News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[unmitigated disaster]

They have to have an alternative in mind. There are 1920 rooms at All-Star Movies. There is no way they have 1920 parking spaces. Even if, say, a quarter of the guests room rent two rooms that's still 1440 rooms. They don't have that, either.

And surely if ridership IS down the first thing you do is downsize the buses. Those Sprinters. Not just ax the whole thing.

And hey, maybe it's time to try different places to vacation. National Parks. Different cities.

 

[lazyboy97o]

They have to have an alternative in mind. There are 1920 rooms at All-Star Movies. There is no way they have 1920 parking spaces. Even if, say, a quarter of the guests room rent two rooms that's still 1440 rooms. They don't have that, either.

And surely if ridership IS down the first thing you do is downsize the buses. Those Sprinters. Not just ax the whole thing.

And hey, maybe it's time to try different places to vacation. National Parks. Different cities.

The Value Resorts are required to have 0.92 parking spaces per room. The moderates and deluxes have to have at least one per room and one per 200 SF of public space.

 

[flynnibus]

While this sounds like solid workaround, there are still caveats:

1. In 2018, I waited a solid hour to pickup my rental car. Those lines can be brutal, but I admit that might not the norm.
2. Grabbing your own bags slows you down and is a hassle
3. Can be a stressful drive trying to get on property if you aren't used to it (or have your mother-in-law in your passenger seat)
4. You still have to get back to the airport too, guessing you just do the one day rental from Disney Springs to airport? You just bring your bags on normal Disney transportation

1. More online systems and free memberships eliminate most of this.
2. Overhyped. I get my own bags nearly every trip. I find it less stressful than hauling my crap around the airport and worrying about overhead space.
3. Phone gps these days
4. You pickup the car and then go back to the hotel to pickup bags and rest of posse

 

[flynnibus]

They have to have an alternative in mind. There are 1920 rooms at All-Star Movies. There is no way they have 1920 parking spaces. Even if, say, a quarter of the guests room rent two rooms that's still 1440 rooms. They don't have that, either.

Have you not looked at these lots? they have crazy amounts of parking. Its places like contemp/baylake that are really constrained. The distance you have to go to get to/from your car is where its sucky

 

[unmitigated disaster]

Have you not looked at these lots? they have crazy amounts of parking. Its places like contemp/baylake that are really constrained. The distance you have to go to get to/from your car is where its sucky

No, I really haven't - I've taken the Magical Express. Since I am wrong - it's still stupid. And they should have garages.

But I'm holding firm that there are other things besides Disney World a family can do for vacation.

 

[Jrb1979]

Always has to be someone bringing "facts" to break up the complaining session.

There's also the previously stated plans by Mears to continue to provide bus service for all those people worried they won't be able to find a place to park.

Now you have to pay for it. It amazes The amount who defend every decision Dr. Evil has made.

 

[maxairmike]

The Value Resorts are required to have 0.92 parking spaces per room. The moderates and deluxes have to have at least one per room and one per 200 SF of public space.

The Epcot resorts (especially Yacht Club) would like a word. I'm sure they include the CM lots for those resorts to meet that number if they need to, and I believe have used them for guests for conventions and during busy periods, but parking guests in them regularly, especially Yacht/Beach's CM lot...yikes.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Always has to be someone bringing "facts" to break up the complaining session.

There's also the previously stated plans by Mears to continue to provide bus service for all those people worried they won't be able to find a place to park.

Speaking of facts...

It is *not* a fact that with MDE gone, every family that used MDE will now be renting a car. That's a *supposition*. One not grounded in the reality I know. People will still take taxis, shuttles, ride shares; rather than rent a car for the week.

Since you have to pay for parking now, it is much cheaper to take some sort of transportation service than to rent a car.

And yes, I understand that paying for such service costs more than the 'free' MDE.

But, the sunset of MDE does not mean an acceleration of global warming nor a pile up of cars parked on the grass of the resort hotels.

 

[Jrb1979]

Oh I don't defend the decision. I like the DME and understand why it was such a brilliant way to entice people to stay in the bubble while making us feel good about how much they cared. I just think the complaints have lost touch with reality in terms of the impact.

I disagree. The impact will big as it's just more things they are taking away. Many people will opt to stay off property now.

 

[seabreezept813]

I disagree. The impact will big as it's just more things they are taking away. Many people will opt to stay off property now.

Agree I think there is a breaking point and for reason I feel like more people will hit it post height of pandemic. Normal things like restaurants and museums are suddenly going to feel like a special novelty. Disney should be working hard to stand out, rather than come back as a shadow of itself. For awhile people might just enjoy local leisure as that has been off limits for anyone taking the pandemic seriously.

 

[TrojanUSC]

They have to have an alternative in mind. There are 1920 rooms at All-Star Movies. There is no way they have 1920 parking spaces. Even if, say, a quarter of the guests room rent two rooms that's still 1440 rooms. They don't have that, either.

And surely if ridership IS down the first thing you do is downsize the buses. Those Sprinters. Not just ax the whole thing.

And hey, maybe it's time to try different places to vacation. National Parks. Different cities.

