Magical Express Replacement

[DougEMG]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

I love taking ME with the luggage transfer and am very annoyed that it is going away. Just made things so much easier when travelling.

 

[Lewisc]

Uber and Lyft are not viable options for families with multiple car-seat-aged kids.

Correct. It might not even be an option with a car service. Putting an unneeded car seat in the trunk doesn't leave room for luggage. An Uber or taxi driver isn't going to go someplace 2 pick up 2 car seats before picking you up then going back to drop them off before his next fare.

Mears has said they'll be running shared shuttle service. We don't know if special luggage handling, similar to DMEs will be available.

Car seats for the plane and rental may be the easiest solution

 

[jlundeen]

Sorry, didn't realize this site was barred... removed reference

It's a report about Mears Connect reservations being delayed until "summer" rather than "May" as originally stated.

 

[akk]

Getting rid of ME will cause an increased demand for Uber, car service and car rentals causing their prices to go up. Already car rental prices are up 45% nationwide. Uber prices have been having constant surge pricing. LaGuardia airport to my home is usually about $35. Got home 11:30 pm a couple of days ago the Uber price was $115. Luckily my son picked me up. Used to consistently get car rentals at decent prices. Not anymore and all those taxes and fees are killers. Welcome to inflation.

 

[mackmack]

Getting rid of ME will cause an increased demand for Uber, car service and car rentals causing their prices to go up. Already car rental prices are up 45% nationwide. Uber prices have been having constant surge pricing. LaGuardia airport to my home is usually about $35. Got home 11:30 pm a couple of days ago the Uber price was $115. Luckily my son picked me up. Used to consistently get car rentals at decent prices. Not anymore and all those taxes and fees are killers. Welcome to inflation.

it's temporary, sorta like lumber prices if you are involved with that at all. Everything will get back to normal by early next year but there is going to be some volatility especially with the anniversary this october as well.

You are right with increased demand comes inflation and lack of supply, but you will see more supply(uber drivers) flood the market from Orlando airport as well in response.

I would not regard anything that happens in the next 6 months as normal or typical.

 

[BayouQueen]

I've just skimmed through this thread, but piping in...
We won't make as many trips to WDW now. Our "girl trips" where we gathered from different parts of the country were convenient, safe and fun. Take away the convenience and feeling of safety, and there's also a loss of fun.
Just us....

 

[Lewisc]

I've just skimmed through this thread, but piping in...
We won't make as many trips to WDW now. Our "girl trips" where we gathered from different parts of the country were convenient, safe and fun. Take away the convenience and feeling of safety, and there's also a loss of fun.
Just us....

Luggage handling was a big plus with DME. The price was right.
DME buses were leased to Mears. DME bus drivers were Mears employees. Safety will be the same

 

[Jake]

Limo used to make a 20 minute stop at a food store on the way To Disney. If you plan it you can buy water, snacks, soda beer ect Not to pay Disney prices at hotel

 

[DebbieB]

Simple solution to all of this...bring back Minnie Vans. Plain and Simple. Faster and more efficient. Still can keep people in the Disney bubble and don't have to carry car seats for kiddos.

The Minnie Van airport service was $155 each way before the closure.

 

[ford91exploder]

it's temporary, sorta like lumber prices if you are involved with that at all. Everything will get back to normal by early next year but there is going to be some volatility especially with the anniversary this october as well.

You are right with increased demand comes inflation and lack of supply, but you will see more supply(uber drivers) flood the market from Orlando airport as well in response.

I would not regard anything that happens in the next 6 months as normal or typical.

you are making an assumption that Uber and Lyft drivers will be allowed on Disney property. I think they will not be simply because of the lax background checks both companies do. Or if they are there is going to be a stiff toll applied to the vehicle.

my personal take is Disney is going to charge for access to the guests and i’m thinking 25-50 bucks pp round trip and you will need to be a Disney Approved carrier.

