Express Transportation starting Dec 7th

[AMartin767]

I am personally appalled at the idea as visiting Disney parks is an experience for me. A large part of that experience is moving through the entrance and into another space, as it was meant to be. In fact, the very design of MK is built around the concept of a progressive story. I am removed from the everyday by the very act of approaching and entering a Disney park, it's part of the magic for me. So, they want me to pay to be dropped at an odd location within each park after going through a backstage area devoid of the essence of park design? Forget it. This is why I refuse to use the "alternate" backstage exit provided from the hub in MK. The very foundation of park design includes the experience of the exit from Main Street. I absorb all the parks have to offer, the sights, the sounds, the minutia of each step. I have no interest in just existing in one before moving to the next.

 

[ford91exploder]

They can do whatever they want but when they start taking away from the "normal" vacation experience as most are used to in order to accommodate those that will now pay more or extra, then we have a problem

My guess is these aren't extra busses and those paying for the service are just paying for those same busses being used in the standard fleet now which may be pulled from the "normal" vacation experience for this service so Disney can make money off of this.

I could be completely wrong about this but based on Disney's track record this year....well...

And it will not be 3-4 busses, It will be 3-4 busses per route so figure about a dozen busses and drivers pulled from the normal pool. Even with 2 busses per route there is no way they are going to make a 30 minute inter-park schedule with ECV/Wheelchair load unload as well as normal boarding.

 

[rael ramone]

And, a resort fee is coming, have no doubt. I wouldn't expect to see it until Disney "feels the need" (*Cough*ProppingUpQuarterlyRevenueNumbers*Cough*) to implement it. Monetizing MDE is, I think, still a ways away, but it really depends on how badly TDO needs the revenue to keep their bonus gravy train a-rollin'.

But what would the 'resort fee' cover, if everything that makes it possible to attempt to maintain the experience eventually becomes an upcharge?

You begin to 'itemize' the MAGIC - dirty monorails & insufficient bus service costs this much, crowded pools costs that much, then what does the $600-700 room charge actually go towards?...

 

[prberk]

It's the use of backstage areas that bothers me most about this. Seems like every scheme like this that they come up with involves new cracks in show quality and the illusion of the parks.

The continued splintering of paying park-goers into haves and have-nots based on spending even more money doesn't sit right with me, either.

I know that the ad placement on these forums is different for each viewer, using an algorithm, but I could not help but make a screen-print of your post with the ad that showed up next to it. I think the irony of it speaks volumes here, just by itself:

 

[Goofyernmost]

Remember this started when WDW set up the 'cattle chutes' AKA 'Main St Bypass' to herd guests out of the park in the most unmagical way possible. Show is no longer one of the 'Keys to the Kingdom' profit has replaced it.

OMG... talk about hyperbole. That bypass, since cleaned up and presentable, were so that people COULD exit the park during events like projections and fireworks. Anyone that ever tried to leave during that time find it to be extremely magical especially if you have a tired whiny kid that needs to get back and put to bed. It was never meant to be an attraction just a way out for tired, short tempered guests. Not everything has to be twinkling with pixie dust. Surprisingly, when I use the bathrooms it isn't for it's ambience, it's for it's functionality... that is magic.

 

[Next Big Thing]

i thought disney had strict rules about who could go backstage?

i know when i was in the band years ago, they were absolutely adamant that there be no kids on the buses, and warned that we may see characters not in complete costume.

just throwing this together without proper construction/planning is a TERRIBLE idea

if they built some kind of "bus stop" backstage, and like covered the windows of the buses with led screens that could show magical images when the bus is backstage, then a live feed of the outside once the bus leaves the backstage (code for secure side of security) this could be a great idea

Knowing the backstage areas described, they will not run into any characters. It's not where they travel to/from.

The most anyone will see is a CM that's on break on their phone. Of course, Disney usually tells CMs about changes like these and that they need to act accordingly up to the Disney standard, but that standard has slipped. Well, it's not that it's slipped in terms of what they enforce/don't as much as how much the supervisors tend to care, which is the harmful part.

There's a natural feeling with most supervisors that you can get away with certain things, you can push the limits. This is harmful to the standards as the people who actually try to enforce those standards then get mocked or disrespected.

 

[GhostHost1000]

And it will not be 3-4 busses, It will be 3-4 busses per route so figure about a dozen busses and drivers pulled from the normal pool. Even with 2 busses per route there is no way they are going to make a 30 minute inter-park schedule with ECV/Wheelchair load unload as well as normal boarding.

if only they would design/implement another form of transportation between parks similar to that of the monorail system (maybe something more on the ground like the use for bigger cities?)

