David KrisoSpring is just around the corner. Daylight Savings Time awaits! Very soon, it won’t be dark at 5 pm anymore. Who likes it being dark at 5 pm anyway? Spring can’t come soon enough. But, there are some much desired changes which Disney travelers of all ages and walks of life can’t wait for any longer. Last year, the news of failed CEO Bob Chapek being ousted couldn’t come soon enough. Then, along came the news of park reservations being lifted for length-of-stay passholders. That was good news for those Disney travelers who visit Walt Disney World once or twice a year. That’s all good. Unfortunately, Walt Disney World is simply not magical enough without some long overdue changes.
What changes are long overdue? It’s very simple. First of all, Disney’s Magical Express must be reinstated. Disney’s Magical Express was the complimentary bus transportation provided by Mears Transportation Group. The best part about Disney’s Magical Express was that guests who had checked luggage were able to skip the baggage claim. Afterwards, they headed right to the area where Disney’s Magical Express buses arrive and depart. Disney guests didn’t have to drag their luggage around until they were dog tired. Walt Disney World resort-bound luggage was taken off the plane and immediately loaded onto a box truck and transported to the Walt Disney World property. Within hours of checking in to their resort, their luggage was waiting for them inside their room, like magic.
Unfortunately, Disney’s Magical Express served its last guests on December 31, 2021. The reason for the discontinuation was so that guests could have “more variety of transportation choices”. Such choices were the Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect. Both were paid bus services. Guests paid per each direction. Also, the new high speed train service, Brightline, was supposed to be among those choices. The pandemic caused construction on the new railroad network to be suspended. Until the pandemic declined and finally diminished, construction resumed. Brightline finally opened to the public, unfortunately the proposed branch to the Walt Disney World property is yet to be constructed. Not too long ago, Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect merged. Now, the service is called Mears Connect Powered by Sunshine. Sounds nice, but still, not good enough. Walt Disney World guests are still paying per direction, and still have to drag their luggage from the baggage claim to the bus bay outside. Walt Disney World guests pay good money to be treated first class. They don’t step off the plane to be treated like third class citizens, like they’re just regular people amongst the crowd. Walt Disney World guests are more than just any other crowd. As Walt Disney once said, they’re “VIPs”, or Very Individual Persons. It’s as true as the day he said it. When Walt Disney World guests step off the plane, they deserve to be welcomed with the red carpet, with a smile, and with class by cast members who are as professional as like anyone in the company. Disney’s Magical Express is not just a “has to return” service. It’s a service that unquestionably MUST RETURN.
In the past year, a huge decision couldn’t have come sooner. Park reservations were no longer required for length-of-stay passholders. Park reservations posed a headache for all Walt Disney World guests. No matter where they were going on what day, park reservations had to be made. Even if guests had dinner reservations at a restaurant in one of the parks, they had to make park reservations on top of that. What a headache! Never-mind, what a migraine! As of January 9th, 2024, park reservations for length-of-stay passholders were lifted. Unfortunately, that waving of the magic wand isn’t magical enough. There’s still something missing. Annual passholders deserve to be treated with the same first class respect as the length-of-stay passholders. All that Disney Parks & Resorts chairman Josh D’Maro MUST DO is make an exception. He must lift park reservations for annual passholders who are staying on property. Whether they are regular resort guests or Disney Vacation Club members, they should be able to enter the park of their choice without having to make park reservations ahead of time. Yes, annual passholders can come from anywhere, from any walk of life. They just can’t drop in for the day. That’s true, but annual passholders staying on the resort property should be granted the same benefit as the length-of-stay passholders. This is NOT up for discussion. No survey needs to be done. No study needs to be done. The frustration amongst annual passholders shows evidently. Josh D’Maro doesn’t have to look far to witness such frustration. This change must happen NOW. Annual passholders pay good money to visit Walt Disney World multiple times a year. Some transparency goes a long way!
Spring is on the horizon. The winter is winding down to its conclusion. Soon, the days are bound to get longer. This summer, the new attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom will be opening. As for length-of-stay passholders, they have a leg up on the annual passholders. They don’t have to make park reservations. Park reservations for length-of-stay passholders have been lifted. Walt Disney Parks & Resorts chairman Josh D’Maro MUST make a huge exception for annual passholders-an exception that’s acceptable, feasible, and above all-plausible. Annual passholders are just as valuable VIPs as the length-of-stay passholders. They don’t deserve to be left with all frowns, flustered, and exceptionally frustrated. Apart from the annual passholders, Disney’s Magical Express MUST be brought back into service. Bob Chapek is gone. His money hungry ways are gone. Changes have finally started to occur. Some changes have been beneficial, but not good enough. Walt Disney World isn’t magical enough. Josh D’Maro has to and MUST do the right thing. As long as Disney’s Magical Express returns to service and park reservations are lifted for annual passholders staying on property, Walt Disney World will be more than the happiest place on earth. It will be the most peaceful place in the world. Annual passholders and length-of-stay passholders combined are long-deserving of such first class treatment. As long as Josh D’Maro puts on his “thinking ears”, and makes the two most pivotal changes desired by both length-of-stay and annual passholders, the “world” will be at peace once again.
