It’s really a shame because if you rent a car to get your family from/back to airport and park at a Disney property you have to play an additional fee to have the car there, so now you are paying extra for the car rental and the parking n property. I am sure Mears will do well, as I believe there will still be a large demand for this service.
They cavalierly list the WDW buses and monorail as complimentary… as if in 2023 they will charge for the service.
I’m trying to think of reasons to keep my DVC property. No annual passes, costly transfers, no dining plans.
Zip and the fascination is gone.
All the things that make our Disney vacation so easy are being deleted. Checking your luggage and having it show up in your room for instance. Also checking in your luggage at your resort before heading to the airport. The meal plan. We love not worrying about what we will eat every day. Magical Express was…..well easy and magical. Magic bands. Even our grandsons can unlock the room door!! Once Disney goes back to too much work…we may just stop going. Oh there will be others to take our place, but we will miss the easy, uncomplicated vacations of the past. And we will wonder WHY??!?
Really sad to see all the impacts of Covid on Disney World (assumingly it was all Covid related). I’m hopeful certain services like the dining plan will come back but perhaps more so at a time when the parks are back at full capacity and function. Even though people are coming back to the parks in droves I’m sure Disney can’t make full sense of giving out all the old perks yet.
Yes, I will probably use Mears. Don’t need a car. I always retrieved my own luggage, like to have it with me for when room is ready. Hopefully the price will be fair. They run the buses now so we know the service they give.
I can’t imagine this service change would stop guests from coming. All businesses are changing due to the covid mess. I’m thankful Disney was able to open at all considering all the guidelines. The guests, myself included, have become lazy expecting everything to be done for us. ?
It’s one more drop in the bucket of things that has been removed. For me, part of the justification for trips is that it was easy, streamlined – check my luggage at home & see it next in my room. In recent years, the company has opted to reduce offerings while continue with upward pricing trends, charging for things like on-site parking and removing perks like Magical Express & reducing then eliminating EMH. So it’s not so much that we’ll stop visiting because of ME being eliminated, but rather because it’s the tipping point. I’m now forced to ask, “We pay the premium to stay onsite because… why?” but then I remember that we haven’t enjoyed being onsite. All in all, when many of the things that set a trip apart have been removed, I find myself not *wanting* to go. As someone who has visited several times per year for the last decade, I don’t have a trip on the books and I’m surprised to find that I’m not hankering for one, either. I miss Disney, but I miss *my* Disney, and it’s been slowly eroded away over the last several years.
I could not have said it better myself. To not have a Disney trip booked is odd for my family of 4 but I want my kids to remember the magical Disney of fast passes, dining plans, character dining, Magical Express, Fireworks, parades, Extra Magic Hours, and their favorite resort (Port Orleans French Quarter). We’ll be going to Universal Studios for a long July 4th weekend this year instead of Disney. Hopefully the magic will return to Lake Buena Vista before my kids are too old to want to go there.
I am amazed at how everyone assumes this was Disney’s sole decision. Any one of the 4 parties involved could have led to the decision to cancel the service: Disney, Mears, Bags Inc., and MCO. Bags Inc handles the luggage and airline check in portion. The cost of everything is going up and while I think Disney overcharges for many things, they still offer an extraordinary service that costs a lot of money to run. Disney shed a major headache of having to deal with people’s schedule changes and complaints about late luggage arrival. When I see people gloat online about their schedule spreadsheets, but are yet flummoxed as to how to deal with their own luggage, car seats, and transportation, I scratch my head and wonder.
I don’t care whose decision it was, I hate it. The ease of use was a HUGE draw as a single mom. My daughter is grown now & our next trip @ New Years will be for her 21st day. I LOVED the all inclusiveness of the vacation, it truly made me feel like I could relax. Not worrying about transportation, bags, airport check in. Also buying things in the park and not schlepping them along. They just showed up in my room. It was the perfect escape. Now it’s no different than going to Chicago or LA. I’m doing all the work
I don’t use ME anyway, but do hate paying for resort parking on top of renting the car. I’ve now been exploring renting points from DVC owners because then you don’t pay for parking. Nice perk! I can see where multiple car seats-as my one friend has-would be a hassle. However when my kids were young I did it. I was unpleasantly surprised when Universal used Mears and charged $35/person 4 years ago PRE-COVID! Really?!