This is no different from many airports banning rideshare companies from accessing the terminals at airports.

At Boston Logan rideshare vehicles are restricted to a parking lot in the middle of nohwhere up around terminal E which is international arrivals

 

[mackmack]

you are making an assumption that Uber and Lyft drivers will be allowed on Disney property. I think they will not be simply because of the lax background checks both companies do. Or if they are there is going to be a stiff toll applied to the vehicle.

my personal take is Disney is going to charge for access to the guests and i’m thinking 25-50 bucks pp round trip and you will need to be a Disney Approved carrier.

My feeling is Disney does not want to hinder the process of transportation from airport to parks in anyway. They are going to bend over backwards to accommodate any and all viable transportation. To cancel Magical Express and then make it a nightmare to find transportation or to take a cut on transportation inflating the price is something even Disney is not brazen enough to do. Remember their goal is to get people in the parks and then extract as much money as they can from them, which is why I find the cancellation of ME so perplexing.

They are just buying time until the train is finished which is supposed to be 3-5 years anyways.

 

[ford91exploder]

My feeling is Disney does not want to hinder the process of transportation from airport to parks in anyway. They are going to bend over backwards to accommodate any and all viable transportation. To cancel Magical Express and then make it a nightmare to find transportation or to take a cut on transportation inflating the price is something even Disney is not brazen enough to do.

They are just buying time until the train is finished which is supposed to be 3-5 years anyways.

Disney does not care about the PR nightmare they probably rightly assume that WDW customers will bow and say ‘thank you sir, may I have another’ (from Animal House) and the whole thing will be forgotten. Except for those long term guests who finally say. ‘Enough I’m done with Disney’

everyone is so excited about the train whose only stop will be at Disney Springs. No one is gonna want to hump luggage through the springs and to the springs bus station. Thats just not a realistic scenario and the stuff of security manager’s nightmares.


the train will be a boon however to the CM’s as it will bring them quickly from surrounding communities to Disney and Universal and as such cut traffic on I-4

 

[amgodinich]

With the Mears site's booking functionality being delayed, I almost wonder if there is something more to that and they and Disney are working on an 11th hour deal to extend ME. I was chatting with a cast member yesterday about whether or not airport luggage service would ever be restored (which to me is more valuable than the actual ride from the airport - I loved not having to deal with bags once we land or Orlando), and was told that while that service was not currently available that I should watch the Disney Parks Blog, as that's where information like that would be posted if it were to be announced. She could have just been placating me, but it sounded more hopeful than the "No, it's gone" that I've heard before.

 

[ford91exploder]

With the Mears site's booking functionality being delayed, I almost wonder if there is something more to that and they and Disney are working on an 11th hour deal to extend ME. I was chatting with a cast member yesterday about whether or not airport luggage service would ever be restored (which to me is more valuable than the actual ride from the airport - I loved not having to deal with bags once we land or Orlando), and was told that while that service was not currently available that I should watch the Disney Parks Blog, as that's where information like that would be posted if it were to be announced. She could have just been placating me, but it sounded more hopeful than the "No, it's gone" that I've heard before.

I wonder with all the social media blowback, Disney may have realized that while they can save a few bucks with cutting ME, The VALUE of the seamless vacation experience might just be a lot greater in terms of marketing to new customers.

i.e. your vacation begins when you arrive at the airport we handle all the details. That certainly helps sway a potential new guest.

Especially since its effectively the same marketing pitch used by places like Sandals where your package includes your airfare and transit to and from resort.

 

[Jcruise86]

I wonder with all the social media blowback, Disney may have realized that while they can save a few bucks with cutting ME, the VALUE of the seamless vacation experience might just be a lot greater in terms of marketing to new customers, i.e. your vacation begins when you arrive at the airport we handle all the details. That certainly helps sway a potential new guest.

Especially since its effectively the same marketing pitch used by places like Sandals where your package includes your airfare and transit to and from resort.