 

[xipetotec]

Aside from the sad elitist cash grab (which is already bad enough) . Does anyone else feel the imagineers put a lot of work into the "presentation" of each park. Walt saw the entrance to disneyland as a "show" with the red carpet laid out for guests. Each park entrance is meticulously designed as a welcome.

GRANTED most of us here have been to the parks multiple times and can probably describe each entrance in great detail. But doesn't it seem like getting on a bus near buzz lightyear, getting off near Aerosmith ( or vice versa or whichever which park ) will completely take away from that ooooh/aaaah moment of walking into the park. I sure do!

Gotta keep those shareholders happy!

 

[njDizFan]

Food for thought-

Are "we" the ones changing? Which is why Disney (and almost every other company) offers so many upcharges, options, and 'premium' experiences now?

When I was a kid we waited in line for a ride or attraction. Now people pay $80+ for fast lane passes.
We can pre order Chipotle, Starbucks, etc etc, so we can avoid waiting in line.
We can order something online - dress, toy, whatever, and pick it up at the store on the same day..now being able to get in and get out and go about our daily activities, making a more efficient use of time.

So in all of this newish trend of searching for convenience, then doesn't it make sense that companies would provide options for that lifestyle?

I realize a lot of people view this as doom and gloom, I just look at it as one more offering in a changing world. Good for those who want it, not impacting those who don't.

I think this is the one counter argument that has some basis in reality, so for that I applaud you.

Just a few other facts.

Disney by monetizing a system of transportation is acknowledging that there is a deficiency in service.

Disney used to create new and innovative ways to wow their customers. Who would have imagined a monorail in a theme park? Maybe they could have used innovation to support this growing need for a quicker intra-park transport(looking at you Peoplemover).

Now this is my opinion. These upsells are just plain tacky. Sure they will sell and there is possibly even a need. But a golf cart selling soda in a parking lot, a rental style tent in Tomorowland(soon to be everywhere) and now a mini-bus going around picking people up backstage. Come on Disney, you used to be better than this!

 

[HauntedPirate]

But what would the 'resort fee' cover, if everything that makes it possible to attempt to maintain the experience eventually becomes an upcharge?

You begin to 'itemize' the MAGIC - dirty monorails & insufficient bus service costs this much, crowded pools costs that much, then what does the $600-700 room charge actually go towards?...

I would expect a resort fee to initially cover the standard things a resort fee tends to cover - Parking, phones, wifi, etc. You know, all the things that are just included in what you already pay for an already-expensive small hotel room.

At this point, I would put nothing past TDO/TWDC when it comes to monetizing WDW.

 

[rob0519]

I think this is the one counter argument that has some basis in reality, so for that I applaud you.

Just a few other facts.

Disney by monetizing a system of transportation is acknowledging that there is a deficiency in service.

Disney used to create new and innovative ways to wow their customers. Who would have imagined a monorail in a theme park? Maybe they could have used innovation to support this growing need for a quicker intra-park transport(looking at you Peoplemover).

Now this is my opinion. These upsells are just plain tacky. Sure they will sell and there is possibly even a need. But a golf cart selling soda in a parking lot, a rental style tent in Tomorowland(soon to be everywhere) and now a mini-bus going around picking people up backstage. Come on Disney, you used to be better than this!

The whole concept of "show" has evolved. The sheer numbers of park attendance have caused the entire resort to evolve to meet the demands of numbers of people and behavior of people never dreamed of when the resort was created. With the demands of shareholders and the desires of management for ever increasing compensation and bonuses, the "good old days" of Disney are gone.

You used the right phrase "They USED to be better than this." Welcome to the new reality.

 

[Creathir]

I think this is the one counter argument that has some basis in reality, so for that I applaud you.

Just a few other facts.

Disney by monetizing a system of transportation is acknowledging that there is a deficiency in service.

Disney used to create new and innovative ways to wow their customers. Who would have imagined a monorail in a theme park? Maybe they could have used innovation to support this growing need for a quicker intra-park transport(looking at you Peoplemover).

Now this is my opinion. These upsells are just plain tacky. Sure they will sell and there is possibly even a need. But a golf cart selling soda in a parking lot, a rental style tent in Tomorowland(soon to be everywhere) and now a mini-bus going around picking people up backstage. Come on Disney, you used to be better than this!

Walt Disney himself is the reason we have stuff like the Peoplemover and the monorail. He was a lover of all things transportation. The man literally had a scale model train in his backyard.

I totally agree Disney is better than this, and wish they would invest in their transportation infrastructure.

