Disney’s Magical Express Was Used By One-Third of Hotel Guests at Disney World
As covered in Walt Disney World is Worried About Its High Prices, there are concerns about Disney pricing out the middle class. This is now a debate inside the company among leaders, with growing fears about how price increases and unpopular decisions are angering fans and losing guest goodwill.
We’ve already discussed all of that (twice!), but there’s one morsel from the WSJ that we haven’t yet discussed. Shortly after Chapek’s ouster, Iger called a meeting and asked D’Amaro to come up with a list of things the company could do to win back the goodwill of fans, undoing some of the damage of the Chapek regime.
Among that discussion, there was this quote: “Disney eliminated some perks that used to be gratis, like the Magical Express airport shuttle and the FastPass ride-scheduling system. It said only about a third of hotel guests were using the airport service when it was canceled.” Obviously, Disney’s Magical Express was not one of the things Iger picked from the list of guest perks to be restored, but this is still the first time the company has ever disclosed ridership numbers for Disney’s Magical Express.
Let’s break this down. On January 11, 2021, Walt Disney World officially announced the decision to discontinue the free Disney’s Magical Express airport shuttle service. The company explained that “vacationers have more options to choose from than ever for transportation, including ride-share services that save time and offer more flexibility to go where they want, when they want.”
In light of this transportation preference shift, Disney explained that when hotel bookings opened for stays in 2022, they would no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service for new arrivals. Walt Disney World continued to operate the service for new and existing reservations made for arrivals throughout 2021, and departures into early 2022.
Disney’s Magical Express airport shuttle service was operated by Mears, a transportation company with coach buses and taxis that enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the Orlando market for years. During COVID, Mears struggled. It furloughed 83% of its workforce and permanently laid off 200 workers.
Mears came back from the brink, announcing Mears Connect only a few months later, in April 2021. The service was launched in direct response to overwhelming demand and inquiries by guests. Mears Connect promised the “same safe and reliable service the company has provided millions of guests for decades.”
Shortly thereafter, a newcomer entered the arena, with Sunshine Flyer also launching in 2022. While it was a fantastic and unique train-themed twist on airport shuttles, it didn’t last long. Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect merged in August 2023. Although the companies didn’t state as much, the reason was obvious to me: insufficient demand to sustain both.
The combined company, Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine, still operates as of 2025. In Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine Review: Is Disney World’s Airport Shuttle Still Good?, I mention that the number of stops has increased. That review was from exactly one year ago, and this issue has only worsened during non-peak times.
It’s worth reading that full review if you’re on the fence about Mears Connect, but the last line is the most pertinent part for our purposes: “Part of me wonders if the only way an airport shuttle is viable at all in the long-run is by being an on-site perk offered by Walt Disney World.”
With regard to Walt Disney World’s statement that “only about a third of hotel guests were using the airport service when it was canceled,” the first thing that sticks out to me was it was cancelled during the height of COVID. If only a third of guests were using Disney’s Magical Express from July 2020 to January 2021, that’s not indicative of anything.
We heard from countless readers then who were renting cars or driving all the way down to Walt Disney World for the first time to mitigate risk. Others opted for private transportation to reduce their exposure to other guests. This was all fairly cost-effective because not many people, period, were visiting Walt Disney World at the time. Even internal transportation was barely used during that ~6 months.
The bottom line is that if Walt Disney World were making the basis to discontinue Disney’s Magical Express on the basis of ridership numbers in mid-to-late 2020, oof. That would be very flawed methodology, to say the least.
While no poorly-reasoned decisions during the Chapek years would shock me, I’ll give Walt Disney World the benefit of the doubt and assume that the one-third stat for Disney’s Magical Express was not from late 2020, but rather, late 2019 or early 2020.
That retiring DME had been on the table for a while, and Walt Disney World used the “cover” afforded by the soft reset of the phased reopening to finally pull the trigger on what it knew would be an unpopular decision. This is precisely how we ended up with paid FastPass, which had been rumored for years but Disney never had the “courage” to move forward with previously.