Mears was doing this before there was Disney’s Magical Express years ago. It never made any sense why Disney took over & did this for Free! Talk about a sure money loser! All the buses, gas & wages was such a waste! I never could figure it out! I guess others couldn’t either so it’s ending.
They are nickel and dining you for every type of reservation you make 1st it was raising ticket prices every year and a half then added parking fees to property resorts and now this no magical express we should boycott their resort all together and then see how they like it
ELIZABETH, I wish your idea of a boycott would be like a snowball going down hill, unions in America work because they have the numbers to force management to compromise on issues, if there was an all out boycott of potential guests on deciding on a Disney vacation and stood there ground on all these cuts on perks while still raising prices and said ‘WERE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE” and stayed away for a month with no revenue lets see what Disney would do.
I never considered this free. I always thought of it as included figuring they made up for it in the resort pricing. It was super disappointing to find out it is ending. Made it possible for me to travel alone with two small children. Thankfully mine are older now but we will miss the excitement and fun of arriving and transitioning to DME. Whether we use Mears will depend on how easy it is to book and pricing. We will have a car for our upcoming trip because we have 4 days off property. Who knows? Maybe now that they are older we end up preferring that.
This is sad to hear!
Having the magical express pick you up at the airport and take you to your Disney resort was magical and my kids loved it! Disney is losing all there magic but charging more. This change really should be reconsidered. ?
The House of Mouse continues its endless search of ways on how to as they claim improve the guests experience. When in reality the only thing they are searching for is ways to make more money. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in wanting to maximize your opportunity to make more. I do have a problem when things get so pricey that you price out a disney vacation out of many families. I cannot help but wonder if Walt’s vision or desire was to cater only to the rich. The elimination of the Magical Express is undoubtedly a cost cutting move. Ticket prices continue to rise. Meals have also been steadily increasing at the parks as well as Disney Hotels.. let’s not forget Disney started to charge for parking at their hotels no too long ago. So your cost of staying at a Disney property has increased exponentially. I guess prices will continue to increase as long as people are willing to pay for them. I for one no longer visit the parks as often as I once did not because I don’t want to visit but because I can vacation elsewhere at a fraction of the cost. Still with all the increase cash coming into Disney, I can’t help but wonder how come they do not raise the cast member pay so that they may be able to afford some quality of life outside of the parks!
Way too many places to explore in the actual world to pay Disney prices for less and less. Cost LESS for our Cancun trip (including airfare) for a week than JUST ticket costs for a week at DW – assuming you could even get INTO the park of choice due to safety theater RIDICULOUS park reservations. Used to be diehard Disney fan, and the apologists cult brainwashed will continue to defend the blatant price gouging for simulated “magic” I’m sure…we will NOT be one of them any more. Kids benefit from actual cultural experiences not the parent driven desire for “magic”.
we have been sailing on Disney cruise line for over 15 years. now that the wish is coming out they are raising prices on that ship, everyone should boycott Disney cruise line? but Disney is top knotch & is better than any other cruise line. depending on the time of year Disney adjusts prices on the other ships. we always fly in to mco then take the bus to port Canaveral. why doesn’t Disney parks run the buses the way Disney cruise line runs the buses? they make sure the bus is full before it leaves the airport. Paying fee to use the bus is better than driving to port Canaveral then using a parking garage. we think it adds to the experience. we would rather go to Disney than go to a state park like starved rock etc.
Comments for Magical Express Is Ending, New Service Shares Update
Nick
Have to love it. They charge more and more and offer less and less.
Kim
Depends on the price and services they will offer. Magical Express also took care of your luggage.
Michelle
It’s really a shame because if you rent a car to get your family from/back to airport and park at a Disney property you have to play an additional fee to have the car there, so now you are paying extra for the car rental and the parking n property. I am sure Mears will do well, as I believe there will still be a large demand for this service.
Rusty
They cavalierly list the WDW buses and monorail as complimentary… as if in 2023 they will charge for the service.
I’m trying to think of reasons to keep my DVC property. No annual passes, costly transfers, no dining plans.
Zip and the fascination is gone.
