Agreed! Disney buses are heavenly compared to NJ Transit buses and SEPTA.This. For sure! Riding the bus during rush hour in Chicago...sometimes we were smooshed so tightly I could lift my feet off the ground and not fall lol. I would just be held up by the other passengerskidding of course, but still...very tight!
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Express Transportation starting Dec 7th
- Thread starter imkrazy182
- Start date
lnsemsf
Well-Known Member
It appears that even among members of this board, over 20% are willing to pay for the service (as of 2:30pm pst Dec 2nd.) For all the outrage so many of you seem to have, 20% of people who bothered to visit this website don't mind the service, and would consider paying for it. They're not discontinuing free service for the other 80% of you, only willing to provide an extra service if you don't mind paying for it. I won't be paying for it, but I don't care if you do, and I don't care if Disney does this. Not only that, if 20% of us are willing to pay, then Disney found a way to make extra money that doesn't take anything away from those who don't pay. I have no problem with this and it looks like Disney made a good business decision. Sorry to be rational, it's just my nature. I can't turn it off.
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.
ev01
Member
Exactly, spot on. Look at it another way - It will help alleviate some of the congestion on the regular bus route. Personally, being someone with small children, any time saved while moving them from park to park is a very valuable thing. I expect to use the express buses in the future.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
... Depending on the size of your group. A family of 3 for instance, pays $45 - not $15. Value goes down fast as you have to account for additional people in the group when one option is per-person and the other is per vehicle load/group - just something to consider when pricing this.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
So would way too many other guests and that's the problem. Universal doesn't have a capacity problem and they have few enough "premium" resorts that offer their complimentary service that it doesn't cause logistic problems.
HM Spectre
Well-Known Member
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!"
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!"
DisneyDaver
Well-Known Member
For me, the $45 per day for this service would be well worth it. Because of my work obligations, my WDW vacations are limited to 5 nights at the most so I am always looking for ways to save time even it costs more money. If I could spend a week or more at WDW, I wouldn't be interested in this (or some the other upcharge services and events), but when I stay 4 or 5 nights I can purchase some of these upcharge services and events which save time .... and I still end up spending less than someone who stays for a week.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Way too long so I just skipped to the last page.
I agree with @HauntedPirate and @HM Spectre. Just fix the existing transportation.
I agree with @HauntedPirate and @HM Spectre. Just fix the existing transportation.
Disone
Well-Known Member
It may even help a little to alleviate the transportation congestion for those of us who don't pay, because everyone one who does pay is one less person on our bus. Of course that could also mean our bus is slower to come around because it was diverted to become a pay for bus.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Fixed rail systems are difficult when dealing with the kind traffic Disney deals with at their parks and resorts. There are specific times of day when their system becomes nightmarishly overcrowded accompanied by plenty of time when it's not that bad. These systems are very difficult to scale in a quick and efficient manner.
This kind of system also necessitates the need for transfers or unalterable additional stops on a single line to make it efficient to operate which increases complexity for guests along with guest wait times.
I know that years ago, Disney was looking into a "smart" system that would reroute across interconnected tracks but nothing ever came of it.
If you search back in the archives of this site, I think you'll probably find details.
My guess is that cost combined with things like thousands of people wanting to go directly back to their rooms at the exact same time after fireworks at the Magic Kingdom made this system look too impractical since it would impact not only those guest but everyone else on property trying to use the same system to get to and from other places.
Last edited:
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
We were discussing in comparison to Uber or cabs in terms of price.
In your situation, you'd likely be going with the length-of-stay option which would actually reduce your per-day, per-guest spending quite a bit.
Notes from Neverland
Well-Known Member
Has it been confirmed that additional vans or buses will be used that aren't being used in the normal transportation flow? In other words, fewer people on your bus might not mean much if there are fewer buses.
mgpan
Well-Known Member
They aren't technically monetizing fastpass plus yet, unless you look at the fact that if you pay $$$ for onsite lodging you get extra time in advance to secure the most desirable fastpass times, and for attractions like Frozen or 7DMT, perhaps you're only chance at experiencing an attraction during your visit without a multiple hour wait. I am much more concerned, that even though many consider it a "lesser attraction", the Liberty Belle is now off limits during normal hours (i think 1-4 pm or so) for day quests for a certain time unless you've paid for the Tiana dessert party. This is easily replicable to other attractions, especially high demand attractions where even though included in your regular admission media, will be off limits during regular hours unless you pay up. For example, a frozen treats party at Frozen with Anna and Elsa held each day from 1-3pm and 5-7 pm, or perhaps an ice cream social with Snow White and the 7D's several times each day inside the 7DMT attraction. This would make a fastpass for that attraction even more valuable as your time to enjoy it without one has now been reduced. And just maybe, as with signups for JTA, you also get an anytime fastpass with your payment.
Multi day/length of stay cost is only $24/person
Disone
Well-Known Member
I already mentioned the possibility. It is not confirm either way, so I left it open for debate and thoughts.
rael ramone
Well-Known Member
Bus service used to be every 20 minutes. For all guests.
Now they are offering *as an upcharge* something that is 50% worse then what a guest could in the past receivefor free as part of their paid admission and/or resort stay...
It's like a restaurant that used to offer fresh bread for every meal, then swapped it out with bread that could break glass, then try to sell you 'not as stale' bread in it's stead...
Now they are offering *as an upcharge* something that is 50% worse then what a guest could in the past receive
It's like a restaurant that used to offer fresh bread for every meal, then swapped it out with bread that could break glass, then try to sell you 'not as stale' bread in it's stead...
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
At this point that part is all speculation. Nobody knows if the "pixie-dusters" or the "doom-and-gloomers" are right, in their outlook.
I imagine the truth will be hard to figure out since the intricate details of Disney bus scheduling aren't something most (any?) of us have any insight into.
If they take from the existing pool of busses and drivers, the regular bus situation will suck but that's how a lot of people already feel about it so likely, it won't be noticeable and my guess is that if they add to this option, unless a whole lot of people use it, the impact won't be great enough to be noticeable, either.
Basically, I think if you're unhappy with the current bus situation, you'll continue to remain unhappy, regardless, unless you choose the add-on.
It seems, not everyone is unhappy with the current situation, though.
I drive, which is a bad option for Disney as I take up parking spaces all over the place and leave random spots in full lots when i leave, add to the costs of parking booth attendants, parking "arm waivers" and courtesy trams when I park hop but none of these options is enticing me to consider Disney transportation as my alternative.
Last edited:
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Yep, that's why I mentioned to someone else that was talking about buying it for 4-5 days that their cost would be lower a few posts later.
Even then though, you still have to consider the size of your groups and the number of days. Actual miles traveled between parks isn't that much and Uber is cheap.
From a purely financial standpoint, there is a tipping point where one option becomes cheaper than the other but figuring out exactly where that is would be a little tricky and vary wildly from group-to-group.