Magical Express Ending Service

[hrhdhd]

Maybe it will inspire people to use their money to visit the real countries that are in the Epcot showcase

Not if they have to use taxis while there, it seems.

 

[hrhdhd]

Sent my (polite) email complaint. As a solo female traveler, I’m wary of ride share services, and I’m certainly not going to rent a car and drive in a strange place. I was considering buying an AP when they became available and making more frequent trips, but not if its harder and/or costly to get from MCO to WDW.

I am a solo female traveler, and I often rent cars when traveling. You are severely limiting your travel options if you won't rent a car.

 

[Naomeri]

I am a solo female traveler, and I often rent cars when traveling. You are severely limiting your travel options if you won't rent a car.

I have exactly zero desire to go offsite when I’m at WDW, it’s the whole point of choosing a Disney vacation for me.

 

[JakeAZ]

They’re taking guests loyalty for granted. I’m so annoyed by this.

They've always done this. Where else in the world would you pay these kind of prices for WDW accommodations? I mean value "resorts" are basically motels with cartoons. Even their "deluxe" accommodations would sit empty in places like Hawaii or Europe if they charged those prices.

 

[hrhdhd]

Nope. This isn't going to work. Our 2022 trip is now on the shelf. I simply can't navigate the drive between MCO and Disney. I am absolutely willing to pay for the service, but I was under the impression that the enormous cost of my cash stay or the points I rent were ALREADY covering that service. I can carry my stuff. I can check my bags. I am a big girl! But I can't handle that drive.

I am confused by this comment. The drive from MCO to Disney is one of the easiest drives around. Fire up your GPS, hop on a well marked road, and you're there in 20 minutes.

Not directed specifically at you, but the people here who will spend hours (days? weeks?) planning every second of a 10-day visit who can't get from an airport to a hotel really surprise me. Is ME easier? Sure. But they didn't always have it in the first place, and people went to Disney and stayed in Disney resorts.

 

[hrhdhd]

I have exactly zero desire to go offsite when I’m at WDW, it’s the whole point of choosing a Disney vacation for me.

I am not sure why that rules out renting a car. (Oh, I see. I meant "travel options" besides Disney in my original post.)

 

[stindall]

I am not sure why that rules out renting a car. (Oh, I see. I meant "travel options" besides Disney in my original post.)

If you're only driving from MCO to the resort, what do you do with your rental then? Pay the parking free and for the rental for the length of your stay?

10 pages here, haven't read them all but has it been covered what might be done in place of ME? Especially for luggage?

 

[MiraclesTakeTime]

My big question is, what will be the perk of staying on property? Other hotels offer shuttles to the park too.

 

[JakeAZ]

At the end of the day, none of this stuff was "free" or "included". It was baked into the price. It's why you overpaid to stay at a Disney motel or 5 star prices for 3 star accommodations.

Like lots of people have said, the pandemic is being used by lots of companies to cut, cut, cut. Don't look for them to add, add, add for many years. Not until people stop going.

We'll do our rescheduled trip later this year, because of the credits that need to be used (tickets, flights, DVC rental points credit), but you won't find me getting caught in this mouse trap again for quite sometime.

Losing things like ME or EMH aren't dealbreakers on their own, but when added to everything else, it's just too much, for what they are charging.

Less for more (or the same) will get them through 2021....after that, we'll see.

 

[JakeAZ]

Also, as others have said, I don't see the logic in the ME move.

Keeping people "captive" on property had to more than make up for the costs associated with running the shuttles.

What's going to happen when people find out not all burger / fry combos in Orlando cost $15+?

 

[MissStitch626]

I am confused by this comment. The drive from MCO to Disney is one of the easiest drives around. Fire up your GPS, hop on a well marked road, and you're there in 20 minutes.

Not directed specifically at you, but the people here who will spend hours (days? weeks?) planning every second of a 10-day visit who can't get from an airport to a hotel really surprise me. Is ME easier? Sure. But they didn't always have it in the first place, and people went to Disney and stayed in Disney resorts.

