News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

Shouldigo12

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member

el_super said:
There could be numerous reasons why, but I think the most likely right now, is the concern that announcing a new service in 2022, may cause people to cancel/postpone trips in 2021. They desperately need people to visit NOW.
Click to expand...
I thought about this earlier and thought I was going down the road of conspiracy theories, so I'm glad to see others thought this too haha. It makes some sense; people have a tendency to want to wait for the new thing, even if the new thing is just transportation from the airport. If they don't announce anything that's replacing ME most people will presumably assume there is nothing to replace it, and so there's no reason to postpone a trip. If anything it's reason to move it up. That might make people less interested in a 2022 trip, but that's not the year they care about right now.
 
aliceismad

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
floydbeatle said:
I am not trying to **** anyone off, but I am amazed and how apoplectic people get. Disney makes these changes because they can. Have you seen the prices they charge for ABD, or their cruises? How about the 1 day 10k VIP tour?

It is possible some are simply priced out of a Disney vacation. Sorry...
Click to expand...
I would be ok if Disney (or Mears rather, since they run all the transportation other than Uber/Lyft it seems in Florida) replaced DME with a paid option. For me it's not so much a cost issue but a convenience issue. I know that Disney has priced out some folks, and that's a shame but it's what happens in a supply-demand economy. Perhaps they thought it was better PR-wise to drop the service rather than add on a price.

Also their cruise prices are expensive, but they aren't out of line with what a WDW vacation costs. They are considerably more expensive than other cruise options, but that's because there is no casino and the crew-to-guest ratio is much higher. Casinos and booze are where most mass market cruise lines make their money.
 
seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
floydbeatle said:
Totally legitimate rationale, observation , and concern. The issue is that don't I think Disney cares that you go from 3 trips to 1 trip. They have plenty of people to replace you and your family with, and by reducing the amount of times you go, they may reduce the complaints. From what I have heard on this forum, although I don't know the truth of the matter, is that WDW only wants the 1 time guests that come once every 7 years or so. So again, having a family reduce the amount of times they go may be in their business plan.
Click to expand...
I disagree. We are entering times that are not economically fruitful. I don’t think they’ll have people lining up to replace those who opt out. Plus people have learned to do things locally again and might be more inclined to be more fiscally responsible.
 
mdcpr

mdcpr

Well-Known Member
aliceismad said:
I do wonder if an all-inclusive-type option will ever hit Disney. Package transportation, room, food, photopass, etc. all in one. I know these moves all point to no, but it's so convenient to just pay one price and be done with it that people seem ok to pay a little bit more for it.
Click to expand...
It could. 'For an affordable $10K your family of 4 can stay at a Deluxe for 4 nights, get 3 FP every day, all meals and transport!' There might be an all inclusive package in the future.
 
F

floydbeatle

Active Member
seabreezept813 said:
I disagree. We are entering times that are not economically fruitful. I don’t think they’ll have people lining up to replace those who opt out. Plus people have learned to do things locally again and might be more inclined to be more fiscally responsible.
Click to expand...
Possibly, but they sure are doing everything they can NOT to encourage people to return.
 
note2001

note2001

Well-Known Member
The ability to check our luggage at the hotel for the return trip, and not have to worry about schlepping all 4 bags plus carry ons though to the counter at our airline played no small roll in my spending significant amounts in gifts to bring home from the stores.

With that sense of freedom gone, I'm positive those last minute impulse purchases will die back to near nothing now unless they're of very small items.
 
scoobygirl39541

scoobygirl39541

Well-Known Member
I'm only on page 21, but I'm going to quickly chime in. MDE has always been a huge meaningful thing for my family as it marks the beginning of the trip. When I was a kid, my dad would always jokingly throw his car keys in his bag and wiped his hands of them the second he got to the airport.

Now as an adult myself, I will have to worry about driving/ubering. We have a 9 month old right now and car seats are a huge concern now. I will miss watching the in ride video with my son. I will miss watching him get excited during the drive. I will miss not having to worry about transportation (especially now), but I can DEAL with that.

What I CAN'T deal with and what I'm having trouble dealing with is the luggage. We're now going to have a stroller and extra suitcase added to our normal luggage load (also maybe now a carseat???). If Disney continues to handle the luggage, IF they pick it up at baggage claim and deliver it to your resort, ok. If they keep airline check-in at the resorts (one of the most valuable things to us and helps us enjoy an extra day in the parks on our last day, aka always buying one extra ticket). Then ok.

