Express Transportation starting Dec 7th

[orky8]

I'd pay this to use the monorail if they expanded the monorail to all 4 parks. But, even that should be free.

 

[rob0519]

Well there was a reason companies like Disney STOOD OUT FROM THE CROWD. If you just do what everyone else does... how do you become a Disney?



ehh.. no. WDW had 10 million guests in its first year. http://www.wdwmagic.com/walt-disney-world-history.htm Yes the resort has grown, but let's not act like the 'good ol days' people are pointing to is some impossible past

Under the current economic direction set by the Management and the Board of Directors the "good ol days" are an impossible past. I'm as big a fan as most people here and continue to give them substantial amounts of money by choice, but there isn't enough pixie dust in the world to make me think otherwise.

 

[TrojanUSC]

Why wouldn't it involve security? With regular transportation service, be it bus, monorail or boat, when you leave one park and go into another, you have to go through security. If they do it when you're on a Disney tour bus with a Disney tour guide for a backstage tour where you don't even leave the property of the first theme park and are subjected to a bag check, why wouldn't they do it on this new service. Disney's security is not the TSA. Disney does things their own way. And I'm not arguing it either. It's definitely not perfect; but I like that they're doing things to make sure that their guests are safe.

And not to derail the thread too much here, but are Disneyland and Disney World that much different? Yeah, with all of the annual passholders at Disneyland, they change entertainment out a lot more often than Disney World does. But if Disney World announced that they're upgrading some of their classic rides, they were introducing a new parade, or even the definitive opening date for Rivers of Light, don't you think that would get people deciding to book a vacation to see these new offerings? I'm sure it's happening because of Pandora and will for Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land. But it doesn't always have to be a whole new land or ride, not that those hurt either. Yeah, they'll have to put money out to do this stuff; but isn't that what a good business does: takes some calculated risks that they hope will return their investment by drawing in the customers.

The issue is that there is a "secure" area. When you leave the Magic Kingdom main gate, for example, you have the ability to take the monorail to your car, pick up banned items and then must be re-screened. At Disneyland, you can easily cross from Disneyland park to DCA because there is only one security check. You don't have that ability to pick up prohibited things between the two. Same applies for this service - if Disney is picking you up in a van in a secure spot then taking you to a second secure spot - the driver is not making stops along the way. Again this is no different than an airport transfer between terminals via shuttle bus. You don't need to be rescrubbed because the bus doesn't stop anywhere to give you the opportunity to pick up something you shouldn't have.

 

[twilight mitsuk]

The issue is that there is a "secure" area. When you leave the Magic Kingdom main gate, for example, you have the ability to take the monorail to your car, pick up banned items and then must be re-screened. At Disneyland, you can easily cross from Disneyland park to DCA because there is only one security check. You don't have that ability to pick up prohibited things between the two. Same applies for this service - if Disney is picking you up in a van in a secure spot then taking you to a second secure spot - the driver is not making stops along the way. Again this is no different than an airport transfer between terminals via shuttle bus. You don't need to be rescrubbed because the bus doesn't stop anywhere to give you the opportunity to pick up something you shouldn't have.

ATL plane train train works like this

 

[maroonmol]

Well, this starts today. Would love to hear any reviews of it? (What you see backstage, the queues, frequency of buses, etc...)

 

[awilliams4]

Man, I have refreshed this thread all day looking for someone that may have used this today but nothing

 

[Luxe]

Man, I have refreshed this thread all day looking for someone that may have used this today but nothing

They must still be stuck on the monorail

 

[jt04]

Shocked I haven't heard any reports. I would have thought some blogger or youtube would have wanted to be first to report on this.

 

[monothingie]

Shocked I haven't heard any reports. I would have thought some blogger or youtube would have wanted to be first to report on this.

They're all busy trying to get freebie cabanas.

 

[rct247]

It didn't seem to get much traffic from what I heard. Lots of staffing for it for a half dozen on each bus that rolled in...if that.

It's only day one. I hope it fails though.

 

[jt04]

It didn't seem to get much traffic from what I heard. Lots of staffing for it for a half dozen on each bus that rolled in...if that.

It's only day one. I hope it fails though.

If it creates more jobs I see that as a good thing.

