Walt Disney World eliminates two long-standing benefits for people staying in resort hotels, a move that according to travel experts could save the company a lot of money.
Starting in 2022, Disney DIS,
will no longer offer the “Magical Express” – a free shuttle service that took guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels to and from Orlando International Airport.
As part of the service, even customers could skip waiting for luggage at the baggage claim by putting special tags on their suitcases. Disney collected the belongings and took them directly to 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 arrivals in 2022,” a Walt Disney World spokeswoman said. “At the same time, we’re also introducing new ways for guests to enjoy their tours, including early entry to the Disney Resort hotel’s theme park for guests.”
In a blog post, Disney noted that the change was made in light of the growing popularity of car-sharing services from companies such as Uber UBER,
and Lyft LYFT,
The blog posted that these services “save time and offer more flexibility” to guests. Disney will continue to offer transportation within its Walt Disney World complex, including the monorail, buses and Skyliner cable car service.
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Disney bore the full cost of getting people between the airport and their hotel, without making as much profit as before.
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In addition, Brightline, a Florida intercity rail system, has announced plans to expand service to Orlando, including stops at the airport and Disney Springs, a mall located in the Walt Disney World complex. When completed, the Brightline train service could serve as one more option for guests to get to the Disney property.
However, the choice to suppress the service “Magical Express” surprised travel experts. After Disney introduced the free shuttle and bag collection service in 2005, travel experts noted that it served to keep guests on Disney property instead of renting cars and traveling to other nearby theme parks. with Universal Studios CMCSA,
and SeaWorld SEAS,
In fact, the company even seemed to bolster that advantage in recent years by starting to charge hotel guests for parking.
“This was a pretty effective pit that, when it was 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 from the Touring Plans travel website. “The increase in travel sharing apps made it easier and cheaper for people to get out of the place whenever they wanted (instead of renting a car or calling a taxi), so Disney incurred the full cost of bringing people. between the airport and your hotel., without making as many profits as before. “
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Disney did not operate the “Magical Express” service; was outsourced to Mears Transportation, an Orlando-based company. As a result, Testa said the measure was “absolutely a cost-cutting measure.”
“Walt Disney made his decision known to us earlier today,” said Roger Chapin, a spokesman for Mears Transportation. “While we are disappointed that Disney will no longer offer this service, we intend to continue to provide transportation services between the airport and all theme parks and hotels in the area to meet visitor demand now and in the future.”
Aside from that, Disney confirmed that another popular advantage that was suspended amid the pandemic will not return. This feature, called “Extra Magic Hours,” allowed guests staying at Disney hotels to enter the theme parks before other visitors or stay there later in the evening, sometimes adding an hour or more to the theme park. stay in the park.
Starting this year, Disney will allow hotel guests to enter the theme parks in front of the general public, but the additional night hours for hotel guests will not return. This new advantage will allow visitors with a valid hotel reservation to enter any of the four Walt Disney World theme parks 30 minutes before their stay.
“The new early theme park entrance advantage helps us better distribute visits to the four theme parks, while providing additional flexibility by offering guests additional theme park time each day of their holiday and the park of their choice. “Disney said on his blog post.
In addition, early entry into the theme park should help reduce morning concentrations in the theme park in light of pandemic-related entry protocols, including temperature controls. During the early entry period, people who do not accredit a hotel reservation will not be allowed to enter the parks until normal opening hours.
It remains to be seen whether the removal of the shuttle service and overtime from the park will lead travelers to stay in other hotels and not in those operated by Disney.
“Understandably, fans are surprised by the news, but it’s hard to say whether two shared attractions and the hassle of carrying your own luggage will cost or break an entire holiday budget,” said Carlye Wisel, an independent journalist at the theme park.
With the other changes Disney has implemented in light of the pandemic (including the elimination of the possibility of booking a “FastPass” to reduce the line at popular attractions), the Walt Disney World experience will be very different.
“Only time will tell if the changes to Extra Magic Hours and Disney’s Magical Express put a permanent blow to Disney’s hotel business, but along with some other pandemic-era changes, such as the current Park Hopping system and the break in Disney’s FastPass + program, it remains clear that the stay at the future Disney World hotel will be different from the past, ”Wisel said. (Park Hopping is the ability to visit several theme parks in a single day without paying a separate ticket. Park Hopping was restricted after the parks reopened due to coronavirus capacity limits).
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It’s hard to tell if two shared trips and the hassle of carrying your own luggage will cost or break an entire vacation budget.
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The coronavirus pandemic forced Walt Disney World to review its operations. Theme parks remained closed for many months when COVID-19 cases first exploded in the United States, and the parks reopened in July.
The number of people allowed in the parks continues to be reduced, although the capacity limit has been relaxed since the parks reopened. Park guests must wear masks at all times, waiting when they eat or drink. Some attractions and experiences, such as character meetings and greetings, are at a standstill 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 stricter protocols related to the state’s pandemic.