With the computing power we have today, automated point to point transportation systems are realistically something Disney could implement, but the powers that be do not see it as a necessity. If I had to guess Roy and Walt likely argued about some of the more "frivolous" transportation schemes incorporated at DisneyLand, but back then the creative carried more weight than the pencil pusher.

Today, largely, that dynamic is nonexistent.

The pencil pusher is master of all.

And that I feel is the true source of the angst here in this thread and many others. The creative is not free to build and dream. Instead they are confined to slapping pretty pictures on the side of a monorail, as opposed to building the idea of what the future holds.

 

[drizgirl]

The whole concept of "show" has evolved. The sheer numbers of park attendance have caused the entire resort to evolve to meet the demands of numbers of people and behavior of people never dreamed of when the resort was created. With the demands of shareholders and the desires of management for ever increasing compensation and bonuses, the "good old days" of Disney are gone.

You used the right phrase "They USED to be better than this." Welcome to the new reality.

"Evolved". Is that what they're calling it now?

The only reason it has evolved as it has is because they have cheaped out and tried to build attendance without an appropriate level of capacity to serve those additional numbers.

Not only could they dream about the increasing numbers in the parks, they planned for it and paid their marketing staff to make it happen.

 

[rob0519]

"Evolved". Is that what they're calling it now?

The only reason it has evolved as it has is because they have cheaped out and tried to build attendance without an appropriate level of capacity to serve those additional numbers.

Not only could they dream about the increasing numbers in the parks, they planned for it and paid their marketing staff to make it happen.

Yes, the current management planned for it. Yes, they chose profit over "show" and quality as does almost every other public company. If you had read my post it said "when the resort was created". This was the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s. Disney was entertaining, moving and feeding hundreds of thousands of people yearly not tens of millions.

 

[danlb_2000]

Maybe I missed it, but why are so many people talking about circumventing security with this system? When I took the Backstage Magic Tour, we had to have our bags checked every time we entered a park. So, I'd imagine you'll still have to go through security at each park, although I would imagine it would be a special security waiting at the backstage stop. And if they do that, they'll probably just pull those guards from the main entrance of the parks and cause the regular paying customers to have to wait even longer to go through bag check there.

If you are being picked up and drop off backstage there really shouldn't be a reason to do another security screening. Even if they do another screening it could still be faster then going through the main entrance security.

 

[HauntedPirate]

If you are being picked up and drop off backstage there really shouldn't be a reason to do another security screening. Even if they do another screening it could still be faster then going through the main entrance security.

I see bypassing a security check as a security hole (I'm an IT guy, and have been involved in cyber-security, in one way or another, for the past 6+ years, so I tend to look for security holes, even in real life). I'm not saying that something bad would happen, but if it did... Huge PR nightmare.

 

[danlb_2000]

I see bypassing a security check as a security hole (I'm an IT guy, and have been involved in cyber-security, in one way or another, for the past 6+ years, so I tend to look for security holes, even in real life). I'm not saying that something bad would happen, but if it did... Huge PR nightmare.

Yeah, there is always ways around it, just like there are ways to get around the main gate security if you really wanted to. It's really no different then DL or Universal where you get checked when you enter the resort area but can then go from park to park without having to be screened again.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

We have always park-hopped, but 90% of the time, we go back to the resort for a break.

The 10% of the time we have gone from park to park, it's been a breeze with no wait. Give me a bus that will pick me up at MK closing, and then I'll be interested.

 

[ford91exploder]

I see bypassing a security check as a security hole (I'm an IT guy, and have been involved in cyber-security, in one way or another, for the past 6+ years, so I tend to look for security holes, even in real life). I'm not saying that something bad would happen, but if it did... Huge PR nightmare.

Agreed this opens a massive security hole because there is no way to guarantee that the busses remain 'secure' on the trips. So you will need to add the same security measures that you have at the main entrance.

 

[rob0519]

Agreed this opens a massive security hole because there is no way to guarantee that the busses remain 'secure' on the trips. So you will need to add the same security measures that you have at the main entrance.

I don't see how this is a massive security risk. There is always a way to beat a system, but in this case the odds are really low. If a person has passed security to get into say, DHS, they are presumed to be safe. If that person then boards a bus inside the secured area of the park they are still deemed to be "safe". The doors are closed and the bus either -

A: makes no stops before it reaches the secured area inside say, the MK. There is no way for an individual or weapons to be placed on that bus.
B: Stops inside the secured area of additional parks on a regular schedule. There is theoretically, still no way for a person to board the bus that has not already cleared a security check.

Unfortunately, in our future there will always be evil people trying to commit evil acts. It's not possible to eliminate all threats. Going to an amusement park now requires the same security as getting on an airplane. This would be like TSA screening to get to the gate and then another screening before you got on the plane.