Magical Express Ending Service

[Cbaur88]

It's things like Magical Express that have made Disney a special experience. It's sad that Disney doesn't realize (or care) that it's more than just a ride to/from the airport.

Couldn't agree more! That little ride from the airport to our hotel was so special and exciting to me and my kids. It was part of the whole experience.

What just irritates and angers me is Disney just slapped all their customers in the face with ending this service and passing the costs onto us. Their reasoning for canceling was so fake and phony it's not even funny. I don't know how much longer we'll be DVC members, I don't think it's worth for us any longer.

 

[Lewisc]

Anyone see where Mears is starting “Mears Connect” Jan 2022 for transportation between airport and area theme parks? Basically, Magical Express at a cost. But for us, better than trying to rent a car, depending on what price limits they come out with.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/breaking-news-mears-connect-formerly-dme.3832514/
Already a thread.. The question is cost and how will luggage be handled.

 

[MMSM]

Universal is looking better and better, and yes they have a shuttle from airport to resort. And no, it's not Disney, but perhaps I'll go to Disney for a day from there, versus the other way around. Seamless travel is most appealing to me.

I didn’t realize they had a shuttle. Does it cost a lot?

 

[HiStitch626]

I didn’t realize they had a shuttle. Does it cost a lot?

We looked at this a while ago, and if I remember correctly it was 39 for adults and 29 for kids round-trip.

 

[SL6827]

I ventured out last week to vacation in Sandestin on Miramar Beach. This will be my new Disney for a few years now.

 

[pinkle]

I didn't know that. Wow. Another factor now is let's say they canceled ME but kept BAGS - at least you'd be able to get an Uber X if you're a family of 4. Now you need to pay extra for an UBER XL to get back to the airport. That's an additional $25-50

The bus was so nice we didn’t need car seats etc. There will be 8 of us!!

 

[bopper]

I will bet Mears will provide a bus option...you may have to pay.

 

[JakeAZ]

I will bet Mears will provide a bus option...you may have to pay.

They've already announced it, with pricing.

 

[erionm]

I will bet Mears will provide a bus option...you may have to pay.

https://www.mearsconnect.com/

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I will bet Mears will provide a bus option...you may have to pay.

They do and you have to pay alot for it. For a family of four it is cheaper to use Lyft or Uber. for a couple or solo person its okay. It is 32 per person round trip

 

[EACarlson]

They do and you have to pay alot for it. For a family of four it is cheaper to use Lyft or Uber. for a couple or solo person its okay. It is 32 per person round trip

So for a family of four it's $128 both ways. How expensive is an Uber XL assuming no surge pricing? I've heard of it being $60+ so $120+ round trip. Doesn't seem like it's all that much more. And you would get a scheduled pick up rather than waiting and you don't have to bring car seats. Doesn't seem all that bad if you're going to stay on property.

 

[joelkfla]

So for a family of four it's $128 both ways. How expensive is an Uber XL assuming no surge pricing? I've heard of it being $60+ so $120+ round trip. Doesn't seem like it's all that much more. And you would get a scheduled pick up rather than waiting and you don't have to bring car seats. Doesn't seem all that bad if you're going to stay on property.

For DME, you're supposed to be at the pick up location 15 minutes before your scheduled pickup. Then you hope your bus will arrive at the scheduled time, and won't be stopping at 2 or 3 more resorts before heading to the airport. How is that superior to waiting 10 minutes for an Uber (which I think is a typical wait in normal times)?

At the airport, I think Mears said you would be on your way within 20 minutes of checking in. Again, typical wait for an Uber at the airport is about 10 minutes, the time it takes for a car to get from the rideshare staging lot to the terminal (in normal times). And you'll be going straight to your resort, rather than stopping and waiting for baggage to be unloaded at 1-3 other resorts on the way.

 

[EACarlson]

For DME, you're supposed to be at the pick up location 15 minutes before your scheduled pickup. Then you hope your bus will arrive at the scheduled time, and won't be stopping at 2 or 3 more resorts before heading to the airport. How is that superior to waiting 10 minutes for an Uber (which I think is a typical wait in normal times)?

At the airport, I think Mears said you would be on your way within 20 minutes of checking in. Again, typical wait for an Uber at the airport is about 10 minutes, the time it takes for a car to get from the rideshare staging lot to the terminal (in normal times). And you'll be going straight to your resort, rather than stopping and waiting for baggage to be unloaded at 1-3 other resorts on the way.

I don't think either option is superior. I think there are use cases for both that make a lot of sense. For me the superior option is to stay off site and rent a car, but that's me.
Is the 10 minute wait time standard for an Uber XL? Even in pre-pandemic times I wouldn't have been able to fit my family of four and our luggage in the standard Ubers I've seen.

 

[ThistleMae]

My family always needs two ubers. It's sort of a pain. I prefer DME. But, if it was just me and one other person, I'd probably uber.