News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[nickys]

They could have, but IMHO that would have eliminated the main value of DME (both the luggage pickup/delivery and being able to check bags at the resort). The transportation itself is relatively trivial and easy to replace.

The luggage transport was the real "magic" of the service. YMMV.

As an international guest we weren’t able to use the resort airline check-in. And there wasn’t a benefit to the bag pick-up, since we had to collect the luggage anyway for customs; we could have put them back on the carousel but that meant handing over luggage receipts to the DME desk. We did use it once when we flew via Newark so didn’t need to clear customs again. Still not much benefit when arriving in the evening.

But it saved a lot of hassle on arrival. So for us, the benefit was in the transport.

 

[lewisc]

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As an international guest we weren’t able to use the resort airline check-in. And there wasn’t a benefit to the bag pick-up, since we had to collect the luggage anyway for customs; we could have put them back on the carousel but that meant handing over luggage receipts to the DME desk. We did use it once when we flew via Newark so didn’t need to clear customs again. Still not much benefit when arriving in the evening.

But it saved a lot of hassle on arrival. So for us, the benefit was in the transport.

You can get the exact same transportation now, you just have to pay for it. Mears ran shared shuttle service before DME, during DME to non Disney resorts and runs MearsConnect currently The incoming and outgoing luggage service can't really be duplicated without Disney's involvement. That's what made the service unique. The transportation part of DME made bus service free.

 

[bpiper]

The differences in experiences that each of you are describing is probably a big part of why Disney eliminated DME. I had one trip where our bags did not arrive at the resort until 12 hours after check-in. On another trip, we rented a car and were waiting for our bags at the carousels that never showed up. It turned out that even though they did not have bar coded DME tags, they were pulled off because they had plastic Disney tags. I imagine DME luggage issues were a big part of complaints.

Dealing with different airlines for collecting and checking luggage, cost of Mears, agreement with MCO, bus delays, long lines, lost/delayed luggage, etc. While in concept, DME seems like a no brainer providing easy transportation for guests and keeping them on property, the reality is that the "system" often did not go smoothly. Many of the issues were out of TDO's control, but in the eyes of guests, the start of their vacation was ruined by Disney. So, why provide this service at a high cost if it generated so many issues/complaints? Just speculation, but eliminating DME may not have been just about reducing costs but eliminating a major source of headaches for management and improving guest satisfaction (people can't complain about a service you don't have, except of DIS boards ).

When you say that they didn't arrive for 12 hours, do you mean that that they physically didn't show up at bell services for 12 hours or that bell services didn't deliver your luggage to your room for 12 hours?

There is a big difference there. If I had to wager, I would say that bell service was probably to blame. What resort was it? Some have more MDE users than others which can cause bell services to be overwhelmed at times. At some resorts, the spread out ones, bell services takes you to the room on a golf cart which diverts manpower.

The other possibility was that they were loaded onto the wrong truck and had to be noticed at bell services that they were sent to the wrong hotel and then rerouted to the correct one.

 

[nickys]

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You can get the exact same transportation now, you just have to pay for it. Mears ran shared shuttle service before DME, during DME to non Disney resorts and runs MearsConnect currently The incoming and outgoing luggage service can't really be duplicated without Disney's involvement. That's what made the service unique. The transportation part of DME made bus service free.

I know there are alternatives. I just liked that it was Disney controlled, it provided a certain level of reassurance. And I enjoyed the videos.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

DME tagged bags were pulled on the tarmac, trucked to an airport location, sorted then trucked to the resorts.

Bags Inc will handle your incoming luggage. The cost is $40 for the first 2 bags.

I don't know how much guest's would pay
Would Disney charge an acceptance fee?

Disney won't accept third party scooters, except from exclusive vendor

... and my family considered the BAGS INC option. The problem? They have no mechanism for RETURN luggage .
We're just going Mears Deluxe. This was stunning NOV 2021. Met by our driver at luggage, with a name sign so we could find him. HE grabbed the bags & put 'em in the trunk for four of us. Return trip? Just as smooth, we used the Delta baggage service at the Airport dropoff point .

 

[lewisc]

Airlines misdirect luggage. Some of the long delays were caused by Airlines. The luggage wasn't on the plane. DME delivered the bags a few hours after they arrived at MCO. DME saved guests having to wait until all bags went on the carousel then wait at the baggage office.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I know there are alternatives. I just liked that it was Disney controlled, it provided a certain level of reassurance. And I enjoyed the videos.

I think what it added for international guests was the sense that WDW was a true resort, with the experience beginning as soon as you arrived at the airport. It's not that uncommon for resort hotels around the world to have an airport shuttle bus as part of their service and even for international guests who couldn't use the luggage service, the effect of following the signs to this whole special area of the airport full of people excited to head off to their Disney resorts reinforced the notion you were getting something special for the high premium you were paying while others shuffled off to their generic ride services, taxis, etc. This was then reinforced at the end of the trip when DME took you back to the airport.

Now the arrival and departure experience is basically the same for Disney as any other option, most of which are far cheaper.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think what it added for international guests was the sense that WDW was a true resort, with the experience beginning as soon as you arrived at the airport. It's not that uncommon for resort hotels around the world to have an airport shuttle bus as part of their service and even for international guests who couldn't use the luggage service, the effect of following the signs to this whole special area of the airport full of people excited to head off to their Disney resorts reinforced the notion you were getting something special for the high premium you were paying while others shuffled off to their generic ride services, taxis, etc.

Now the arrival experience is basically the same for Disney as any other option, most of which are far cheaper.

