News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[el_super]

The LAX re-engineering was a ****show when it launched. Has it evened out now?

Ehhhhhh.... ask again next year.

I don't doubt a possible collaboration between Disney and Lyft/Uber but it seems massively wasteful vs. biodiesel-fueled busses. At LAX, people are going to a variety of places from the hotel. At MCO, there is a considerable contingent every day that is going to Disney.

Well it could be as simple as them expecting to lean on the train from MCO as the primary system to deliver guests, and just don't want to sign another 3+ year agreement with Mears, thinking that the train will cover them in the future.

Which would indicate that any new system, may be a temporary stop-gap.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Didn’t even think about this. Isn’t that a bad move business wise? Wouldn’t they want to incentivize staying in the bubble? So then it would be hard to travel to competitors.

That's the big head scratcher here. Beyond whether this will result in less business overall, the genius of DME was that it encouraged visitors to become the captive audience Disney seemed to be aiming for and sold it as a perk.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

One thing I haven't seen discussed here is the fact that the luggage people were a completely separate company that went out of business last year. It wasn't Disney or Mears people that picked it up for you and delivered to your resort. So if Mears does offer some sort of reasonably priced paid service, you'll still have to pick up your bags and schlep them to wherever you get the Mears bus.

Correct, the luggage transfer was performed by Bags, Inc. Though, I don't believe they went out of business.

 

[corran horn]

One thing I haven't seen discussed here is the fact that the luggage people were a completely separate company that went out of business last year. It wasn't Disney or Mears people that picked it up for you and delivered to your resort. So if Mears does offer some sort of reasonably priced paid service, you'll still have to pick up your bags and schlep them to wherever you get the Mears bus.

yeah, my wife pointed that out. Bags Inc I guess?

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Is Disney Genie still happening? Even if it does, do we really think it will be that revolutionary? If so, why?

Packages. There will be free offerings, but you'll be able to purchase packages that include dining, merchandise, VIP seating for shows (fireworks), desert parties, etc. Transportation is likely to be integrated as well.

 

[Lilofan]

Didn’t even think about this. Isn’t that a bad move business wise? Wouldn’t they want to incentivize staying in the bubble? So then it would be hard to travel to competitors.

It is possible to get along you need to play along. But having more guests rent cars, take taxis etc can only help the struggling businesses in Central Florida when tourists venture outside of WDW . In turn both Disney and outside businesses private and public can share the love of the tourist dollars. More tourist taxes can be levied on the tourists .

 

[el_super]

Is Disney Genie still happening? Even if it does, do we really think it will be that revolutionary? If so, why?

I would think it's still coming. They have invested a alot of money in technology and integration at that level. Too much to be solely focused on one boutique hotel experience (Star Wars).

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It is possible to get along you need to play along. But having more guests rent cars, take taxis etc can only help the struggling businesses in Central Florida when tourists venture outside of WDW . In turn both Disney and outside businesses private and public can share the love of the tourist dollars.

That doesn't really seem like how Disney does business.

 

[doctornick]

I feel exactly the same way. Who is going to want to deal with loading kids and possibly luggage onto a train then getting off and navigating everyone through a train station to more queues and waiting for a bus, possibly having to check-in your luggage again once you get to DS? And all this after having already spent a long day dealing with all the fun of air travel, some from other countries. As someone else has said on this thread, we're not talking about budget travellers or backpackers here, but people dropping thousands of dollars on a family vacation. Most will pay for a cab, Uber/Lyft, or bus straight to the hotel rather than deal with that hassle. I would.

Right. I'd also add that isn't Brightline more of a commuter train/regional railway model? It only will be running like once an hour or so as opposed to something like a city subway system or light rail where you get trains every 5-10 minutes.

I feel like I'm totally missing something because I don't know how Brightline would remotely work for the vast vast majority of WDW guests. The main people it would help are those coming in from Miami/Ft Lauderdale or Tampa who don't want to drive, not those coming from MCO.

I do see that a station is planned for the Port at Miami which I could see as benefitting those who want to combine a cruise with a WDW vacation and use Brightline. I know they also have talked about a stop near Port Canaveral which could be used by people going on Disney Cruises (whether combining with a WDW vacation or just wanting transportation from MCO to the port).

 

[UNCgolf]

Uber and Lyft are dominating transportation at this level and companies are going to be hard pressed to catch up at this point.

LAX re-engineered their pickup/dropoff experience in part, because of the impact of Uber and Lyft (LAXit). It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were also working on gaining influence and interjecting their business into conversations occurring at all major US airports, including MCO. Which would lead to this announcement potentially being something that Disney was pushed into doing either due to pressure from Lyft, directly on Disney, or actions taken by MCO to support Uber/Lyft and ridesharing as a whole.

Which is dangerous, because Uber and Lyft do not currently have a successful business model. They can't go on like this forever -- eventually they have to start making money or they are going to crash and burn. The scary part is that they do not really have an obvious path towards profitability at the moment. The potential is there, but it requires things to happen that have not yet and may not for quite a while.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I have another theory. Disney has another plan for the Magical Express at Disney Springs in conjunction with the Brightline but isn't going to disclose it in case it doesn't materialize. They may already be in PR trouble with Splash Mountain refurb in Orlando (or anywhere) potentially not happening. There are a half a dozen other announced parks projects that are no longer happening.

Better to surprise your guests with good news, than to surprise them and then pull it away (which they have a history of doing as of late).

What better surprise? If they're switching to Brightline then they should wait until the service is actually running, or at least fully approved and under construction. How is having nothing for at least a year better?

Right. I'd also add that isn't Brightline more of a commuter train/regional railway model? It only will be running like once an hour or so as opposed to something like a city subway system or light rail where you get trains every 5-10 minutes.