Yes I will greatly miss MDE for the memories, but I can (begrudgingly) deal with it IF they keep their luggage service.
 
Last edited:
W

wolfeman

Member
This stinks out loud. What’s the point of staying on the property? This 1 little thing, the ME was great. No dragging luggage around and it was the official kickoff to our Disney vacation. It was a nice little perk for going to Disney. That’s where the magical experience began on our trip. Convenient. Now we gotta get a ride as well as getting ur luggage. More stress. This is the 1 thing that made for the family experience a little better.
 
W

wutisgood

Well-Known Member
floydbeatle said:
I empathize with those who believe this is a big blow for all the various reasons stated in the past 36 pages. I have only taken DME once (1/2020) and I thought it was a great option. I totally could see why folks like the service. However, I am not sure why folks always get bent out of shape on these decisions by Disney and the current corporate regime. They reduce offerings, they make more money. They raise the prices on tickets, passes, food, DDP, etc. and they make even more money. They add new fees e.g. parking, they make even more money. They will not change their behavior and their thinking until the folks on this forum STOP going, and saying how great WDW is. You are the Superfans!

I have a feeling everyone on this forum is STILL going to go to Disney. You may flirt with Uni for a trip, but then you'll come to your senses and go back to Disney. You will all figure out how to live w/o DME, and all the other perks you were used to.

I am not trying to **** anyone off, but I am amazed and how apoplectic people get. Disney makes these changes because they can. Have you seen the prices they charge for ABD, or their cruises? How about the 1 day 10k VIP tour?

It is possible some are simply priced out of a Disney vacation. Sorry...
Click to expand...
Because disney is charging the same prices while cutting for what was built on being a premium brand. Sure I am still going to disney but the only money they are getting from me is on tickets. There is no point to stay on site now and because I have to park anyway we will mostly eat off site.

Just because disney can make these changes and make more money in the short term does not make it a solid business plan long term, but people like chapek would just ride the golden parachute out if he fails. I think the stock is going to rise greatly because of disney plus and the fact that they bought up so much of the media and make chapek look good but the parks will suffer.

His focus is lazy. Throw money at some out of control budget rides and then cut services while raising prices everywhere to cover costs. He is a retail man that does not understand why people spend so much money and is more focused on extracting money from the people locked in. The other aspect is how by being so greedy they are handing their competitors a huge competitive advantage to charge less and still make plenty of money.

Also people that interact with chapek or work under him largely hate him.
 
S

SLUSHIE

Well-Known Member
Maybe Brightline will have bag service, but I can also see Disney having luggage service when you get off the train. I think at the very least they will have luggage storage if you want to do some shopping before you head to the resort.

There are a lot of questions unanswered but Disney has basically a year before they really need to start answering them.
 
jaklgreen

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
People that are saying that they will just Uber now but I can see issues with that. DME transports a lot of people. If all of those now went with Uber, there will be huge wait times, heck even if half of those people wanted to use a ride share, it would back up. Plus the increase in the traffic at the airport. I think most people will end up using Mears, it just stinks to pay so much for a Disney hotel and then pay for something that used to be included.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
SLUSHIE said:
Maybe Brightline will have bag service, but I can also see Disney having luggage service when you get off the train. I think at the very least they will have luggage storage if you want to do some shopping before you head to the resort.

There are a lot of questions unanswered but Disney has basically a year before they really need to start answering them.
Click to expand...
They have less than a year if they are going to communicate any replacement offerings to guests booking 2022 vacations.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
SLUSHIE said:
Maybe Brightline will have bag service, but I can also see Disney having luggage service when you get off the train. I think at the very least they will have luggage storage if you wan to do some shopping before you head to the resort.

There are a lot of questions unanswered but Disney has basically a year before they really need to start answering them.
Click to expand...
But think about selling that compared to DME.

With DME, the pitch is step off the plane and on to our bus which will whisk you off to your resort while we take care of your luggage.

Alternatively:
Pick up your luggage at the carousel, catch a train to Disney Springs, check in your luggage again, then catch a bus to your resort and we will deliver your bags to your room.

The first sounds like a dream, the second sounds like a hassle.

Even a pitch of "catch a Brightline train from the airport to Disney Springs and take a bus from there to your hotel while we will take care of your luggage" would have most people at least considering alternative options rather than celebrating the perks of staying at a WDW resort.
 
Last edited:

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom