New Transportation Option to/from MCO for Deluxe Resort Guests

[KatiebugFan]

Why would anyone want free transportation and luggage handling round trip when you can overpay one way for a red polka dotted Disney uber?

Thanks Bob!

Was the DME free or were we paying for it in other ways?

 

[GhostHost1000]

Was the DME free or were we paying for it in other ways?

I’m sure everyone was paying for it, but you also didn’t see prices decrease when they stopped offering it so, it’s basically a trick to cut costs and make more especially since the guest experience is way further down the list of importance these days

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Was the DME free or were we paying for it in other ways?

Yes, you don't think about that until Iger shows up at your door one night and says "remember that free ride we gave you from the airport to the Grand Floridian? Well, now I need a favor from you..."

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The draw to Vegas and why people vacation there is more than the casinos just like WDW is more than just an amusement park

Both are also definitely trying to get you to part with your money in a variety of ways

 

[Liloandstitch3]

I’m sure everyone was paying for it, but you also didn’t see prices decrease when they stopped offering it so, it’s basically a trick to cut costs and make more especially since the guest experience is way further down the list of importance these days

I will add that the dvc points per night also didn’t decrease

 

[Dranth]

I will add that the dvc points per night also didn’t decrease

They wouldn't though. Dues would have decreased if DVC was paying for part of ME, or at least gone up less after it ended.

 

[Splash4eva]

They could always bring it back, set a price, and then offer it free during select times of year. I could definitely see that.

Fair enough. I can see the advisements now. Book a WDW trip and on select days *** receive complimentary transportation

*** only applicable on February 29th

 

[Liloandstitch3]

They wouldn't though. Dues would have decreased if DVC was paying for part of ME, or at least gone up less after it ended.

That’s true. And they didn’t

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I was being semi sarcastic because Disney loves to remove free things and bring them back at a charge…. The “solo” female comment is kinda off what percent of guests are literally solo females and of those people do they never use uber/lyft because they are solo? Last i checked there are also taxi’s available along with other service to use & if you are really concerned (doubt it) you can rent a car which literally would be cheaper than any option there. Ive never used Magical Express for said reason you mentioned i want to land and go direct to hotel use to just can but realized rentals gave me more flexibility and in end at times were even cheaper and if not the extra cost was minimal and worth it. Paying 200 each way plus tip and im guessing tax as well to me is just absurd and nothing more than another “flex” and hey Disney is smart why not provide this service. Basically costing them nothing and will
Know in advance what they need and whej they need it

The solo female traveler comment was based on other comments in this thread. There are people who do WDW alone and there are also some who might be meeting family/friends from other locations that are flying in at different times and would rather not sit around MCO for hours waiting for the others to arrive. I was also saying that the Minnie Van has some added security compared to rideshare services or a taxi because the driver is a Disney employee. It's not a 0% chance of something shady happening, but certainly lower than random Uber driver. It's also more reliable because it is already booked and I highly doubt Disney would cancel a $200 booking at the last minute. Uber drivers? They can be flakier, as my lone attempt at using Uber in San Francisco showed me when the driver claimed he couldn't find the waterfront baseball stadium (and I had left the game early so it's not like there was a surge in ride requests).

 

[Ayla]

well I think you see Disney opt'ing to build a heirarchy for paid offers instead of free ME.

Just think.. when you establish you can pay $300 for a personalized experience... you also are creating justification for a price point of lesser features. Hey, don't like $300, how about $100 and you get to use a tour bus instead of an individual SUV?

Forget that it used to be free.. now people will be setup to say "well, $100 is a lot cheaper than $300!"

And so the product redesign continues...

It's $400, not 3.

 

[GhostHost1000]

They wouldn't though. Dues would have decreased if DVC was paying for part of ME, or at least gone up less after it ended.

