Stopped considering DVC this week. Anyone else?

[DVCSunDevil]

Yeah I have to agree and I'm wondering how this might all affect their bottom line. The thing we loved about Disney is that with one click on their website, we have an all inclusive vacation. We are guaranteed to get to Disney whether it's 12am at night (we've done that) or leave at 6am in the morning (also had to do that).

So then we look at renting cars/suv's to reduce the risk of being stuck at an airport or not arriving on time. But then that opens us up to all the places we decided not to go to because we preferred an "all-inclusive" type vacation. If we are renting a car anyway, we will be doing a few days at universal for certain. We will be eating off-site frequently for certain. We will be going to walmart/etc for souvenirs/toys/snacks. Not because we are mad at Disney or anything just because those things now make more sense if we have to rent a car anyway.

Maybe there are so few people that vacation like us it won't make a difference though. Who knows.

I have commented in other threads that there are fantastic private van services that can take you roundtrip from the airport to your resort...and they stop at a grocery store on the way. And they have carseats if you need them. We are going in April and rented one for $140 roundtrip. That is less than $25 per person roundtrip. They meet you at baggage claim and take you to the van that ONLY transports your group. No waiting for a bus in a crowd of people (which I value more after COVID)...no stopping at several resorts before yours...MUCH faster travel time to get to your resort after your flight lands. I think DME getting cancelled caused a lot of consternation because it was part of people's WDW routine, but there are other really good options out there that are better than DME.

 

[Sandisw]

I have commented in other threads that there are fantastic private van services that can take you roundtrip from the airport to your resort...and they stop at a grocery store on the way. And they have carseats if you need them. We are going in April and rented one for $140 roundtrip. That is less than $25 per person roundtrip. They meet you at baggage claim and take you to the van that ONLY transports your group. No waiting for a bus in a crowd of people (which I value more after COVID)...no stopping at several resorts before yours...MUCH faster travel time to get to your resort after your flight lands. I think DME getting cancelled caused a lot of consternation because it was part of people's WDW routine, but there are other really good options out there that are better than DME.

That is such a great price. Yes, no DME means you have to now budget extra, but on the plus side, they gave people a full year to adjust and plan.

I know for me, I have simply adjusted the budget and will more often than not, unless by myself, simply use a service, stop at the store, and have a few extra things in the room...like grown up cocktails...which will more than cover the cost! Lol

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Realistically, we're 3-5 years from the time period where we would like to own. We were eyeing a resale contract as soon as the recession hit but only if it was a deal... and prices have crept up instead of down. We'd still be interested if prices went down but if not we will wait.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

That is such a great price. Yes, no DME means you have to now budget extra, but on the plus side, they gave people a full year to adjust and plan.

I know for me, I have simply adjusted the budget and will more often than not, unless by myself, simply use a service, stop at the store, and have a few extra things in the room...like grown up cocktails...which will more than cover the cost! Lol

Exactly! When we go in April we are utilizing the option for the 30 minute grocery store stop. We will be getting breakfast items, cases of water, snacks, and (most importantly) adult beverages. This alone will save a lot of money.

 

[gisele2]

I start looking and end up buying because I am dreaming of a WDW vacation . I do not regret buying , but with the COVID variants I fear it will be beyond 2022. Hope I am wrong .

 

[Jelly563]

What hurts me the most is..... we usually have a group of 12... if Mears charges $50 per person (and u know it will be at least that) that adds $600 each way to my trip....

 

[DVCSunDevil]

What hurts me the most is..... we usually have a group of 12... if Mears charges $50 per person (and u know it will be at least that) that adds $600 each way to my trip....

Or, you can get two private vans at $140 each round trip for the entire party. That would be $280 round trip for your entire party of 12. We reserved one for our trip in April. There are 6 of us and the driver will meet us at baggage claim. Then the driver escorts us to our private van which is waiting...no waiting in lines at the airport for your turn to get on the bus. We then go directly to our resort...no hitting multiple resorts before ours. And the service offers a 30 minute grocery store stop on the way to the resort. They also have car seats if anyone in your party needs one.

Several people have shared this info on this site. I myself have shared it several times...I even did so on this thread. This is probably going to be the last time I do so. There are several alternative options out there for anyone willing to take the time to do any research. And those options are MUCH better than taking a crowded bus, IMO.

 

[gisele2]

What hurts me the most is..... we usually have a group of 12... if Mears charges $50 per person (and u know it will be at least that) that adds $600 each way to my trip....

On their site for now it is 40$ adult and 30$ child plus taxes , round trip. It is not cheap. For us it is more expensive then renting a car with less flexibility.

 

[Sandisw]

On their site for now it is 40$ adult and 30$ child plus taxes , round trip. It is not cheap. For us it is more expensive then renting a car with less flexibility.

