Magical Express is back to remove Chapek from Disney Property :)

[Isaiah55.1]

Magical Express is back to remove Chapek from Disney Property

 

[CampbellzSoup]

If Iger restores this service I will eat crow.

 

[Narcoossee11]

Don't fool yourself. Same goals and message , just a different person.
Iger was involved with everything in the past 3 years. The major changes that have happened in the past 2-3 years have been in the works for over ten years.
Capek was just too honest and blunt.

 

[wkrainey]

Honestly, I was surprised the Magical express survived for 20yrs before it was given the ax. The only reason Disney added that service, and did it for free, was because of the travel recession post 9/11. It gave travelers one less thing to worry about while traveling. I don't see it coming back until Disney needs to start adding "free" services to drive traffic back to the parks, and that isn't happening anytime soon.

 

[HopperFan]

Honestly, I was surprised the Magical express survived for 20yrs before it was given the ax. The only reason Disney added that service, and did it for free, was because of the travel recession post 9/11. It gave travelers one less thing to worry about while traveling. I don't see it coming back until Disney needs to start adding "free" services to drive traffic back to the parks, and that isn't happening anytime soon.

RIGHT!?! When they first announced it I think the consensus was it would be free for a year to hook everyone, then the fee would drop. SHOCKED it stayed free all that time. I think those who used it just be glad you got a break so long. I don't expect this to come back ~ want Disney transport? call a Minnie Van.

 

[FionaP]

It was free, because at the time it made good business sense for Disney. They made money by having families on their property without a car. Thus spending all their $ on food/entertainment/souvenirs on property. With ride share and access to multiple delivery options this model no longer works and therefore was cancelled.

I miss the luggage delivery to and from the airport, and would pay extra for this service to return!

 

[Orion Nebula]

Man I loved the ME, it was one of the crappiest things to see go for my family and I. Being able to step off the plane and instantly enter the Disney bubble made things even more special.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

Man I loved the ME, it was one of the crappiest things to see go for my family and I. Being able to step off the plane and instantly enter the Disney bubble made things even more special.

Same and it just kind of boggles the mind that this is clearly a service that people are willing to pay for (and do, Mears, Sunshine, etc.) so...why leave that money on the table?

 

[TiggerBouncy]

It was free, because at the time it made good business sense for Disney. They made money by having families on their property without a car. Thus spending all their $ on food/entertainment/souvenirs on property. With ride share and access to multiple delivery options this model no longer works and therefore was cancelled.

I miss the luggage delivery to and from the airport, and would pay extra for this service to return!

This. It was the expansion of the Disney Bubble - a chance to tempt guests to give up their car. In return, you got a free ride and magical baggage service. What Disney got out of it was keeping you where they wanted you. That meant you did not visit Uni. You did not visit Sea World. You did not go to Publix or other groceries and instead bought everything from on property places.

What killed it ultimately is not the pandemic, but the rise of inexpensive ride shares.

 

[dreiwhit]

Don't fool yourself. Same goals and message , just a different person.
Iger was involved with everything in the past 3 years. The major changes that have happened in the past 2-3 years have been in the works for over ten years.
Capek was just too honest and blunt.

I agree. Chapek didn't make these decisions on his own. The BoD, of which Iger is Chairman, approved of what Chapek did, either by their silence or by their approval. They need to do more than get rid of Chapek and the other two executives.

 

[rstevens333]

I miss the ME a lot. Would pay for it if they brought it back.

I wonder how much of the car rental shortages in MCO are due to the end of Magical Express.

 

[Orion Nebula]

I miss the ME a lot. Would pay for it if they brought it back.

I wonder how much of the car rental shortages in MCO are due to the end of Magical Express.

Most of the people flying in who used ME in the past are now using MEARS or UBER. I am not sure if many are opting to rent a car now and pay the resort parking fee's. I could be wrong though.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

This. It was the expansion of the Disney Bubble - a chance to tempt guests to give up their car. In return, you got a free ride and magical baggage service. What Disney got out of it was keeping you where they wanted you. That meant you did not visit Uni. You did not visit Sea World. You did not go to Publix or other groceries and instead bought everything from on property places.

What killed it ultimately is not the pandemic, but the rise of inexpensive ride shares.

The irony is that I always stayed in the "bubble" over the course of 4 trips in 6 years. I only booked my first Universal trip when WDW got rid of ME, free FP+, and free dining. Without the all-inclusive aspect, I thought hard about what I was getting for the money and found a better deal elsewhere. I guess only time will tell, after the post-Covid "revenge" travel dies down, whether WDW will see numbers that reflect that this move may have been shortsighted.

 

[mom2rtk]

The irony is that I always stayed in the "bubble" over the course of 4 trips in 6 years. I only booked my first Universal trip when WDW got rid of ME, free FP+, and free dining. Without the all-inclusive aspect, I thought hard about what I was getting for the money and found a better deal elsewhere. I guess only time will tell, after the post-Covid "revenge" travel dies down, whether WDW will see numbers that reflect that this move may have been shortsighted.

Same.

 

[Kbrb]

As a guest from the uk it was a slice of heaven.

Once id got off my 9 hour flight got my bag it was done, i was on holiday. My last trip my phone refused to allow data roaming, i was delayed 2 hours in the uk and 2 more at mco. I handed over a decent amount of cash for a cab just to get to the hotel.

They want us onsite for 2 weeks. Add in the lack of free dining, the £5 per day charge to use the phone, the genie the ILL and the cost of getting to and from the airport? Its just to much money.

I will be interested to see uk guest numbers of the next year or so.

 

[Jrb1979]

The irony is that I always stayed in the "bubble" over the course of 4 trips in 6 years. I only booked my first Universal trip when WDW got rid of ME, free FP+, and free dining. Without the all-inclusive aspect, I thought hard about what I was getting for the money and found a better deal elsewhere. I guess only time will tell, after the post-Covid "revenge" travel dies down, whether WDW will see numbers that reflect that this move may have been shortsighted.

IMO it's already happening. There is a reason Disney is offering Florida residents ticket deals and discounting merch of AP holders.

 

[cmarsh31]

Most of the people flying in who used ME in the past are now using MEARS or UBER. I am not sure if many are opting to rent a car now and pay the resort parking fee's. I could be wrong though.

We're DVC owners, so no parking fees. We almost always rent a car now, and it has totally changed our park & eating habits.

 

[amwhitaker]

Without Magical Express, I now leave property and go to the Disney outlets to buy souvenirs, dinner and other local attractions. I used to spend ALL my money on property. I wonder how much money they have lost with people doing the same.

 

[jo-jo]

Without Magical Express, I now leave property and go to the Disney outlets to buy souvenirs, dinner and other local attractions. I used to spend ALL my money on property. I wonder how much money they have lost with people doing the same.

We still never leave the grounds, but now that we spend money on transporation, we are spending money on groceries to bring with us. This trip we spent less than $200 on items at disney for a 2 week trip. Even as cheap as we are, during the course of a 8-10 day trip, we'd still go to one or two TS and at least one CS per day. Now it was a few CS meals and a few snacks.

 

[DebbieB]

Without Magical Express, I now leave property and go to the Disney outlets to buy souvenirs, dinner and other local attractions. I used to spend ALL my money on property. I wonder how much money they have lost with people doing the same.

I don’t think the majority rent a car instead, they are so expensive. They use Uber/Lyft, which is what I do. Uber/Lyft took away Disney using Magical Express as an onsite trap. After losing billions during the pandemic, it was an expense they could take off the bottom line. They also brought back Minnie Van, which I’m sure has a high profit margin.