By Disney’s own admission (contemporaneous interviews with Chapek and Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro), the closure and phased reopening presented a unique opportunity for the parks to reevaluate its business practices and make difficult decisions. At that time, paid overnight resort hotel parking was fairly recent, and Walt Disney World probably was already looking for other ways to improve margins on its resorts without increasing rack rates.
Regardless of when the decision to eliminate Disney’s Magical Express was made, my reaction to the one-third ridership statistic was: “wow, that’s a higher number than I expected!”
Not everyone flies to Walt Disney World. Florida residents doing “staycations” most certainly are not. Same goes for those in other Southern states for the most part. There are a lot of regular guests, even those living farther north, who don’t fly because it’s not cost-effective or for other reasons. My family never fly to Walt Disney World when I was a kid–we made the long drive from Michigan!
Although the percentages probably vary by season, I would conservatively estimate that 20% of on-site Walt Disney World guests are not flying. That number could be as high as one-third, I have no clue–it’s not a statistic I’ve ever seen Walt Disney World release.
Within the remaining bucket of guests, there are those who do not want to use an airport shuttle for whatever reason.
Many want to be the masters of their own fate by having a rental car, allowing them to not be beholden to Walt Disney World transportation. Not just Disney’s Magical Express, but all of it. This is common at the spread out Disney Vacation Club resorts and other hotels reliant on all-bus transportation. There was a period between the time Sarah and I were broke college students and the rise of rideshare when this described us, and we rented a car for those trips.
Others prefer private pickups. The limo and town car companies have done big business at Orlando International Airport for as long as I can remember. It’s always been the case that some percentage of guests preferred a private transfer as opposed to a public shuttle.
The bottom line is that there’s another big chunk of guests airport-arriving guests for whom Disney’s Magical Express was always a non-starter. For as long as we’ve been visiting Walt Disney World, the hotel parking lots have seen reasonably high utilization, taxis were always around, and private transfer companies existed. The rise and fall of Disney’s Magical Express didn’t meaningfully change the equation on any of this.
With all of that said, it would be foolish to pretend that the rise of rideshare didn’t change things for Disney’s Magical Express. It very obviously did.
Uber and Lyft have been massively disruptive not just to the taxi industry, but presumably to demand for Disney’s Magical Express. I would hazard a guess that as those rideshare services became more mainstream, so did their usage around Central Florida. This is something we also saw and experienced firsthand.
We were early adopters of Uber, and noticed that for several years after we first wrote about rideshare, readers were still “discovering” it and debating whether to use rideshare for the first time. This might surprise some, but it makes sense. The experiences of those who live in Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago are very different than those in rural regions. Rideshare is still not a “thing” in my hometown.
This is not just about how many guests were using Uber or Lyft for transportation to and from the airport, cutting into Disney’s Magical Express ridership numbers.
Equally significant, if not more so, was the freedom that rideshare offered. Uber and Lyft opened the door for on-site guests to venture off-site, including those who had used Disney’s Magical Express for transportation to Walt Disney World from the airport. This meant doing meals off-site, but more critically, it meant spending days at Universal Orlando and other Central Florida theme parks.
This was the whole reason why Disney’s Magical Express came into being in the first place. Just like the Disney Dining Plan, it was originally a play to keep people on-site. Long ago, Walt Disney World determined that the increase in average per guest spending with Disney’s Magical Express plus the perceived convenience and goodwill obtained from offering the service outweighed the average per guest cost of offering the service. It was a ‘soft lock’ in keeping people in the Disney Bubble. Uber and Lyft punctured that.
Even though I’ve long accepted the above reasoning about rideshare, I’ve maintained my belief that Disney’s Magical Express was still a net positive for Walt Disney World. That it was probably a short-sighted decision to end DME even if rideshare increased the mobility of guests to flow off-site.