I spend months planning a 14 day trip but hiring a car and driving is out of the question. Why? I can't drive. I don't have a license to drive here in the UK. My husband drives but has never driven in the US and wouldn't feel confident driving on unfamiliar roads, tired after a long journey.

It has never limited our options. We use public transport all over the place when we travel to other areas of the US or anywhere else we visit.

We can (and likely will) now use Lyft or Uber once Magical Express is gone. We might use the new train. We'll manage.

I still think this is a poor decision by Disney.

 

[tommygunn]

What the accountant's don't get is that, for me anyway, ME was part of the magic. The first touch point with the guest. Yes it was managed by Mears but it was very nicely done. The buses were clean and comfortable. You didn't have to worry about your luggage. The videos were funny and well done and made you excited about your stay. Typically the driver would do a countdown as you approached the WDW road sign. The first touch of Disney magic and a fun and unique experience. I will forever have memories of my kids running towards the magical express signs in the airport as excited as could be.

Taking this away is a punch in the gut to this Disney fan, the worst one yet. And I'm an AP and DVC member and visit multiple times per year so I give more than my share to the greedy mouse. Chapek, screw you.

 

[jade'nsuch]

Totally sucks. I get suspending it with Covid but ending it?? ***. Yet another one of those special offerings that used to separate Disney from the pack is getting nuked. Smells like Chapek cheapness....

Thank you! I feel the same way. I couldn't help feeling like I was the only one to feel like things spiraled when everything switched hands.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Sorry just catching up - how does the half hour at ANY park - does that mean any park you have a reservation at? Or ANY PARK?? Not sure I get it.

 

[skippytx]

I don't know how long Mears will run the shuttles on their own. It depends on how many people actually use it. The Disneyland Resort Shuttle which was ran by a 3rd party company shut down last year as not enough people were using it.

 

[motherof5]

My big question is, what will be the perk of staying on property? Other hotels offer shuttles to the park too.

Agreed!

 

[JakeAZ]

Just read Tom's thoughts over at DTB and he makes a good point about ME. This might have been out of Disney's control. Mear's has been having problems and maybe a new contract couldn't be reached? Regardless to announce with no "replacement" is a bad strategy. And even if there is no replacement on the horizon, it's still a big net negative.

 

[yulilin3]

I don't know how long Mears will run the shuttles on their own. It depends on how many people actually use it. The Disneyland Resort Shuttle which was ran by a 3rd party company shut down last year as not enough people were using it.

mears used to run shuttles to Disney before Disney hired their services in 2005.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Not if they have to use taxis while there, it seems.

I am a solo female traveler, and I often rent cars when traveling. You are severely limiting your travel options if you won't rent a car.

I have to say, I find the tone of these two posts to be condescending. A lot of people travel abroad and are willing to drive when they are there, sometimes even having to learn to drive on the opposite side of the road, etc. I've travelled to Europe, Asia, and South America, I live abroad and where I live has some of the worst roads you've ever seen. But that's not what I want to deal with in a Disney vacation. The whole point of Disney (for me) is the convenience it offers to families with small children, from the child-height sinks in the restrooms, to the plentiful changing tables and ramps for strollers, to the overall cleanliness. Magical Express was part of that, and taking it away makes a Disney trip both less convenient, and less magical since my kids really used to love it when the big Mickey bus arrived to whisk us away to our vacation.

 

[greg9x]

Saw news, so had to see how it went over (as expected).

See frequent mentions of the future train...that sounds like an absolute nightmare ! People hauling their luggage (with many bringing way too much) on a train, then rolling it to resort busses and cramming it all on there ??
I imagine they would have to change the Disney Springs to resort busses to the DME coach busses so people could load their luggage under the bus...but then would have to have coach bus drivers to manage the loading.... then doing it all again in reverse when leaving ??
So, the train option sounds like it will only work for the travel light crowd.

Have frequently said, Disney got too popular....the only way they could make more money was to start cutting things... they no longer need to entice people with all the perks. Of course, this has been accelerated by the pandemic....hopefully will be coming out of that soon, but think Disney still going to cut wherever they can.

Guess won't apply to us though... asked son what kind of vacation he would want if things clear up... he doesn't know, but declared theme parks are boring and isn't interested anyway.