Walt Disney World is scrapping two long-standing benefits for people staying at the resort’s hotels – a move that travel experts say could save the company a lot of money.
From 2022, Disney DIS,
will no longer offer the “Magical Express” – a free shuttle bus that takes guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels to and from Orlando International Airport.
As part of the service, guests can even skip waiting for their luggage at the baggage claim area by placing special tags on their bags. Disney collected the belongings and then delivered them directly to the people’s hotels. The baggage-related part of the service was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“As consumer needs and preferences change, we will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service from arrival in 2022,” said a Walt Disney World spokeswoman. “At the same time, we’re also introducing new ways for guests to enjoy their visit, including early access to the Disney Resort theme park for hotel guests.”
In a blog post, Disney noted that the change was made in light of the growing popularity of ride-share services from companies such as Uber UBER,
and Lyft LYFT,
The blog noted that these services “save time and provide greater flexibility” for resort guests. Disney continues to provide transportation within its Walt Disney World complex, including the monorail, buses and Skyliner gondola service.
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Disney bore the full cost of getting people from the airport to their hotel, without getting as much benefit as it used to.
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In addition, Brightline, an intercity rail system in Florida, has announced plans to expand service to Orlando, including stops at the airport and Disney Springs, a shopping center located in the Walt Disney World resort. When completed, the Brightline train service could serve as another option for guests to get to Disney properties.
Still, the choice to remove the “Magical Express” service was a surprise to travel experts. After Disney introduced free shuttle and bag collection in 2005, travel experts noted that this was a way to keep guests on Disney property instead of letting them rent cars and travel to other nearby theme parks, such as Universal Studios CMCSA,
and SeaWorld SEAS,
In fact, in recent years, the company has even bolstered this benefit by charging hotel guests for parking.
“That was a pretty effective canal that, when introduced, was supposed to keep people inside ‘the Disney bubble,’” said Len Testa, co-author of “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World,” and president of travel site Touring Plans. “The emergence of ride-sharing apps made it easier and cheaper for people to move to another location when they wanted to (instead of renting a car or calling a taxi), so Disney bore the full cost. to get people from the airport to their hotel, without getting as much benefit as before. “
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Disney did not operate the “Magical Express” service; it was contracted out to Mears Transportation, an Orlando-based company. As a result, Testa said the move was “absolutely a cost-cutting measure.”
“Walt Disney notified us of their decision earlier today,” said Roger Chapin, spokesman for Mears Transportation. “While we are disappointed that Disney will no longer offer this service, we plan to provide transportation services between the airport and all of the area’s theme parks and hotels to meet visitor demand now and in the future.”
Separately, Disney confirmed that another popular benefit that was shelved during the pandemic will not return. This feature, called “Extra Magic Hours,” allowed guests staying at Disney hotels to go to theme parks earlier than other visitors or to stay there later in the evening, sometimes adding an hour or more to their park stay.
Starting later this year, Disney will allow its hotel guests to enter theme parks for the general public, but the extra evening hours for hotel guests will not return. This new benefit allows visitors with a valid hotel reservation to enter one of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks 30 minutes earlier during their stay.
“The new early access benefit to theme parks helps us to better spread the visit across all four theme parks, while at the same time providing additional flexibility by giving guests extra early park time on each day of their vacation and at the park of their choice”, Disney said in his blog. post.
In addition, early access to the theme park should help reduce the morning crowds in the amusement park in the face of pandemic-related access protocols, including temperature studies. During the early access period, people without proof of a hotel reservation will not be able to access the parks until normal opening hours.
Whether the discontinuation of the shuttle service and extra park hours will result in travelers staying in other hotels rather than Disney hotels remains to be seen.
“Fans are understandably surprised by the news, but it’s hard to say whether two rides and the inconvenience of carrying your own luggage will make or break an entire vacation budget,” said Carlye Wisel, a freelance theme park journalist.
With the other changes Disney has made in light of the pandemic – including eliminating the ability to book a “FastPass” to skip the queue for popular attractions – the Walt Disney World experience will be very different.
Only time will tell if changes to Extra Magic Hours and Disney’s Magical Express will put a permanent dent in Disney’s hotel business, but along with some other pandemic changes, such as Park Hopping’s current system and a break in Disney’s FastPass + program. It remains. It is quite clear that staying at a Disney World hotel of the future will be different than in the past, ”said Wisel. (Park Hopping is the ability to visit multiple theme parks in one day without separate access Park Hopping was limited after the parks reopened due to coronavirus capacity limits.)
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It’s hard to say whether two shared rides and the inconvenience of carrying your own luggage will make or break an entire vacation budget
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The coronavirus pandemic forced Walt Disney World to overhaul its operations. The theme parks remained closed for months when COVID-19 cases first exploded in the US, and the parks eventually reopened in July.
The number of people allowed in the parks remains limited, although the capacity limit has been relaxed since the reopening of the parks. Guests in the parks are required to wear masks at all times, expected while eating or drinking. Certain attractions and experiences, such as meet-and-greets with characters, are on hold due to the pandemic.
Most Disney theme parks around the world have reopened, but Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California remain closed due to the state’s stricter pandemic-related protocols.