Steven Krajewski
Yeah we used to take the bus from our vacation club to Port Canaveral to get on a Disney Cruise line ship now I don’t know what I’m going to do
Jan
All the things that make our Disney vacation so easy are being deleted. Checking your luggage and having it show up in your room for instance. Also checking in your luggage at your resort before heading to the airport. The meal plan. We love not worrying about what we will eat every day. Magical Express was…..well easy and magical. Magic bands. Even our grandsons can unlock the room door!! Once Disney goes back to too much work…we may just stop going. Oh there will be others to take our place, but we will miss the easy, uncomplicated vacations of the past. And we will wonder WHY??!?
Cal
Really sad to see all the impacts of Covid on Disney World (assumingly it was all Covid related). I’m hopeful certain services like the dining plan will come back but perhaps more so at a time when the parks are back at full capacity and function. Even though people are coming back to the parks in droves I’m sure Disney can’t make full sense of giving out all the old perks yet.
Patti
Yes, I will probably use Mears. Don’t need a car. I always retrieved my own luggage, like to have it with me for when room is ready. Hopefully the price will be fair. They run the buses now so we know the service they give.
Nan
I can’t imagine this service change would stop guests from coming. All businesses are changing due to the covid mess. I’m thankful Disney was able to open at all considering all the guidelines. The guests, myself included, have become lazy expecting everything to be done for us. ?
Carrie
It’s one more drop in the bucket of things that has been removed. For me, part of the justification for trips is that it was easy, streamlined – check my luggage at home & see it next in my room. In recent years, the company has opted to reduce offerings while continue with upward pricing trends, charging for things like on-site parking and removing perks like Magical Express & reducing then eliminating EMH. So it’s not so much that we’ll stop visiting because of ME being eliminated, but rather because it’s the tipping point. I’m now forced to ask, “We pay the premium to stay onsite because… why?” but then I remember that we haven’t enjoyed being onsite. All in all, when many of the things that set a trip apart have been removed, I find myself not *wanting* to go. As someone who has visited several times per year for the last decade, I don’t have a trip on the books and I’m surprised to find that I’m not hankering for one, either. I miss Disney, but I miss *my* Disney, and it’s been slowly eroded away over the last several years.
Bill
I could not have said it better myself. To not have a Disney trip booked is odd for my family of 4 but I want my kids to remember the magical Disney of fast passes, dining plans, character dining, Magical Express, Fireworks, parades, Extra Magic Hours, and their favorite resort (Port Orleans French Quarter). We’ll be going to Universal Studios for a long July 4th weekend this year instead of Disney. Hopefully the magic will return to Lake Buena Vista before my kids are too old to want to go there.
Elsie D'AVANZO
I use them for every time I fly to Orlando Florida.Great company.
KenR
I am amazed at how everyone assumes this was Disney’s sole decision. Any one of the 4 parties involved could have led to the decision to cancel the service: Disney, Mears, Bags Inc., and MCO. Bags Inc handles the luggage and airline check in portion. The cost of everything is going up and while I think Disney overcharges for many things, they still offer an extraordinary service that costs a lot of money to run. Disney shed a major headache of having to deal with people’s schedule changes and complaints about late luggage arrival. When I see people gloat online about their schedule spreadsheets, but are yet flummoxed as to how to deal with their own luggage, car seats, and transportation, I scratch my head and wonder.
Danielle
Finally someone else who knows how DME actually works.
There’s more to the DME puzzle than anyone knows except Disney, Mears, Bags Inc and MCO.
Why do I think this? Because Disney never said “We are cancelling DME.” They said “The DME service is ending at midnight, 12/31/2021.”
Christine
I don’t care whose decision it was, I hate it. The ease of use was a HUGE draw as a single mom. My daughter is grown now & our next trip @ New Years will be for her 21st day. I LOVED the all inclusiveness of the vacation, it truly made me feel like I could relax. Not worrying about transportation, bags, airport check in. Also buying things in the park and not schlepping them along. They just showed up in my room. It was the perfect escape. Now it’s no different than going to Chicago or LA. I’m doing all the work
Jenn
I don’t use ME anyway, but do hate paying for resort parking on top of renting the car. I’ve now been exploring renting points from DVC owners because then you don’t pay for parking. Nice perk! I can see where multiple car seats-as my one friend has-would be a hassle. However when my kids were young I did it. I was unpleasantly surprised when Universal used Mears and charged $35/person 4 years ago PRE-COVID! Really?!
