News Disney's Magical Express to end after 2021

[ToTBellHop]

I enjoyed BoG when it was semi-QS for Breakfast/Lunch. Food then was decent and (for MK) expensive but not ridiculously so. Now that it's Prix Fixe $62/person and only and TS, I won't be eating there again.

I guess we all are missing something since they book up every day.

I do want to try Space 220 but that may be a one-and-done. Definitely want to do it before the kids turn 10 next year.

 

[GrumpyFan]

If Disney were sincere here, they would offer a ~$30 credit per guest this year. Hell, just hand out $25 Disney gift cards to each resort guest.

Oh, have no doubt, Disney is VERY sincere, about minimizing costs, reducing labor, and maximizing profits.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Why is Disney going to give you a “free” ride to their resort so you can then Uber over to the Olive Garden for dinner? Bob didn’t kill DME, rideshares and online grocery delivery did. DME never existed because Disney wanted to be warm and cuddly, it was to get you on property with no way to escape. Now that there are multiple ways to leave property or order things to the property DME’s existence is no longer warranted. Was it convenient? Certainly. Did people find their own way to WDW for the first 30 years of its existence? They sure did. I don’t agree with many changes they’ve done lately, and this is definitely a loss, but I can’t blame them for making this decision. I also prefer that the Mears driver now can just be a Mears driver instead of masquerading as a questionable cast member.

Agreed. Ride shares made it to cheap and easy to get out of the bubble. Made DME useless as a tool to keep you there.

 

[castlecake2.0]

I'd wager that in the history of Florida, this is a thing that has never happened.

You think no one staying at a Disney resort ever Uberd off property to go get dinner on the 192? I see it literally every day.

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

Magical Express is something I will miss. I dunno why but it started to feel less special when they took away the greeting and goodbye videos from the bus and just replaced it with Disney ads

 

[lewisc]

DME gone. RAC gone.Park purchases no longer delivered to your resort. Free magic bands gone. What does Disney resorts offer over Swalphin? Can't charge back to your room.

I'm surprised Disney doesnt charge ride share a fee for picking up on property.

 

[bjlc57]

Disney has shown that they no longer care about this group of their guests.
We are the ones who complain the most, yet keep coming back again and again regardless, yet typically spend less.
In some ways, we're the ones that have forced Disney into this position.

We, the fans, broke Walt Disney World. It took 50 years, but it's our fault that it has gotten too expensive and too complicated. How? We turned WDW into THE vacation destination by going back again and again, telling our friends and family how great it was and turning them on to the magic and creating demand that exceeds their available capacity. Disney, in an effort to meet or keep up with that demand, and still keep investors and new (first time) guests happy have been forced into a corner of constant price increases, cutting certain services and now a complex planning and reservation system that discourages the masses from visiting. Basically, they're in a position now where they must have a high entry point and get only those with deep pockets to come. The common fan, like most of us here, isn't (and hasn't been in quite a while) their target audience.

So, what's the solution? I think the only thing they can do is to continue raising prices, or build a new resort somewhere in the US, to help relieve some of the pressure of WDW.

let me tell you this,, i have been "selling Disney " to all my friends and co-workers for many many years.. but NOT ANY MORE.. I have ONE MORE TRIP that I HAVE TO MAKE.. its a promise to my Grandchildren.. I don't have to go after that.. EVER..and I am not giving them any more free advertising or talking them up.. Sorry but you gut hooked me... but now you are ripping the guts out.. and I have had enough.. and talking to others on the phone at my job.. I WORK IN A CALL CENTER.. others feel the exact same way.. No.. they want the golden Mouse.. well they are well on their way to KILLING HIM ONCE AND FOR ALL..

 

[JoeCamel]

DME gone. RAC gone.Park purchases no longer delivered to your resort. Free magic bands gone. What does Disney resorts offer over Swalphin? Can't charge back to your room.

