What is the % of guests who use Magical Express?

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I was just wondering what is the % of guests who Magical Express when going to their WDW Resort and back to MCO? I realize not every guest who stays onsite at WDW uses it because there are always going to be guests who rent cars, drive in from other cities and use other forms of transportation if not renting a car. Besides if every guests staying at all the WDW Resorts used Magical Express they could not handle all the number of guests. Also whenever I am at the Resorts the parking lots are always busy and not just with guests who visit them to eat at various restaurants. So does anyone have any numbers they would like to post?

 

[Edd]

I can give you this one. 5% of those landing at MCO use the Magical express each year.

 

[boomhauer]

It's funny - When ME was first announced I was so excited about free transfers. Then I realized, I'd rather save $100 for towncar service and start my vacation as soon as I land instead of waiting another hour or 2.

 

[CleveRocks]

I can give you this one. 5% of those landing at MCO use the Magical express each year.

And since OIA handles about 34.8 million passengers each year, that means that means about 1.74 million people use DME annually.

The data point we need to figure out CR Fan's question is how many (or percentage of) OIA passengers stay at WDW owned-and-operated resorts. There are no exact statistics on that. OIA counts the number of air passengers, and counts the number of people leaving the airport in every type of "professional" transportation (car services, rental cars, shuttles, and DME), but there's no way for them to have a hard count of how many people landing there are heading to a WDW owned-and-operated resort. And Disney certainly doesn't release that kind of statistics.

So here's a series of guesses ....

WDW has about 30,000 rooms. Assume an average occupancy rate of 80%, so that's 24,000 rooms used per night. Assume 2.75 people per room on average. So that's 64,000 people staying on-site per night. Multiplied by 365 days, and that's 23.36 million people staying at WDW per year.

Now we have to figure how many TRIPS. Let's assume an average stay is 5 nights. 23.36 million divided by 5 equals 4,672,000 trips to WDW resorts.

How many fly in? I have no clue. 75%??? So now we're down to 3,504,000.

SO ....

If 3.5 million people fly to MCO and stay at a WDW resort annually, and 1.74 million people use DME annually, it would seem that roughly 50% of on-site guests use DME.

This could be so far off it's comical.

But does anyone else have any better total guesses???

 

[Lewisc]

Why not? Disney has enough buses to transport those same guests, and more, many times a day between the parks. Mears would just have to lease more buses and hire more drivers. Buses are now dispatched every 20 minutes or so, even if the buses are half empty. Disney wouldn't have to double the number of buses if the number of passengers doubles.Disney has already agreed to open a second DME welcome desk, in the "A" side of the airport when the number of passengers exceeds a specific number. Do a search if you want the exact number. Look at it this way, passenger who take DME would otherwise be renting a car, taking a car service or maybe picked up by a friend. All alternative forms of transportation have a far greater impact on airport resources. 30-40 passengers on a bus is better for traffic and airport parking slots then 4 passengers in a car (towncar/SUV/limo).

The parking lots in the resorts would be just as crowded if the majority of DME passengers would otherwise be taking Mears, taxi or other car service.

Eric--if the figure was as high as 50% the resort parking lots wouldn't be as crowded. A lot of the DME passengers would have taken Mears or a towncar but a 50% number would mean a lot of rental car customers also switched to DME. My guess is your 80% occupancy figure is high. Go to WDW during the slow times, January for example, and the resorts are empty. 5 night average stay? Even if that's accurate as an average I'll speculate FL residents, who drive, may be just staying for a weekend and guests who fly might be staying for a week. How many guests who fly stay less than 4 nights?

Besides if every guests staying at all the WDW Resorts used Magical Express they could not handle all the number of guests.

 

[goofy4tink]

It's funny - When ME was first announced I was so excited about free transfers. Then I realized, I'd rather save $100 for towncar service and start my vacation as soon as I land instead of waiting another hour or 2.

Not sure how using a towncar allows you to start your vacation an hour or two sooner. When I have used DME I have been at my resort 60, 70 and 85 mins after deplaning. The times I have used a towncar (and it is actually more times than using DME) I have been at my resort within 50 mins (had only carryon luggage, no checked), and for the most part within 65 mins. The only time it has taken me that one 85 mins was when I was the last of three stops, with a ton of people getting off at the first two stops with a ton of luggage with them...each stop lasted about 8 mins.
With the towncar, you have to go get your checked bags, could be a 20 min proposition, sometimes more, then down to the bottom level where you will either wait for your driver to bring your car around, or you will walk with him/her to the lot across the street, with your luggage. Then, it's a 30 min ride to the resort.