Paul
Unless Disney comes up with something better, my next trip will be MCO to Disney hotel via Lyft.
Lynn
This stinks! It will make me think twice about going to Disney! Things are expensive enough!!
Tamara
Not happy about this, always liked the ease of this service but will deal and move on because it will not matter, they will not backtrack .
Robin Gorrell
As a parent of a special needs child, an Uber or Lyft is not an option as is renting a car. The Magical Express made our yearly vacation possible.
Pam99
Mears was doing this before there was Disney’s Magical Express years ago. It never made any sense why Disney took over & did this for Free! Talk about a sure money loser! All the buses, gas & wages was such a waste! I never could figure it out! I guess others couldn’t either so it’s ending.
Jason Brown
I am remembering back a ways but the business objective was to get you spending in the property sooner. 5 pins or so would pa for the ride.
Elizabeth
They are nickel and dining you for every type of reservation you make 1st it was raising ticket prices every year and a half then added parking fees to property resorts and now this no magical express we should boycott their resort all together and then see how they like it
bruce cherelstein
ELIZABETH, I wish your idea of a boycott would be like a snowball going down hill, unions in America work because they have the numbers to force management to compromise on issues, if there was an all out boycott of potential guests on deciding on a Disney vacation and stood there ground on all these cuts on perks while still raising prices and said ‘WERE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE” and stayed away for a month with no revenue lets see what Disney would do.
Sonya Dawson
I never considered this free. I always thought of it as included figuring they made up for it in the resort pricing. It was super disappointing to find out it is ending. Made it possible for me to travel alone with two small children. Thankfully mine are older now but we will miss the excitement and fun of arriving and transitioning to DME. Whether we use Mears will depend on how easy it is to book and pricing. We will have a car for our upcoming trip because we have 4 days off property. Who knows? Maybe now that they are older we end up preferring that.
Jennifer
This is sad to hear!
Having the magical express pick you up at the airport and take you to your Disney resort was magical and my kids loved it! Disney is losing all there magic but charging more. This change really should be reconsidered. ?
Herman
The House of Mouse continues its endless search of ways on how to as they claim improve the guests experience. When in reality the only thing they are searching for is ways to make more money. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in wanting to maximize your opportunity to make more. I do have a problem when things get so pricey that you price out a disney vacation out of many families. I cannot help but wonder if Walt’s vision or desire was to cater only to the rich. The elimination of the Magical Express is undoubtedly a cost cutting move. Ticket prices continue to rise. Meals have also been steadily increasing at the parks as well as Disney Hotels.. let’s not forget Disney started to charge for parking at their hotels no too long ago. So your cost of staying at a Disney property has increased exponentially. I guess prices will continue to increase as long as people are willing to pay for them. I for one no longer visit the parks as often as I once did not because I don’t want to visit but because I can vacation elsewhere at a fraction of the cost. Still with all the increase cash coming into Disney, I can’t help but wonder how come they do not raise the cast member pay so that they may be able to afford some quality of life outside of the parks!
Monica
Way too many places to explore in the actual world to pay Disney prices for less and less. Cost LESS for our Cancun trip (including airfare) for a week than JUST ticket costs for a week at DW – assuming you could even get INTO the park of choice due to safety theater RIDICULOUS park reservations. Used to be diehard Disney fan, and the apologists cult brainwashed will continue to defend the blatant price gouging for simulated “magic” I’m sure…we will NOT be one of them any more. Kids benefit from actual cultural experiences not the parent driven desire for “magic”.
ryan
we have been sailing on Disney cruise line for over 15 years. now that the wish is coming out they are raising prices on that ship, everyone should boycott Disney cruise line? but Disney is top knotch & is better than any other cruise line. depending on the time of year Disney adjusts prices on the other ships. we always fly in to mco then take the bus to port Canaveral. why doesn’t Disney parks run the buses the way Disney cruise line runs the buses? they make sure the bus is full before it leaves the airport. Paying fee to use the bus is better than driving to port Canaveral then using a parking garage. we think it adds to the experience. we would rather go to Disney than go to a state park like starved rock etc.
Comments are closed.