Magical Express (DME) questions

[dme_driver]

If anyone has any questions about dme, post them here. I am a mears driver working for magical express, and have quite a bit of experience in the day to day operation of ME.

 

[msr709]

There have been numerous posts about the tipping of the drivers. Maybe you can enlighten us all on how you feel about that. I for one am accustomed to tip almost everyone as long as I get good service and I am really lost about tipping the ME drivers. There has been so many opinions maybe coming from the proverbial "horse's mouth" we can all get a clear picture of this. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

[msr709]

There have been numerous posts about the tipping of the drivers. Maybe you can enlighten us all on how you feel about that. I for one am accustomed to tip almost everyone as long as I get good service and I am really lost about tipping the ME drivers. There has been so many opinions maybe coming from the proverbial "horse's mouth" we can all get a clear picture of this. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

[amejr999]

According to a post on another board by a CM who works at the Disney Reservation Center, you should NOT tip the driver of the bus, and they should not be soliciting tips in any way. If they do, call DME and report it at 866-599-0951.

 

[GGjertsen]

I'm coming down on June 15 with a 3 and a 2 year old. I will not have car seats. Are they provided or do the children not need them based on the type of vehicle.

Thanks,

Gary

 

[pumpkinboy]

Glad you are here and opening up to the lots and lots of Questions that folks have about DME.

My Aunt has a mobility impairment; she can walk, but that first step onto the bus is just too high for her. When she first took DME back on 5/7, the first bus that arrived did not have a step stool she could use to climb onto the bus, and the second had a wheelchair lift but a driver who did not know how to use it. Even with these difficulties she still made it to her resort within 2 hours of stepping off the plane, but it did make her first impression a little off.

We have a wheelchair-bound child who will need a wheelchair lift-equipped bus and someone who knows how to operate it. Do you think we will have ironed these issues out by the fall?

I am really hoping that this will work out great, and wish you and the other drivers all the best in bringing this great service on line.

 

[dme_driver]

There have been numerous posts about the tipping of the drivers. Maybe you can enlighten us all on how you feel about that. I for one am accustomed to tip almost everyone as long as I get good service and I am really lost about tipping the ME drivers. There has been so many opinions maybe coming from the proverbial "horse's mouth" we can all get a clear picture of this. Thank you for taking the time to post.

Yes folks, this is america, it is customary to tip those in service positions (bus drivers, bellmen etc) even tho disney would have you believe it isnt. Now im not saying everyone fork over the money, however, i do say that if you feel that bus driver did everything in his/her power to give you a safe and comfortable ride, then by all means show the driver that you appreciate it

 

[dme_driver]

According to a post on another board by a CM who works at the Disney Reservation Center, you should NOT tip the driver of the bus, and they should not be soliciting tips in any way. If they do, call DME and report it at 866-599-0951.

as you will notice... i am a mears employee and NOT a disney employee...disney does not want their employee's tipped for whatever reason, and they have had to replace many bellstaff and porters because they quit, we all basically survive on tips, i make 7.65 and hr (honest!) and if you think thats alot consider this, im responsible for the safety of everyone on board and McD's on International drive starts at 8 bucks an hr. yes we ARE allowed to recieve tips.... no we aren't allowed to solicit for them, and would be rude to do so, but you will see a sign in the bus that says "your driver is {drivers name}, gratuities appreciated"

 

[Lewisc]

Yes folks, this is america, it is customary to tip those in service positions (bus drivers, bellmen etc) even tho disney would have you believe it isnt. Now im not saying everyone fork over the money, however, i do say that if you feel that bus driver did everything in his/her power to give you a safe and comfortable ride, then by all means show the driver that you appreciate it

Then should we be tipping the Disney bus drivers that take us from our hotel to the theme parks? Should I be tipping the city bus driver in any major city?

 

[dme_driver]

Glad you are here and opening up to the lots and lots of Questions that folks have about DME.

My Aunt has a mobility impairment; she can walk, but that first step onto the bus is just too high for her. When she first took DME back on 5/7, the first bus that arrived did not have a step stool she could use to climb onto the bus, and the second had a wheelchair lift but a driver who did not know how to use it. Even with these difficulties she still made it to her resort within 2 hours of stepping off the plane, but it did make her first impression a little off.

We have a wheelchair-bound child who will need a wheelchair lift-equipped bus and someone who knows how to operate it. Do you think we will have ironed these issues out by the fall?

I am really hoping that this will work out great, and wish you and the other drivers all the best in bringing this great service on line.

Thank You for the well wishes,
yes there will be no trouble with operation of lift, i have been helping (as has our training dept) with theses new busses. some of our drivers were trained on lift operation before we got the new VanHool busses and the lifts are a little different. Im very sory about the inconvienience we caused your aunt, and i do hope that didnt put a damper onto the rest of her vacation...

also theses busses have a knell command, making that bottom step half the distance to the ground that it normally is.... some of the drivers dont know how to issue this command to the bus, or simply dont want to. i will mention this to the starters (mears people in yellow shirts at the airport) to see if we cant make sure all busses are kneeled

 

[dme_driver]

Then should we be tipping the Disney bus drivers that take us from our hotel to the theme parks? Should I be tipping the city bus driver in any major city?

provided that A. you feel that you should, and B. if they are allowed to recieve tips, and provided you with a good trip. tipping is a way to show appreciation nothing more, and by any means isnt mandatory

 

[dme_driver]

I'm coming down on June 15 with a 3 and a 2 year old. I will not have car seats. Are they provided or do the children not need them based on the type of vehicle.

