Disney World News: Magical Express Update, Crowds Crash & Construction
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news round-up! This covers a few stories, including the latest on winter crowds and construction progress in the parks. Additionally, we revisit the big story of the week, the ending of Disney’s Magical Express, with additional details as we try to make sense of that.
Let’s start with some good news: crowds crashed and wait times plummeted at Walt Disney World this week. This is something we predicted would happen in our Will Crowds Keep Skyrocketing at Walt Disney World in 2021?, but after the first week of 2021, we were starting to get nervous with our forecast.
Thankfully, it now seems like the first week was a temporary blip. The elevated early January 2021 crowds were likely a matter of holiday holdovers, Osceola and Orange County schools still being out of session, and probably some runDisney regulars who didn’t cancel trips even though the Marathon went virtual.
This past week, average daily per park wait times at Walt Disney World ranged from 14 minutes to 33 minutes. To put those numbers into context, those are the lowest levels we’ve seen since last August. Some days in the middle of the week were actually more on par with last July, when there were ‘ghost town’ days in the parks with minimal crowds and wait times.
Wait times did pick up on Friday, and will certainly be up again this weekend and early next due to the long holiday weekend. As we’ve stated repeatedly, the next 2-3 months will probably be the biggest sweet spot this year to visit. There could be good dates beyond that, but the remainder of the year is way less predictable due to myriad unknowns. Consult our January 2021 Crowd Calendar, February 2021 Crowd Calendar, and March 2021 Crowd Calendar for specific best and worst dates to visit Walt Disney World.
Even if capacity has been increased from 35% to 40% (as rumored), there’s no way three of the parks are coming anywhere near that number. As always, Disney’s Hollywood Studios remains the wildcard since its normal capacity is so low, but the good news there is that several rides have become more efficient. This includes Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which has been performing significantly better of late, with one less extended downtime per day on average.
We were “only” in the parks one day this week, but it was noticeably less busy as compared to the previous week. We plan on doing a brief visit to Magic Kingdom next week, but otherwise are dramatically cutting back our park time in the coming weeks. Totally a matter of personal risk tolerance, but with the new strain variants plus the latest Florida surge, our prior risk assessments are now unreliable. That coupled with being (hopefully) in the home stretch before getting vaccinated makes us less inclined to chance it.
While at EPCOT this week, we did spot some construction progress.
Above you can see crews actively working inside the old Electric Umbrella building. This half of the structure is a bit behind MouseGear, pictured below:
At MouseGear, construction teams are in the process of installing floor-to-ceiling windows and re-enclosing the building.
The interior is still totally gutted, but this would seem to bode well for MouseGear hitting its target reopening of late 2021. It would be fantastic if a path through the center of Future World could reopen by the end of the year, but we’re not holding our breath.
Moving to World Showcase, the permanent gelato stand (“La Gelateria”) being built adjacent to the Italy pavilion is now visible over the construction walls there.
It’s a bit cold right now, but I will “begrudgingly” eat every single flavor whenever this dining spot opens. That’s how dedicated I am to this very important research.
The second of five floating platforms for Harmonious has been installed in World Showcase Lagoon, as testing continues on the other dystopian war barge for the upcoming nighttime spectacular.
Jokes about the Waterworld-inspired post-apocalyptic ramshackle floating community aside, we’re taking a wait and see approach on the daytime Harmonious sight-lines. It looks bad now, but these will all be fountains during the day once up and running, and that could add kinetic energy to this large expanse of the park. (I’m actually pretty optimistic that this will look good when all is said and done.)
The walls are down around the Streets of Paris expansion in the France pavilion, revealing a wait time sign outside the new area (smart move) and freshly-planted flowers. The latter is a curious move that seems to suggest something might be imminent.
However, we are skeptical. It’s just as likely that Walt Disney World wanted the area to be show-ready for filming promotional footage or PR photos. As we discuss in the latest update to our Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Opening & Info post, the attraction is done and could debut literally whenever. It’s all about what’s most advantageous for Walt Disney World at this point.