I'm surprised Disney doesnt charge ride share a fee for picking up on property.

The privilege of paying $600 - $800 a night for a room?

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

So having "options"? Suggesting everyone drive. Be sure to use a pre-1968 auto, with bad valves & a rotten exhaust system .
WDW has rejected Mass Transit.... so "environmental" .

 

[Touchdown]

When did resort delivery end? I seem to remember doing that recently (in the past year.)

 

[Mander]

let me tell you this,, i have been "selling Disney " to all my friends and co-workers for many many years.. but NOT ANY MORE.. I have ONE MORE TRIP that I HAVE TO MAKE.. its a promise to my Grandchildren.. I don't have to go after that.. EVER..and I am not giving them any more free advertising or talking them up.. Sorry but you gut hooked me... but now you are ripping the guts out.. and I have had enough.. and talking to others on the phone at my job.. I WORK IN A CALL CENTER.. others feel the exact same way.. No.. they want the golden Mouse.. well they are well on their way to KILLING HIM ONCE AND FOR ALL..

We have a trip booked for April with family friends and plan to go on that (tickets purchased two years ago now, so we need to use them). Unless we are super pleasantly surprised, we're taking a break for a bit. I was actually pricing out Universal for a trip in the fall and that seems most likely right now. Then there are some national parks we want to visit.

I used to sell folks on the benefits of visiting and staying in the bubble but I don't anymore. I hope someday we get back to where I feel like I want to but so many of the changes have negatively impacted the guest experience, I don't think they are worth top dollar anymore. It's sad. They could be profitable and still provide the great guest experience like they used to.

 

[John park hopper]

I stopped selling Disney to friends after our 2019 trip

 

[mattpeto]

When did resort delivery end? I seem to remember doing that recently (in the past year.)

I believe they had pickup for a little bit during the 2020 holiday season, but not resort delivery.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

We let our passes expire in 2018 after we bought a new RV. Said we were going to do different things for a couple of years until TRON and GotG opened, then come back to APs. Then all of this COVID mess hit and I was sure glad I had an RV to visit state parks and stuff and enjoying the outdoors. Fast forward to present Now I just cant pull the plug to get APs due to all the cuts and price hikes.

 

[TikibirdLand]

So having "options"? Suggesting everyone drive. Be sure to use a pre-1968 auto, with bad valves & a rotten exhaust system .
WDW has rejected Mass Transit.... so "environmental" .

Hey, my 1963 Imperial has a good exhaust system on it. It's not the smell of un-burnt hydrocarbons.... It's the smell of Nostalgia!

 

[John park hopper]

Disney rejected mass transit but it is balanced out by no more plastic straws

 

[lewisc]

Disney rejected mass transit but it is balanced out by no more plastic straws

Carrot or a stick? Disney could encourage mass transit by tripling resort parking fees and charging ride share a $10 fee for every pickup on property.

 

[UNCgolf]

Carrot or a stick? Disney could encourage mass transit by tripling resort parking fees and charging ride share a $10 fee for every pickup on property.

I don't think tripling resort parking fees would make sense for Disney. They want to get extra money from people, but tripling them would probably push a significant number of people to stay off-site or not go entirely. I drive myself to WDW when I go because I'm close enough that the drive (roughly 6.5 hours) is preferable to buying plane tickets and dealing with the hassle of air travel, and I prefer staying on-site. Having to pay over $100 extra to leave my car sitting in their hotel lot for several days was annoying enough, but if it jumped to $300+, then they lose me.

I don't know how many of their guests drive themselves there, but I'm sure it's not an insignificant number. I'd guess most people from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina drive, and I'm sure plenty from Tennessee, North Carolina, and a few other states drive as well.

 

[tanc]

Mears connect raised their prices

 

[dig311dug]

Took mears today, was shoved in a small black van with two other couples. At least it was only one stop before our resort.

glad we got to experience magical express when we did, because this is nothing but another ride share like experience.