The All-Star resorts existed for years before DME. Not sure what you're confused about.

There is no alternative in the works for now. Mears will operate a shuttle of some kind, which is how it worked prior to DME. That's that.

 

[Jrb1979]

The All-Star resorts existed for years before DME. Not sure what you're confused about.

There is no alternative in the works for now. Mears will operate a shuttle of some kind, which is how it worked prior to DME. That's that.

You're missing the point. What's so hard to understand that a free service is being taken away. Now people have to pay to get to WDW. Doesn't matter that it was there before 2005.

Dr. Evil really has his fans. The amount people that are ok with all these cuts is crazy.

 

[flynnibus]

How many took mears buses before dme? Please raise your hand...

How many regularly take mears buses when traveling? Please raise your other hand

Even tho they can make a replacement service close to DME... its still not Disney to most people. I expect many will rent or uber/lyft and just be grumpy about the higher costs... to some point a percentage will start checking out those off property locations.

Expect many hotels to start trying to up their shuttle game...

 

[TrojanUSC]

How many took mears buses before dme? Please raise your hand...

How many regularly take mears buses when traveling? Please raise your other hand

Even tho they can make a replacement service close to DME... its still not Disney to most people. I expect many will rent or uber/lyft and just be grumpy about the higher costs... to some point a percentage will start checking out those off property locations.

Expect many hotels to start trying to up their shuttle game...

Except now everything is digital. Disney can have a Mears partnership and offer it integrated into the booking/check-in system.

 

[unmitigated disaster]

How many took mears buses before dme? Please raise your hand...

How many regularly take mears buses when traveling? Please raise your other hand

Even tho they can make a replacement service close to DME... its still not Disney to most people. I expect many will rent or uber/lyft and just be grumpy about the higher costs... to some point a percentage will start checking out those off property locations.

Expect many hotels to start trying to up their shuttle game...

Well, we didn't before DME because we drove there. At first because Disney was a day on a longer vacation from Wisconsin, then because we were visiting family in Ocala and rented a car there to drive around Florida.

I like the DME and not having to bother with luggage or driving through Orlando.

 

[UNCgolf]

The Value Resorts are required to have 0.92 parking spaces per room. The moderates and deluxes have to have at least one per room and one per 200 SF of public space.

That makes total sense when I think about how empty the parking lot was at Riverside the last two times I was there. I don't think there was another ever another car parked within 10 spots of mine.

 

[UNCgolf]

Speaking of facts...

It is *not* a fact that with MDE gone, every family that used MDE will now be renting a car. That's a *supposition*. One not grounded in the reality I know. People will still take taxis, shuttles, ride shares; rather than rent a car for the week.

Since you have to pay for parking now, it is much cheaper to take some sort of transportation service than to rent a car.

And yes, I understand that paying for such service costs more than the 'free' MDE.

But, the sunset of MDE does not mean an acceleration of global warming nor a pile up of cars parked on the grass of the resort hotels.

I'd say it is incredibly unlikely that most people who used MDE will now be renting a car. There will be a small increase, but I doubt it will be significant.

A large increase in Uber/Lyft usage is more probable. That will potentially create some serious logjams at the airport and maybe some long wait times, but impossible to say for sure until MDE is actually gone.

 

[Jrb1979]

I'd say it is incredibly unlikely that most people who used MDE will now be renting a car. There will be a small increase, but I doubt it will be significant.

Agreed. Many will opt for off site now.

 

[nickys]

The Value Resorts are required to have 0.92 parking spaces per room. The moderates and deluxes have to have at least one per room and one per 200 SF of public space.

So how is there always a parking problem at the Beach Club and Contemporary / Bay Lake? Even at KIdani it was hard to find a parking space sometimes. Those are just the ones I know of. 3 times in a single week (albeit over New Year) at Bay Lake we ended up parking either in the valet parking or in the CM parking.

I suspect I know why. They really need to clamp down even tougher on non-resort guests parking there all day.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Agree I think there is a breaking point and for reason I feel like more people will hit it post height of pandemic. Normal things like restaurants and museums are suddenly going to feel like a special novelty. Disney should be working hard to stand out, rather than come back as a shadow of itself. For awhile people might just enjoy local leisure as that has been off limits for anyone taking the pandemic seriously.

This, I guess, is the great unknown. Presumably the economy is not going to be fantastic for at least a few more years to come. I guess we don't know whether Disney has a big enough market that is willing to pay high prices for whatever the company offers or if a WDW vacation becomes an unjustifiable expense for a noticeable percentage of their audience. I could foresee a scenario where the spiralling costs, stripping away of benefits, increasing hassle, and ever-rising attendance of recent years comes to seem like the last days of Rome followed by a crash, or equally that they find the masses ever willing to pay whatever Disney asks.

One thing that seems clear is that Disney is not aiming to attract people based on a value proposition. They seem to have taken the position that they can ask what they want, offer what they want, and customers can take it or leave it because there will always be someone willing to pay. Maybe they're right: perhaps those who will have the money for a WDW vacation post-pandemic will be those who aren't so sensitive to value?