Continuing along, we have an update on the bombshell news that Disney’s Magical Express is ending in 2022. There aren’t any significant developments in this story, but we want to offer some clarifications and context since that post is 475+ comments strong, with very little input from us.
First, as touched upon in the post, the Brightline train station at Disney Springs is not intended to be the replacement for Disney’s Magical Express. We’ve noticed that many commenters have pointed to the Orlando stretch of that being finished in 2022, which would make it the logical successor to DME.
That’s only partially accurate. While Brightline’s 170-mile expansion from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport is planned to be completed by sometime in late 2022, that does not include the Disney Springs station. The current segment has been under construction for years, and is roughly half completed. I know Walt Disney World fans love Big Thunder Mountain, but jumping off an actual runaway train probably is not safe.
As for when the Walt Disney World station will be completed, Brightline stated in its last ridership report that the company anticipates commencing service at the station at Disney Springs in the second half of 2023. The exact location of the Disney Springs Brightline station has not yet been revealed, and unless it’s in a super secret hidden spot, construction has not started on it either. Given all of that, late 2023 is an incredibly optimistic timeline, which is typical of transportation projects.
If Walt Disney World truly intended upon Brightline being the replacement and wanted continuity of airport transportation service, they could’ve negotiated a 2-year extension with Mears. Disney holds literally all of the cards there, so it probably wouldn’t have been too difficult.
Moreover, if Disney actually intended for the Brightline station to be heavily utilized, the company probably would’ve chosen the more logical location by the ESPN Wide World of Sports where the station could’ve been its own hub. The company picked the location near Disney Springs to utilize the existing bus network–it’s going to be difficult to serve regular day guests and any heavy volume of airport arrivals with luggage. As such, we think it’s highly unlikely that Brightline is the reason Walt Disney World is ending Magical Express.
Next, Mears Transportation, the operator of Disney’s Magical Express, issued the following statement to Spectrum News 13: “Walt Disney made us aware of their decision…While we are disappointed Disney will no longer offer this service, we intend to continue offering transportation services between the airport and all area theme parks and hotels to meet the demand of our visitors now and in the future.”
Mears was not notified of Walt Disney World ceasing the Magical Express service until the same morning as the general public, per reporter Carlye Wisel. The end date coincides with the expiration of the current contract between the parties.
In our previous post, we stressed not taking Walt Disney World’s press release and purported motivations at face value due to the strained relationship with, and future viability of, Mears Transportation. We also wouldn’t take the above statement from Mears at face value.
You might feel sympathetic to Mears if you’re assuming they were blindsided by this news, but that’s not necessarily the case. For all we know, Mears and Disney had contentious negotiations for months that went nowhere, but Disney didn’t notify the company of the final decision until the general public announcement to avoid leaks. I’ve seen enough of how Mears does business over the years to not give that company the benefit of the doubt or view them as a victim.
We’ve also noticed many commenters giving deference to Walt Disney World, suggesting the company has something else up its sleeve that’ll be announced at a later date. It’s entirely possible that a replacement will be announced later this year, but we suspect that’ll be due to decreased hotel bookings and a surge of guest complaints, not because it was part of the plan all along.
The minute this news broke, we knew this was going to be the controversy of the year among Walt Disney World planners (hence us likening it to the resort parking fee). There are times when we think Disney leadership is out of touch, but not that out of touch.
Disney knew exactly what kind of reaction this news would garner. If there were a replacement in the works, it would’ve been hinted in the original Disney Parks Blog announcement to diffuse the outrage. While some fans relish bad news and the chance to be outraged, many more bend over backwards to give Disney benefit of the doubt.
If something else were planned as of right now, Walt Disney World would’ve stated as much. The more deferential fans would’ve defended the decision, making it more of a split reaction. Instead, those who normally take a “wait and see” approach joined in the discontent.
