RIP Magical Express (in 2022) 😥

[supernova]

If you mean the Dining Plan this was never a general perk like ME and 60 day FP booking. It was an (expensive) extra cost option that was sometimes given as special offer to get people to book. You only got it free if you were lucky or worked the system.

It was a perk, but I don't see why people would come to expect it. They were giving it away to nearly everyone over here, as long as you were cool booking a room at rack rate and then buying length-of-stay tickets. Which was another means of conning folks into buying a ticket for every single day of their trip, rather than allowing them a day off to relax at their resort or, heaven forbid, venture out to a competitor's park. Sure, we'll feed ya if you agree to stay locked in here the whole time. Sounds like... jail?

 

[Disney Frenhines]

If you mean the Dining Plan this was never a general perk like ME and 60 day FP booking. It was an (expensive) extra cost option that was sometimes given as special offer to get people to book. You only got it free if you were lucky or worked the system.

When they first offer things they do make it extra attractive. I remember when they first did the free dining plan it worked out cheaper to stay at Port Orleans with the free DDP than staying at All Stars Movies without it, it wasn't offered with value resorts, not even a free breakfast, because of the price difference between resorts at that time, it must have been 2011 and 2012 that this happened, off the top of my head. You also got so much more too.

 

[gavvy]

Thank you. Of course, the one problem is that our room rates will not be dropping in any way with this perk being removed. Sort of like asking a restaurant to not hold a side with your meal and it costs the same, even though adding it would be an upcharge. Now, will Disney be killing the resort parking fee cash cow?

Plus, DME was never intended to save guests money on renting a car. It was to prevent guests from being able to easily visit other area attractions.

You are right that it was not about saving money, but Disney saw all those rental cars being hired and worked out a fair few were also going to Universal and eating off property, this is why they did not charge for DME, they will do everything they can to keep you in the bubble, even now charging for parking in the resorts was a way to discourage a car. This is why to me this seems an odd cutback. A large % will just go back to car hire with the flexibility it gives as in the past and suck up the parking fee.

 

[kanerf]

I seriously doubt the train will be running by Jan 2022. They have not laid one bit of track to my knowledge. Look at how long the D.C. Metro expansion is taking for example. Better get used to the idea of renting a car or paying for airport transportation.

 

[Kaz65]

I get there are other options coming like the train and that mears can take you to the resort for a fee and lots of people use lyft/uber but really I have never been on a bus that wasn't packed full so people obviously use them. It was a perk for staying on site. What are you paying the extra premium for exactly?

I really don't think there are many benefits left. No magic express, magic hours, free parking. I doubt we will stay onsite again now, prices have gone up so much and all the little benefits that helped justify the extra costs before have been removed.

DH and I just saying the same thing last night

 

[bex7583]

When they first offer things they do make it extra attractive. I remember when they first did the free dining plan it worked out cheaper to stay at Port Orleans with the free DDP than staying at All Stars Movies without it, it wasn't offered with value resorts, not even a free breakfast, because of the price difference between resorts at that time, it must have been 2011 and 2012 that this happened, off the top of my head. You also got so much more too.

Yep you definitely used to get appetisers and I'm sure gratuities were included

 

[gismo1554]

Yep you definitely used to get appetisers and I'm sure gratuities were included

They were indeed. I did free dining back in 2007 and you got way too much food - who needs apps and dessert - and it covered gratuities so you didn't have to plan for any payouts at all. I however prefer the quick service dining plan overall to the other offerings as I'm not a big dessert eater so always find the meals a bit of a waste.

 

[marcais]

It's becoming less and less likely that I'll be staying onsite for our trip in 2022 (if it goes ahead). In fact, if things stay as they are with no QSDP, no 60-day FP window and now no DME it's almost certain that we'll be staying offsite.

Which will also mean less days at the park as we'll do other things instead and take more rest days.

I get their need to cut costs, but there's a balance between cutting costs and discouraging stays. and it's tipping too far into being a discouragement, imo.

 

[jf256]

Yep. Making our plan to stay at a disney springs hotel seem way more likely

 

[going/again]

they're replacing extra magic hours with early entry at all the parks simultaneously.
I actually prefer that, since we usually schedule in opposition to the EMH park (that tend to get too crowded).

if Disney has a brain, and they demonstrate that they do every now and then, they'll tie a new perk to staying on property.
Personally, i would offer some sort of FP associated with your room like they do for the concierge rooms at DLP.

Your assuming that the Disney brains care about the guests, not been like that for a while now sadly.

 

[going/again]

Right, but DME also cost Disney money. It's not like DME not existing stopped people from visiting WDW before.

How did it cost Disney money to run ,. They added the cost into every room booked.

 

[supernova]

How did it cost Disney money to run ,. They added the cost into every room booked.

Yes, but you answered your own question. Sub-contracting a bus line is not free, even if you are hiding the cost into room reservations. There are still many costs involved with this, no matter where the money is coming from.