However, the last time I wrote about Disney’s Magical Express, we were a frugal, tech-savvy couple of Childless Disney Millennials. Today, we are parents to a small child. Being a Disney Dad has changed my perspective on a lot of things, including Disney’s Magical Express.
Before, I overestimated how big of game-changers Uber and Lyft were for Walt Disney World transportation. Even though I had heard from many families that rideshare wasn’t a viable option for them, I probably discounted this perspective. And as a frugal couple, we probably overemphasized the difference between rideshare and taxis on the basis of cost (and it’s no longer the case that Uber is significantly cheaper than taxis!).
Suffice to say, there never has been a ‘soft lock’ on the Disney Bubble because taxis have existed as long as Disney’s Magical Express existed. While it’s undeniable that the cost, ubiquity and ease of Uber increased its uptake versus taxis, the extent to which this is true is debatable.
What I now understand is that there are other factors that create that ‘soft lock’ for families. Car seats are a big one, as neither taxis nor rideshare in Central Florida come equipped with these. So families with small children have to travel with their own, which is a non-starter for many.
We do travel with a car seat and, honestly, rideshare or taxis have also become a non-starter for us. Another thing I never appreciated until ~16 months ago was just how recklessly people drive. There was like one time, ever, when I was concerned for my safety in hundreds of times using rideshare prior to last year. Now, I’m a nervous wreck whenever I get into an Uber or Lyft, and that’s when it’s just me! (Beyond the scope of this post, but being a parent has definitely changed my risk tolerance in a big way.)
There is no way we’ll use Uber or Lyft with Megatron unless it’s an absolute last resort. We will “suffer” through however many stops Mears Connect throws our way. We’d rather be on the safer and much larger bus rather than play russian roulette in a regular vehicle with someone else behind the wheel.
I now “get” why so many families loved Disney’s Magical Express despite it being objectively inefficient. I also understand why families love Minnie Vans, for that matter, despite it being objectively much more expensive than other rideshares. You can’t put a price on peace of mind or your kid’s safety. Funny how perspectives change with lived experience!
I also can plainly see that Mears Connect ridership numbers are nowhere near the level of Disney’s Magical Express when it was discontinued. (I would be shocked if more than 10% of on-site guests are using Mears Connect, on average.) As the shuttle service has gotten less and less efficient, it’s become a vicious cycle of people abandoning it. In the case of families, I can only assume they’re largely opting instead for rental cars. And nothing bursts the Disney bubble like a rental car!
In other words, the “switch” from Disney’s Magical Express to Mears Connect is not simply a 1:1 change, with Disney seeing the upside of higher hotel margins without any downside in not offering the “free” shuttle. And it’s not just that they’re losing vacation time and spending by virtue of those same families renting cars.
They have undoubtedly lost some families completely, as the cost or inconvenience of paying for airport transportation was their tipping point. Or, it could’ve been the straw that broke the camel’s back from a nickel and diming perspective even among families that could afford alternative airport transportation.
Bringing things full circle with the commentary to our last post on Walt Disney World pricing out the middle class, all of this pertains disproportionately to families with small children. Much of what’s discussed in the few preceding paragraphs is our own past anecdotal experience as a childless couple (or me as a solo traveler) versus us currently as a family of three with a baby/toddler.
However, I doubt any of this is unique to us. I’ve been hearing similar sentiment from readers and parents for years, it just never fully “clicked.” Just going off my own observations, I strongly suspect that more convention-goers, honeymooners, and other members of the Childless Disney Millennials cohort are using rideshare or private transportation that were using Disney’s Magical Express or now Mears Connect.
The flip side of that is that I’d also strongly suspect that a disproportionate percentage of Disney’s Magical Express ridership was middle class families with children. That one-third number may appear low on its face, but if it spikes to two-thirds or more of all MCO-arriving families with kids, that’s actually a huge percentage of Disney’s bread and butter! And, as explained above, a big chunk of those guests still aren’t venturing off-site even with rideshare–given that they weren’t with taxis.
