News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

Buck Wheelie

Buck Wheelie

Well-Known Member
Shouldigo12 said:
Not sure I understand your point. I don't care what alternative they offer; their own bus service, the train, a league of well trained alligators. The problem for me is, ME was a big perk for me and a good way to justify the price of the hotels. That perk is gone, and there isn't any alterative offered by Disney as a perk for staying at their hotels that I can use. Yes, I could use Mears once they break from Disney or an Uber. But now I'm paying for that cost, on top of the high hotel prices.

Of course there are other transportation options available to people. That's irrelevant. What I'm concerned about is what Disney is offering to get me to the hotel, and right now that's nothing.
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Disney is banking their customer base is loyal and dedicated enough to suck up the price increases with less perks and keep showing up. I think their cuts will bite them in the rear especially the loss of ME which was a huge perk in my opinion.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
trojanjustin said:
The cut of a perk that didn't even exist for the first 35 years of operation?
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The prices were a lot lower during those first 35 years too.

I don't know why so many people keep framing this as a black and white situation on both sides of the issue. Yes, it's true that WDW existed without DME and it can (and will) exist without it going forward. It's also true that the price of Disney resort rooms used to be far cheaper than they are now, and that those room prices aren't going to decrease just because they've removed DME.

Embrace the nuance.
 
W

WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
The prices were a lot lower during those first 35 years too.

I don't know why so many people keep framing this as an either/or situation on both sides of the issue. Yes, it's true that WDW existed without DME and it can exist without it going forward. It's also true that the price of Disney resort rooms used to be far cheaper than they are now, and that those room prices aren't going to decrease just because they've removed DME.
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It is true they did price themselves out of the market and overbuilt, so they turned a lot of cash rooms into DVC to compensate. I would be surprised if there wasn't some kind of add-on-at-booking partnership with Mears that replaces DME.
 
Buck Wheelie

Buck Wheelie

Well-Known Member
trojanjustin said:
The cut of a perk that didn't even exist for the first 35 years of operation?
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Most people don't care ME wasn't there the first 35 years. They care it was there the last 15 or so and it's going away. They want new perks, benefits and updates have proven they will pay more for it. Disney is going the other direction with everything except prices. How much are people willing to pay for less?
 
M

MissingDisney

Well-Known Member
For our family, I think we have seen our last on property trip but didn’t know it at the time. EMH, DME, were 2 perks very important to us and sort of what we used to “justify“ Disney resort prices, albeit always on some type of promotion, when we did stay on property. “Well the hotel costs this much BUT....we get free transfers from the airport, extra fun time at MK.....oh ok....we’re SAVING money!” 😂. We do timeshares in the area often when we don’t do Disney and know we get A LOT more for our money staying elsewhere, so now with a much lesser accommodation with no perks, it‘s just not worth it anymore for us. We‘ve been those devoted fans, traveling across the country a couple times a year for Disney but I definitely see our visits changing.

I have no problem paying for a better experience or more, new things but paying more for literally less.....nope.
 
D

DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
An analogy to this situation for those who don't get why this seems like a bigger deal than a change in dining plans, Extra Magic Hours, magic bands, Fast Passes, etc... Imagine your local school system cut band uniforms, funding for the soccer team, school supply budgets, teacher appreciation funds, etc. - and then imagine they cancelled school buses. Just cancelled them, done, no more school buses. Students with zero transportation would get a voucher for a cab, everyone else could walk or be driven. I think to 90% of people, that would stand out as a much bigger deal. Why? I don't know, it just would.

I get that all of these things are subjective and one person's big deal is another person's 'meh', but hopefully that helps explain why transportation feels like such a bedrock thing, not a little extra that comes and goes. And I say that as someone who is sympathetic so long as Disney is doing this because they really have to for financial reasons due to Covid. I think it's problematic on two fronts - one, it's just horribly inconvenient. Buses were much easier for families, those with disabilities, women traveling alone, seniors uncomfortable with Uber, and I'm sure many other groups. Second... and, warning, I know this is a somewhat scandalous opinion, and it makes me sad to say it... but it feels cheap. There, I said it. It feels cheap and, if it's not an absolute necessity due to Covid, then it feels like dealing with used car salesmen who are trying to shadily make every last buck. (Yes, yes, that's capitalism, but it's supposed to be well hidden, at least.) Let's be honest, to some extent you a paying for a brand name, and a pricey one, with Disney. It would be like buying a designer purse for top dollar that a store clerk shoved at you in a wadded up plastic bag, with threads sticking out at the mismatched seams and plastic zippers. Part of why people pay top dollar for those kind of things is so that they can oooh and aaaah at all the froufrou little extras.
 
Shouldigo12

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
DisneyHead123 said:
An analogy to this situation for those who don't get why this seems like a bigger deal than a change in dining plans, Extra Magic Hours, magic bands, Fast Passes, etc... Imagine your local school system cut band uniforms, funding for the soccer team, school supply budgets, teacher appreciation funds, etc. - and then imagine they cancelled school buses. Just cancelled them, done, no more school buses. Students with zero transportation would get a voucher for a cab, everyone else could walk or be driven. I think to 90% of people, that would stand out as a much bigger deal. Why? I don't know, it just would.

