Disney Springs is central to the rest of the Disney property and is also co-located with many of the Disney Springs hotels.

 

[RoseGold]

At one point, though, there was no Disney Magical Express so people found a way to get there. We always rented a car prior to it.

Well, let's go back to that 2005 pricing then!

 

[20000LeaguesUnderTheSea]

It's not only the amount of money Disney will save from this, but is also the mount of increased revenue from parking at resorts and the parks. This is a BIG money benefit decision for Disney.

I can also see DVC adding airport to hotel transportation for members as a "perk" in the future as it will be another differentiator for direct vs resale.

 

[RoseGold]

I can also see DVC adding airport to hotel transportation for members as a "perk" in the future as it will be another differentiator for direct vs resale.

Why on earth would they do that? If this was really a contract/cost cutting issue, why would they open up all those issues for direct buyers who are already locked in? Not like they care how long it takes to sell RIV -- there's nothing to replace it.

I find making a Blue Card Bus system incredibly unlikely. Maybe they'll send you a magnet.

 

[zavandor]

I can also see DVC adding airport to hotel transportation for members as a "perk" in the future as it will be another differentiator for direct vs resale.

To do so DVC would have to pay it out of their pocket using their marketing budget, they couldn't use MF to pay for it. No way the expense would be worth it.
What they could do is ask Mears a discount for DVC members for their new paid service. And Mears would be wise to grant it, given DVC members are potential repeat customers.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I can’t help but think that people will start staying off site because of this. Cheaper and no parking costs. Not good for people who rent out dvc points either. Renters now have an extra cost and might just go offsite instead. Overall, it’s a negative decision, not put in place by management with vision. Makes the Disney experience smaller.

 

[tjkraz]

By 2022, someone will be paying for the privilege of calling themselves the "preferred motor coach vendor of Walt Disney World." Maybe it will be Mears, who offered large-scale bus service to and from WDW before DME. Maybe someone else. That vendor will get bundled into WDTC reservations and promoted to DVC members. Maybe even with a discount.

Others may choose to rent cars or ride share. Either way, the impact on resort parking will be negligible. Theme park attendance may have grown over the last 15 years but hotel rooms have remained rather static. Today there aren't more people staying in the Poly, Beach/Yacht or BoardWalk than there were pre-2005. And in areas where rooms have been added (Kidani, GF, Saratoga) there is more parking, too.

Raising prices / offering less value sucks. But I'm not sure this specific move is a tipping point for many. Disney cruises are crazy expensive, but the need to pay for transportation to and from the port doesn't seem to be deterring many people. Travel package prices can be easily manipulated with promotions and discounts.

The greater risk for Disney is that guests have easier access to going off site. If rental car usage increases and more guests start visiting Universal and dining off-site, it could be a net loss for Disney. But that's Disney's problem to identify and solve.

People still need to get to WDW efficiently. This is mostly about Disney washing its hands of the "free" service. They paid a lot to MCO and Mears, plus internal costs to make DME happen. Instead Disney will get someone to pay for the right to be the "authorized" transportation vendor. The service won't be quite as good or efficient. It may lose the Disney branding, the on-board videos and the organized waiting area at the airport. Luggage check in may be gone for good. But most of the guest traffic will transition to that service provider, and people will still make it to WDW.

 

[mlayman7]

But Mears can continue offering a similar service for a fee. It’s simply Disney is not providing a free way to get here.

The fact that they are not ending until 2022 gives them time to share more info for others to plan.

It was never free, just built into the high prices already. Now they are taking something away, again, without lowering costs.

 

[Sandisw]

It was never free, just built into the high prices already. Now they are taking something away, again, without lowering costs.

You are right..it’s not free but wasn’t charged on its own.

Since DVC owners cover the cost of our share through dues, it won’t be part of that line item part of the budget.

As far as cash guests, it’s not really my concern and as I said, Disney is a private company and if they want to offer less for the same price, or more..then guests need to decide at what point it’s not worth it. Gotta say I know people who never used it and always felt they should be given a credit for not using it.

Who knows. Maybe DVD will negotiate something to provide blue card owners with something new and take it out of the budget related to perks.

It’s like airlines started charging for bags years for due to high fuel and when it went fine, the fee didn’t go away. It’s the nature of things.

 

[CraigInPA]

Mears offered service before DME existed, and they'll offer service after DME sunsets. I doubt we'll see much, if any, change other than you having to pay Mears directly. For 18 years, Mears built up an infrastructure to support DME and it's not going to disappear overnight. Before the deal with Disney, Mears offered a shuttle service similar to DME. They still offer a shuttle service to non-Disney hotels, so they have the capability to continue.

In the 1970's and 1980's, people predominantly rented cars. The infrastructure exists to have people rent cars and drive to their resort today, although it will take some time for the car rental companies to build extra parking lots and hire people to staff the counters to handle a five to ten fold increase in business. But, what happens when they reach their resort? Some of the resorts have plenty of parking, because they were built in a period when almost everyone drove to the resort. Some of the newer resorts sized their lots based upon the demand, which was obviously less because DME existed.

Suggesting that Uber/Lyft would take up the slack is ridiculous. Imagine a Saturday morning at DME... There are always lines, often more than a full bus worth, of people waiting to get to their hotel. To replace DME with Uber/Lyft, you'd need hundreds of drivers an hour. Where are these drivers going to stage at MCO? How will they pick up their fares? Will MCO build them a special lot, or pick up area?

For those that talk about the forthcoming train, I think you're delusional. The train will stop in the vicinity of Disney Springs. How will those last few miles be traveled? You're not going to take luggage onto the resort transportation buses; it isn't allowed. You'd need a large taxi/shuttle service, or hundreds of Uber/Lyft drivers, to go the last few miles.

 

[TikiRob]

This talk of just flying into Sanford had me check out flights. Unfortunately, the cheapest non-stop flight for my family of four to Sanford is $28,876...

 

[RoseGold]

This talk of just flying into Sanford had me check out flights. Unfortunately, the cheapest non-stop flight for my family of four to Sanford is $28,876...

Using the Kayak explore tool on some random date, I got Sanford to work for Ft. Lauderdale, Phoenix, Syracuse, Cleveland, Austin, Pittsburgh, and an airport somewhere near Chicago.

 

[tjkraz]

For those that talk about the forthcoming train, I think you're delusional. The train will stop in the vicinity of Disney Springs. How will those last few miles be traveled? You're not going to take luggage onto the resort transportation buses; it isn't allowed. You'd need a large taxi/shuttle service, or hundreds of Uber/Lyft drivers, to go the last few miles.

I'm in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp when it comes to the train. But if there's an agreement between Brightline and Disney, I'm inclined to assume it takes these issues into account. There's little incentive to even build a station on the fringes of Disney Springs if arriving passengers are simply told "Ok, on your way, have fun."

Whether coming from Miami, Tampa or MCO, few passengers would be arriving for single-day visits. There would have to be some infrastructure in place to move guests and their luggage from the train station to resorts. DME-style buses with storage compartments would fill the need. Whether there are 3 train arrivals per day or 30, it's easy enough to schedule internal buses to be waiting for passengers.