Magical Express Ending Service

[Bryan Burmeister]

You all took the wheelchair comment out of context. Did not mean disrespect, I understand and realize that some people need to be in them. Not all, because of some selfish reason. What I am trying to say, go to China and look and see how many 1) strollers are in park/mall/tourist area (very very few) 2) look to see how many wheel chairs you see. You will not see a Chinese person in a wheel chair/scooter/hover around. That is a American normality. In China a novelty.

Do you think its because in China less people end up requiring wheel chairs? Or maybe it's because they don't last as long once they do require one(due to a lower standard of care), and for the folks that are still around, they wouldn't want to be seen in one?

 

[Darcy03231]

This!

We usually go every year but that has become every 18 months, and recently, every 2 years. Last trip in Feb 2018, with planned trip in April 2020 canceled by Covid. Sure, part of it is kids are older now but they still ask about the next Disney Trip. I'm just not finding the value I used to, despite having more and more disposable income.

We are scheduled for April but probably going to cancel. I assume crowds will be the same by then , but entertainment significantly scaled back. I hate that they will use Covid as an excuse to take away some of the magic. Next trip April 2022 celebrating the 50th Anniversary of my 1st trip to Disney, and it will be the last one for a while!

I've been disillusioned for several years now. I had a planned 2020 trip with my neighbor and her two kids (6 & 2), but the last trip before that was with DH in 2017 when we went for 2 days post-cruise because DH wanted to see Pandora and I wasn't making a special trip just for that. Before that it was 2010 when my mom and I did a split stay at Universal & WDW.

I priced out a week long trip in 2021 and decided not to book. A week long trip without any dining is almost $3000. By comparison I booked a cruise for the Spring of 2022 which includes a large balcony, free drinks, free specialty dining, free wifi and a $50 per port shore excursion credit for $2800. The WDW quote was for at a moderate resort.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

I have read through the entire post over the last few days. Prior to 2005, we had went to WDW and stayed offsite (both with and without kids) and what I can say, is we definitely spent more time offsite doing things and seeing all of Orlando. In 2007, we saw the 3/4 deal and a $200 giftcard included and took the leap into the bubble. They sold us on the perks of being inside the bubble and we utilized all of them. One thing we also changed, is that we had a park admission for every day we were there, not like before when we stayed offsite and would go to the parks 4-5 days in a week long vacation. We did the dining plan, we did the EMH's, we used DME, we bought photopass....we did it all. That first trip, with two toddlers in 2007 led to many more trips to WDW, all staying in the bubble and all utilizing all the perks for onsite guest. Our last trip was in 2017 and it will be our last for quite some time. For one, the perks are all gone....poof, gone with the wind. There is no real incentive to fork out the extra $ to stay onsite anymore...none. It is all gone. For the same price, there are many hotels right outside the bubble that offer transportation to the parks, larger rooms, and other amenities that are at a fraction of the WDW prices. Why would you ever want to stay at any of the Value resorts ever again (other than to say you did it once)? What we have also realized, there are many other great places to go and enjoy w/out being inside the WDW bubble. We enjoyed all our trips, but there is no way in hell I'll be back as it would be very hard to enjoy what WDW is offering now or into the future with everything they have taken. It will need to be another 3/4 type of deal with other perks before I'd even consider. We were/are a Disney family and my kids (now HS and college) both grew up on it and loved it. Bye.......

 

[MrsBooch]

This is the reply back from Disney I received.

View attachment 549964

well well well....

we appreciate your dedication to your Disney vacations - here's a link to Hertz BYEEE

 

[JPTexan82]

Great I'll take my wife to an overseas Disney park and tell her to leave her novelty power chair behind as it's not a necessity.

Well you may have to wait. There is new cdc guidelines for traveling back into the country now. That’s very risky to do, you don’t want to test positive outside the United States.

 

[MrsBooch]

Yes, less people in China do require a wheel chair/scooter type of device. The obesity rate in the United States is partial to the increase of an assistance device. The life expectancy in both the US and China are about the same at 74.65.
There is a true need for and understanding for the use of a wheel Chair/ scooter.Then there is the self inflicted causes as well. For example the rate of Obesity in China is 6.2%, compared to the United States of 36.2%. So as we age and our body’s start to break down due to lack of proper exercise, diet, Genetics, certain people may need that scooter/wheel chair to get around. That’s why we see an increase of usage in the US vs China at a facility such as WDW. If you have been offended by these statements, that is on you. I was just explaining how things are different for transportation here.

Back to the topic of MDE. I really expect this to be a negation tactic that Disney is using to get a price break. For example Disney did the exact thing to Pixar, before they bought them.

you need to stop with this.

stop it.

 

[DL1WDW2]

This is absolutely true. On our September trip we rented a car for the first time because of COVID concerns. With the added freedom, did we pay for $8 beers at the hotel bar? Nope. Drove to the liquor store and stocked the fridge. Did we pay for breakfast at Captain Cooks? Once (Had to get Tonga toast), but the rest we made in the room or hopped over to McDonalds. Did we eat all our dinners at Disney table service. Nope not this time. Found some local restaurants outside the bubble and saved a ton of dough. Did we pay $18 a pop for two lapu lapus on our last night at the Poly? Of course we did. We're not barbarians.