 

[Spideyfreak110]

^It might create a few. Probably in the operations side (Entrance Ops or the like.) Unfortunately, whatever positions it does create will likely be filled by college programs and not local residents.

Disney hasn't hired externally for Operations since before summer. It seems everything is filled up with college programs.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Slight correction, Fixing the transportation network would cost money and anger Disney's REAL customer Wall St. So they came up with this which makes extra money and further hurts the transportation system for the 'poors' as buses were withdrawn from the 'poor pool' to facilitate transportation for the 'Wall St Dad's' yes that is Disney's new target market for WDW.

I think the issue is more that the Disney bus system has been fairly notorious for it's inefficiencies and in this case, instead of investing in wholesale improvements for all guest, Disney is going to just let you pay to go around a system they created.

So Disney is now admitting their bus system sucks and is a miserable experience for guests.

Disney of old would have seen that as a challenge to fix, investing in the system, and better buses, or better yet, looked at innovative alternative transportation methods - imagine where we'd be if the rate of innovation that brought us the monorail and PeopleMovers had been kept up?

Modern Disney just offers a payment plan to bypass a crumbling system, while everyone else enjoys the poorest service they can provide.

Rational would be Disney improving the existing bus service. Perhaps that would be more logical than rational, but I digress. Improving the existing bus service would also be a good business decision, but since it doesn't come with any additional $$$ attached to it, Disney went the opposite direction with their MAGICAL new "Express Transportation" option.

This kind of stuff just kills me. Disney clearly recognizes their system of bus transportation is so frustrating that they believe people will pay extra money to avoid it...

Rather than figuring out a way to fix it so that value is maximized for people staying on property, they figure out a way to shut the squeaky wheels up (by offering a service like this that they'll use) and make more money in the process.

Of course it's a useful service that people will pay for... but that's missing the point that Disney's transportation system shouldn't be so bad that people feel the need to spend money to avoid it. It seems cash grabs and band aids are all the rage these days rather than taking real, innovative steps to fix problems because they might cost money.

As was said in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: "Of all the cheap, lousy ways to save a buck!"

More likely they will continue to "nudge" folks to the pay option with longer lines, longer waits, and overcrowding on the "free" service.

I just can't see Disney deliberately making bus service even worse than it already is just to "entice" guests into paying for something. Wait a minute, this is Disney, yes I can...

It's not about different tiers of service... it's about failing to deliver on tier 1, and the 'solution' is to UPSELL people to tier 2 so they don't have to deal with tier 1.... instead of fixing tier 1 to start with. Or in your world.. offering a perk, and failing to deliver on it.. and then say 'well you could just buy better service!'

The grasping at straws in this thread to defend Disney's below par bus transport and the resulting up charge "Express" service is entertaining. I don't know what I think is crazier; the "Disney is a business and can do no wrong" mentality, or the fact that I wouldn't get up just now to get the remote to change the channel but did to grab a beer. In my defense, this beer is delicious.

If the waits for busses are too long, that's a problem that should be addressed not by offering VIP bus service for the few who are willing to pay for it, but by providing more efficient bus service for EVERYONE.

I know WDW put in some bus stops a monitor that tells you when the next bus is coming.

And as I was driving past Disney Springs today, I saw buses zipping along in their own private lane not slowed down at all by heavy traffic.

Do any of you have the cost in dollars that Disney Corp. paid for these upgrades to the bus system that everyone enjoys without having to pay a 'private lane' or 'schedule monitor' upcharge. Because, to me, that seems to indicate investment in a better bus system.

 

[kpilcher]

[QUOTE="Do any of you have the cost in dollars that Disney Corp. paid for these upgrades to the bus system that everyone enjoys without having to pay a 'private lane' or 'schedule monitor' upcharge. Because, to me, that seems to indicate investment in a better bus system.[/QUOTE]