I say this, not to be argumentative, but in the interest of fairness. Yes, towncars are going to be the transportation of choice for a lot of people. But I do not use a towncar in order to get to my resort all that much faster than DME. It's a personal choice, based on many different things. Some may want to keep that $100+ and spend it elsewhere. Some may just not like the idea of yet one more bus ride. There are good points, as well as bad points to both systems.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The parking lots in the resorts would be just as crowded if the majority of DME passengers would otherwise be taking Mears, taxi or other car service.

This is just a guess here, but how could the Resort parking lots be crowded if those guests took Mears, taxi or other car service? Chances are before Magical Express even started those were the transportation options guests arriving took when landing at MCO when going to WDW and 99.9% they were not renting a car. Now today Magical Express has replaced Mears buses, however the option of taking a taxi or having another car service take them to WDW is still there. So basically what I am saying is I don't see how the Resort parking lots would be a crowded with Magical Express passengers, because they would be the same guests who took the other transportation options to WDW before Magical Express even started.

 

[Lewisc]

Read the section of my post you quoted. The parking lots would be just as crowded (NO CHANGE) if the DME guests would have otherwise taken Mears, taxi or towncar.

The rental car agencies have said business is down since DME started. I used to rent a car and now I use DME.

This is just a guess here, but how could the Resort parking lots be crowded if those guests took Mears, taxi or other car service? Chances are before Magical Express even started those were the transportation options guests arriving took when landing at MCO when going to WDW and 99.9% they were not renting a car. Now today Magical Express has replaced Mears buses, however the option of taking a taxi or having another car service take them to WDW is still there. So basically what I am saying is I don't see how the Resort parking lots would be a crowded with Magical Express passengers, because they would be the same guests who took the other transportation options to WDW before Magical Express even started.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Read the section of my post you quoted. The parking lots would be just as crowded (NO CHANGE) if the DME guests would have otherwise taken Mears, taxi or towncar.

The rental car agencies have said business is down since DME started. I used to rent a car and now I use DME.

The more I think about it your correct, so I was wrong in my thinking. Although the more I think about the parking lot being busy if the guests coming from Magical Express and the others from a town car service, they just add to the total number of guests staying at the Resorts. Since they would not have rental cars they would not add to the total number of cars the parking lot. Take the Magic Kingdom Resorts and the Epcot Resorts expect for Caribbean Beach. During the afternoon's the parking lots would be less busy and I would guess that most of the cars parked there are guests staying there (guests who rented cars and drove from other cities across Canada and the USA) and a few guests visiting the Resorts who are not staying there. During the evening the parking lot fills up a lot more with guests who are visiting the Resorts to dine at the various restaurants. So the numbers will change threw out the day.

 

[CleveRocks]

It's funny - When ME was first announced I was so excited about free transfers. Then I realized, I'd rather save $100 for towncar service and start my vacation as soon as I land instead of waiting another hour or 2.

Have you ever used DME? If you did, was your personal experience that you got to your resort 1 or 2 hours LATER than you would have via a car service?

The 2 times I used DME, I timed it. From walking out of the jetway (into the terminal building) until stepping foot onto the ground at my resorts' porte cochere, it was 63 minutes the first time and 56 minutes the second time.

Are you trying to tell me that if I took a car service instead I might have gotten to my resort one hour BEFORE MY PLANE LANDED??? Because if I woulda taken a car service and not been delayed for 2 hours by DME, by your math, then I would have arrived at my resort when I was 30,000 feet over Columbia, SC. Pretty neat trick!

 

[Edd]

I don't think anyone has taken into account that there are 88,000, or approximately, rooms available in hotels off the Disney property. That is the reason the parking lots at Disney are full. Last I heard Disney has approximately 21,000 rooms on its property. Pop Century and All Sar has about 8.000 of the rooms.

The DME transportation has steadied at about 150,000 passengers per month, according to the finance department at the airport. That is about 5.000 passengers per day. Disney only transports to its own properties so many more passengers are staying at the resorts outside the Disney property.

You don't have to walk over to the CVPA with the car service driver to get into your car. Untill DME came along there were spots always available for the passenger to wait for the vehicle to come back over and pick up the passenger. Drivers evolved into walking passengers over with them because the passengers didn't usually mind doing the walking. They had a choice to stay under cover, at the terminal, or walk with the driver. Also DME began taking all the available spots to unload their passengers and those spots were no longer immediately available to load car service passengers. With the new test alignment on the A side, dedicated spots are provided for car service to to let their passengers wait while the driver walked over to the CVPA and drive his vehicle over to pick up the passenger.

 

[bavaria]

Chances are before Magical Express even started those were the transportation options guests arriving took when landing at MCO when going to WDW and 99.9% they were not renting a car.

Are you trying to say that before ME service was an option, 99.9% of guests who were going to WDW and flew into MCO did not rent a car? I beg to differ.

As many several here have pointed out, there are far more rooms offsite than onsite. MCO had one of the largest car rental fleets in the country at one time. WDW is only part of a trip for many travellers.