Part of annual dues most likely. Transportation costs

 

[Disstevefan1]

There are people who do WDW alone

When you are alone and need not pay for everything for a family of four let’s say, you can spend an extra $400 for the mini van and maybe some nice LLPPs

 

[Splash4eva]

The solo female traveler comment was based on other comments in this thread. There are people who do WDW alone and there are also some who might be meeting family/friends from other locations that are flying in at different times and would rather not sit around MCO for hours waiting for the others to arrive. I was also saying that the Minnie Van has some added security compared to rideshare services or a taxi because the driver is a Disney employee. It's not a 0% chance of something shady happening, but certainly lower than random Uber driver. It's also more reliable because it is already booked and I highly doubt Disney would cancel a $200 booking at the last minute. Uber drivers? They can be flakier, as my lone attempt at using Uber in San Francisco showed me when the driver claimed he couldn't find the waterfront baseball stadium (and I had left the game early so it's not like there was a surge in ride requests).

I cant stand uber/lyft so im not saying they are great. All im saying is take a taxi like everyonE would do in past if you dont want to rent a car. & for a solo traveler how can you truly justify basically spending 500 round trip to take you to and from airport?

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I cant stand uber/lyft so im not saying they are great. All im saying is take a taxi like everyonE would do in past if you dont want to rent a car. & for a solo traveler how can you truly justify basically spending 500 round trip to take you to and from airport?

Like I said, it's purely subjective. Some people value the convenience, the certainty, and the feeling that the Disney vacation starts as soon as you exit the airport (the last one being another plus for DME). Others would say it's too expensive. It's no different than driving yourself from home to the airport and paying to park vs. hiring a car service. The car service will likely cost more unless you have a very long trip and the airport parking is high. But the car service is convenient. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I will add that the dvc points per night also didn’t decrease

They can't. Every points room has a set number of points charged per year that are spread out over the course of 365 nights. Completely separate from any chargeback they may have had for DME.

Have they improved anything about the Minnie Van since 2019? Because we took it from Port Canaveral to WDW and it was boring as hell. Driver talked maybe 5 minutes over the entire 90 minute drive. Zero entertainment.

 

[Grimley1968]

That's just crazy pricing from MCO to WDW. It's not an option for me anyway, as I'm flying into SFB. But even from SFB, an Uber is about half the cost of this offering from MCO to WDW. More than doubling the cost of the round trip just isn't worth my money merely to have that "Disney feel" the minute I pass baggage claim.

 

[flynnibus]

It's $400, not 3.

What makes you think I was talking round trip??

 

[Purduevian]

That's just crazy pricing from MCO to WDW. It's not an option for me anyway, as I'm flying into SFB. But even from SFB, an Uber is about half the cost of this offering from MCO to WDW. More than doubling the cost of the round trip just isn't worth my money merely to have that "Disney feel" the minute I pass baggage claim.

Uber is a poor comparison though... this is a private car service more in line with Mears ($160), or Tiffany Towncar ($140) (not Mears connect).

Main differences:
-Car will be waiting for you to pick you up
-The driver will be an employee of a company, not a contract worker
-the car is guaranteed to have a certain "standard" of cleanliness, newness, ect.
-This is an SUV, not a sedan
-Car seats available (with the quality of the car seats important)

So you are really looking like an extra $40-$60 for it to be Disney

 

[TestTrack]

Uber is a poor comparison though... this is a private car service more in line with Mears ($160), or Tiffany Towncar ($140) (not Mears connect).

Main differences:
-Car will be waiting for you to pick you up
-The driver will be an employee of a company, not a contract worker
-the car is guaranteed to have a certain "standard" of cleanliness, newness, ect.
-This is an SUV, not a sedan
-Car seats available (with the quality of the car seats important)

So you are really looking like an extra $40-$60 for it to be Disney

People without multiple young kids don’t often think outside their bubble. The one time I had to take my 1 year old to urgent care the uber installed the car seat completely loose. I ended up holding him in my arms completely unsafe because his car seat was broken.

I don’t have to worry about this with Disney. The extra cost is worth it to me.

 

[Splash4eva]

Uber is a poor comparison though... this is a private car service more in line with Mears ($160), or Tiffany Towncar ($140) (not Mears connect).

Main differences:
-Car will be waiting for you to pick you up
-The driver will be an employee of a company, not a contract worker
-the car is guaranteed to have a certain "standard" of cleanliness, newness, ect.
-This is an SUV, not a sedan
-Car seats available (with the quality of the car seats important)

So you are really looking like an extra $40-$60 for it to be Disney

So a 25-40% premium to be picked up in a polka dot van…