News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[cslafferty]

“Disney is a business”

Yeah we ain’t getting equity back anytime soon.

I don’t see how they can possibly use the “Disney is a business” argument because I can’t see how this is a good business move. ME and EMH were the two biggest perks of staying on property. With both of those essentially gone, what’s to keep people from spending much less at good neighbor hotels?

 

[HauntedPirate]

I don’t see how they can possibly use the “Disney is a business” argument because I can’t see how this is a good business move. ME and EMH were the two biggest perks of staying on property. With both of those essentially gone, what’s to keep people from spending much less at good neighbor hotels?

Why, Disney magic, of course!

 

[JoeCamel]

I don’t see how they can possibly use the “Disney is a business” argument because I can’t see how this is a good business move. ME and EMH were the two biggest perks of staying on property. With both of those essentially gone, what’s to keep people from spending much less at good neighbor hotels?

TDO will send Pete to explain how staying on property is in their best interests

 

[TrainChasers]

I don’t see how they can possibly use the “Disney is a business” argument because I can’t see how this is a good business move. ME and EMH were the two biggest perks of staying on property. With both of those essentially gone, what’s to keep people from spending much less at good neighbor hotels?

A perk for visiting the property was spending time at the adventurers club, something unique to the wdw Resort. But Disney preferred to turn Disney springs into an average high end mall and lease the spaces out to 3rd parties. It would appear that the people would have it so, since the place is usually quite crowded.

In Disney’s mind, they can cut amenities like DME and people will still come and pay. Time will tell....

 

[JoeCamel]

A perk for visiting the property was spending time at the adventurers club, something unique to the wdw Resort. But Disney preferred to turn Disney springs into an average high end mall and lease the spaces out to 3rd parties. It would appear that the people would have it so, since the place is usually quite crowded.

In Disney’s mind, they can cut amenities like DME and people will still come and pay. Time will tell....

If asked directly I think they might use the words "changing clientele". A whole new WDW experience is emerging and I hope there is enough memory at the top to steer it so it doesn't suck for the less well heeled.

 

[TrainChasers]

If asked directly I think they might use the words "changing clientele". A whole new WDW experience is emerging and I hope there is enough memory at the top to steer it so it doesn't suck for the less well heeled.

Perhaps but they are the ones changing the clientele. The clientele that was their loyal fans still exist, Disney has just decided they can do better.

I still don’t understand a business that pours money into a money losing streaming service while cutting budget for their traditional cash cow. Makes no sense to me.

 

[JoeCamel]

Perhaps but they are the ones changing the clientele. The clientele that was their loyal fans still exist, Disney has just decided they can do better.

I still don’t understand a business that pours money into a money losing streaming service while cutting budget for their traditional cash cow. Makes no sense to me.

It is indeed strange, I doubt we know or see all the information they do so from our perspective it looks like stupidity.
Both Bob's have a lot more toys than I do and if they screw the company up I don't own stock.

 

[TransportationGuy]

Wow....someone had better warn the car rental companies. I once rented a car at the airport. Having waited to get all of our luggage, then waiting in line for over an hour for a car rental with kids. Eeek. Would prefer not to do that again. And, there is no food near car rental area so....really hard on hungry, tired kids.

As someone that was in the building to see it first hand, I would describe the rental car companies’ management reaction to the news as ecstatic

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I'm glad I got this 3 Bus vehicle toy set a few years ago at Once Upon a Toy..

Considering they made a toy line of 2 Mears Busses it surely will be a collectors item now if they still selling them throughout the resort..

 

[mattpeto]

2022 packages only has the rental car choice now...

Really thought they would announce their paid bolt-on (via Genie) before 2022 booking window.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Been there, done that. Between waiting for luggage and then waiting in line for a car rental it was about 2 hours. But, one of the bigger issues was that there was no food, no water for a crew of tired, hungry kids travelling. My husband had to leave us to go find something for kids to eat. There are few places to sit near car rentals. Really hard on families.

Minus the baggage claim, picking up a rental car was much faster than ME. With baggage claim, it depends.

But really I just chimed in to say Enterprise gave free water to their customers. I can't say if they are currently doing it, but they always did so before the pandemic. At some airports, the staff handed out bottles of water, others, had a water cooler in their office (they'd just hand customers a filled cup.) Sometimes customers had to ask for it, often they offered it freely to every customer.

But there's no shortage of places to get drinks in MCO or TPA.

 

[DomVF07]

Minus the baggage claim, picking up a rental car was much faster than ME. With baggage claim, it depends.

But really I just chimed in to say Enterprise gave free water to their customers. I can't say if they are currently doing it, but they always did so before the pandemic. At some airports, the staff handed out bottles of water, others, had a water cooler in their office (they'd just hand customers a filled cup.) Sometimes customers had to ask for it, often they offered it freely to every customer.

But there's no shortage of places to get drinks in MCO or TPA.

If you choose their sister company National (free to signup) you don’t even have to wait in line. You go right across the street, pick the car you want, and you’re off. Literally the quickest most efficient rental experience we’ve ever had.

 

[JERiv]

So to recap, in the last few years, Disney has:

• Given EMH & 60 day FastPass+ privileges to off-property hotels.
• Reduce evening EMH to 2 hours instead of 3
• Adding in "after hours events" so you can pay for more time than EMH would offer in the evening.
• Made the rooms arguably more generic and sterile.