Ultimately, given what we now know about internal concerns that Walt Disney World is pricing out middle class families plus this Disney’s Magical Express ridership stat plus my own life experience in the last couple years, I’m even more convinced than ever than ending DME was a mistake.
I still couldn’t make sense of this decision 2 years ago, and that’s doubly true today. I’ve discussed this repeatedly and at length in posts like the list of Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World. It’s gotta be one of those things that made sense on a spreadsheet or as a short term boost during the period of pent-up demand, but is doing incalculable damage to Walt Disney World. I firmly believe the beancounters got this one wrong, and the long-term consequences to the company in ending Disney’s Magical Express will far exceed whatever money they saved and to whatever degree it juiced margins for a few years.
Eliminating Disney’s Magical Express was short-sighted. The move will cost Walt Disney World on-site hotel stays, visits to other theme parks, meals outside the resort complex, and more. One of Walt Disney World’s greatest strengths was its bubble, and the company voluntarily punctured that. The captive audience that was viewed as advantageous for years is gone–and at a time when Walt Disney World’s #1 competitor keeps growing and getting stronger.
Another thing that resurfaced with this WSJ article was how, upon returning as CEO, Bob Iger made it clear that he had been “alarmed” by price increases at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and was concerned that Chapek was “killing the soul” of Disney. Back when Iger’s “alarm” first leaked, we wrote 7 Good Changes CEO Bob Iger Could Make to “Fix” Walt Disney World.
To his credit, he has accomplished most of that, with only 2 entries remaining. As it’s once again clear that something substantive needs to be done–beyond ineffectual press releases–and as Epic Universe is only months away from opening, it’s time to break the glass and do one of the final two things: restore Disney’s Magical Express.
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
What do you think about the statistic that around one-third of Walt Disney World resort guests used Disney’s Magical Express? Higher or lower than you expected? Think that number was disproportionately the very middle class families that Disney is now worried about losing? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
In your “people that don’t fly” estimate, don’t forget “people that do fly, but not to Orlando”. Sanford, Melbourne and Tampa are all viable airports, especially for long-haul travel or charter flights where the price difference or availability can be huge.
I have read stories how Walt would spend time walking around Disneyland, spending time in conversations with guests as to what they like and don’t like.
I could be wrong, but I don’t get the sense that anyone at C-level is doing anything to capture both the positive and negative vibes from the guests in a similar fashion.
I would like to thank you, Tom, for essentially capturing this information and presenting to all of the readers of DTB! Just look at the numbers of comments in one day to one of your posts about a topic that’s not even inside any of the theme parks.
You are to be commended for all your efforts with these posts. Walt would surely have to pleased with your “stewardship”.
DME was hands down the best for multi-generational groups with young kids.
When we took my son on his first trip as a toddler, with grandparents, aunt and uncle in tow, we all happily checked luggage, checked in to DME with our free magic bands, and rode the Disney bus all together to the hotel.
On subsequent trips without extended family, we haven’t checked luggage and booked private transfers. It wasn’t great, but was ok.
Recently we brought our toddler daughter on her first trip, with the grandparents. We needed a rear facing car seat, space for 6 passengers, checked luggage. It was a huge hassle to price out the (limited, expensive) options for our group.
You hit the nail on the head that getting rid of DME likely hit the nostalgia/legacy demographic hardest! The friction it eliminated was priceless.
What am I missing here? If Disney brings back a valuable perk and lowers prices, like everyone commenting to this post desires, what will happen? More people will come…larger crowds! Aren’t the intolerable crowds and the need to rely on line-skipping in order to have a satisfying day the biggest hurdle to a fun Disney vacation? Not to mention having your head buried in your phone all day, the lack of spontaneity, no sleeping in, difficulty getting a restaurant reservation, etc… As much as I’d like DME and lower prices, smaller crowds and all the benefits that come with it, top the list by a wide margin.
