Magical Express to end in 2022

[Waiting2goback]

Well, we are DVC and it would take a LOT for us to dump our membership. We didn’t join for any type of extra perks, but because we love Disney resorts and it’s part of the whole Disney trip experience for us. We are emotionally attached to certain resorts, the parks, etc. They’d honestly have to bulldoze Cinderella castle or something for me to not go there. I’m happy just sitting on a bench, listening to the Main Street music loop, and staring at the castle.

Seriously, though ... I am not always a Disney defender. Sometimes they do things I don’t like. I’m devastated over the loss of DME. I didn’t like FP+ at first, but over time adapted and grew to like it. The entertainment cuts hurt, but I an optimistic more entertainment will return as we move toward normal.

When I look big picture at our 5 trips in the last 4 years, they have been some of the best. Seeing Disney through my kids eyes and enjoying the same things I did as a kid is just indescribable.

I am with you. I just like being there. I have gone on trips and not ridden one ride. My Disney experience is usually different than most people. I generally won't wait more than 30 minutes for a ride no matter what it is. I would be happy sitting on a bench as well. The problem for me is, some of my favorite things are outside the parks. I can go for a weekend and resort hop, hit restaurants, and ride the boats from resort to resort. My favorite resort is GF. I can't afford to stay there anymore but I go hang out on every trip. I used to love listening to the orchestra. It was my first resort ever, I stayed on my first honeymoon so all those "extras" they used to offer always meant a lot to me, even when my marriage ended. So those types of things bother me as much as DME.

I just know the culture is different at DL. They took out the movie theather on Main Street last year in favor of more merch to be sold. The DL locals made their displeasure known and less than 48 hours later the decision was reversed. I wish we could develop that same type of outlook at WDW but instead people just accept what they do and give them more money to do it. They will never stop if people keep handing them their money, rather than voice their displeasure. If we flooded disneyparksblog on IG with complaints something might change. I am living in a world of fantasy I know, known of it is going to change.

Oh well, for the time being I'll get my Disney fix at DL where the guests still matter.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The deal doesn’t expire tomorrow. They have 11.5 months for one of the two to decide they need each other enough to either give in to the other side, or meet in the middle. Right now, the way Disney sees it that without all the resorts open, and even the ones that are open aren’t filled, why do they need to pay Mears for this service? If rooms fill up getting deeper into the year, Disney may feel it’s beneficial to them to re-up.

or like a flexible deal - so the amount of $ they pay mears varies based on room occupancy or something

 

[mshanson3121]

I don't think the travel industry is just going to instantly rebound. It'll be a slow uphill climb. There are a lot of economic issues for people to deal with and the pandemic has made some people question crowding in to planes, airports and cruise ships. I think this recovery will take at least as long as the one after 9/11 and probably longer.

How long did it take them to recover from 911

 

[BrianL]

The deal doesn’t expire tomorrow. They have 11.5 months for one of the two to decide they need each other enough to either give in to the other side, or meet in the middle. Right now, the way Disney sees it that without all the resorts open, and even the ones that are open aren’t filled, why do they need to pay Mears for this service? If rooms fill up getting deeper into the year, Disney may feel it’s beneficial to them to re-up.

See I feel like if they had suspended the service earlier, at this time, it would make sense. By 2022 I think we'll be looking at a vastly different situation, even if not fully recovered. I do think that something may change in this deal by that time.

 

[DisneyAuntie12]

There are a lot of things that Disney changes that I don't care much about, within reason - Extra Magic Hours, Fast Pass systems, free magic bands, etc. I have my preferences but none of them would make me say "What the (expletive), Disney?". But taking away Magic Express is, in my opinion, really bad, and I think that unless they were absolutely forced to financially, it was a bad move on their part. My extended family, who follow the little ins and outs of Disney even less than I do, also noticed this one and were really sad about it. This is literally the beginning and ending of many people's vacation - it is going to stand out much more than remembering exactly how many Fast Passes you had in a day or when your Extra Magic Hour started.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

How long did it take them to recover from 911

Not sure about Disney or the travel industry in general, but it took about 22 months for the number of people flying per day to reach pre-9/11 levels.

 

[Letterhead]

I don't use the ME, but I still think it is idiotic to gwt rid of it. It's the little things that make Disney World better than the competition. However, the accomodations available offsite can rival or better anything Disney puts out in terms of quality, so why pay more for Disney if you don't get the little things included?

I will say this though, for anyone worried about how to get to WDW, Mears, who run the ME, will probably continue running it independently, but obviously at a cost.

 

[YesterDark]

It's still about the resort-park transportation that keeps the majority of people on property and Disney knows it.

 

[Letterhead]

It's still about the resort-park transportation that keeps the majority of people on property and Disney knows it.

The resort-park transportation at Disney is very hit and miss. I've spent 45 minutes waiting for a bus, that was due to arrive in 5 minutes, multiple times in one trip. It's one thing Universal do better (regular and reliable resort buses).

I certainly wouldn't stay onsite without either a car, or I would have to stay at a resort with other transportation options e.g. the friendship boats, or monorail.

 

[Farro]

It's still about the resort-park transportation that keeps the majority of people on property and Disney knows it.

Especially most of the deluxe resorts.

Find me another hotel off-site where I can walk in the front door then straight out the back door to Crescent Lake.
Look directly across to the Boardwalk.
Listen to the boat horns.
Hear the sounds of Epcot in the distance.
Walk/boat/skyliner to DHS or Epcot.

That's a big deal for some of us.

