RIP Magical Express (in 2022) 😥

[marcais]

This individual change won't be what stops me staying onsite.

But I should in theory be looking at making the initial booking for our planned Aug 2022 trip within the next few months, and this is going to be a factor in the decision about whether we stay onsite for part of it or not. To be honest, the Free Dining Plan is going to be a much bigger factor. Without that it doesn't really make much sense for us to stay onsite. Even with that on our last trip in 2018, there wasn't much to choose financially between spending the first week onsite or spending it in a villa. Extra Magic Hours and 60-day FP booking were also considerations that look like they're gone now.

But when I'm doing my sums, there's now an additional charge for staying onsite that wasn't there before.

 

[vacationer1954]

Also Disney don't actually have to increase prices as much as previous years because by removing this service they are recouping money.

That's exactly the point.

 

[jf256]

So the way i see it is there are two types of outcome here:

I've never been to Disney world before ... but i am a crazy type A planner. Was supposed to go in 2020. I had to look early into food quality earlier etc than others cos of my allergy. I didn't know that WDW were really accommodating with food and wanted to know about DXDP prices...then i fell into the crazy rabbit hole.. .there are so many different things to look into that it became a little bit of an obsession.


If i hadn't done this and my first trip was in 2022 .... i wouldn't of known that ME was a thing, wouldn't of known about EMH instead of the extra half hour. I would of just turned up and got on with it.. I would of just thought parking fees were always there.

If people book through a travel agent they will probably put some sort of coach on for a fee.

How many people actually go to Disney more than a few times in their life. Is it frequent visitors or those once in a lifetime trips that Disney make the most money on?

What i am trying to get at is:

Outcome 1) People don't know any different - assume that is just how it is and pay the premium price for the room ... just for proximity.

Outcome 2) People haven't had previous levels of Disney experience - so don't have the feels associated with it. Therefore deciding to stay off site because the price just seems extortionate at peak times.

Outcome 3) Goes in with outcome 2.. People plan 4 days at disney (1 day a park) - just buying the required day tickets and actually stay at Universal - where the benefits on paper look much better and are much cheaper ticket wise.. or if they only have older kids not bother with disney at all.

 

[going/again]

So your theory is that Disney will lower their price once the bus service is gone? Or will they maintain pricing and allocate that money elsewhere?

I have no theory you said it costs Disney money to run, I pointed out the cost is included in all room pricing.
Not sure why you can't except that.

 

[Plague]

... yet the parks are at capacity

That's not really true. Although they have hit 'capacity' on some of the peak days that capacity is currently only 35% of old normal.
The actual numbers visiting are therefore much lower than before - at a guess, about 1/3rd.
It also shows in that many resorts are still closed, and a good number don't even have a reopening date.

 

[supernova]

I have no theory you said it costs Disney money to run, I pointed out the cost is included in all room pricing.
Not sure why you can't except that.

I'm still not sold on 100% of the operating cost being covered by room rates. Vehicle rental, drivers' salaries, check-in desk and guest services staff, baggage handlers' staff, gas, fleet maintenance...

 

[gismo1554]

That's not really true. Although they have hit 'capacity' on some of the peak days that capacity is currently only 35% of old normal.
The actual numbers visiting are therefore much lower than before - at a guess, about 1/3rd.
It also shows in that many resorts are still closed, and a good number don't even have a reopening date.

Yes sorry wasn't suggesting they were 100% full I worded it wrong. I meant more the demand is there for the same cost as pre COVID even though they have definitely got less for their money so therefore you could argue they are charging more.

 

[Cornish Lad]

Used ME once - bad experience so won't miss it as we decided not to use it again. We do not hire a car so that is an expense that we don't have so we stay on site and use internal transport. The only facors then that causes us to think twice about visiting is the free dining and the type of park tickets on offer. We normally book with free dining and then pay a little extra to upgrade from the basic to the mid-plan as what we pay is more than compensated for within our first week of table service meals (and we like to stay for 3 weeks). We also pay a little extra for the 21 day pass which includes park hopping and the water parks but this seems to have also been discontinued. Before the current problems we were looking at April/May this year but have now put this off until next year and maybe later then rather than early but we are not holding our breaths. At the moment we are not seeing much magic being evident with all the closures and construction going on - we are not prepared to pay the thousands of pounds required to get and stay there with so many attractions closed and/or cancelled.

