Magical Express is going away on Jan. 1, 2022

[bobbiwoz]

When I have Girlfriends stay we will have to coordinate our leaving times. ME was extremely convenient. One more girlfriends trip, this December, so we are set for this year!

 

[aoconnor]

Very disappointing and a bad business decision IMO. That said, I don't understand all the people saying they'll stay off property now. An Uber from MCO costs about $30 each way. For a week-long trip you're talking about an extra $8.50 per day. The price difference between on site and off site was already dramatically more than that.... not a reason to switch IMO. Understood there are issues with car seats in Ubers, but going offsite isn't going to remedy that either.

 

[DougEMG]

Man, it’s crazy to see how many people overreact to this with limited info. So many comments about people threatening to sell their DVC contract because of this, yet we don’t have all the details. No one knows specifics on what the train service will offer, or what else Disney will provide as an alternative to ME. What if Disney provides the train at no cost for those checking in to WDW resorts? In my opinion, I would much rather take one of these trains than the ME. Typically, these sorts of trains run on a much tighter schedule than do buses. And they are much faster in terms of actual travel time. I have read nightmare stories about the ME on the site alone.

Would people really have an issue if, for example, the train departed from the airport to Disney Springs every 10–15 minutes? And got you to Disney Springs in over half the time it would take by bus? And there are buses at Disney Springs that go to each resort. Again, this is all speculation with very limited information, but this could very well turn out to be a much easier way to get to WDW from the airport.

At the end of the day, Disney knows the value of providing free transportation to the resort for all it’s guests. Disney knows that doing so keeps guests on property, which results in those guests not leaving the property to spend money elsewhere. Take a deep breath until more info comes out down the road. Just my opinion.

A train and then bus is fine if you have no luggage, but since I do I don't want to be dragging luggage all over the place.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

A train and then bus is fine if you have no luggage, but since I do I don't want to be dragging luggage all over the place.

I've got a funny feeling they'll work all that out so that you never see your luggage once you leave your departure city until you're at the resort. I'm going to remain optimistic about that piece until somebody proves me wrong.

 

[heapmaster]

I think maybe the EMH change might be okay, but the ME is a big bummer (and added expense) since we used it all the time for going home (usually rent a car on arrival for a day or two).

 

[Eric Smith]

A train and then bus is fine if you have no luggage, but since I do I don't want to be dragging luggage all over the place.

If the train really is the planned solution, I'm sure they'll have something in place to deal with the luggage.

 

[corpcomp]

OK so the questions are:
1. How often is the train going to run? Lots of people will be waiting in line for it especially in the afternoon when most planes tend to land after flying from the Northeast or West.

2. Imagine families with lots of luggage and how they are going to have to negotiate where to put them while sitting on the train.

3. They you get off the train at Disney Springs, take the luggage and wait again in line for a bus to your resort. Current park buses do not have spaces for luggage so are they going to use the Mears style buses that load the luggage underneath? Imagine how long that is going to take.

4. What's the cost?

5. Will there be luggage collection at the resorts (doubtful)?

6. if the train system is not starting till 2023, why cancel ME in 2022?

Magical Express is the most enjoyable ride when arriving at the Airport. It really builds anticipation for arriving at Disney World with a smile on your face (at least mine). Now its going away. So sad.

I've took a cab to the airport a few years ago when staying at the Swan for a conference. That was about $50 one way. Face it. This is all about $$$$$. This also assumes that the train will be actually ready in 2023.

Sorry if this has already been covered. I'm just annoyed.

 

[chrish2]

I'm really surprised to see the withdrawal of this service given (hopefully) DME was having a positive carbon impact (ignoring the fact that it's pickup up from an international airport).

Withdrawing the service before been able to announce a reasonable alternative from a PR side is odd. Some have commented about the train service which long term probably has some connection. Even if Disney wasn't ready to commit to more details re the train in a press release you would have expected the "Disney is excited to take this time to develop new services to connect guests of Walt Disney World and Orland International Airport" cause lets face it, if others are going to be charging for a transfer Disney would not turn down the chance to get in that game too.

> How do any of us know that there isn’t something behind the scenes that could not get rectified between Disney and Mears?

One has to wonder if during contract negotiations one side has called the others bluff. Alternatively one side may have had a big loss on the deal due to covid resulting in damage to the commercial relationship.

 

[aoconnor]

I very much doubt the train is going to be replacing DME. Brightline only has 4 departures *per day* between Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. They aren't going to run these very expensive trains hourly just to accommodate Disney resort guests.

 

[Ronaldo17]

Disgusted.!

 

[Matty B13]

With the current Mears pricing, it will cost us another $168 round trip, which isn't bad, but it really sucks having to deal with the luggage at MCO.