I feel like I'm totally missing something because I don't know how Brightline would remotely work for the vast vast majority of WDW guests. The main people it would help are those coming in from Miami/Ft Lauderdale or Tampa who don't want to drive, not those coming from MCO.

I do see that a station is planned for the Port at Miami which I could see as benefitting those who want to combine a cruise with a WDW vacation and use Brightline. I know they also have talked about a stop near Port Canaveral which could be used by people going on Disney Cruises (whether combining with a WDW vacation or just wanting transportation from MCO to the port).

It would be possible to run additional trains just between Walt Disney World and the airport.

 

[Lilofan]

That doesn't really seem like how Disney does business.

I know one thinks of dollars and squeezing the competition out but to play along you need to get along with all things Central Florida.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Is Disney Genie still happening? Even if it does, do we really think it will be that revolutionary? If so, why?

Yes. Still being mentioned by Disney.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

For us, the DME decision is just one of many poor decisions we think Disney has made recently.

- No Magical Express
- No resort airline check-in / baggage check
- No Extra Magic Hours
- Constant upcharges (pre-COVID)
- Approving construction projects that ruin sightlines (Guardians, TRON, Harmonious)
- Cinderella Castle "makeover"
- Constant price increases
- Whatever is happening in Epcot's Future World

Disney is offering less and charging more. Meanwhile, they're eliminating many of the things that set them apart - immersiveness, show quality, "magical" experiences.

And so on and so on. While DME independently probably isn't enough to make us rethink a Disney World trip, all of those combined has zapped the excitement. The "bang for our buck" has dropped dramatically over the past four or five years and it's time for us to explore new options.

 

[pvtim]

The many rental car companies, that are based at MCO and store their rental cars in the airport parking garage will be happy with increased business and traffic.

I know most are arguing that there will be increased ride share usage or the train...or even possibly a new alternative from Disney- but what impact will increased rental car usage bring? Many parking lots are too small for paying guests of the resort and resort visitors (dining, shopping etc) like the Contemporary and Grand Floridian for example. What will the explanation to someone that just dropped $700 or more a night be when there is no parking for their rental car?

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I feel like I'm totally missing something because I don't know how Brightline would remotely work for the vast vast majority of WDW guests. The main people it would help are those coming in from Miami/Ft Lauderdale or Tampa who don't want to drive, not those coming from MCO.

I feel exactly the same way when people talk about a Brightline station at DS as viable mass transit option for WDW guests. It seems more like something that could make shorter/day trips from within Florida more viable. Even in that respect, I thought Disney wasn't overly interested in those guests? Again, I feel like I'm missing something here!

The cruise option you mention is an interesting one, though. I could see combining a cruise with WDW being easier with a Brightline station. Not really getting from MCO to the resort, though.

I say all this, too, as someone who often uses and likes trains when travelling.

 

[Lilofan]

I know most are arguing that there will be increased ride share usage or the train...or even possibly a new alternative from Disney- but what impact will increased rental car usage bring? Many parking lots are too small for paying guests of the resort and resort visitors (dining, shopping etc) like the Contemporary and Grand Floridian for example. What will the explanation to someone that just dropped $700 or more a night be when there is no parking for their rental car?

I've stayed in several resorts. I've never seen an issue of not enough parking. More vehicles I agree is more traffic but from a business point of view it is a win win for Disney and Central FL. Everyone wants our spending money.

 

[mightynine]

- Whatever is happening in Epcot's Future World

You're not enjoying Epcot's World Construction?

 

[Po'Rich]

Does the contract with DVC mention Magical Express and any other extras? Disney has so many people locked in with it they can cut as much as they want and it would seem you have nothing you can do about it?

I think DVC has played into a lot of decisions Disney has made about the parks in the past 10-15 yrs as it's changed a large chunk of the visitor dynamic which changes thinking about what they can get away with cutting and what they need to invest in.

DVC doesn't mention Magic Express or any extras. Actually, they go so far as to mention that DVC should not be purchased for any past, current, or possible future perks (here, they are mostly discussing the discounts that are available to DVC members from time-to-time). That's not really the reason that I mentioned DVC. I mentioned it because the overall experience was so good the few times that I had gone to WDW that I could see myself coming back on a semi-regular basis. As such, I decided to make a commitment and buy into DVC.

Yet, your point is well taken that having people so committed to spending their vacation dollars at Disney has created a situation where they can reduce experience and focus more on maximizing profits (not that profits are a bad thing)--a portion of the audience is now somewhat captive.

 

[Lilofan]

I feel exactly the same way when people talk about a Brightline station at DS as viable mass transit option for WDW guests. It seems more like something that could make shorter/day trips from within Florida more viable. Even in that respect, I thought Disney wasn't overly interested in those guests? Again, I feel like I'm missing something here!

The cruise option you mention is an interesting one, though. I could see combining a cruise with WDW being easier with a Brightline station. Not really getting from MCO to the resort, though.

Right. I'd also add that isn't Brightline more of a commuter train/regional railway model? It only will be running like once an hour or so as opposed to something like a city subway system or light rail where you get trains every 5-10 minutes.

I feel like I'm totally missing something because I don't know how Brightline would remotely work for the vast vast majority of WDW guests. The main people it would help are those coming in from Miami/Ft Lauderdale or Tampa who don't want to drive, not those coming from MCO.

I do see that a station is planned for the Port at Miami which I could see as benefitting those who want to combine a cruise with a WDW vacation and use Brightline. I know they also have talked about a stop near Port Canaveral which could be used by people going on Disney Cruises (whether combining with a WDW vacation or just wanting transportation from MCO to the port).

I can't see any company building miles and miles of overhead rail track from WDW to the Disney Cruise terminal. The distance is almost 70 miles.