 

[going/again]

Yes, but you answered your own question. Sub-contracting a bus line is not free, even if you are hiding the cost into room reservations. There are still many costs involved with this, no matter where the money is coming from.

Never asked a question, just pointing out a fact. So I'll ask how does it cost Disney ? if we are paying for it
Which is what you stated.

 

[marcais]

Never asked a question, just pointing out a fact. So I'll ask how does it cost Disney ? if we are paying for it
Which is what you stated.

Using made up numbers, if Disney charge $200 for a room and $15 of that goes on MDE, then their net income from the room is $185.

Stop running MDE, but keep charging $200 for the room, and now their income from the room is $200.

 

[going/again]

Using made up numbers, if Disney charge $200 for a room and $15 of that goes on MDE, then their net income from the room is $185.

Stop running MDE, but keep charging $200 for the room, and now their income from the room is $200.

Like I said if the room was $185, and they charge $200, Disney is still not paying for it we are, where as supanova claims it's Disney paying for it.

 

[marcais]

Well, that's just semantics now. It's like saying Disney aren't paying for cast members, we are. Disney's income from each room is reduced through paying for MDE to run. They're not going to reduce the room rate to reflect not running MDE anymore.

I don't get it, though. I'm not the business brain that the people making this decision are, but if I'm flying in and staying onsite I have to get from the airport to the hotel and back. If MDE isn't there, then that's £100 or so of my budget that is going to Lyft or whoever, with none of it going to Disney.

This isn't like charging for parking at the hotels where that money is coming out of my holiday budget and going to Disney for minimal additional outlay on their part. This is money that is now not available for me to spend at Disney.

I guess their thinking is that most people aren't that strict on budgets and they'll just suck up the costs. They're the experts, so I'll bow to their judgement. Maybe I'm the outlier in that I'm fairly strict on budget and the more I have to spend on costs the less I have to spend while I'm there.

 

[supernova]

Never asked a question, just pointing out a fact. So I'll ask how does it cost Disney ? if we are paying for it
Which is what you stated.

So your theory is that Disney will lower their price once the bus service is gone? Or will they maintain pricing and allocate that money elsewhere?

 

[vacationer1954]

To assume that Disney will increase prices next year just as much as they would have even if Magical Express was to continue is to label the American consumer utter and complete idiots. They're not. People know when something has more or less value than something else. Disney will increase rates, but they would have increased rates even more if Magical Express was to continue. Eliminating Magical Express allows them to show a lower room rate in advertising, which given the way things are right now will help them get people traveling again.

 

[supernova]

Like I said if the room was $185, and they charge $200, Disney is still not paying for it we are, where as supanova claims it's Disney paying for it.

Which is like saying theme park operations is not costing Disney anything because they are charging for admission.

 

[gismo1554]

To assume that Disney will increase prices next year just as much as they would have even if Magical Express was to continue is to label the American consumer utter and complete idiots. They're not. People know when something has more or less value than something else. Disney will increase rates, but they would have increased rates even more if Magical Express was to continue. Eliminating Magical Express allows them to show a lower room rate in advertising, which given the way things are right now will help them get people traveling again.

Although you can say this there has been no reduction in park tickets due to COVID and yet the parks are at capacity so Americans are paying for a reduced service without that much complaint. They don't have fast passes or fireworks or some rides or some restaurants and yet they pay it - and I would add we all would probably. I think that the Disney brand is actually stupid enough to think people will and no one will question it and thats because people will and they will moan but they will pay. I actually would be extremely surprised to not see price increases similar to the previous year on year or even higher and they will then claim its because of COVID. That said I am one of the idiots that will probably moan and still pay for some things - not for Disney hotels however given the current situation with no ME or dining plan. The trouble is they have too many loyal fans who will pay anything and that has kind of been proved over the years as prices go up. Our family have been going to Disney every year since 1988 and its stupid because we moan about the prices going up but still pay some of them. We don't stay on property that often due to the price increases over the years and this will reduce that even more but there are a lot of people who will still pay it.

Also Disney don't actually have to increase prices as much as previous years because by removing this service they are recouping money. So if the normal price increase for example was $100 per person per stay they've now saved say $50 per person per stay by not providing ME. So even if they increase the visible price by $50 they are actually still raising the price the same amount its just hidden in the previous costs. Its the same way when they introducing the parking fees they increased the costs each year as normal and didn't take into account the additional charges people were having to pay for parking. And although lots of people moaned, lots of people still paid it and still do. I wouldn't go as far as to say people are idiots because I count my self in this group but little changes that dig away you tend to accept. If someone took everything away in one year then maybe people would think "well I'm not paying" but they are clever enough as a company to not do this. ME is the latest in a long line of things to be removed even before COVID and we have unfortunately accepted them all and will probably continue to. What I do think is that for our family we will consider staying on site less because of this but I doubt that will make any difference to Disney prices or anything because there are a million other people who will willingly pay whatever to stay there.