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View Full Version : Magical "Not-So-Free" Express???



DreamFinder2
07-17-2007, 09:32 PM
I just got off the phone with a Disney Travel Co. CM and while she was finalizing our reservation for March 2008, she mentioned that when I call back in a few weeks to confirm new hotel prices, I should also check to make sure the Magical Express service is still free?!?!?!?

Has anyone else heard that WDW is going to start charging for this?

JPL
07-17-2007, 09:47 PM
It is in Disney's best interest to keep DME free. It keeps people on property since ore people are opting not to rent a car and use the service. They use raises in Room rates to off-set the costs of DME if anything they will raise the room prices a few dollars a night before charging for the service.

Now does this mean it will always be free that's to difficult to predict.

AuntDJ
07-18-2007, 03:39 PM
I have to admit...I would pay a little for this service. I think the ease of getting my luggage delivered is worth quite a bit to me.

Obviously, I would not pay more than it would cost to rent a car, but I enjoy this service.

JWDisneyFan
07-18-2007, 07:29 PM
Having used this service multiple times and having a great experience each time, I might pay a small fee for this service. But I think is a great perk for Disney to market and I hope it stays fee. DH and I have actually discussed what he would do if they chared a fee a while back. I know it stopped us from using a towncar and I know my husband would go right back to the towncar if he had to pay (not necessarily my opinion.)

SallyfromDE
07-18-2007, 08:07 PM
I believe when they started the program, they had said it would be free the first year. I was surprised it continued this long.

GrumpyFan
07-18-2007, 10:24 PM
They use raises in Room rates to off-set the costs of DME if anything they will raise the room prices a few dollars a night before charging for the service.

They also raised 1-2 day ticket prices quite a bit in the last year or so.

Horizon93
07-18-2007, 10:42 PM
I agree that it is in the company's best interest to keep it free in order to keep more people on property for a larger portion of their stay. I typically use the good folks at Happy Limo, but I think a free ME is better for WDW.

vizsla
07-19-2007, 05:48 AM
I think DME is great. We have used it several times and the experience has ben wonderful. I wouldn't mind having to pay a little extra for the service if they began to charge. I do recall about a year ago reading that Disney reached an agreement with MCO to continue the DME until 2011, so after that time I would expect to have to pay for the service unless they sign another contract with MCO.

Crow
07-19-2007, 10:48 AM
used it for the first time in May and liked it. i wouldnt have a problem getting my luggage myself though. i dont rent a car, as i stay on disney and use the buses, so it saves me taxi etc.

snifflesmcg
07-19-2007, 04:52 PM
I agree that it would be in Disney's best interest to keep the DME free. That is one of the draws for me to stay onsite. If I stay offsite and have to rent a car, I'd probably spend less time in Disney and spend a day or two at Universal or finding things to do on the strip in Kissimmee.

adamsfam5
07-19-2007, 05:03 PM
We were told back in 9/06 that it would probably not be free in 2008. We were on a DVC tour and I asked if the Magical Express would still be good for DVC (stupid question, but I asked). The CM said that the Disney "good neighbor" policy is to work with other companies and make folks happy - and a lot of folks (limo services, rental car services, etc.) were very upset and x number had lost jobs, wages changed, etc., b/c of the Magical Express.

My hope would be that it continue. It's difficult to keep up with three young children and all our luggage! It's just one less headache for our family.

DisneyDudet
07-19-2007, 05:43 PM
Well its not free, its just included in your room/package price as an increase. Even those of us who don't use it are paying for it, as the room rates are WAY higher than times before DME, and they don't discount in any way if you choose not to use it (we would use it if we didn't like to go off site and eat and shop).

magicofdisney
07-20-2007, 09:23 PM
I personally would prefer they charge for it if it meant room rates would not increase annually. Wishful thinking? :mickey:

tarjaybuff
07-22-2007, 11:34 PM
After our first experience with Magical Express it will be our last. To and from were poor experiences. They did raise the room rates to cover the service. If you don't use it you shouldn't have to pay for it when you get a room.

:thumbsup:Murray Hill Transportation. Roundtrip w/ grocery stop for $85. 5 star service, and well worth the money. No waiting at the airport for 45 minutes while the Magical Express bus fills up. Plus you can buy snacks/alcohl to save on food costs.

