News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[JiminyandTink]

I haven't commented on the boards for quite a while, but I just had to express (no pun intended) how disappointed I am in this decision.

Crazy as it sounds, DME was something I look forward to as part of my WDW vacation as much as any park attraction.

There was nothing like stepping off the plane and immediately entering that comfortable Disney bubble, and DME was a big part of that. In fact, DME even eased the pain of leaving the bubble at the end of a great vacation.

There really is much more incentive for me personally to stay off-site and finally start exploring Universal more.

 

[stevebwv]

Disney does not have an attendance problem. There are more people willing to go and pay than Disney can comfortably accommodate.

There are two approaches to resolve this. Disney could increase capacity but this is a long game solution years in the making. It would take billions of dollars to be placed at risk.

Or Disney can reduce the attractiveness of the product in terms of value. Increase theme park parking fees and add resort parking fees and force customers to utilize the service. Many customers on the financial edge are now out. These visitors already had limited funds Disney could extract. This change will increase revenue while lowering expenses. Maybe the resorts go back to being at 75% capacity but when you increase margins it does not matter.

Also, this has been in the works for some time. There is no doubt the huge road infrastructure investment was done with more cars in mind.

Road system capable of handling 20% more cars? Check.
Fees in place to maximize profits from more cars? Check.
Eliminate expense of handling luggage and all the risks that go with it? Check.
Blame the vacationer from wanting flexibility? Check. (although this flexibility would be even greater with MDE)
Start to build an excuse why the internal transportation is eliminated (everyone has their own car)? Check.

We will see reduced services across the board in all areas long before any new service is introduced. And the people will still come.

 

[Tha Realest]

They fired the person who moderated comments.

They need to pull a Gideon’s Bakehouse and disable the comments immediately.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Just when you thought Disney couldn’t shoot itself in the foot anymore... they reload.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Most out of town WDW guests right about now:

View attachment 523420

I definitely feel attacked today.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I still miss seeing this video..It was better than all the others and now we can call this a relic to the past...

 

[DCBaker]

 

[UNCgolf]

Another thing: it adds a variable cost that you’re at the mercy to pay. I have no idea what the average Uber ride is, but imagine your flight arrives late and now you’re competing with Friday evening peak times or limited options.

They usually charge more for rides to/from the airport too, although not always.

 

[aliceismad]

Whelp. My DH does not have quite the same warm-fuzzies for Disney as I do, but he was willing to stay onsite for the convenience, which in large part was due to Magical Express. If we're paying for transport/getting a car, and as my kid grows, he's much more likely to push for staying at Universal or offsite with more options for activities and food vs sequestering in the Disney bubble.

 

[Lilofan]

View attachment 523426

And it won't be free...

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Ah, but does your local park have The Seas with Nemo and Friends?

I think not.

No. Just poor man's Astro Orbitor.

But my pass initially cost me $183 and my renewal this year was $83. And they have a season passholder parking lot. So ya know, they're spoiling me.

 

[ppete1975]

im gutted.. this was one of the things that made disney easier and more magical for me. Part of the stress of a vacation is finding the rental car place renting the car (and extra expense) then trying to locate the hotel and disneyworld, driving in strange traffic, having to worry about the car, heaven forbid a flat or a breakdown. Instead i arrive get on their bus magically arrive at disney and dont have to worry about anything until time to leave and its the same thing. And we are paying for this already!!

 

[Space Balls]

Mears use to be the transportation from the airport before they signed on with Disney. They worked a deal with Disney to paint their buses blue and called them the "Magical Express". I could see Mears painting their buses yellow again and start charging for transportation as they have in the past. So basically the Magical Express, but you pay for it.

 

[ppete1975]

this is stupid.. first we are paying for this already.. but now you just removed the entire reason you have it.
The reason the ME existed was to trap guests at your resort THEY HAVE NO CAR!!!!
Now ill go to universal ill drive to other parks ill road trip.
The reason i didnt before is i didnt want the hassle of uber or renting a car...

 

[JiminyandTink]

The Magical Express, while nice, is only 15 years old. I hate this change, but our fondest memories in the 1990s of WDW do not include the Magical Express.

With all due respect and without trying to be snarky at all, our fondest memories of the 1950s, for example, dont include a time where women were treated as equals, and this still doesn't make this right. Things improve for the better. Disney being great in the 90s, and getting rid of DME being a terrible thing, can both be true at the same time.

 

[ColdSarsaparilla]

They keep chipping away at my brand loyalty.

We were once week-long guests with 4+ days in the parks. We've been reduced to onsite/offsite split-stays with 1-2 park days.

I will now be seriously looking into Universal parks and resorts.

 

[cmb5002]

Two thoughts -
1. Look at everyone saying they'd be willing to pay for Magic Express to say. I'm guessing that's a win in Disney's eyes. If they reverse course and keep DME, they can point that out as justification for charging for a former freebie.
2. Has the Minnie Van service resumed yet? Regardless, I'm sure you'll see the roads too and from MCO littered with red and white polka dots come 2022.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

With all due respect and without trying to be snarky at all, our fondest memories of the 1950s, for example, dont include a time where women were treated as equals, and this still doesn't make this right. Things improve for the better. Disney being great in the 90s, and getting rid of DME being a terrible thing, can both be true at the same time.

Yikes, wasn't trying to upset anyone. I also certainly wouldn't equate a discontinued bus service to mistreatment of women.

In any event, the point is we enjoyed Disney long before the Magical Express.

The hard truth is, the service will still probably be there. It just won't be free.

 

[flynnibus]

Ultimately, this offers no upside for guests, but most will not change their habits.

You're overlooking one of the key gains of DME - keeping guests 'inside the berm'. While you say it's only minor costs, you've also basically had the guest 'break through' a barrier that kept them in your camp. If they have to buy an uber once... it's alot easier for them to buy an uber twice... etc. Once they have a car, its easier to drive elsewhere, not just their first destination, etc.

DME was a 'win-win' for Disney in that it offered what was a huge monetary value for customers.. and therefor easy to convince customers to 'buy in' and give up other things... like flexibility or mobility. Both to the advantage of Disney. Disney was effectively 'buying' customers to lock-in to the Disney bubble.

Now, Disney is voluntarily giving up their advantage to keep alternatives at bay... effectively moving Disney 'further' from the airport. Seems short-sighted.

 

[flynnibus]

Are there enough rideshare cars available? DME transported a lot of people, so there will need to be rideshare cars and taxis to transport them all.

supply will grow with demand... and prices will too in the interim