Not that I would be happy about this, but I would pay for the luggage service and transportation to MCO. I just don't understand why they don't see this as a huge problem for large families that fly in to MCO.

 

[sethschroeder]

The price difference between on site and off site was already dramatically more than that.... not a reason to switch IMO. Understood there are issues with car seats in Ubers, but going offsite isn't going to remedy that either.

It all adds up though. People were willing to pay more because it was simple, consolidated, and didn't make you worry about things that you have to on other trips.


MATH:
$30 for 4 people (1 car seat or maybe 2 car set + 1 adult)
$45 for 6 people

Since the average family has 2 kids that means its $45 each way. That is not it though you are also tipping your driver another $5 as well. Also until a child is 6 (looked it up) Florida requires a car seat as well.

So you are all in $100/week or $14.28/night for a 7 night stay.

Yes that is not the difference in price but when people compare staying offsite or not that math is included in if they splurge to stay at Disney. Same with ongoing transportation to parks throughout the week.

For approximately $100-$200 more for the week you can get a Car Rental which I know some people prefer anyways.

 

[RKS03]

We have three young kids and this will force us to have to rent a car. This will definitely lead us to spend more time at Universal than before. The main reason we didn’t spend as much time previously was the hassle of car rental versus using using DME. I hope Disney is aware of the huge impact this will have on families with young kids. Uber isn’t even an option for us given the number of car seats we’d need. And I imagine there are many families like ours visiting Disney. This is a huge blow.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Think through this problem, someone did not. Pay for it in blood, many will.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We drive, so doesn’t affect us, but I agree that it stinks. But I really see it as another attack on families. It is easy for couples to grab their luggage and an Uber, but ME makes it a vacation for families. Disney is less and less family friendly every year, just like our society at large.

 

[Andrew Hahn]

Yikes! Water down the experience and people will drink it for a little while until the realization sets in that something is not quite right. Added consumer costs, plus less benefits doesn't sound so great to me. Writing emails and complaints is a waste of time, speak with your money and dine and spend elsewhere in your Uber or rental car as apparently we "have more options to choose from" according to the Disney statement . Replacing ME with no alternative and to try to soften the blow with an extra 1/2 hr early park entry almost feels like and insult. Those who have large families and younger children can now spend more money and have more stress while going on a vacation, a perfect recipe for success

I try not to be quick to judge but in this case I feel it is valid and speaking as a long time Disney fan when is enough enough? I know there will be those on here who try to rationalize and say "no big deal, it won't make any difference to me", just as I heard many say the same about Riviera resale restrictions but let me let you in on a secret... when you fundamentally change a product/services that have been a success for many years there is a chance there will be long term negative consequences for all who participate in that ecosystem.

 

[Dano1182]

With all the people looking for car rentals, Uber's etc, I can see a nightmare just getting to Disney as well departing. And if you travel off hours?????

I guess they will restart the old Mears and start charging again.

I assume that this will cause increase demand for rental cars. And increase rates.

 

[Dean Marino]

Deleted.

 

[Mumof4mice]

Spot on.
This is going to be the best perk ever for touring the parks for an onsite guest.
30 minutes aren't much, but they allow to ride two headliners before the offsite guests can enter the parks. After the two headliner are done, you're ahead of the curve and you can go to the 2nd tier attractions with no queue and so on.
I never use EMH, so for me it's really good news.

I am instead sorry for the loss of DME. Arriving at the airport and feeling already on vacation is great. As an international guest I couldn't use the luggage service anyway, but the vacation used to start just after passing the border checks.
On the other hand, I take DME at odd hours, so sometimes I have to wait a lot. With an Uber or Lyft I'd be on my way immediately.

I own 215 points and I take DME only one way because on the return leg I pay for an Uber from Universal. If one way from the airport to the resort I would pay $35, if our dues decrease by more than $0.16 then I'll come ahead. Less and I'd pay more.
But I'm ready to bet that transportation costs will remain the same in the budgets.

Agree this is a strong perk offer. Inability to rope drop any park would discourage many families from offsite stays. And creating a tiered entry system (only 30 extra minutes, when CMs are already in position setting up) is much cheaper than offering all the EMH. Doesn't mean I like it. But it is a smart business move.

I am sad about losing ME though!

 

[JenboJambo]

There have been many times where riding the ME has brought me to tears because I’m so excited to be going to WDW. That feeling might be in the top 5 best parts of the trip.... all of the anticipation! I even listen to the ME music loop when I’m missing WDW. This news is so upsetting. I’m in shock. It just seems like bad news keeps pouring in. Having to worry about transportation is going to play a factor in how often we vacation. Part of the selling point of staying on property or DVC was not having to worry!