No one will have the actual cost, of course. But, yes. Disney has spent some money. The REAL question is not how much have they invested but how much SHOULD they have invested to keep up with demand? Better question yet: where are the RESULTS? I was recently with friends staying club level at the Poly. After waiting for a bus (to DHS, iirc) their bus then detoured to the Grand Floridian for yet another wait. Before FINALLY heading where they wanted. It took more than an hour. I drove them back and it took 15 minutes or less. These are people paying some of the highest prices at one of the premiere resorts on property. If they can't get efficient and courteous bus service without another upcharge something is tremendously and fundamentally wrong. I have friends who own DVC at Saratoga Springs. They visited in a relatively quiet period this year shortly before Thanksgiving. Never have I heard them so dissatisfied with the bus service and waits. Since it was relatively close, I advised them to walk to Disney Springs and try it there and it was much faster. That is also not right. DVCers spend a lot of money up front, annually and in ever-increasing maintenance fees. They, too should have some of the best service on property. Oh. And Reedy Creek would have paid for the "private lane." Likely with tax money paid for from guest rooms, financed by dirt-cheap government bonds. It may be government of, by and (mostly) for Disney --- but the setup keeps a ton of costs off of Disney corporate balance sheets.

 

[ford91exploder]

How on earth does the weapon get from beneath the exterior of a bus into the hands of a guest with no one noticing?

Pretty sure the driver and/or station attendants would notice someone poking around the wheel well...

And if the driver notices someone doing something odd: "Sorry folks, looks like we'll be dropping off at the front gate this trip. Sorry for any inconvenience."

You are assuming that the bus drivers/fuelers are trustworthy Fox Mulder got it right on the 'Trust no one' mindset,

Heck whenever I've set up log management systems I always run at least two sets of log servers one which the administrators have access to and another in the 'security' group where the sysadmins have NO ACCESS to it. Basically if the logs agree you are in good shape if they don't well someone has been tampering and it's time for the computer forensics people.

Just look at all the stuff stolen from luggage at the airport and now reverse it if people can take stuff OUT of luggage, then they can put stuff IN luggage. And when discussing 'security' you go by capabilities what CAN someone do not what are they LIKELY to do.

 

[danlb_2000]

You are assuming that the bus drivers/fuelers are trustworthy Fox Mulder got it right on the 'Trust no one' mindset,

Heck whenever I've set up log management systems I always run at least two sets of log servers one which the administrators have access to and another in the 'security' group where the sysadmins have NO ACCESS to it. Basically if the logs agree you are in good shape if they don't well someone has been tampering and it's time for the computer forensics people.

Just look at all the stuff stolen from luggage at the airport and now reverse it if people can take stuff OUT of luggage, then they can put stuff IN luggage. And when discussing 'security' you go by capabilities what CAN someone do not what are they LIKELY to do.

If cast members and/or contractors are a security concern, then they are already a threat to the security of the parks, the new bus route wouldn't make things any less secure.

 

[Creathir]

If cast members and/or contractors are a security concern, then they are already a threat to the security of the parks, the new bus route wouldn't make things any less secure.

Exactly.

Why haven't they driven a bus into a monorail support column yet? Why have they not smuggled weapons in when dropping off cast members backstage yet?

Disney screens their employees and does the best they can with them.

Picking up and dropping off guests from behind screened areas does not increase/decrease the security surrounding a rouge cast member.

 

[jakeman]

I know WDW put in some bus stops a monitor that tells you when the next bus is coming.

And as I was driving past Disney Springs today, I saw buses zipping along in their own private lane not slowed down at all by heavy traffic.

Do any of you have the cost in dollars that Disney Corp. paid for these upgrades to the bus system that everyone enjoys without having to pay a 'private lane' or 'schedule monitor' upcharge. Because, to me, that seems to indicate investment in a better bus system.

You are correct, but those are very recent (within the past year) and not pervasive (many stops and routes still don't have them). The frustrations I have extend back 17 years at this point.

 

[Creathir]

You are correct, but those are very recent (within the past year) and not pervasive (many stops and routes still don't have them). The frustrations I have extend back 17 years at this point.

Contemporary and Kidani had them last December.

The point is Disney is working on this system. They even had several bus system software engineer positions open recently.

Investments are being made.

 

[jakeman]

Contemporary and Kidani had them last December.

The point is Disney is working on this system. They even had several bus system software engineer positions open recently.

Investments are being made.

And that's great, but there is going to be a certain amount of frustration when those improvements have not started to impact the system and in the interim allow people the privilege of paying to get around it.