Even considering onsite guests only, I can assure you that far less than 99.9% of travellers took a shuttle, bus, towncar or taxi to their WDW resort. I have only taken a Mears shuttle twice in all the times I have flown into MCO, and have never taken ME.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Are you trying to say that before ME service was an option, 99.9% of guests who were going to WDW and flew into MCO did not rent a car? I beg to differ.

As many several here have pointed out, there are far more rooms offsite than onsite. MCO had one of the largest car rental fleets in the country at one time. WDW is only part of a trip for many travellers.

Even considering onsite guests only, I can assure you that far less than 99.9% of travellers took a shuttle, bus, towncar or taxi to their WDW resort. I have only taken a Mears shuttle twice in all the times I have flown into MCO, and have never taken ME.

No what I was trying to say is before Magical Express 99.9% of the guests who use it today, must have used other transportation methods like Mears and town car services if they would not be renting a car while in WDW.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm not sure what point the OP is making. In his last post he said 99.9% of DME passengers previously used Mears, a car service or a rental car. I'd be surprised if .1% of passengers walked from MCO to WDW.

I thought he was wondering why the resort lots aren't empty if so many passengers are using DME. The MK resorts only give out 3 hour parking passes if there isn't enough parking for resort guests. I'm sure there is more then enough restaurant customers, willing to leave their car in the resort parking lot all day, to more then fill any extra slots.

Do you remember the passenger total that requires a second DME desk?

I don't think anyone has taken into account that there are 88,000, or approximately, rooms available in hotels off the Disney property. That is the reason the parking lots at Disney are full. Last I heard Disney has approximately 21,000 rooms on its property. Pop Century and All Sar has about 8.000 of the rooms.

The DME transportation has steadied at about 150,000 passengers per month, according to the finance department at the airport. That is about 5.000 passengers per day. Disney only transports to its own properties so many more passengers are staying at the resorts outside the Disney property.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I'm not sure what point the OP is making. In his last post he said 99.9% of DME passengers previously used Mears, a car service or a rental car. I'd be surprised if .1% of passengers walked from MCO to WDW.

I thought he was wondering why the resort lots aren't empty if so many passengers are using DME.

Do you remember the passenger total that requires a second DME desk?

The 99.9% was a guess of mine of the guests who use Magical Express, that previously used Mears or other transportation methods to arrive at their WDW Resot before Magical Express was started.

 

[Edd]

Lewis,

I have tried to recall a passenger total when the DME would be established on the A side again. I attended all the public meetings and have viewed the contract, but there is nothing said about moving a welcome center to the other side of the airport. In preliminary discussions that was considered because all companies rent space on both sides of the airport. Disney was adamant that one side would be enough for their passengers and they did not expect to service any more than 2 million passengers per year.

I think it may be a topic of conversation when the new contract is negotiated, but at present time nothing has been set up. I have not even heard in planning about holding the A side open for Disney future use. There are other plans for using the space Disney vacated on the A side.

 

[clkelley]

Because of DME, we actually take more quick weekend trips.

Our criteria is:

Active APs (We keep APs, but sometimes one of us has a lapse between major trips).
No time off work
Airfare of less than $120 RT
Value Resort at AP rate or AAA rate of less than $100 per night
30 days or more away so we can fix our lunches in and make a commitment not to go to Karaoke on Friday night for the next month.

We have a certain threshold where we won't spend the money for weekend trips.

Before DME that meant a minimum of $60 + tip for Mears or up to $100 + tip for private transportation, add the airfare and that took it above our threshold.

We manage to do that at least twice a year now, sometimes 3 times.

We used to be able to do that from our home airport, but the direct Delta flight moved it's "evening" flight to closer to middle of the afternoon.

I just hope BNA keeps that late SW flight to and from MCO, otherwise our quick weekend trips are dead until we retire.

 

[briar_rose_59]

The 99.9% was a guess of mine of the guests who use Magical Express, that previously used Mears or other transportation methods to arrive at their WDW Resot before Magical Express was started.

I think the point Lewisc was making was that "Mears or other transportation options" seems to include everything. How did those other 0.1% get to their resort without using any type of transportation?

 

[bavaria]

I think the point Lewisc was making was that "Mears or other transportation options" seems to include everything. How did those other 0.1% get to their resort without using any type of transportation?

They were testing WDW's supersecret teleportation device

 

[goofy4tink]

Before DME came into being, I used Mears....just once, on my first trip to WDW. Never again. It was the most convoluted, confusing, time consuming thing I ever did. After that I started using towncar services. When DME came along, I gave them a shot. I have used them pretty consistently since then. I have used a towncar but that was when staying at either the Swan or Dolphin. I'm sure most people will have similar stories. Most used Mears since that's what Disney 'booked' for you if you booked a package. Some rented cars, others hired a towncar.