The parks are not as crowded as they would have you believe. Everything became so congested because of the Genie/LL system. While people are waiting on their attraction window, they are wandering. Also, they have fewer CMs than they did prior to the shutdown. There are fewer shops, less merch, etc. So people wander. The wait times are purposefully inflated throughout the day at various attractions to move guests elsewhere. This is coming from somebody who is there every day.
I think most people here are upset about perks disappearing/shrinking and increased complexity of trips in combination with the high prices. I’d guess some prices could be forgiven if Disney reinstated things that improved guest experience or made it seem like they care about customers.
A return to the original free Fast Pass (offered only on limited popular attractions), adding new entertainment and non-headliner rides that can eat people without drawing additional crowds, and/or longer park hours could all potentially help with congestion and wait times and would actually be benefits to guests…as opposed to hoping Disney pisses off or prices out enough guests to thin crowds, and then taking advantage of that (if it’s called “taking advantage of” when you’re still getting less for more).
Forgot to say, I don’t think Disney is interested in smaller crowds anyway…otherwise they wouldn’t be offering any discounts.
Honestly the bubble extended even further than DME for our family. The excitement really started with getting our FREE magic bands and luggage tags. We would start watching all our favorite Disney movies in the lead up to our trip. Getting on the plane at Raleigh-Durham airport there were always dozens of other families heading off to WDW too. It just all felt so… Magical. And once on Disney property we never left the bubble until we flew home.
Now we rent a car, and split our trip between WDW and Universal. It doesn’t feel the same but I have to say, Universal is pretty awesome. The deluxe resorts are excellent, they include express passes, we use the beautiful walkways or the boats to get to the parks, and it costs significantly less than the WDW portion of the trip. They just seem to be trying harder.
All in all, canceling Magic Express seems like one of the all time great “penny wise, pound foolish” decisions in corporate history.
You absolutely nailed it. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There was a feeling of “okay we paid Disney this huge chunk of money, and now they’re going to take care of us and everybody gets a VIP experience.” They took care of your tags, your bands, your transportation, guaranteed you’d get on a few rides a day without a long wait. The nickel and diming is the total opposite feeling and it shows in guest satisfaction.
I agree with this article. Some comments have suggested they would “pay” a fee for the Magical Express to come back. I do not agree with this! The article started out talking about the inside Disney Exec. concerned about it becoming too expensive for families to visit DW. So, now people are suggesting to pay more?!? Just like people talked about wanting a to pay a fee to get fast pass back. Well, Disney listened to that. Look where that is now! 3 tiers of paid fast pass!! No. I will not pay MORE. And I for sure will not pay more when the hotels and tickets has skyrocketed since 2019! I personally feel Disney made more money with the bus service and free fast passes. I know they make money now on the paid fast pass service. But at what cost? I know people that do not eat on site, bring in their own food, no sit down restaurant, severally limit the amount of souvenirs they purchase, go down on hotel tiers, and stay less days. If this is just one family doing this, how much money is Disney losing?? I say it’s over the amount of paid fast passes they sell. Then there are the non tangibles. Disney goodwill, repeat trips, and word of mouth. No, Disney does not need to CHARGE more to bring something back that was included. They need to bring everything back that made a Disney Vacation exceptional.
Exactly when did people going to the Disney parks say they “wanted to pay” for fastpass? I’m not being snarky, I’m honestly confused about what you’re talking about.
When fast pass ended there were many people that left comments saying they wanted it back, “even if they had to pay for it like at Universal”. Disney listened. They brought it back with a new name “Genie”. Now, Disney was thinking about charging for fast pass for awhile as Tom has stated. But, if the willingness to pay for something that used to be free is okay with people, of course Disney is going to charge. I have read a couple of comments left here that people are “Okay paying a small fee” for Disney to bring back Disney Express bus. It’s just interesting that this article referenced Disney exec. worried if pricing is too high and yet some comments are stating they would pay more.
