Exactly. Mears offered this service before DME. Guests paid for the service. In the early 2000’s Disney decided it was financially beneficial for them to avoid guests having access to rental cars. So essentially Disney started paying mears for the service instead of having the guests do so. This came along with Disney branding but the operation was always run by Mears with Disney simply footing the bill. But it was never about providing a guest benefit or making a Disney vacation easier. It was always about what was best for Disney. Now the dynamics in the market have shifted and it is no longer beneficial. So now Mears will continue to offer the service but Disney will no longer foot the bill. The Disney branding disappears and the guests will once again pay for the service.
Did or Does Mears offer service to Universal?
Well said. And it is not as if everyone will rent a car come January 2021. A certain percentage will move to rentals (and pay for parking), but the majority will still do Mears or rideshare (or whatever new up charge WDW roles out), so close to the status quo for Disney and they don’t have to pay for it.
Yes. Mears offers service from MCO to (and between) Disney, Universal, and a number of other Orlando-area points of interest.
No, you retrieved your luggage and went to the location of where your shuttle/bus was. My first family trip was in 2002 and that was how Mears did it back then. I remember the bus was similar to what M.E uses now size wise, but was bright yellow. Nothing fancy, service was slow, and I decided to use a limo service ever since.
Thank You, Due to circumstances I never used the service pre DME and only used DME accouple times. The biggest attraction to me was the baggage aspect which was nice. I'm totally fine getting a Lyft or other means now.
I agree with what you said, but I still think from a business stand point and public relations, it was a dumb move on Disney's part to end Magical Express. They still were able to keep most of their guests trapped on property inside their bubble, especially the first timers who didn't want to rent a car in a city they never been to or deal with the hassle of it or the uncertainty of ride share. I think most families, with the exception of the wait times, enjoyed M.E for its theming and the exciting first moments of the start of their vacation. A plain Mears shuttle van packed full of other guests like a cattle car, just didn't convey that same message. That's just my opinion.
Mears never handled the luggage for DME. It was performed by a company called Bags Inc, who contracted the service with Disney.
I reached that tipping point awhile ago yet, in a form of denial, I kept going. Not anymore for me but I made that decision before hearing of DME going away. The cost/value ratio has skewed in the wrong direction and more importantly the magic of the place has long gone.
100%.
I’ve heard it’s now later ?
Over the past couple months Mears has completed the takeover of Universal’s Superstar Shuttle. The timing of this change comes as a very interesting time and provides a superior experience using charter buses instead of little minibusses.
but see this part was quickly becoming no longer true. DME wasn’t accomplishing this like it once did.
