Magical Express as part of dues

[RyanDisneyDad]

Just curious as to how much of our dues go to Magical express and how much we look to save with it ending next year.

Thank you,

 

[js]

I would pay a little extra for ME but it does make me love my SSR contract a little more today being so close to DTD.

 

[zavandor]

Just curious as to how much of our dues go to Magical express and how much we look to save with it ending next year.

Thank you,

We do not know exactly. Transportation is one unique entry in the budget, it includes DME and parks transportation.
Since they have removed room delivery for groceries and not decreased the MF, I bet they'll spend this year thinking about a good way to justify not reducing the transportation budget.

"DME was paid by the Parks Business Unit in order to keep people onsite, so removing it is not going to cause a reduction in MF".
How does that sound?

 

[Brett Wyman]

Don't worry you'll be paying for the train instead.

 

[jbreen2010]

I'm wondering the same thing!

I am also wondering if the big plan would be to have people pay their own way over to Disney Springs via that train they are building in 2022 and then in theory if they run busses from disney springs to all of the resorts anyway, maybe this just cuts down on the transportation from MCO to disney springs (and have disney springs have a bit of a hub over to the resorts)

 

[skeeter31]

Everyone thinking the train is going to be the future of transport to WDW is in for a rude awakening. This isn’t going to be the MCO monorail from terminal to main hub. This is a full railroad that will, at most, be making 3-4 trips per day between MCO and DS. It will never be the replacement of DME. Will Disney guests be able to use it to get to WDW? Of course, but it won’t become the official way. Plus, that’s if it gets built at all. Brightline is notoriously slow at building, this could wind up not being ready until 2030 with the way they operate.

 

[jscottnc]

I expect Disney will offer transfers for pay, similar to DCL transfer from MCO to port Canaveral. Likely each coach will make more stops.

 

[HairyChest]

Mears has stated that they will continue transportation from MCO to the Disney resorts so it sounds like it just wont be complimentary by Disney anymore. It would be nice if Disney covers the cost of these transfers for DVC reservations as an incentive though.

 

[jscottnc]

Mears has stated that they will continue transportation from MCO to the Disney resorts so it sounds like it just wont be complimentary by Disney anymore. It would be nice if Disney covers the cost of these transfers for DVC reservations as an incentive though.

Ah yes. Another Blue Card perk!

 

[RichVIII]

I am sure by the time this kicks in, something other expenditure will replace it.

 

[sethschroeder]

Don't worry you'll be paying for the train instead.

Well no because zero chance Disney picks up that cost.

Regardless that won't be happening for a couple years and at least a year after ME is removed.

 

[sethschroeder]

I am sure by the time this kicks in, something other expenditure will replace it.

Well no because that's not how it works. Now costs could go up but there would have to be something tangible that is being paid for and added to the budget not just fluff to keep taking the money.

 

[pkrieger2287]

Everyone thinking the train is going to be the future of transport to WDW is in for a rude awakening. This isn’t going to be the MCO monorail from terminal to main hub. This is a full railroad that will, at most, be making 3-4 trips per day between MCO and DS. It will never be the replacement of DME. Will Disney guests be able to use it to get to WDW? Of course, but it won’t become the official way. Plus, that’s if it gets built at all. Brightline is notoriously slow at building, this could wind up not being ready until 2030 with the way they operate.

100% agree with this... We also still don't know the long-term impact the pandemic will have on this moving forward.

 

[pkrieger2287]

Does anyone know who specifically could supply us with the line item information regarding Magical Express, if in fact, it is a part of the transportation budget?

 

[i<3riviera]

͏

 

[JWG]

I'm wondering the same thing!

I am also wondering if the big plan would be to have people pay their own way over to Disney Springs via that train they are building in 2022 and then in theory if they run busses from disney springs to all of the resorts anyway, maybe this just cuts down on the transportation from MCO to disney springs (and have disney springs have a bit of a hub over to the resorts)

This is, I think, unlikely. You can’t take luggage on resort transportation. There’s no place to put it.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

When Pete was complaining about chapek months ago I thought he was going a little overboard but boy was he dead on target. This is huge. This dramatically changes people’s vacations. We drive and never use the service, but even I can see how huge this is. I am having trouble wrapping my head around it. I just don’t see how Disney will deal with the chaos of thousands of Ubers coming and going, never mind the parking for car rentals— Disney simply doesn’t have enough parking at the resorts for everyone to have a car. And this whole concept of the train and buses? I mean what a nightmare. Even I take taxis from the airport in nyc (always have even when in my 20s) as opposed to dragging my luggage on the subway and hiking it to my destination. And I am one of the cheapest people on the planet who usually takes the route with the most exercise. Very few people will do this. Just young people without kids who travel very lightly. It’s not like there is room for this at Disney springs anyway. It is already too crowded there. Now there will be luggage everywhere too?

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

When Pete was complaining about chapek months ago I thought he was going a little overboard but boy was he dead on target. This is huge. This dramatically changes people’s vacations. We drive and never use the service, but even I can see how huge this is. I am having trouble wrapping my head around it. I just don’t see how Disney will deal with the chaos of thousands of Ubers coming and going, never mind the parking for car rentals— Disney simply doesn’t have enough parking at the resorts for everyone to have a car.

I can't even imagine a 20% increase in cars at small lots like BLT, there's barely enough room as-is.

 

[Sandisw]

When Pete was complaining about chapek months ago I thought he was going a little overboard but boy was he dead on target. This is huge. This dramatically changes people’s vacations. We drive and never use the service, but even I can see how huge this is. I am having trouble wrapping my head around it. I just don’t see how Disney will deal with the chaos of thousands of Ubers coming and going, never mind the parking for car rentals— Disney simply doesn’t have enough parking at the resorts for everyone to have a car. And this whole concept of the train and buses? I mean what a nightmare. Even I take taxis from the airport in nyc (always have even when in my 20s) as opposed to dragging my luggage on the subway and hiking it to my destination. And I am one of the cheapest people on the planet who usually takes the route with the most exercise. Very few people will do this. Just young people without kids who travel very lightly. It’s not like there is room for this at Disney springs anyway. It is already too crowded there. Now there will be luggage everywhere too?

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.

It is definitely a loss of a perk for being an on-site guest, but they may end up no longer charging cash guests for parking either.

We simply don’t know what, if any, the plan will be moving forward to deal with all you mention and you’d have to think they do.

I like the daily 30 minutes at each park but don’t think it is a perk that is any great deal either.

People will judge with their wallets and if it hurts the bottom line, they’ll come up with something else.

 

[sethschroeder]

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.

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.