Iger has been back for many years since Chapek. Why haven’t you accepted that? No more excuses as to why the price increases keep getting worse. As if it’s a surprise, no it isn’t. They absolutely know what they are doing.
As for DME, that’s park of the package of Disney operations. Cutting back services means it doesn’t exist. What’s troubling is Disney hasn’t attempted to charge customers for a convenient shuttle service. It just decided to not offer it. That’s why guests feel they are getting less. It used to be everything is offered (included). It’s now optional yet hard to arrange separately on your own especially if infrequent visitors. That one-third who use DME would find the service useful and convenient. Now, everyone don’t want the hassle of booking an overpriced Disney vacation where everything doesn’t work.
“Iger has been back for many years since Chapek. Why haven’t you accepted that?”
Huh?
I’m not sure what there is to accept. Iger returned in late 2022, so it’s been over 2 years. He got off to a strong start in undoing some of the damage done during the prior couple of years, but it’s been radio silence on that front for well over a year–closer to 2 at this point.
That’s the whole point of this series of articles–to call attention to the company needing to do more unless they want to alienate and forever lose generations of fans. Bob Iger is CEO and Josh D’Amaro is Parks Chairman, so the buck stops with them.
Iger has fundamentally fixed very little of its various businesses. He only succeeded in improving theme park revenues while everything else has suffered.
Iger has fundamentally fixed most of Disney’s various businesses since he replaced Chapek. The only area of the business less profitable than two years ago is Park and Resorts because of the need for discounting and longer term investments in the parks; streaming is more profitable than ever, DCL is in a strong position to choose whether to maintain or expand fleet size as the oldest ships retire, and even the loss of “sports Hulu” hasn’t made ESPN any less profitable than before.
I think that saying there’s plenty of generic CEOs who could have improved on the Umbrella Chapek baseline would be a fair argument, but the profit spreadsheet has improved across most major categories of the company.
Aaron: Streaming is not profitable and continues to be an embarrassment with lower ratings than ever before. None of Star Wars new series (Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, Andor) has broken the top ten. Netflix regularly has the top rated shows. Disney+ had 700,000 subscribers cancelled. Disney’s movies under performed at the box office especially when you realize how much they overspend for production. With everything being a sequel or prequel, no originality either. Captain America and Snow White will be released next week and next month respectively. Both had terrible PR from their Stars who say embarrassing things to alienate fans. Both overspend to fix Woke stories despite Iger denying it had Woke. How much more Woke is in the pipeline? No one knows. Imagineering keeps threatening to change more attractions to modern audiences. Haunted Mansion will continue to get more changes that no one asked for. This is an organization problem that is structurally damaging Disney.
Besides agreeing with all that was written about the decision being short sided, there are two things that were big losses for us, but mostly when we became Gen X Disney parents (after years of traveling to WDW as DINKs):
1. ME taking care of baggage, from airport to room. Not lugging bags around was such a bonus! Even from getting from baggage claim to rideshare vehicle to hotel to the bell desk just is not fun and can be downright difficult even though we have one child! There was a feeling of relief to not deal with any of that and getting to your room knowing bags would be there waiting for you.
2. For us, and I think most people, ME set the tone for your trip. Your arrival. Anticipation to the start of your trip or a fond farewell at the end. You can’t put a price on the feeling of excitement embarking to your resort, watching Disney clips on the screens in the bus, etc. We are bummed that our son does not get to experience that in his tween years and beyond.