Here are two articles that pertain to Disney World & the long-term consequences of reducing the value of vacation packages:

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/25...n-2021-but-not-for-the-reason-you-might-think
https://www.insider.com/middle-class-most-eager-to-visit-disney-parks-2021-6
The Magical Express system at Disneyland Paris (Magical Shuttle) isn't free, but it conveniently took us from the de Gaulle airport to the lobby of the Hotel Cheyenne in 2019. People will pay for quality, but if Chapek doesn't have much after the cloned Tron & the Guardians coasters open, I expect a decline in attendance after WDW's 50th anniversary. Disneyland earned a bump for its 50th in 2005, and attendance remained strong despite the Great Recession. But this was partly because it's excellent president Matt Ouimet was almost Walt Disney-like in terms of demanding quality, so Disneyland felt like a reasonable value. The scaled-back (scaled back from a D23 presentation), lifeless Galaxy's Edge & the new "Spiderman Midway Mania" attraction at DCA (so inferior from the nicely upgraded 1999 Spiderman attraction at Universal's Islands of Adventure) don't make me optimistic for the long-term attendance at the increasingly expensive WDW.

 

[TiffFromTX]

I will miss ME so much. It's fun seeing everyone on the plane in DW t-shirts and upon landing, we all power walk to the ME lines - everyone so excited. I don't ever feel safe in Ubers or Lyfts and being the Disney Bubble from the airport on, and not having to worry about luggage, WAS magical to some degree. I hope they reconsider.

 

[Madteaparty001]

I think there's a lot of pieces moving around here.
1. I think the delay in Mears announcement is Disney telling them to put a pin in it while they reevaluate.
2. Car rental prices are up because they sold a lot of inventory last year to stay a float.
3. Car rental places are having a hard time replenishing stock because of chip shortages that are making newer cars hard to come by and more expensive.
4. There's a wage war going on right now so there's less people willing to do ride share as a job when Uber and Lyft are fighting off anti contract work legislation and attempted unionization.

Either way for the first time in a decade I booked a non Disney resort because my husband didn't see the point (he's all about the bubble) when the hotels at Bonnet Creek also offer park shuttles. Disney also got rid of the ability for stroller services to drop off at bell services, it's a thousand cuts kind of situation and I've run out of band aids.

 

[going/again]

I've been reading through these posts and can't agree more. I admit I've only flown once and we rented a car. I don't even think it was offered in 2000. We have driven the rest of the time and there were many trips. Started going every year and sometimes several times a year starting in 1989. I've never used the service but I'm betting with the fees we've subsidized a lot of other people's "free" transportation. Don't worry, you'll be able to get there somehow.

I think it's the convenience that most people are bothered about it going away, and I'm betting there are a lot of people that have subsidized things you use but they don't.
Works both ways

 

[going/again]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I wa

 

[going/again]

OK. Got it. I thought a lot of people would feel inconvenienced by Disney ending the Magical Express. I was wrong. Most people are responding and telling me it is no big deal, easy to get a ride share, and easy to arrange your own transportation to get to Disney. Multiple people have reminded me this is the way it was for 34 years. I get it. Apparently, I am part of a minority of Disney travelers who feel it's a problem to not have the Magical Express available.

I had thought everyone loved the convenience of the Magical Express. I made the mistake in thinking that because I have loved it so much. I have enjoyed getting my kids excited for their Disney trip by telling them to put on their MagicBands to scan at the shuttle pick up, and I loved how much my kids enjoy the Disney shorts that play on the way to our resort. To me, it was a great service, and I'm disappointed it is ending. I had thought most other travelers would be disappointed, inconvenienced, or stressed that Disney was canceling it. I had thought it was a big mistake by Disney. I can tell from the overwhelming responses I'm getting that most people disagree. So, clearly I was wrong.

I don't think your wrong coming from UK this has always been a great service, one I will really miss.