 

[going/again]

I'm still not sold on 100% of the operating cost being covered by room rates. Vehicle rental, drivers' salaries, check-in desk and guest services staff, baggage handlers' staff, gas, fleet maintenance...

A couple of dollars per room per night would cover it, on FB, Twitter, Disney park blogs, other forums, DVC forums, people are asking will the room rates/annual dues come down as this is something we are paying for,

Disney are the Masters of providing a service and getting others to pay for it.

Take all those DVC hotels they built, members paid for those, and we pay for the upkeep with our dues.

 

[Plague]

Disney are the Masters of providing a service and getting others to pay for it.

As with all businesses and indeed government. The only other way to operate means going bust

 

[going/again]

As with all businesses and indeed government. The only other way to operate means going bust

So true

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

So here’s my thoughts on the loss of DME. I own a timeshare. I never use any of the timeshare resorts in the area because I always use DME. And I typically go to WDW in late Sept because it’s value season, there’s free dining and the food and wine festival. My anniversary is the end of Sept. I’m not sure why someone thinks free dining shouldn’t be offered. The price of parks is outrageous and there are plenty of fees to make up for it. And the dining plans are nothing like when they started.

For me, without DME, I have to figure out a way to get from the airport to the hotel. And I have to pay for it. Disney resort prices haven’t decreased because of it and now I have to pay if I park at my resort. It would seem cheaper for me to stay at a Disney Springs area timeshare or walkable non-Disney resort.

On that note I pose a question. Does anyone know the current cost of Mears to resort properties in the area? We used them before DME. I understand they may vary but I’m just trying to get an idea to crunch numbers for the future. Ive looked into a few other options as well but can’t seem to get a price on the Mears website. I’ve already decided on multiple non- Disney resorts I’d like to try.

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

So the way i see it is there are two types of outcome here:

I've never been to Disney world before ... but i am a crazy type A planner. Was supposed to go in 2020. I had to look early into food quality earlier etc than others cos of my allergy. I didn't know that WDW were really accommodating with food and wanted to know about DXDP prices...then i fell into the crazy rabbit hole.. .there are so many different things to look into that it became a little bit of an obsession.


If i hadn't done this and my first trip was in 2022 .... i wouldn't of known that ME was a thing, wouldn't of known about EMH instead of the extra half hour. I would of just turned up and got on with it.. I would of just thought parking fees were always there.

If people book through a travel agent they will probably put some sort of coach on for a fee.

How many people actually go to Disney more than a few times in their life. Is it frequent visitors or those once in a lifetime trips that Disney make the most money on?

What i am trying to get at is:

Outcome 1) People don't know any different - assume that is just how it is and pay the premium price for the room ... just for proximity.

Outcome 2) People haven't had previous levels of Disney experience - so don't have the feels associated with it. Therefore deciding to stay off site because the price just seems extortionate at peak times.

Outcome 3) Goes in with outcome 2.. People plan 4 days at disney (1 day a park) - just buying the required day tickets and actually stay at Universal - where the benefits on paper look much better and are much cheaper ticket wise.. or if they only have older kids not bother with disney at all.

All of what you say is correct to a certain degree.
Yes many people go to WDW multiple times. Not only in their lives but in a year. I am one of them. And I to fly to get there. I’m fortunate to have a tiny airport with very cheap flights right nearby and the flight to Orlando is very short. It’s cheaper to fly than drive.
I stay on property mostly because of DME. I know how to book resorts during value seasons and often don’t even get park passes. And I travel with only adults. There’s so much to do at WDW that’s not kiddie stuff. And using DME is easy. When I visit family and friends in south Florida I Uber and I’m never sure of cost, and if the car will be clean or if the driver will show etc. I’ve used the airport shuttle down there and I couldn’t get a ride one night when I arrived late. DME was easy. Just easy.