As much as no one likes paying for Fastpass and all its name incarnations, I can rationalize it from Disney’s fiscal perspective. I will never understand discontinuing ME. Even with rideshare options, if we arrived through ME, we did not leave the bubble. It is almost as if when we arrived in the bubble through ME we did not want to pop it! Once we had to resort to rideshare, we have left the bubble every single trip at least once, usually more. It is like the bubble blinders are off when arriving in a commonplace vehicle or it makes the outside world seem more accessible? We know a lot of non-DVC frequent WDW travelers who stay offsite more often now as well. There was something, well…magical….about Magical Express! And becoming a parent absolutely resets that caution/anxiety button with everything! It’s amazing how carefree I felt before becoming a parent!
I totally agree with all you wrote. The DME started the magic when you arrived at the airport. It just gave me that big smile when I saw them ready to scan your badge and tell you where to stand. And of course, not having to go and wait for the luggage. THAT was the best. We could just go to the hotel or now checkin online and then head to the park. You knew your luggage would be brought to your room. I just LOVED that magical feeling. Now we are waiting at the airport for out bags, find a ride, hope your room is ready, (if not) check your bags, then go to the park. Once you return when you get that notification of your room being ready, you have to call to have them deliver it. And what about check out. We used to be able to get our ticket at the hotel and even do baggage check. UGH! I miss all that.
ME set the tone for our trip. It has really killed some of the experience for us. Even to the degree that we stay and eat off property now.
My wife and I have been to WDW several times and have always used DME. We were disappointed when the service ended. In September 2024 we visited WDW and booked a ride with Mears and found the bus to be full. We had no issues with pickup or drop-off at the Orlando airport. We enjoy the ease of the service provided. Should DME hopefully come back, we will use it on future trips. Whatever issues there are now, Disney would make sure the service is top notch before attaching their name. s
I got an idea…how about Iger and all the powers that be take a pay cut to really show they are concerned about Disney expenses? Anything short of this is an insincere attempt at running a business.
My first stay at Disney with my 2 year old daughter was at AKL Jambo House. I went with my wife, my mom and my daughters. Magical Express was still operating and it was AWESOME. I had gone to Disney a few times as a kid and never realized just how convenient it was having a child of my own! Well, following Covid we have been to Disney 3 additional times, none of which we stayed on property. I now have an additional child, and losing the Magic Express required me to rent a minivan. The additional cost of the minivan rental (gas, tolls, parking etc) priced me right out of any Disney resort. We rented a house in Kissimmee on each trip due to the additional cost. To make matters worse, we knew how much money we were spending and opted on most occasions to eat off property to keep the overall vacation cost reasonable. I totally agree with Tom here, it was a tremendous mistake to discontinue the Magical Express service. Whatever it cost Disney to operate has to be far overshadowed by the additional revenue spent on property as a result of families not having the additional expense of a rental car. Ride share for us is not an option because we’d have to drag multiple car seats, a stroller, suitcases for 5 people and then fit the same 5 people with a driver in a vehicle. Even a minivan is a challenge by ourselves! Bring back the Magical Express or offer a significant discount through Mears Connect for guests staying on property!
Disney’s Magical Express should definitely be brought back. We started our vacation as soon as we stopped off of the plane in Orlando and could count of Disney taking care of everything for us. It truly was a Magical way to start the vacation. My family has been going to Disneyland and later Walt Disney World, since 1958 and can’t say enough about it. Well, until lately with the price increases. We can’t go back with the prices the way they are. Disney has to be more conscious of the average travel and family. Bring back the Magical Express and lower prices, please!!
Tom, you’ve written several articles regarding pricing, perk elimination, and their relationship to “legacy” Disney kids …the children of Disney-loving parents who are immersing their children in the Disney culture. In effect, loose the middle class, and the effects snowball for generations. I’ve been visiting WDW least once a year for the last 25 years. For the 15 yrs or so that I held an AP, it’s been more like three to four times a year. Loosing the Magic Express was a blow, but there are alternatives whose cost is miniscule compared to the over-all cost of a WDW vacation.