I haven't stayed at moderates or values, so I can't comment on why people prefer them to off-site, but I imagine they feel the bubble magic there too.
(We'll see how I feel about GDT and if I feel "bubbly" after our stay!)

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Especially most of the deluxe resorts.

Find me another hotel off-site where I can walk in the front door then straight out the back door to Crescent Lake.
Look directly across to the Boardwalk.
Listen to the boat horns.
Hear the sounds of Epcot in the distance.
Walk/boat/skyliner to DHS or Epcot.

That's a big deal for some of us.

I haven't stayed at moderates or values, so I can't comment on why people prefer them to off-site, but I imagine they feel the bubble magic there too.
(We'll see how I feel about GDT and if I feel "bubbly" after our stay!)

Yep.

So long as Disney doesn’t put blockades across the walking paths to the parks I’m golden. Those resorts are always going to hold value that offsite cannot mimic.

 

[Farro]

Yep.

So long as Disney doesn’t put blockades across the walking paths to the parks I’m golden. Those resorts are always going to hold value that offsite cannot mimic.

Especially now that you can walk all the way from Polynesian to Magic Kingdom if you wanted!

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Especially most of the deluxe resorts.

Find me another hotel off-site where I can walk in the front door then straight out the back door to Crescent Lake.
Look directly across to the Boardwalk.
Listen to the boat horns.
Hear the sounds of Epcot in the distance.
Walk/boat/skyliner to DHS or Epcot.

That's a big deal for some of us.

I haven't stayed at moderates or values, so I can't comment on why people prefer them to off-site, but I imagine they feel the bubble magic there too.
(We'll see how I feel about GDT and if I feel "bubbly" after our stay!)

I feel the same about Epcot resorts too. The sights, the sounds ... ahhh. And the MK resorts too. The EWP. The boat horns. And I can’t wait for Tron to be done and the train to return because being able to hear the train sounds drifting from MK over the water to the resorts ... it’s just heaven.

 

[NoTime42]

Has there been any discussion if this is more about dining?

Wasn’t the main push for ME to keep guests on site for everything?

Has there been any rumor about dining plans ever returning?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Especially most of the deluxe resorts.

Find me another hotel off-site where I can walk in the front door then straight out the back door to Crescent Lake.
Look directly across to the Boardwalk.
Listen to the boat horns.
Hear the sounds of Epcot in the distance.
Walk/boat/skyliner to DHS or Epcot.

That's a big deal for some of us.

I haven't stayed at moderates or values, so I can't comment on why people prefer them to off-site, but I imagine they feel the bubble magic there too.
(We'll see how I feel about GDT and if I feel "bubbly" after our stay!)

maybe some of it is price point/how one vacations ... we can't afford Deluxe's really so none of what you mention is relevant to us (or at least, that isn't enough just justify the cost to me - obviously it is to others)

When staying at a Value or Moderate, perhaps those "perks" become a larger part of the draw/justification of paying the price vs much more affordable superior off property location

 

[skeeter31]

Has there been any discussion if this is more about dining?

Wasn’t the main push for ME to keep guests on site for everything?

Has there been any rumor about dining plans ever returning?

That was one of the main reasons for the DME, but with ride shares becoming so abundant in the last 5+ years, too many people were leaving property anyway, ruining the plan for Disney. I think that’s a big reason why they’re getting rid of DME.
Dining plans will be back, but probably not until all restaurants are reopened.

 

[Farro]

maybe some of it is price point/how one vacations ... we can't afford Deluxe's really so none of what you mention is relevant to us (or at least, that isn't enough just justify the cost to me - obviously it is to others)

When staying at a Value or Moderate, perhaps those "perks" become a larger part of the draw/justification of paying the price vs much more affordable superior off property location

I agree and we are staying at Gran Destino (CSR) so I will see if I feel differently about losing a perk like ME.

 

[bookwormde]

Since there has been question about the practical aspects of using the potential MCO to DTD train as a replacement for DME I will as best I remember share the calculation I did on one of the train threads

This assumes a light rail. With a 4 car 100 person per car shuttle train if 50% dedicated to on site transfers it would take an average of a train every 40 minutes at capacity to make all the transfers. adjusting for partial capacity every 30 minutes would likely be the needed capacity. As for baggage , continuing the current baggage transfer system would appear to be the best avenue.

From what I can find the Disney traffic alone would increases the daily ridership by 2 to 3 times what it currently is on the existing rail system and increase revenue by at least 50% even at a $15 ew ticket price

 

[mmackeymouse]

I've been marinating on this for a couple of days. I am going to split up my response into two posts, so as to not overwhelm the reader.

I know prevailing wisdom is that this is some cost-cutting measure, instituted to save Disney money. It's a business, it's a corporation, they are only accountable to the shareholders, you've heard it all before.

I just don't think this is the case. Because...truthfully, this doesn't net them much. When you balance out what they pay Mears vs what they receive in whatever percentage of hotel rooms are booked because of the convenience of it, the food and beverage of onsite dining, the sales from onsite shops...I'm not even going to go into the fine details....the point is....it may not be a huge money-maker necessarily. But...it's not a huge out-of-pocket expense either. They make up for it.

And, I am certain the bean counters at Disney know this. They understand return on investment. They are smart people. This leads me to believe that the reasons for it are much broader than just "to save money."

 

[Donna3271]

this.

and all of a sudden it will cost $500 round trip for airport transfers.

Mrs. Brooch,
Maybe not. The area is going to be so saturated by drivers, they may undercut each other, especially if the uber app is used. We can pick from whom we want.