There’s also the fact that Disney essentially said, “we’re getting rid of this because Uber is better–oh and we’re doing you a favor here with this cut!” That doesn’t leave a ton of room for interpretation that something new is planned.
Some have nevertheless defended the decision by pointing to Walt Disney World’s closure and subsequent lost revenue. For one, the Walt Disney Company is not teetering on the precipice of bankruptcy. Disney has tens of billions (yes, with a b) of dollars cash on hand. While the current circumstances of Walt Disney World and Disneyland are obviously not ideal and have necessitated cutbacks, let’s not overstate the bleakness.
More importantly, Disney’s Magical Express has always been a financial net positive for the company. Obviously, Disney pays money to Mears, but the cost is built into the prices of hotels. Guests view it as a valuable amenity or perk and it maintains a captive audience for Walt Disney World that won’t venture off-site to eat, buy groceries, supplies, or visit competing theme parks. Magical Express has been very valuable to Walt Disney World in the last 15 years.
Claiming this is a smart move because Magical Express cost money would be the equivalent of saying Magic Kingdom should shut down all of its rides because those cost money to operate. Literally everything at Walt Disney World costs money to operate, but you’ve gotta spend money to make money. The expense of Disney’s Magical Express likely paid for itself many times over indirectly, which is why this move is all the more perplexing.
Ultimately, that leaves us exactly where we were upon the announcement of this news: confused. This move is a lose-lose for both guests and Disney. (There are two big winners: struggling local small businesses and Universal; it’s highly unlikely that helping those parties is Disney’s motivation.) There’s no making sense of it. This could be a shortsighted move made with the tunnel vision of direct cost savings, but we don’t have that low of an opinion of Disney’s leadership. They make dubious decisions from time to time, but this would be next level. Which is why we hope/suspect there’s still another shoe to drop here.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
If you’ve been in the parks the last week or so, have you noticed the significantly lower crowds? Think this trend will continue–minus holidays and weekends–through mid-March 2021? Input on construction progress at Walt Disney World? Have any commentary about Walt Disney World ending Disney’s Magical Express? Upset that you’ll have to rent a car or use Uber/Lyft, or did you find DME too inefficient, anyway? Other thoughts on this? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tom, you stated: “More importantly, Disney’s Magical Express has always been a financial net positive for the company. Obviously, Disney pays money to Mears, but the cost is built into the prices of hotels. Guests view it as a valuable amenity or perk and it maintains a captive audience for Walt Disney World that won’t venture off-site to eat, buy groceries, supplies, or visit competing theme parks. Magical Express has been very valuable to Walt Disney World in the last 15 years.”
That isn’t so much the case anymore, which is precisely what Disney eluded to in their statement. Disney provides the DME to/from the airport, yet guests can easily leave the bubble anytime they want because of ride share services. Yes, DME was valuable to Disney 15 years ago when ride share services didn’t exist. But with the advent of ride sharing services it became much less of a value proposition for Disney. I am not giving Disney a total pass on this…I like “free” (which we know it’s not free) perks as much as the next person. But I also understand if Disney feels they are absorbing all/most of the cost/risk for much less benefit than they used to receive. We all know Disney has the information to determine if DME is a win/loss for them. I think their decision to retire it tells us exactly the answer to that question. I would not expect any company to continue providing a service that is a losing proposition for them.
Perhaps you are right and people are using Uber to go out of the bubble when staying on site. We certainly never have but maybe others are and it’s no longer keeping people captive as it did before so Disney may be losing some of that money.
However, because we all know and Disney knows we all know that DME wasn’t really free it was added into the room/ resort prices, are they going to lower prices? Or if we choose to stay on property, are we still going to be paying for this service that is no longer offered? I think we all know the answer to this! Bottom line is they want to continue to “charge” us more for less.
For “cash” guests, you are probably correct. I don’t see Disney reducing the fees for those guests. However, DVC is required to reduce the transportation maintenance fees for DVC members if they discontinue DME. DVC hires an external auditor to ensure accuracy of the accounting of their maintenance fees. Even though the reduction in the maintenance fees will probably be minuscule, they will be reduced to account for the DME going away. DVC is required to do this per the DVC contract. The fact that they “reimbursed” DVC members for the 2020 shutdown by reducing the 2021 maintenance fees shows that they abide by those contract rules.
People could always easily leave the Disney bubble and use other transportation. There were taxis and shuttles before Uber. I know some people complain about the wait for ME and say that is why they use Uber. Can you imagine the wait for an Uber now? Or the cost? I’m sure prices will increase when there is no “free” option. Or the street congestion from everyone taking their own car (either a rental or ride share) to and from the airport? I don’t think this decision was based on covid either. Vaccines are coming out so covid will eventually be controlled. Likely right around when ME goes away. Disney seriously needs to hear from those of us upset. I’m pricing out offsite hotels and swapping universal for some of my Disney days for the first time ever… 🙁
I actually loved the MEARS airport service which offered one way shuttles for a mere $10/pp. Even factoring in a tip for the driver, that’s less than a third of an Uber for a comparable service. However it may no longer cost $10 once they are no longer piggybacking on services they are running anyway for DME.
I wonder what the uptake of the DME service actually was among eligible guests. I can imagine many families would decide ~$40 for an Uber is better than joining a line, and then getting a bus that doesn’t go direct to their resort. Of course it’s naïve to imagine the costs would remain at $40!
Geez when did you take Mears for $10? It was $22 per person (each way) last time we paid for it! It was just as easy to do a 1 way car rental and pay $50 (at the time for that) and drop it on Hotel Plaza Blvd after check in. There’s only my husband and I, so paying a little more for that car on each end was worth it.
Oh yeah and a Taxi back in the days before ME was between $50-60 each way.
Ouch. Consider me duly corrected. (I was scrolling through my bank statement back to 2019 to correct you and Win The Internet, and then discovered it cost $25). How embarrassing! *Something* was $10…
Still good value for a party of one, though. 🙂
Disney has lost its magic! They have taken away every extra perk that they offered. Each not being a big deal but they all add to a huge disappointment. No free magic bands, no free luggage tags, no free parking , no extra magic hours, the parks close before it’s dark out. They leave you nothing to do on your 2500-10,000 dollar vacation. No fastpass, and the final blow No magical Express! I am brought through the airport in a wheelchair, what am I supposed to do with my luggage? We get less and less and pay more and more. In a time when almost everything in your life has disappeared due to covid it would have been greatly appreciated if they cared about that ,instead of what their bonuses would be.
For us it means we have no easy way to visit Disney! We have two young kids and having the magical express allowed us transportation that did not require car seats which is very hard to get in an Uber. We did not have to wait in long lines to rent a car, pay parking fees and all the other stuff. This made Disney easy and possible for our family. We were looking forward to returning in 2022 but this may change things. Sad that what was an easy trip for families now has be even more complicated.
Does anyone know if the stands that have the pickles, pineapple spears, slice mangoes are open right now with COVID? Thanks so much for any help!
When the idea of Brightline first came out, I thought it was more of a get Miami to Orlando and Orlando to Miami. I still think that the extension to DS will be more of getting money out of Miami and into DS. Spend a night at Lake Buena Vista/Disney and return to Miami area. Plus lots of international flights into Miami and then just hop the train to Orlando.
That’s absolutely what the Brightline is about, and why Disney finally agreed to a station.
In my highly scientific analysis of Walt Disney World guest demographics (which is literally a not-so-scientific measure of “counting the Heat jerseys”), visitors from Miami are up considerably in the last few years.
As a family travelling from the UK, we arrive exhausted after the long haul flight. We don’t drive in Florida, as the idea is to unwind completely.
The Magical Express was key for us to start our holiday.
We have used Uber on days we want to get off-site, but is can be difficult to book if there is no free WiFi.
I guess I can somehow buy an American SIM card for my phone to get data, but I will have to look into that.
At the end of the day, we we might look at other places to holiday.
We can typically only afford to visit every four years. Now with no easy transport to our resort and no possibility to at least secure fast passes for rides at the parks it’s not looking magical at all.
I’m not happy to spend £8000 and not be able to have key things secured.
Regarding Meirs, I was involved on a coach that had not one but two minor accidents in 2004, on the way to Bush Gardens due to brake failure.. They showed little to no care to the passengers who were cut and bruised. A long time ago, I know but impressions stick.
I’m hoping to visit in February 2022.
Lets hope Disney provide some kind of magic by then.
The whole point was to have a Disney “bubble” and to avoid guests bringing vehicles.
If you have to rent a vehicle now you might as well leave for food or Universal or shopping for the day. It would be kind of a waste to rent and pay for parking just to drive from the airport.
This was as much for Disney’s benefit as it was for guests. I’m not sure what the new strategy is???
I don’t want to rent a car. I don’t want to take Uber or Lyft. We’re a family of five with young kids and I don’t want to bring car seats and/or booster seats with us on the plane. We’re coming from Canada and we always say “We’re going to Disney World.” Not the US, not Florida – Disney World. We love the magical bubble.
I suspect the cutting of DME is all about short term cost cutting, which is more immediate than long term losses due to decreased on-site reservations, less captive audience, etc.
For me personally: I don’t mind paying for an Uber. Not a huge expense, and will get me to my resort faster and more directly.
But I also might have been willing to pay extra for Magic Express: flying with a full family, the Magic Express luggage service was “magical.”
Not having to worry about your bags, go to the baggage claim, lug them around. That was the best part of DME.
Anyway… I remain fearful about what stark short-sighted budget cuts are still to come. (Fewer fireworks shows? Less equity entertainment?)
“I suspect the cutting of DME is all about short term cost cutting, which is more immediate than long term losses due to decreased on-site reservations, less captive audience, etc.”
Is one really more immediate than the other, though? It’s a theoretical near-term savings because the cut can be made now, but there’s probably not much difference in timing of the actual money out/in resulting from this decision.
It’s a huge immediate savings, a cost cut that is easy to see on the balance sheets. They can calculate the savings into their 2022 budgets.
The connected profit loss will be far harder to define. If x% of additional guests rent a car.. and that adds up to x% more people leaving property for dining..
And what percentage of that loss will be compensated by parking fees.
As to those who choose not even to stay on property.. I don’t think you’re going to see a sudden big drop in on-site bookings just because of no DME. It will be more a drip-drip-drip.. fewer people booking on-site if too many advantages disappear. But they will offer new advantages, new promotions.
I’d be shocked if Disney is paying Mears up-front, rather than their standard Net 45 or 60. It’s thus calculable up-front on budgets, but those savings are theoretical–and not actually realized–until at roughly the same time as the decreased bookings.
In other words, both the money in and out is a drip-drip.
This is just mind boggling! I think the most shocking thing is that they are just tanking the whole service not even the option to pay. I know we would all still be annoyed but to make people have to deal with finding transportation on their own seems like they do want to discourage people from coming.
Do you happen to have any information on when the DCP will start up again?
No insight or info–my guess is 2022 or 2023.
Tom, Great analysis, as usual. It’s like we get an MBA analysis AND a Disney Fan all in one. We used to love the Magical Express. But with the all their changes, we have used a Mears private vehicle the last several times. Not cheap but very clean and reliable, and flexible and we always get the same driver, who is awesome. I know u are not a big fan of some of their business practices, but if your readers/fans r going to shell out 1000s of dollars for a Disney vacation and can afford a little more, I definitely recommend your readers consider it, especially in 2022.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and recommendation!
I may not like Mears as a business, but if the product/service is good–it’s good.
Bottom line is disney is just making it easier to stay off site now. The big plus with the bus was not having to worry about your Luggage. You could fly in early and just go to the parks after getting to the hotel. Now you’ll need to get your luggage then get a rental or car share plan. If you get a rental you have that added cost then with disney charging to park at the hotel is more money. It all adds up to stay off site and save money. It’s really sad cause I use to love the ease of one you check in at the airport your vacation started. That’s not the case anymore. I think it’s a big mistake for disney and will end up costing them business. We are in the planning stage for 2022 and have changed our thoughts on staying there and staying in Orlando and visiting multiple parks instead of just disney.
What is really going to be a kick in the teeth for guests is that I highly doubt WDW will be lowering their prices to reflect the loss of DME. As you said, the cost for the services is already “built in” to WDW pricing, though it is billed as “free”. How much this currently costs to each guest, I have no idea. The cost is potentially small and doesn’t move the needle on what WDW currently charges, but once the service ends WDW *could* lower the price to reflect that and possibly make up for the loss of the perk, but I’d lay money they won’t.
None of Walt Disney World’s pricing–none of it–is cost-based; it’s entirely what the market will bear. So although Magical Express was “built in” to hotel pricing, the aspect that was built in was the perceived value of the amenity to guests.
You’re right that Walt Disney World won’t take the per-guest cost of Disney’s Magical Express and subtract that from hotel prices. However, over time Disney will offer greater discounts due to decreased occupancy resulting from this lost amenity. I’d go as far to predict that the decrease in prices that the market will bear will exceed the per guest cost of DME over time. It’ll be indirect, but it was also indirect before.
You have less than 5% chance of even contracting the virus, and in your demographic, a virtual 0% chance of serious illness and death. I wouldn’t spend too much time focusing on “risk”.
I had exactly the same thought. They’ve gotten us accustomed to the current price point and I can’t see them lowering it to reflect their savings on cuts to amenities. That being said, I just don’t see that actually panning out as a net financial gain for the company in the long term for the reasons outlined in the post–I agree with Tom; I think they’re letting themselves in for bigger indirect losses than direct gains with this one. It’s just confusing from an outside perspective and I do think there has to be more going on here that hasn’t been shared out to the public.
great analysis. i said that to a number of comments when the news broke- the train is not the intended replacement for ME. any number of financial issues could “Derail” the intended plans and things could be delayed or maybe not even built. it’s not a disney project, therefore they have no control over what happens. luggage and kids and everything and hauling them on and off two modes of transportation just to get to my resort? no thanks. uber and cabs and many shuttle services require car seats, and while some private car companies might provide them for a hefty fee, that’s just one more thing to lug around if you plan to take those. that a big number of families that affects. yes, mears itself is available, but they don’t do the luggage service part of ME. this is a big blow to a lot of people. yes, if you travel other places you have to figure all that out, but that was part of what set wdw apart, the not having to worry about all that. and i don’t feel sorry for disney as a company- plenty of money in reserve while cast members struggle and they make really poor guest experience decisions. it’s no wonder we’re seeing sudden retirements of longtime CMs in close succession recently. while i’m not planning any trips until the after-times of covid, if we do disney travel, it will be to dl paris, dl california, or disney cruise line. we can do those for the same price, or less than wdw these days. we thankfully went to wdw in late 2019, and with all these unwelcome changes they are making, trips there will just not be as frequent as they were once upon a time for us. orlando trips might shift to universal too, and next wdw trips just might be at disney springs or totally offsite. and of course, there are lots of other places in the world to see too. we love disney, but we have to take a stand with our wallets in the places we as consumers are upset. they lose a significant portion of this family’s vacation money by making this decision if we choose to stay offsite. will they miss one family? no. but again, let them know with your dollars how you feel.
I remember when magical express started. I used it first week opened. Soon after room prices started to rise. Was a win win. “Free” transport and ease of use so hey let’s book at Disney resorts. So now for a year or 2 to come, rooms will not be filled like in last 10 years. It was paying for itself. Now it’s costing money. Not a shocker and don’t blame them, but like dining plan… it’s Disney so it’s never really “free”.
