Express Transportation starting Dec 7th

[jaklgreen]

You don't understand why people are upset that Disney intentionally created a problem and are charging people an up charge to avoid the issues Disney created? Really? Why doesn't Disney just fix their current broken transportation system?

Answer: "Because if they did, no one would pay for this."

What problem did Disney intentionally create? Start providing free transportation for you? I have been going for over 20 years, the transportation is the same. Sometimes you wait a bit longer and sometimes you walk up and the bus is there empty waiting for you. The only times that it is "bad" is at closing busy times. And that is not Disney's fault there are so many ppl. They bring bus after bus to get everyone where they need to go. If it is too full for you then wait for the next one. So what you are really complaining about is that there are too many people at WDW when you are there. The slow down is more caused by them having to load more and more scooters over the years. Are you saying that the scooters should be banned so to speed up the bus service and not be so crowded for you? And they are improving the service, did you notice the new bus stop at MK and Disney Springs? We do not rent a car and just use Disney transportation and have only experienced longer then 20 minute waits a few times over the years. We have always reached our destination safe, which is the important part. We do not see all of these horrible issues that you are complaining about. But we realize that we are not the only ones on the planet.

 

[jaklgreen]

No they have not intentionally created a problem. Just refused to address a situation that needed to be addressed.

If the situation is so bad that people are willing to pay for an alternate arrangement, then why haven't they just added more buses and routes to the regular system?

It's not the presence of the new system people are reacting to. It's the lack of attention to the regular system, and the concern that they will siphon off resources for the new system, leaving the old system even worse off.

It isn't that there is an issue, it's just that people are impatient and want to get where they are going faster. That does not make the current system wrong or a problem.

 

[SorcererMC]

We're just going to see more and more of this until the company senses a breaking point, but so far the Disney faithful have proofed dutifully willing to keep coughing it up.

I might agree with you, but WDW is announcing new up charges before the dust settles on the last up charge. Also, the negative press the company is receiving is overwhelming. Most bloggers who used to be upbeat about the Disney experience are becoming increasingly critical of the current management style.

Iger is trying to position DIS as a 'Growth Stock' to do this you need constantly increasing margins and ESPN is increasingly becoming an anchor dragging DIS down (losing 2 million subs in 2 months) instead of the profit rocket engine it USED to be. Now it's up to P&R as the remaining cash engine to both offset the losses at ESPN and contribute themselves. Since the parks operations cannot be outsourced to a lower cost country you need upcharges to boost the margins, Disney is trading on decades of customer goodwill and nostalgia, This will eventually run out and with the upcharges it will happen sooner than later.

these are indeed desperation moves to vacuum up as much cash as possible before the music stops playing.

Putting these comments all together because they are related - Disney upcharges because they know they can...and according to their quarterly reports, any decline in attendance is being offset by increasing revenue from price increases. And as @Bairstow said, they might not know exactly where the upper bound of that demand elasticity lies, ie where there are sufficient or insufficient numbers of consumers willing to pay for the upcharges.

If they miss their target/window to implement these additions while demand is strong, ie until 'the music stops playing' as @ford91exploder says, it will be too late...the downward spiral will have already begun....and at the moment they need the domestic parks to perform well to offset the international parks losses (and expected future losses, ie Iger's comment that '2017 will be an anomaly in our growth trajectory' - this is entirely dependent upon how Media/Networks and P&R perform in 2017).

@Bandini The negative press is not limited to bloggers - business news articles have been appearing on a regular basis asking if DIS is still a buy, since their stock is down 14% YTD. Most of the articles conclude that it is still a buy...but once that tipping point to hold is reached, again the downward spiral....stock goes down, and Disney would have to implement more measures (eg cuts/upcharges) to turn the tide. Disney has been in a positive feedback loop with Wall St for many years....and if - rather when - it goes negative, it won't be pretty, IMO.

So, I see this transportation option and other recent upcharges as 1. Segmenting the consumer market to profit max from high demand (extract surplus) and 2. pre-emptive measures to shore up the bottom line as growth goes flat or declines.

 

[MisterPenguin]

If each park-to-park route had their own dedicated bus, that would be a maximum of 6 buses needed.

Or, they could use four buses and put them on a loop, with two going one way and two going the other. This way, at any one park, you have two parks with a direct bus line. And if you're going to the one that's two stops away, you can get on the first bus that arrives and endure just one stop.

Also don't forget that Disney just added buses to go from the parks to Disney Springs after 4 PM... at no upcharge!

 

[SorcererMC]

It isn't that there is an issue, it's just that people are impatient and want to get where they are going faster. That does not make the current system wrong or a problem.

A consumer who is impatient and/or grumpy from waiting in bus lines is less likely to spend once they do get into the parks.

I'm also guessing/speculating that their current transportation set-up is in fact a problem because it's not profit-making and more of a sunk cost, so any investments in improvements do not garner a return on that investment...they won't improve the bus system until they can offset those costs...hence determining where any profit can be had. It *would be nice* if gains from this were put into improving the existing bus system and overall guest transportation experience.

 

[drizgirl]

If each park-to-park route had their own dedicated bus, that would be a maximum of 6 buses needed.

Or, they could use four buses and put them on a loop, with two going one way and two going the other. This way, at any one park, you have two parks with a direct bus line. And if you're going to the one that's two stops away, you can get on the first bus that arrives and endure just one stop.

Also don't forget that Disney just added buses to go from the parks to Disney Springs after 4 PM... at no upcharge!

So they just added free buses to make it easier for people to go spend more money at their shopping/restaurant center.

That was really selfless of them.

 

[Creathir]

So they just added free buses to make it easier for people to go spend more money at their shopping/restaurant center.

That was really selfless of them.

Ya know, ya complain when they charge, ya complain when it's free.

What exactly do you want?

 

[drizgirl]

Ya know, ya complain when they charge, ya complain when it's free.

What exactly do you want?

Not complaining about free bus service to DS. I think it's a great value added service that constitutes a win/win. I only pointed out that it wasn't a selfless move on Disney's part to add it in the first place.

What I want is a bus system with reasonable wait times without having to pay extra for it. It's not complicated.

 

[drizgirl]

No, the people on here whining about this service are. My guess is if you're paying $700/night, $15 is not a big deal to ya.

It's more about the principle.

And for some, this might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

 

[flynnibus]

Exactly.

This entitled attitude some folks have is disgusting.
Ya know what, Disney is just OFFERING a service. They are not slighting you.

Disney was offering a complimentary bus system to move around the resort. But Disney has failed to keep up with demand and have failed to keep up their standard of care. So instead of fixing that, they are offering you a way to 'bypass the line' by paying.

Do you really not comprehend this? If the bus system was humming along and delivering excellent customer sanctification you'd have a point about this being an 'option' -- reality is satisfaction with the buses is bad... and Disney isn't solving the problem, but instead offering paid alternatives. That is the business philosophy you apparently are blind to.... and it impacts everyone.

 

[flynnibus]

The TSA security screening at the airport offers TSA PreCheck for those that want to pay for it. Why not just add more agents?

Because TSApre is not about paying to bypass the line. It was a system designed to reduce the load and complexity of screening by reducing the screening needed by not needing to screen everyone equally. It's actually free for most people.

Again with people who see two things that look alike, but don't understand anything about them...

 

[flynnibus]

What problem did Disney intentionally create? Start providing free transportation for you? I have been going for over 20 years, the transportation is the same

Nice whitewashing... the system is significantly worse in recent years.
Things like bus sharing and elimination of routes...
Things like limited hours (water parks)
Things like crowding... (increased attendance)
Things like the increased impact of ECVs...
Things like failed SLAs...
Things like failing to keep up with industry standards of service
Things like relying 100% on buses for all future transportation needs vs a system of transportation options

Your anecdotal experience of 'never waiting for more than 20mins' doesn't mean it doesn't happen, or that your experience is typical.

There is a reason the buses are one of the biggest lightning rods of Disney discussions.. and it's not just individual's problems with hanging out with other people.

Disney has of course been making changes - but not enough to stay ahead of the demand or maintain their level of service and customer satisfaction.

 

[disneygramma]

Another site is reporting that they will be using vans, not buses for this

What site is that?

 

[flynnibus]

If each park-to-park route had their own dedicated bus, that would be a maximum of 6 buses needed.

You can't maintain a 30min pickup time with a single bus on a route that takes 15mins of just driving time per direction. The return time for a bus will include it's load time, transit time, unload time, load time, transit time, and unload time again. For a route that takes 15mins to drive (such as backgate of MK to Epcot).. That would mean a single bus would have a cycle time of 3 + 15 + 2 + 3 + 15 + 3 = 41mins. And that's on a conservative number, on the shortest loop. So at a minimum, double your number....This also assumes one bus can handle the full demand. Another unlikely case...

TL;DR - your estimate is wreck...

 

[21stamps]

Nice whitewashing... the system is significantly worse in recent years.
Things like bus sharing and elimination of routes...
Things like limited hours (water parks)
Things like crowding... (increased attendance)
Things like the increased impact of ECVs...
Things like failed SLAs...
Things like failing to keep up with industry standards of service
Things like relying 100% on buses for all future transportation needs vs a system of transportation options

Your anecdotal experience of 'never waiting for more than 20mins' doesn't mean it doesn't happen, or that your experience is typical.

There is a reason the buses are one of the biggest lightning rods of Disney discussions.. and it's not just individual's problems with hanging out with other people.

Disney has of course been making changes - but not enough to stay ahead of the demand or maintain their level of service and customer satisfaction.

When and where are people waiting more than 20 minutes? I've skipped busses because the next AK one was scheduled for 8 minutes away, and I didn't want to wait. I skipped a bus because I didn't want to check and see if the line was long when leaving DHS, and I skipped a bus bc the line was long (maybe 40 people) on the way to DHS. If I would have actually checked/waited the wait wouldn't have been close to 20 minutes or more.

 

[flynnibus]

When and where are people waiting more than 20 minutes? I've skipped busses because the next AK one was scheduled for 8 minutes away, and I didn't want to wait. I skipped a bus because I didn't want to check and see if the line was long when leaving DHS, and I skipped a bus bc the line was long (maybe 40 people) on the way to DHS. If I would have actually checked/waited the wait wouldn't have been close to 20 minutes or more.

Says the lady who just said over an 8 day trip they used the bus once...

I'll repeat the line again...

Your anecdotal experience of 'never waiting for more than 20mins' doesn't mean it doesn't happen, or that your experience is typical.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

When and where are people waiting more than 20 minutes? I've skipped busses because the next AK one was scheduled for 8 minutes away, and I didn't want to wait. I skipped a bus because I didn't want to check and see if the line was long when leaving DHS, and I skipped a bus bc the line was long (maybe 40 people) on the way to DHS. If I would have actually checked/waited the wait wouldn't have been close to 20 minutes or more.

45 min waits are becoming the norm at POR.

 

[disneygramma]

Has anyone heard/read if wheelchair rentals/returns will be available by these places? Other than Epcot that is...

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I like that they are adding options. I'll probably never use it but it is another transportation option. Don't understand all the fuss. Disney provides free transportation. They aren't required to provide free transportation, yet they do. Yeah, sometimes the wait can be long depending on seasonality and other factors, but hey...you ain't paying for it. It's amazing how many people complain about something that is free (cue the.."for what they charge for food, tickets and rooms - it should be free" folks) . You do have other options, like a car, a taxi, uber, and now an express Disney transfer. You don't want to pay for it...great...don't use it.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

I like that they are adding options. I'll probably never use it but it is another transportation option. Don't understand all the fuss. Disney provides free transportation. They aren't required to provide free transportation, yet they do. Yeah, sometimes the wait can be long depending on seasonality and other factors, but hey...you ain't paying for it. It's amazing how many people complain about something that is free (cue the.."for what they charge for tickets and rooms - it should be free" folks) . You do have other options, like a car, a taxi, uber, and now an express Disney transfer. You don't want to pay for it...great...don't use it.

The counter argument would be that the resorts are marketed as having transportation to the parks as one of the perks of staying on property, meaning the "free" transportation is in your room price. If they didn't market it this way, then I could see your position.