JPL
07-23-2007, 01:02 AM
I have used Magical Express 3 times and have never had a problem. The average waiting time for a bus was about 20 minutes which is less time than it usually takes for me to retrieve my luggage at MCO. Don't know if I just had good timing but never had any problems. To me $85 is a bit expensive for a car service from the airport to WDW and the $85 will buy me plenty of snacks at WDW. And considering I am paying for DME if I use it or not I would rather take advantage of the service.

ImagiAsh
07-23-2007, 11:10 AM
Like most people here, I wouldn't mind paying a little for this service--of course, not more than the fee for a rental car--but, I do enjoy the perk of it being free at the moment. :mickey:

TheRustyScupper
07-23-2007, 11:58 AM
. . . I do recall about a year ago reading that Disney reached an agreement with MCO to continue the DME until 2011, so after that time I would expect to have to pay for the service unless they sign another contract with MCO . . .

1) The contract DOES NOT say free to customers.
2) The contract is
. . . for access to the airport
. . . for airport space
. . . for bus loading gates
. . . for bus unloading permission
. . . for specs regarding CM actions and locations
. . . for the link with BAGS, Inc.

NOTE: This is per an Orlando Sentinel article about DME.

Beach Club Babe
07-23-2007, 01:33 PM
I have used this service several times and generally had good experiences. However, our return to the airport this past May, was absolutely horrendous! I will never "pay" for this service because of it. Even if it is a nominal fee they impose, I will gladly pay much more and return to towncar service!

Raye3201
07-23-2007, 11:29 PM
I totally agree with Beach Club Babe - I would never pay for this service. If Disney makes it a fee for service, I'd opt for the private town car....faster, no lining up, assistance with luggage (who really wants to wait 5 hrs for luggage?) and a grocery stop if u wish. We've used the DME but still prefer the private town car due to the superior service and not having to go to two or three resorts prior to ours.
:mickey:

Sean Riley Taylor's Mom
07-23-2007, 11:35 PM
We have only had good experiences with ME and hope that it continues as is.

We are going to get our own luggage and bring it to the ME bus this year for the first time. We are going to be arriving at MCO after 5pm and I do not want to risk not having our luggage when it is time for baths and bed. I know my kids are going to crash early that night. We have always gotten our luggage within 1-2 hours when we arrive in the am but, knowing my luck it would be later this year. Hopefully it is smooth sailing as usual.

We think it is a great service. :number1:

Cinderelley
08-01-2007, 12:00 AM
I really like ME. I am much more relaxed when I arrive, because I don't have to worry about the hassle of finding my luggage. I play right into Disney's hands because I will stay onsite to use ME.


DH, on the other hand, would rather save some money and stay offsite with our timeshare. If they ever started charging for ME, I'm sure we'll be staying off site and renting a van more often.

wizardmickey
08-01-2007, 01:29 AM
We really have loved DME and have nothing but good encounters when using it. Since my wife travels A LOT and I have flown to see her while she works from time to time, we know the hassle of having to deal with finding luggage or even having delayed/lost luggage to contend with, parking fees. rental cars, etc etc. Using DME made our vacation really feel like a vacation, and if indeed the cost is reflected in room fees already then it's worth it. I think I can safely say though that if not we'd still be willing to pay a nominal fee for this quality service (as long as they maintain the current level of quality!)

Tink#64
08-02-2007, 01:34 AM
1) The contract DOES NOT say free to customers.
2) The contract is
. . . for access to the airport
. . . for airport space
. . . for bus loading gates
. . . for bus unloading permission
. . . for specs regarding CM actions and locations
. . . for the link with BAGS, Inc.

NOTE: This is per an Orlando Sentinel article about DME.


I also read this. If I remember correctly, orginally DME began with The Happiest Celebration on Earth, which was to run for 18 months, & I believe it started May 2005. (We actually visited twice during this celebration). The service was part of this celebration. Then I believe it was stated that there was a contract to continue this service until 2011. As above quote states - "TheRustyScupper;1364460" it didn't specify that this was going to continue to be a "free" service.

I like DME, we've used the service for our 2 most recent trips and haven't had any problems. If they begin to "charge" for this, cost will be a factor in determining if we continue to use it or revert back to making our own arrangements. Our first trip we used the "Usual shuttle", but the second trip we had a private service for the exact same cost and they made a stop for us at the grocery - no extra charge. That was great, but so is not spending the additional $100.00 for transpo & using DME. I hope it continues to be part of service when booking with DIsney for no "extra" charge!:mickey:

GrumpyFan
08-06-2007, 03:51 PM
With the ticket price increase over the weekend, I would hope that extra bump would help pay for the cost of keeping DME free, at least for now.