 

[marcais]

I typically go to WDW in late Sept because it’s value season, there’s free dining and the food and wine festival. My anniversary is the end of Sept. I’m not sure why someone thinks free dining shouldn’t be offered. The price of parks is outrageous and there are plenty of fees to make up for it. And the dining plans are nothing like when they started.

I'm one of the ones who doubt we'll see free dining for 2022. It's not that I think it shouldn't be offered, it's more just a reflection of the current situation.

Our planned trip is for Aug 2022. If this was normal times, I would book the hotel and buy the park tickets in April 2021, as that's when the free dining offer would go live for UK customers. They just don't know where they are going to be with dining next summer, so I can't see free dining being offered. I'll be delighted if I'm wrong.

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

I'm one of the ones who doubt we'll see free dining for 2022. It's not that I think it shouldn't be offered, it's more just a reflection of the current situation.

Our planned trip is for Aug 2022. If this was normal times, I would book the hotel and buy the park tickets in April 2021, as that's when the free dining offer would go live for UK customers. They just don't know where they are going to be with dining next summer, so I can't see free dining being offered. I'll be delighted if I'm wrong.

I was actually referring to people not understanding why they ever offered it. I always purchase the dining plan when it’s not free, unless I’m just staying at a hotel (no park tickets). Then I use my Disney Visa reward points to purchase meals. They probably won’t offer free dining in 2021. I’m not sure that they are currently offering any dining plans to purchase and half the restaurants aren’t even open.
I’m hoping by Sept 2021 things will be closer to normal. I’ll have my second Covid vaccine in early March and my husband is scheduled to get his first next week. I plan to start travel in the USA once we are both fully vaccinated. I can’t wait to board a plane and fly somewhere again!

 

[Plague]

I’m fortunate to have a tiny airport with very cheap flights right nearby and the flight to Orlando is very short. It’s cheaper to fly than drive.

Do you realise this is in the UK forum? For us driving not an option and flying is quite a big chunk of the cost.

But yes, the 'free' dining is important to some of us. (Not me )

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

Do you realise this is in the UK forum? For us driving not an option and flying is quite a big chunk of the cost.

But yes, the 'free' dining is important to some of us. (Not me )

Actually I did not realize it was a U.K. forum, but it doesn’t matter. I fly to Florida. I was commenting on the fact that I won’t be able to use DME anymore. (I also said that it’s more expensive to drive. So even though I “can” I won’t.) I’m very upset about the loss of DME. And while I don’t travel with small children I can see why it’s even greater loss for families. Juggling a few small children and lots of luggage makes travel more stressful and DME took that part of it away. Getting off the plane and not having to get your bags and having them brought to your room would definitely be a plus in that situation.

 

[gismo1554]

On that note I pose a question. Does anyone know the current cost of Mears to resort properties in the area? We used them before DME. I understand they may vary but I’m just trying to get an idea to crunch numbers for the future. Ive looked into a few other options as well but can’t seem to get a price on the Mears website. I’ve already decided on multiple non- Disney resorts I’d like to try.

So the last post I can find about it before Magical Express appeared it was around $25 per adult on way or $40 return. This was from an old article though so it probably is more than this. Trouble is because ME is currently on offer when you try to price it Mears tells you to call ME.

 

[jf256]

Something we have noticed whenever we go abroad.. which isnt often is it is usually not that much more to get a private transfer. There are only 2 of us but it still usually works out not far off. This was before ubers etc.

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

Something we have noticed whenever we go abroad.. which isnt often is it is usually not that much more to get a private transfer. There are only 2 of us but it still usually works out not far off. This was before ubers etc.

A cab could be cheaper with a few people. Quick ride, possible stop at a store etc. Not a great option for me it’s usually just 2 of us. I’ve Ubered on other trips but one time a driver didn’t show at all. And there’s no set pricing so more difficult to budget. But I have even used them overseas which worked really well.