There does seem to be a strange dichotomy right now where they are raising prices and (at least in some ways) signaling that they want Disney World to be considered a premium experience, while simultaneously removing much of what originally made it stand out as relatively premium over other similar options. The loss of that DME arrival experience is just one of many examples, along with things like the lack of detailed theming in many of the new builds/renovations.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

There does seem to be a strange dichotomy right now where they are raising prices and (at least in some ways) signaling that they want Disney World to be considered a premium experience, while simultaneously removing much of what made it stand out as relatively premium over other similar options. The loss of that DME arrival experience is just one of many examples, along with things like the lack of detailed theming in many of the new builds/renovations.

I completely agree; it's a very puzzling strategy. I'd be fascinated to know what they say internally about their target market, because the signals they're sending suggest they don't imagine the average WDW guest has particularly high standards but is easily parted with their cash. They certainly aren't going after the premium travel market with this strategy.

 

[DisneyHead123]

They are just reacting to their consumers - they are lining up to spend at record prices for a continuing lower experience.

At Disneyland TODAY, people are paying $30 to park and then WALK down the asphalt tram route a half mile to the Disneyland entrance.

Yes, sir, may I have another?!

Agree. As I often say, Disney is something of a monopoly, albeit an accidental monopoly. I think economic forces like the Great Resignation and ongoing inflation will eventually cut into their demand enough that they will shift into 'wooing people back mode', but until then, it's just an experiment in how much they can cut while still drawing crowds.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I completely agree; it's a very puzzling strategy. I'd be fascinated to know what they say internally about their target market, because the signals they're sending suggest they don't imagine the average WDW guest has particularly high standards but is easily parted with their cash. They certainly aren't going after the premium travel market with this strategy.

Dumb rich folks?

 

[Bullseye1967]

Agree. As I often say, Disney is something of a monopoly, albeit an accidental monopoly. I think economic forces like the Great Resignation and ongoing inflation will eventually cut into their demand enough that they will shift into 'wooing people back mode', but until then, it's just an experiment in how much they can cut while still drawing crowds.

Lets not forget the 2010 sales pitch. I believe it was called " get bodies here any way we can!!!!!!!" The discounts flowed like the drop on Splash Mountain. If demand drops enough we will see a lot of change. Demand right now IS NOT high, it is luke warm. The gate numbers they got for the first month of the "50th" fell well short of pandemic predicted numbers. The next day they added multiple entertainment options back. They do notice but are currently giving back the minimum they can.

 

[Lilofan]

Lets not forget the 2010 sales pitch. I believe it was called "Fu*k! get bodies here any way we can!!!!!!!" The discounts flowed like the drop on Splash Mountain. If demand drops enough we will see a lot of change. Demand right now IS NOT high, it is luke warm. The gate numbers they got for the first month of the "50th" fell well short of pandemic predicted numbers. The next day they added multiple entertainment options back. They do notice but are currently giving back the minimum they can.

2009/2010 was a really tough year. I survived the brutal layoffs in my company in spring 2009, a number of friends lost their jobs, homes and or condos, real estate prices dropped like a rock especially condos in my area. If you had cash, it was a buyers market.

 

[nickys]

I think what it added for international guests was the sense that WDW was a true resort, with the experience beginning as soon as you arrived at the airport. It's not that uncommon for resort hotels around the world to have an airport shuttle bus as part of their service and even for international guests who couldn't use the luggage service, the effect of following the signs to this whole special area of the airport full of people excited to head off to their Disney resorts reinforced the notion you were getting something special for the high premium you were paying while others shuffled off to their generic ride services, taxis, etc. This was then reinforced at the end of the trip when DME took you back to the airport.

Now the arrival and departure experience is basically the same for Disney as any other option, most of which are far cheaper.

I agree. And now, when they’ll be trying to get international guests to restart coming back to the parks, it’ll be hard to entice them with fewer and fewer benefits. To some extent they’re protected - there will be a large number coming this summer who have been rescheduling trips now for 2 years. So they will come this year and Disney will see the international guests flood back. But if they want them to return and stay onsite they might be disappointed. Without those perks to entice them, the majority of those U.K. and European visitors may well decide it’s just as easy to stay at private villas.

 

[lewisc]

Transfers are frequently offered, and sometimes included, when booking.a vacation. Transfers are frequently provided by a third party.

Disney could easily offer, and under some circumstances include, Sunshine vouchers.

 

[tanc]

Creator of defunctland on magical express.

It's sad this service ended is such a bad way. Guess we should call this the tragical express. I really don't get Disney's mindset, since they are requiring guests to get out of the DIsney bubble. I seriously wonder how they don't think it will effect them in some sort of way.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Creator of defunctland on magical express.

It's sad this service ended is such a bad way. Guess we should call this the tragical express. I really don't get Disney's mindset, since they are requiring guests to get out of the DIsney bubble. I seriously wonder how they don't think it will effect them in some sort of way.

It's arrogance on the part of executives.

 

[tanc]

It's arrogance on the part of executives.

Allegedly executives were shocked by the backlash with ME but obviously never officially stated they were.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Allegedly executives were shocked by the backlash with ME but obviously never officially stated they were.

I'm not surprised. Arrogant people are usually surprised when others dislike their actions/behavior.

 

[tanc]

Another thing, with the removal of ME, where is the "value" in a value resort? Since now all transportation will need to be planned, it may get quite expensive. It's going to be harder to recommend people value resorts if they have to pay $100+ just to get to Disney. Not to mention the current cost of the value resorts.