Come December 31 the DME will be no more. What do you believe will replace it? Maybe nothing but I think not. I think there will be a shuttle service of some type just like at Universal. Many older people will want something in place or like myself, WDW will no longer be in the cards. I don’t want to drive in Orlando traffic and Uber is not our style. Am booking two trips for Oct and Dec to use AP’s to get the most out of them but then next year I would still like to use them twice more. If indeed their is no more shuttle and we have to rent a vehicle, then it will be time to look for a vacation property such as renting a house for our vacation as I will not pay to park a rental every night and there will no longer be any advantage in staying on property.
Yeah, I’m also curious about this. I do use Uber to get to Universal from the airport, but I hate doing it. DH doesn’t like to make conversation with strangers, so I’m stuck being the one to chit chat with the driver. Not my thing. So yeah, I’m hoping there will be a good replacement. I know Mears plans to continue their shuttle. Wonder what that will be like?
Mear’s was DME under contract with Disney. My understanding is that they had a contract with Disney but when the virus came along Disney wanted to rewrite the contract for a lower price and Mear’s said no. Disney is mad and dropped their service. Mear’s also handled Universal but ended up dropping them as well but I don’t know the reason. Universal has another shuttle service taking care of their people now and it is a reasonable and good service. We have used them and they were good and on time both up and back from MCO.
Hmm, when the end of DME was announced, Mears stated they would still continue their buses. That was a while back, so have things changed?
That is news to me. As stated Mear’s was DME as I understood it. True the buses said and were decorated as such DME but they were Mears owned and operated. Now it would not surprise me if they are going to provide shuttle service from MCO to WDW but at a price and of coarse no luggage pick-up or delivery. That was gone anyway. As I do not plan on going until this coming October, it will be interesting what comes back on-line as far a fastpasses, buffets, and attractions. I have not yet heard that Mears planned on providing service from MCO to WDW and back but maybe you know something I do not. I hope that in fact you are more informed than I because that would sure make things a lot easier for trips in 2022.
Back in 1995, for our honeymoon, we flew into MCO and took a Mears shuttle to our Disney resort. There, Disney took our luggage and stored it until it was time to actually check into our room. I can imagine they can easily go back to such an arrangement. It was no easier using DME this time around than using Mears in 1995.
As stated, I believe I read out here or online somewhere that DME was operated by Mears under contract with Disney under the name Disney Magical Express. Of coarse the service was free to guests staying at a Disney resort. Disney of coarse paid Mears for this service. Now they will no longer pay them after Dec 31,2021. I do not know if Mears will have it’s own service operating from MCO to WDW resorts or not but you can be assured that it will be at a fee. The one to and from Universal is I believe about $36 per person to and from the resort. Mears no longer operates that shuttle either but Universal contracts a Shuttle I believe names Star Shuttle, for that fee.
Mears could well just use the existing DME coaches, without the DME wrap, which would be good.
This is the DFB report on the Mears’ statement (I can’t access the actual news report they refer to but you may be able to). They put that out within a day or two of Disney’s announcement.
Yes DME was operated by Mears but they don’t need a contract with Disney to drive the buses, they will just be paid by customers instead.
I have a similar experience as @ryan1. Before DME running under the Disney name, it was just Mears, at a separate cost. DH and I fully expect that it’ll go back to that offering, at least until Disney decides to offer a similar service in-house. Although I’m sure there will be covenants not to compete on at least one side of the relationship. Since Mears already made a statement that they will continue to provide the service I’m guessing it’s Disney that can’t offer a similar product for a period of time.
$36 per person is pretty steep for families ($180 for my family of 5). They’ll have a rough time competing with ride shares with that pricing model - a Lyft XL is $42 right now from MCO to Hard Rock, and I don’t have to wait for other passengers to be loaded or dropped off.
Come 12/31, Mears will be left sitting with a small fleet of buses, they will just continue offering their services directly to consumers.
WDW might offer the service as part of their reservation system the same way that you can rent a car from Alamo.
Also, now that WDW will stop offering a literal free ride from the airport, that will create the opportunity for new businesses to step up and offer airport to WDW services. More competition will give the opportunity for different levels of service at different levels of prices.
Disney has announced that they are replacing DME with a new program: GYOFR
Yes folks, it’s the Get Your Own F___ing Ride new for Spring 2021.
Guests staying on property will be greeted at MCO by the GYOFR Gopher who will tell them they’re on their own and not to bother calling him because he’s not in the book.
farrrr too many extended fingers on those hands. Should be just 1… on each… 
Gopher: “You’re a liner eh? Read between these lines baby”
So smart of them and I think what most of us expected.
I bet their server is blowing up with people sending their emails in for notification come May
Guilty. I wanted to see what they end up charging for it, so I submitted my email. I feel hard pressed to pay for it without the luggage service. For what I think they will charge it would be easier to hire a car service. And faster.