And WDW gets to discard all the food service containers from off site and soon all the extra vermin that will be attracted to food just left outside the resort doors will be a problem ...
don’t you feel sorry for Disney doing this to themselves?

Currently these transport options are not creating a traffic problem because most guests continue to use the bus system but more traffic will mean added stress to drop off and pick up along with so many other problems.
In the previous Mears Transport , their shuttles were never direct to property and could include drop off for customers that lived along the way but not heading to WDW... and definitely stops at Off site resorts and hotels. There was never direct Disney only shuttle vans from Mears, that I recall.

 

[WEDWDW]

Disney is not known for reversing decisions,but I think this may be one move that gets reversed when everything is back to normal.

 

[mulanmommy]

Disney has definitely burst the bubble they created!

 

[pinkxray]

I am a HUGE Disney fan. DH is not. He would never go back if we didn’t have little kids who also love it. We have been married for 20 years and he has never understood my love for Disney. He has over the years put plenty of money into Disney stock after seeing how loyal ”crazy” Disney fans like me are.
At dinner last night I told him of the changes.
I said I don’t understand how Disney thinks this is a good idea. Don’t they realize without bringing people into the bubble they will lose $ when people move offsite?

His response?


He said “They don’t care. For every one person who move offsite, another new person will come to WDW. And that new person will never know Disney had a free shuttle service.”
He is probably right.

 

[jlmarr]

The Disney spin of claiming that the elimination of ME is due to vacationers "having more options to choose from for transportation" is garbage. Be honest..

Maybe they are being too honest and the deal is that ME no longer keeps people in the bubble, i.e. they can take Uber/Lyft to Universal now, and thus that part of the business case for ME is weaker. Just reading between the lines. (I'm not happy about it either.)

 

[RoseGold]

well well well....

we appreciate your dedication to your Disney vacations - here's a link to Hertz BYEEE

Oof, bet poor Maureen has been cut and pasting that email all day long.

Whistle while you work! Send them all to Hertz!

 

[princesslover]

Oof, bet poor Maureen has been cut and pasting that email all day long.

Whistle while you work! Send them all to Hertz!

Great! Now I will have that little ditty in my head all night...

 

[Fanofthegame]

Ya they put out a statement that said they planned on running WDW bus services now and into the future. I guess after 2021 they will just start charging everyone. I mean it's something I guess, maybe it will help get people by until the Brightline in 2023. But Mears is supposed to be pretty expensive, and well who knows when the Brightline will actually be completed and the type of hassle it's going to bring with it.

I'm happy I have no trips planned for orlando this year or next.

Considering f

 

[princesslover]

Maybe they are being too honest and the deal is that ME no longer keeps people in the bubble, i.e. they can take Uber/Lyft to Universal now, and thus that part of the business case for ME is weaker. Just reading between the lines. (I'm not happy about it either.)

According to this article (Len from TP) this is exactly the issue. People using ME and still leaving property. Disney apparently wasn’t getting the same bang for their buck. Which is why I don’t think it’s coming back.https://www.marketwatch.com/story/w...u2YTT-cxmm5WUXCcO7mfACDlF-xwW30GZ4HRliAXQCgFA

 

[MrsBooch]

I just received my response back from DVC Guest Services who I also included in my email about how I was feeling regarding DME:

Welcome Home XXXXX,

Thank you for contacting us.

I would first like to thank you and your family for choosing to vacation with us during these unprecedented times. It may be different from the last time you visited. But together, we can find new ways to create magical moments—and memories to treasure. I truly appreciate the time you took to send in your feedback regarding the announcement of the removal of Disney's Magical Express Service. As Walt Disney World continues to plan for the future, we will be evolving parts of our experience for Disney Resort hotel stays. A one-size-fits-all approach to airport transportation no longer meets the needs of our Guests today. Guests have far more options to choose from compared to when Disney’s Magical Express service was introduced more than fifteen years ago. These options are becoming more popular for vacationers, providing more flexibility and saving time so they can better plan their day at their convenience.

As with every other change we’ve made in our history, we will help Guests navigate through these next steps and will continue to deliver on what’s expected from a Disney experience. Disney's Magical Express Service for Resort arrivals through the end of 2021 will be honored. We truly believe that by listening to our Members, we will know what we’re doing right and—most importantly—what we should continue to improve upon.

XXXXX, thank you for your honest and constructive feedback.

 

[Naomeri]

I just received my response back from DVC Guest Services who I also included in my email about how I was feeling regarding DME:

We truly believe that by listening to our Members, we will know what we’re doing right and—most importantly—what we should continue to improve upon.

Who were they listening to when they made the decision to end DME?!

 

[aboveH20]

As someone who LOVES solo trips to WDW, I was greatly disappointed in the announcement. It made it so seamless to travel from home to The Magic.

The Disney stockholder in me says, thanks for watching my back, Disney. Every other ounce of me says, Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

 

[smallworldnh]

Disney is slowly but surely taking away the magic and making it more cost efficient to stay off site. I can't even imaging the throngs of people trying to find transportation to the resort at the same time. I think it's going to be a nightmare for awhile, but I hope not.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

well well well....

we appreciate your dedication to your Disney vacations - here's a link to Hertz BYEEE

I just got the same reply email from Disney.