I get that all of these things are subjective and one person's big deal is another person's 'meh', but hopefully that helps explain why transportation feels like such a bedrock thing, not a little extra that comes and goes. And I say that as someone who is sympathetic so long as Disney is doing this because they really have to for financial reasons due to Covid. I think it's problematic on two fronts - one, it's just horribly inconvenient. Buses were much easier for families, those with disabilities, women traveling alone, seniors uncomfortable with Uber, and I'm sure many other groups. Second... and, warning, I know this is a somewhat scandalous opinion, and it makes me sad to say it... but it feels cheap. There, I said it. It feels cheap and, if it's not an absolute necessity due to Covid, then it feels like dealing with used car salesmen who are trying to shadily make every last buck. (Yes, yes, that's capitalism, but it's supposed to be well hidden, at least.) Let's be honest, to some extent you a paying for a brand name, and a pricey one, with Disney. It would be like buying a designer purse for top dollar that a store clerk shoved at you in a wadded up plastic bag, with threads sticking out at the mismatched seams and plastic zippers. Part of why people pay top dollar for those kind of things is so that they can oooh and aaaah at all the froufrou little extras.
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Ha! This is a hilarious analogy for me, because that actually did happen to my high school. They spent a bunch of money building a school they couldn't afford then funneled the rest into the football team. Que nearly every extracurricular being cancelled, many of the "extra" classes (such as languages, art, the interesting history stuff, etc) and, of course, busses.

It majorly sucked, if anyone is wondering, and was a big reason I switched school districts.
 
B

brianstl

Well-Known Member
jkh36619 said:
Of all the things Disney has cut, I don't think a $30 cab ride is the hill people will die on.
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This is different because for guest that take DME it is their first and last memory of their trip. When your first and last memory of your trip in Orlando becomes paying an extra fee for your trip, it changes your perspective on all the other extra money you have spent to stay on property. In many people's mind that perk right after landing and right as they are leaving helps justify the other expenses.
 
homerdance

homerdance

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
You don't get that I was replying to this:

Retiring Disney's Magical Express without an alternative in place is a very short-sighted, cost-cutting idea.​

It would be kinda nice if people read what I was responding to for proper context.

Or, just blindly go about having the argument you want to have devoid of context.
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I didn't see a press release verifying that Disney won't be tearing up I4 between the airport and Disney world, so that is all speculation on your part. 😉

There are a many, many guests who arrive at Walt Disney World via other means today, and those will be still available. To act like this makes it impossible to vacation at WDW now is kind of being over dramatic. But the reality is, this is just one of the many cuts being done in COVIDS name that have been discussed pre-pandemic as cost savings.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
Buck Wheelie said:
Most people don't care ME wasn't there the first 35 years. They care it was there the last 15 or so and it's going away. They want new perks, benefits and updates have proven they will pay more for it. Disney is going the other direction with everything except prices. How much are people willing to pay for less?
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I agree. People like to complain about price, but when it comes to Disney, I believe the convenience and experience are much more important.

Disney is expensive, but I'm willing to pay quite a bit for the convenience they've built into the system over the years to make staying there carefree and all-inclusive. We rent a car now, but really loved dropping off our bags at the resort airline check-in, then going to Olivia's on our way back to the airport without having to deal with our luggage at the terminal. (I'm not looking for people to say how easy it is to check bags - it's us, not you.) It made Disney different and just a bit more special for us.

I don't mind paying to add new experiences like Highway in the Sky Dine-Around or the recent tours or dessert parties. But Disney is making it just a bit harder for us on our way out than it has been for the past 15 years. If they add a paid service that works the same way, we'll pay for it. But if we have to deal with our bags at the airport, that makes a difference for us. (Once again, that's us - it may be different for you.)

The two changes that made me most upset about Disney over the past years aren't the price increases or changes to attractions - they are the resort parking fees and the demise of DME - and we only used a small part of the latter service. People don't respond well to having things taken away.

And it is definitely about context. All of these responses are being made in the context of a free, convenient service that has existed for many years being taken away. Even if they don't phrase it perfectly, posters are not complaining that there is no way to get from the airport to WDW. It does make a great straw man argument, though, because there are several forms of transportation available.
 
D

dreday3

Well-Known Member
brianstl said:
This is different because for guest that take DME it is their first and last memory of their trip. When your first and last memory of your trip in Orlando becomes paying an extra fee for your trip, it changes your perspective on all the other extra money you have spent to stay on property. In many people's mind that perk right after landing and right as they are leaving helps justify the other expenses.
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I actually found the bus ride back to the airport to be most depressing, I hated it.

I'm happy to just jump in an Uber and be on the way! A clean break!

(yes, I know I'm in the minority)
 

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