I know, it's not really free, but it still gives the feeling of being free.

SurferStitch
08-06-2007, 04:13 PM
DH and I have only used DME once, but it was an excellent experience. We were on the bus and out of the airport in less time than the past few times we've used a towncar service (less than 15 minutes).

The last few times we've used a towncar service, we had a hard time finding our driver. A couple of those times was with Happy Limo. I had to get on the phone to track down our drivers because they were not at the luggage terminal. One driver took about 20 minutes to get there, and never even apologized for being so late. Then you wait until they go get the car, so there goes another 5 minutes or so. It has taken us anywhere from 20-30 minutes to get out of the airport with private drivers. It's unfortunate, because up until a few years ago, we were out of the airport about 5-10 minutes after getting our luggage.

We'll be using DME again in December. We were just so happy with the service, and the little video you get to watch, and the friendliness of the driver. Really puts you in a Disney mood. I would consider paying a small fee if/when it comes up.

Mom2princesses
08-09-2007, 03:28 PM
We don't use DME mainly because we usually always go and visit relatives in south Florida after our WDW trips so we rent a car. I personally think it is unfair to charge higher room rates for those of us who don't use the service. The fairest way would be to charge the people that use it. But of course we all know that even if Disney charges for the service, they won't reduce the room rates! I would be willing to pay for it if we use it in the future.

ArtDeco
08-10-2007, 01:28 AM
Seeing where you are all from along with your opinions of DME, I've formed the idea that the further you are from WDW, the more you're in favor of DME and wouldn't mind paying for it.

That jibes with our experience travelling via air from Atlanta. We found that once we added the two and a half hours it took to get from the plane door to the resort door, we had spent an hour LONGER by flying than if we had just driven from Atlanta. The DME experience wasn't terrible - they were friendly, and efficient with the luggage, and the busses were big and clean, but it just added way too much time for us. Add to that the fact that you're tied to the resort property and resort transportation when you come by air/DME, it makes sense that the people who can drive to WDW in a reasonable amount of time aren't so crazy about DME.

Why did you guys have to go and make me realize that I'm paying for DME in my higher resort costs?! Now I'm mad. :mad:

Cinderelley
08-10-2007, 04:56 PM
Seeing where you are all from along with your opinions of DME, I've formed the idea that the further you are from WDW, the more you're in favor of DME and wouldn't mind paying for it.

That jibes with our experience travelling via air from Atlanta. We found that once we added the two and a half hours it took to get from the plane door to the resort door, we had spent an hour LONGER by flying than if we had just driven from Atlanta. The DME experience wasn't terrible - they were friendly, and efficient with the luggage, and the busses were big and clean, but it just added way too much time for us. Add to that the fact that you're tied to the resort property and resort transportation when you come by air/DME, it makes sense that the people who can drive to WDW in a reasonable amount of time aren't so crazy about DME.

Why did you guys have to go and make me realize that I'm paying for DME in my higher resort costs?! Now I'm mad. :mad:


That's an interesting conclusion. Maybe we should do a poll. Don't get mad about the cost increase due to DME. They would've raised the prices anyway.

PirateLover
08-12-2007, 11:06 AM
I never tried DME and probably never will. The first time I went to WDW without my parents we paid for the Mears shuttle (pre-DME) and honestly it was a nightmare. Had to wait 40 mins at the airport before we were allowed to bored a bus and it took us almost an hour and a half from loading to drop off at our resort.

On our past two trips we've used a town car service and it's been phenomenal. The driver is standing there with our name on the sign as soon as we come to the luggage terminal. They help us with our bags and then it takes them 5 mins to go get the parked car/van. Now we have our own private non-stop service and we get a grocery stop for free if we want it!

My cousin has taken DME twice, the first time they didn't get their luggage until midnight (we got there around 2 I believe) and the second time they lost his girlfriend's luggage. I understand that you don't have to use the luggage feature but why use it if you aren't taking advantage of the "magical" aspect?

Is it a bit irksome that I'm paying a hidden cost for DME... sure. But oh well. I'm getting used to it, not only with Disney, but everywhere else.