I’ve visited WDW three times in the past year on my AP. Loosing the Magic Express at one time was for me a big deal. After my last visit in January, I decided that the cost of WDW has exploded to the extent that I don’t know when I’ll be returning. I’ve got nothing planned for 2025. I doubt I’ll be back in 2026. I now look at the Magic Express as a nice perk, but it in no way compensates for the extraordinary cost of staying at WDW.
One third is a significant fraction of the population!
I was expecting a much lower percentage like 12.5%, or maybe 20% if I was right about Chapek not being a good CEO for any corporation. Cutting any benefit used by a *third* of guests is just … baby town frolics, and is definitely an Umbrella Chapek move. Even if it was once used by 2/3 or 4/5 of guests, 33% is still a big chunk of any pie.
wonder if they excluded surrounding states in their analysis. that magical express was awesome when i took my family of 5 with young kids. the handling of the luggage was key also.
I agree with the point about their decision to quit providing airport transportation made during the COVID epidemic was not a valid conclusion. My family has been renting cars and lugging carseats. The complimentary bus service was indeed the beginning of the magic and made our arrival less expensive and stressful. Furthermore, I have had the general impression that Disney has been less enjoyable due to other decisions. Between the rising prices, having to schedule which rides and when to go on them, and crowds, the magic is disappearing. If I mention a trip to Disney, people around me tell me I should consider other places as Disney has become too expensive for what they offer visitors.
They lost my family when they discontinued FastPass. Make a trip to Disney just about as expensive as a trip to Europe, then I’ll just go to Europe instead.
I refuse to get ripped off by greedy corporations. You can keep your $700/ night hotels, $200 ticket and overpriced low quality food. Instead of enjoying Epcot countries, we just go to Europe and experience the real thing.
I loved the magical express service. To us it was the “beginning” of the Disney experience after a long plane trip to Orlando. It was the feeling of being pampered. I was so surprised when it was canceled. Definitely one service that I would want to see restored.
If DME comes back (and is reliable), I’ll use it in a heartbeat! Part of the initial appeal of a WDW trip for our family was the fact that we can easily fly nonstop to Orlando and that we don’t have to bring two bulky 5-point-harness car seats or use a car. I was originally planning on using Mears Connect (not super cheap for a family of four) until I started reading all the recent nightmare stories about missing (or almost missing) flights home…including yours! So we decided against that. As you mentioned, rideshare is not an option…not only have those companies’ business practices left a bad taste in my mouth, but we can’t rely on getting car seats (especially clean, up-to-date, properly functioning ones), and I do not feel particularly safe in them after having some bad drivers. (Think coming to a dead stop on the freeway to not miss an exit or blowing stop signs!) I could never trust a stranger driving for Uber or Lyft with my kids. I’ve read some rental car companies offer car seats, but again, not always clean and safe ones, and in limited supply. Plus we have no intention of using a car aside from airport transportation, so that doesn’t seem worth the money or hassle. We decided to pay $280 for a well-regarded service so we can count on a professional driver and usable car seats without lugging them. It’s not breaking the bank, but that’s certainly not something I wanted to splurge on. But we’re trying to eliminate friction where we can, considering how complicated everything about this trip feels.
With how long kids are in car seats these days, I feel like DME was/would be a huge deal for families with kids ages 0-10, not to
mention parents going with 3 or more minors. Yet another decision by Disney that makes things harder for young families, which seems messed up.
It’s interesting how being responsible for a tiny human changes your perspective (and how you do just about everything), isn’t it? Really curious how things will change for your trips as Megatron continues to grow, or if you add to your brood!
Uber round trip from a Disney resort to MCO is easily $100+. The prospect of getting into a stranger’s vehicle after a long day of travel with your exhausted family and cranky children and hoping your luggage all fits? Not great! But a basic on-airport car rental often means long lines and headaches- plus the stress of driving, filling up the vehicle prior to returning it, and paying triple – quadruple the rental costs from prior to the pandemic and the end of magical express.