As Tom pointed out, everything Disney does costs money. I can’t imagine DME being the financial straw that was breaking the camel’s back.
Spent Christmas week at Disney World with the wife and 4 grandkids. Had a great time but was disappointed for them that they missed so much of the Magic ( Mickey’s Christmas party, fireworks, parades, character meets, extra magic hours, fastpass, park hopping, meal plans etc.). We missed our return bus (6am for an 11:30 flight) and ended up taking a Mears taxi to the airport($60 + tip). With all the cutbacks, I don’t see any reason to stay on property amymore. Not planning a return trip anytime soon
I totally agree with you on Magical Express being a lose-lose. We try to go to Disney every year. We canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic & rescheduled for May since we were lucky enough to get a credit for our non-refundable DVC rental. But that’s the only reason we’re going this year – the trip’s already paid for. We always stay on property because of the convenience of the Magical Express & not having to worry about luggage pick up. That’s a deal breaker, especially with all the other amenities we’ll no longer get, like fireworks, character buffets, signature restaurants (so many are still closed), and live shows.
We won’t be returning in 2022. I’m already planning a trip to Universal Studios instead. I haven’t been there since 1997 & my granddaughter’s never been, so perhaps Disney is doing us a favor.
Disney may also want to make their Minnie vans more popular and used more. For me, I always have a car, but this will be a big problem when I bring a group down. ME really made it easy. Guess I go back to chartering a bus like I did before ME.
We tried using a Minnie van in 2018. Wasn’t ever one available. We had to go with the regular Lyft instead. But they’re insanely expensive, so I suppose it’s just as well. The Minnie van is insanely expensive. The Lyft ride cost us $8. The Minnie van is a flat rate of $15 plus $3.15 a mile. It’s roughly 5 miles from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom. To go from the airport to Disney, it’s a flat rate of $150 – ONE WAY!
Minnie Vans can’t scale to that level. Even if they return (no guarantees of that), the fleet was pretty much stretched to its limit before. There are not enough of them to absorb the displaced DME users.
Heck, it remains to be seen whether there are enough Uber and Lyft drivers in the Orlando area to absorb displaced DME riders. (My guess is probably, given that convention/business travel will be down through at least 2023.)
The best part of a Disney vacation was magical express. You knew from the moment you went on that airplane -you had no more work to do. You were on vacation. This is short-sighted abd takes away the pull to stay at WDW.
Exactly! I always compared our trips to Disney to places like Sandals & Beaches because I didn’t have to worry about baggage claim, renting a car, parking at the parks, and so on. It was all done for me. Now, not so much anymore. It makes me really sad.
It’s more than just ME though, but I get that is most people’s disappointment. It’s the questin if why pay Disney hotel.orices when there is uter lack of perks for those astronomical prices. I stayed at Cabana Bay for 170.00 night for a family suite and got so much more in return than I did satying in AOA for 430.00 a night in the family suite. Very very similar rooms astronomical difference in price way more perks, amenities, service, magic, and enjoyment at Cabana Bay. But, I at least got early booking for FP+ and EMH, which when we went included a number of 2 hour evenings, that allowed us to ride basically every single ride we wanted without hideous wait times. That was the perk for us. For others it’s the ME. Now it seems like even the few perks the Disney hotels offered are gone so why pay 430.00 a night? I could (and will) just keep paying the 170.00 a night to stay at Cabana Bay and visit Disney a few times in the side. I can’t understand this decision. To me it feels like entitlement on Disney’s part. They deserve all that money just because they are Disney not because they are actually giving you anything for it in return.
Once again some bright analysis. Would love to hear your thoughts on retiring to Orlando area.
“Would love to hear your thoughts on retiring to Orlando area.”