Thanks,

Gary

no the ME bus is a full size (45ft) charter bus (think greyhound but better quality) there are no seat belts, nor do you need a car seat.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

as you will notice... i am a mears employee and NOT a disney employee...disney does not want their employee's tipped for whatever reason, and they have had to replace many bellstaff and porters because they quit,

Disney's official line is that they cover the inbound bell service gratuity for Magical Express luggage delivered to the room. That makes sense, because Disney wants guests to go off, be happy, and spend money -- not for angry guests to wait around until their luggage is delivered. Tyler has explained how this works, and it doesn't seem that those who deliver the luggage to the rooms are being cheated out of tips.

I don't think it's correct to say that "Disney does not want their employees tipped for whatever reason." The resort guides that guests receive at check-in explain what positions are tipped. And every dining bill includes a card explaining the customary restaurant tipping practice in the U.S. When gratuities are included (such as for some dining events), Disney clearly says so.

It may be correct to say that Disney does not want Disney employees in non-tipped positions to be tipped.

Bell staff and porters are high-turnover jobs. I don't think that Disney is losing bell staff and porters because of any policy of discouraging tipping.

we all basically survive on tips, i make 7.65 and hr (honest!) and if you think thats alot consider this, im responsible for the safety of everyone on board and McD's on International drive starts at 8 bucks an hr.

I agree that that's poor pay, given the responsibility for safety. However, it's not a traveler's responsibility to know the wage rate of every employee that he or she encounters during a vacation and to subsidize stingy employers. It is a traveler's responsibility to have an understanding of when tipping is customarily expected, when it's optional, and when it's absolutely not necessary.

My guess is that when passengers are using a free transportation service, and their luggage is on a luggage truck, the perception is that no tipping is involved.

My guess is that when passengers are assisted with their luggage by a Magical Express driver, some will see it as part of the free service, some will see it as an appropriate time to tip, and many will look to see what others are doing.

Disney and Mears could easily deal with this situation -- either by paying ME drivers appropriately and clearly saying that they've covered the full cost of the ME transportation and luggage handling, or by including tipping guidelines in the Magical Express packets. The current situation doesn't seem fair to drivers or guests.

yes we ARE allowed to recieve tips.... no we aren't allowed to solicit for them, and would be rude to do so, but you will see a sign in the bus that says "your driver is {drivers name}, gratuities appreciated"

Out of curiosity, were those signs "officially" installed by Mears Transportation Group, or have Mears drivers put the signs up themselves?

 

[bytheblood]

if you feel that bus driver did everything in his/her power to give you a safe and comfortable ride, then by all means show the driver that you appreciate it

Another poster used that exact same words in another post when angry about not getting tipped.

 

[dme_driver]

yes that is poor pay for the job, but i like my job, and enjoy helping people.
mears DID give us those signs, and both disney and mears know that we operate with them, this stemmed from many drivers complaints.

this will be my last discussion on tips, as it was never my intent to get this off track.

bottom line
yes you can tip
no you dont have to
just like a waitress, valet, bellman, or any other service position

 

[BCKatie02]

I know certain buses go to certain hotels, but can you tell me if there is a particular order in which the buses drop off on each route-- ie. which hotels are first, etc on each route?

Thanks!

 

[RamseyTrio]

dme driver - just wanted to say thanks for voluntarily starting a thread for questions.

We'll be using the service in October.

Don't really have any questions yet except to ask what stop Pop Century is from MCO. Does it vary depending on who else is arriving or do they have set routes?

Thanks

 

[dme_driver]

I know certain buses go to certain hotels, but can you tell me if there is a particular order in which the buses drop off on each route-- ie. which hotels are first, etc on each route?

Thanks!

the order of the drops is basically the order they are from the main gates ie
pop cen
music
AK lodge
or
french quarter
riverside
wilderness

they are in the order of distance from main gate so that i wouldnt pass pop cen to get to french quarter then turn around and go back to pop cen

the busses are normally filled by zone ie coronado music ak lodge (animal kingdom area) or ft willy contemp poly grand flo

 

[dme_driver]

dme driver - just wanted to say thanks for voluntarily starting a thread for questions.

We'll be using the service in October.

Don't really have any questions yet except to ask what stop Pop Century is from MCO. Does it vary depending on who else is arriving or do they have set routes?

Thanks

pop would normally be first, except if there was saratoga springs old key west or caribean (bus routes are never the same it depends on who is going where)

 

[Carrieberry]

First off, I would like to thank you so much for starting this thread, as I am sure there are lots of questions. I would also like to say that I think it is appropriate to tip, as I would tip for a taxi, towncar, the regular Mears shuttle driver (and do when we use the service to hop over to Universal) and I pay for that ride on top of the tip, so I don't have a problem tipping for a FREE service. I tip when I get a free meal at a restaurant using a coupon because the person still has to work to make my meal enjoyable. As long as my drive is pleasant and safe, I am grateful and that is what a gratuity is all about to me. I am saving money using this service and I don't think a gratuity is out of line. Everyone can do what they think is appropriate and not everyone has to tip, that is up to the individual. I am guessing it is the signs posted that are offending some because it is just not the magical Disney image? But I apologize as I digress!

My question is this:
Is this service going on indefinitely, through the end of the year, through the end of the celebration or how long? Those of us planning a 2006 trip need to know if this service will be ongoing! Thanks so much!