And following COVID:

• Cut EMH & FastPass+
• Taken away free MagicBands (not much of a perk, but they acted like it was)
• Cut Magical Express
• Cut virtually all resort entertainment

So the question on my mind and probably many others' is: why stay at a Disney resort?

I'm late to this party, but wholeheartedly agree.

We love staying on-site. If we're honest, it's always been a bad financial decision. But not having to worry about anything made it worth it in our minds. Magical Express made sure that you're immersed in the "Disney bubble" from the moment you stepped off the plane. Taking away Magical Express pops that bubble. It will likely take us in the direction of renting a car. And if we have to rent a car, we'll very likely stay off-site because it's ridiculously less expensive ($$$$ less), even with the car rental included. And it's so easy to just drive to the parks when you have a car.

I was just researching a trip for 2022 and was pretty sure we'd stay at Kidani. But the minute I read this news, I changed my mind about an on-site stay. "Car rental" is just the escape valve I needed to consider an off-site resort.

I mean, am I missing something? Is the Disney demographic changing so much that keeping folks on property is no longer a priority?

 

[nickys]

I mean, am I missing something? Is the Disney demographic changing so much that keeping folks on property is no longer a priority?

I think it’s more that DME doesn’t really keep people onsite, because it’s so cheap to get an Uber or Lyft. Therefore the primary reason for DME being free is no longer valid.

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

I don’t see how they can possibly use the “Disney is a business” argument because I can’t see how this is a good business move. ME and EMH were the two biggest perks of staying on property. With both of those essentially gone, what’s to keep people from spending much less at good neighbor hotels?

There are plenty of Disney fanatics who will stay loyal to them no matter what the company does. That's them...not me. Yet there are a significant # of people who will not. Taking away DME AND also charging to park your car at their on site resort hotels is a negative double whammy! I currently have a lot of negative feelings toward Disney and that is a turn around for me compared to my mindset 5 years ago,

 

[UNCgolf]

What does "EMH" stand for?
There are plenty of Disney fanatics who will stay loyal to them no matter what the company does. Yet there are a significant # of people who will not. Taking away DME AND also charging to park your car at the on site resort hotels is a negative double whammy!

Extra Magic Hours.

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

Extra Magic Hours.

Thanks!

 

[doctornick]

I think it’s more that DME doesn’t really keep people onsite, because it’s so cheap to get an Uber or Lyft. Therefore the primary reason for DME being free is no longer valid.

I get that, but it seems to simple ignore the significant impact on DME on encouraging people to stay onsite. While keeping people in "the Disney bubble" and spending all their vacation money on property was certainly an important aspect, getting people to book at Disney resorts is really where the main money is at. They have a crapload of rooms on property and the profit margin for resort stays is big chunk of the revenue stream for WDW.

I can only assume that they are expecting some sort of inertia for folks to continue to stay on site out of habit without considering all the costs but I think they are going to be in for a rude surprise once 2022 comes around and a lot of guests shift to off site accommodations that would have otherwise stayed on property. Unless they come up with some significant new benefit for onsite stays (which if they intended to have, they should have already announced).

 

[bcoachable]

I'm late to this party, but wholeheartedly agree.

We love staying on-site. If we're honest, it's always been a bad financial decision. But not having to worry about anything made it worth it in our minds. Magical Express made sure that you're immersed in the "Disney bubble" from the moment you stepped off the plane. Taking away Magical Express pops that bubble. It will likely take us in the direction of renting a car. And if we have to rent a car, we'll very likely stay off-site because it's ridiculously less expensive ($$$$ less), even with the car rental included. And it's so easy to just drive to the parks when you have a car.

I was just researching a trip for 2022 and was pretty sure we'd stay at Kidani. But the minute I read this news, I changed my mind about an on-site stay. "Car rental" is just the escape valve I needed to consider an off-site resort.

I mean, am I missing something? Is the Disney demographic changing so much that keeping folks on property is no longer a priority?

Just seems like a 180% from a major part of their business model for the last decade or so... crazy, I tell ya! That being said- they know their customer base better than anyone- either they have something up their sleeve to pull us back on site (magic pass??) or it’s some kind of negotiation ploy - IMO

 

[wutisgood]

I'm late to this party, but wholeheartedly agree.

We love staying on-site. If we're honest, it's always been a bad financial decision. But not having to worry about anything made it worth it in our minds. Magical Express made sure that you're immersed in the "Disney bubble" from the moment you stepped off the plane. Taking away Magical Express pops that bubble. It will likely take us in the direction of renting a car. And if we have to rent a car, we'll very likely stay off-site because it's ridiculously less expensive ($$$$ less), even with the car rental included. And it's so easy to just drive to the parks when you have a car.

I was just researching a trip for 2022 and was pretty sure we'd stay at Kidani. But the minute I read this news, I changed my mind about an on-site stay. "Car rental" is just the escape valve I needed to consider an off-site resort.

I mean, am I missing something? Is the Disney demographic changing so much that keeping folks on property is no longer a priority?

There was absolutely a time not even too long ago where staying on site at a value resort was a good financial decision.