We’ve toyed with the idea of a moving to Orlando pros & cons post, but I’m not sure the timing (for the post or the idea) is right. There is a TON of new home construction all around us, and I question whether it’s sustainable. I still feel like the full economic ramifications have yet to be felt in Central Florida, but perhaps there are enough people relocating to the state to offset all of that?
Personally, I’d wait a year or so before moving here, but that’s just me. I’m pretty bearish on the local market and also skeptical of the economy. (But I’ve felt that way for a while.)
While I am not Tom,
My parents bought a home right outside of Disney on Apopka Vineland about 5 min from the entrance to Disney on Apopka in 1999 and retired to Orlando from rural KY in 2015. They have loved it!
They were APs until the pandemic hit, and also AP at Seaworld. (Didn’t like Universal) and they loved retiring to Orlando. Always something new opening up or a new band to watch. During The seasonal festivals at Epcot there tons of free concerts, and always new things to see.
In short, after seeing their retirement in Orlando, My wife and I definitely plan to split part of our retirement between Orlando and a cooler weather location.
Plus the number one reason they retired to Orlando… guaranteed visitors! No matter what almost everyone ends up in Orlando every now and then. Whether it’s grandkids, past colleagues there for a conference, family vacations, they always knew they would have visitors. And who wouldn’t love a free place to stay near Disney! They only have two regrets. One was not buying in Golden oak way back when. Even when they retired I think they said some homes there were 1.2-1.5. That is definitely not the case now, albeit there home home has definitely done well in appreciation. The second was not selling in 2007 before the bubble burst. Homes were going for 3x-3.5x purchase price then.
Either way, I say definitely retire to Orlando!
When you have an AP Disney becomes a huge mall with attractions and restaurants, lol. It’s a
I echo this call for a post on moving/living in the Disney World area.
My thanks to you Tom and Ramon for thoughtful responses. And to Steve for showing I’m not the only crazy loon.
First to Tom I agree with your economic outlook. Currently we can’t make the move for at least two years when my wife retires. Then when we do we would need/want to find part time jobs. Again we were thinking Disney but right now they’re letting people go by the tens of thousands so who knows what employment opportunities will look like in say three years.
You’re correct the timing might not be right with so much in flux. I’ve done some research and even looked at homes online but I’ve heard different things like stay to the west of Disney to avoid the Orlando traffic. It’s insight like that which I hope you can provide if you do do your post.
But I am interested in other info like is there buyers remorse a year later? Do miserable months like late June to mid October make one pine for the cool mountain air up North or are those harsh hot months seen as fully compensated by the mild months of Dec to March? Does the new love of being near Disney wear off in a year and you find yourself cheating with Seaworld?
Thank you Ramon, my American Ninja Warrior friend, for that positive upbeat message about your parents. I have a pretty good idea where your folks are. What a great location, especially in regards to Disney. I doubt we could afford to move there but I’m used to driving and being 20 to 30 minutes away would be no problem.
The cheapest home in Golden Oak right now is 2.5 million. We’re looking more around 200K in order to avoid a mortgage. There was a time in the 90’s when Golden Oak at 1.2 might have been feasible but if I told you all the money I lost you would think one day you’re going to find me at the end of my rope literally.
“…stay to the west of Disney to avoid the Orlando traffic.”
This is still somewhat true, but becomes less and less valid. In the past year, we’ve seen 4 stoplights go up between our west-side house and Magic Kingdom, and if construction trends are any indication, there’s no end in sight on that. Plenty of developable land to the west.
It obviously depends upon your priorities, but my advice would be the exact opposite: look east of Walt Disney World. The communities are more mature and stable, and fully built-out. Moreover, there’s more culture, shopping, dining, etc. Sure, there are Publix and other stores on the west side, but if we want to go anywhere “interesting,” we have to cross through Walt Disney World property. That makes for some long commutes.
On top of that, it’s visually boring. Almost everything to the west was built in the last 10 years–it’s a sea of housing developments that literally all look the same. It might appeal to some, but if you’re coming from somewhere that’s more vibrant and eclectic, it’s incredibly bland.