I do wonder if it will be less once 2022 comes and there is no more DME. They are going to want to keep as much business as possible so they could come out with more competitive rates, especially for larger groups!

 

[limace]

I can’t imagine they will lower their prices when they stop having to compete with a free service :/

 

[Sandisw]

I can’t imagine they will lower their prices when they stop having to compete with a free service :/

But Mears was not competing with DME. They were DME, just paid via Disney vs each individual guest.

With Disney ending the contract, they have lost the business and will need to be creative to keep Disney guests from continuing to use bus service to make the kind of money I am sure they were getting from Disney,,,at least thst i my opinion.

 

[gisele2]

I do wonder if it will be less once 2022 comes and there is no more DME. They are going to want to keep as much business as possible so they could come out with more competitive rates, especially for larger groups!

Hope you are right.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

But Mears was not competing with DME. They were DME, just paid via Disney vs each individual guest.

With Disney ending the contract, they have lost the business and will need to be creative to keep Disney guests from continuing to use bus service to make the kind of money I am sure they were getting from Disney,,,at least thst i my opinion.

Exactly right. And I have no doubt the amount Disney was paying Mears wasn't a huge amount per person. The benefit to Mears was that Disney was providing continuous, high volume trips. Mears charges $395 to charter their 55 person bus (same one used for DME) one way from Orlando International Airport to anywhere in the Orlando area (right off their website). THAT IS ONLY $7 PER PERSON!! Before I got that info off the Mears site I estimated that Disney may have been paying Mears ~$10 per person round trip. That's not a terrible deal for Mears because of the consistent high volume; those buses were going back and forth all day. So if Mears starts getting, say, $15 round trip ($20 max) they are still doing better than what Disney was paying them. AND Mears is even doing better than what they would get for their "rack rate" bus charter. AND Mears would most likely still be running a high volume back and forth to WDW.

I'm sure Mears was trying to negotiate higher rates, and with the advent of ride sharing services that enabled resort guests to easily leave the "bubble" it became a much easier decision for Disney. But I wouldn't be worried about crazy high rates from Mears. Like you said, they need to stay competitive otherwise people will just use rideshare or hire a private sedan/van service.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

On their site for now it is 40$ adult and 30$ child plus taxes , round trip. It is not cheap. For us it is more expensive then renting a car with less flexibility.

That is for their sedans/vans, correct? Bus service would be entirely different. Check out my comment to Sandisw above. They rent their buses for $7 per person (if the bus is full). There is no way that number goes above $15 per person for the "DME" in 2022. We rented a private van for our upcoming April trip for under $25 each round trip. People are going to pay higher prices for a bus shuttle...they would just hire the private sedan in that case.

 

[SL6827]

Would Disney ever consider banning Uber from their properties? Or perhaps a fee for them to enter?

 

[sethschroeder]

Would Disney ever consider banning Uber from their properties? Or perhaps a fee for them to enter?

There is a fee at Universal but I think they would be biting off more than they could chew with that one.

Also as DVC owners I would suspect we would get reimbursed for any of those fees at the resort.

 

[MonaMN]

To the original question... last week I was all ticked about ME and looking at staying offsite (we have never stayed offsite before)... and this week we have an accepted offer going to ROFR soon.

We haven’t done a parks trip since March 2019 and when I started looking at the room rates, I nearly fell off my chair. They have gone up substantially since I was planning in 2018 - even moderates are shocking.

So after talking and dreaming about DVC for years, we decided it was time. *shrug*

 

[Sandisw]

Would Disney ever consider banning Uber from their properties? Or perhaps a fee for them to enter?

One of the reasons that Disney gave for not renewing a contract for DME is the number of other options out there....ride sharing being one of them

The decision was a big financial one and how much it impacts people’s willingness to stay onsite will be determined next year.

But, really Disney has no reason to ban ride share or charge.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

One of the reasons that Disney gave for not renewing a contract for DME is the number of other options out there....ride sharing being one of them

The decision was a big financial one and how much it impacts people’s willingness to stay onsite will be determined next year.

But, really Disney has no reason to ban ride share or charge.

There is also a Brightline train that will run to Disney Springs. Initial date given is mid-2023 for that to come online.

If Mears was looking for a long term contract... I could see that train line having some influence on Disney's thinking.

 

[sethschroeder]

I could see that train line having some influence on Disney's thinking.

I don't see it personally. I haven't found anything stating they will be running airport routes and instead likely will only run a couple times during the day.

Brought up elsewhere baggage is not allowed on Disney busses. So while the train is nice for connecting Florida I don't think it does much for those arriving from MCO.

I think Disney just saw a chance to remove $x million from the budget with minimal impact in their eyes.