Disney's Magical Express comes to an end tomorrow - what you need to know

By WDWMAGIC Staff · Thursday December 30, 2021 10:48am ET · "Disney Magical Express"
Disney's Magical Express comes to an end tomorrow - what you need to know
The bus transportation service between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World Resort hotels is ending after more than 15 years.

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Disney Magical Express new look for 2018

Disney Magical Express new look for 2018Disney Magical Express new look for 2018Disney Magical Express new look for 2018

After more than 15 years of transporting guests from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World, Magical Express comes to an end for arrivals beginning January 1 2022.

Disney's Magical Express has been transporting guests for more than 15 years
Photo: WDWMAGICDisney's Magical Express has been transporting guests for more than 15 years

Disney will continue to operate the service for arrivals through the remainder of 2021, and departure transportation will be available through January 10 2022 for eligible Disney Resort hotel Guests with an arrival date on or before December 31, 2021.

Magical Express was launched in 2005 and quickly became a popular option for guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotels, often saving hundreds of dollars on transportation costs. The service was operated by a third-party vendor Mears Transportation.

Magical Express saved guests $100s in transportation costs and kept guests away from competing attarctions
Photo: WDWMAGICMagical Express saved guests $100s in transportation costs and kept guests away from competing attarctions

The closure was announced in January 2021, and in a statement, Disney said: "Vacationers have more options to choose from than ever for transportation, including ride-share services that save time and offer more flexibility to go where they want, when they want. In light of this shift, when Disney Resort hotel bookings open for stays in 2022, we will no longer offer Disney's Magical Express service for airport transportation, starting with arrivals January 1, 2022. We will continue to operate the service for new and existing reservations made at Disney Resort hotels for arrivals throughout 2021. Additionally, complimentary transportation options – such as buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner – will continue to be available within Walt Disney World Resort for Disney Resort hotel guests, including to and from all four theme parks."

Officially, Disney is suggesting alternative forms of transportation, including using official Disney transportation partners - Lyft ride share and Enterprise rental cars.

There are also other third party options that have opened up to meet the needs of Disney guests.

Magical Express operator Mears is offering its Mears Connect service. Mears Connect serves Orlando International Airport and the Disney resort area with two service levels - Standard and Premium. Standard is a shared service on bus or van, making a limited number of stops on the way to your destination. Premium is a direct service with limited to no wait time.

Introductory rates for the standard round trip service are $32 per adult and $27 per child. Premium rates are $200 for up to 4 passengers and $55 per additional passenger.

Another Magic Express alternative is Transportation Management Services Sunshine Flyer, a themed motorcoach bus experience.

Sunshine Flyer
Sunshine Flyer


The Sunshine Flyer's buses are late model, premium motorcoaches with themes that center around old-fashioned passenger cars and train engines from the 1920's.

Tickets for The Sunshine Flyer must be booked at least four days ahead of arrival. Tickets are $17.00 per adult, $12.50 per child each way. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.sunshineflyer.com.

Conversation

2,505 comments
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mikejs78Dec 30, 2021
Really surprised that Disney didn't restart the Minnie Van airport transportation service before MDE ended....
SkywiseDec 30, 2021
I still don't understand why they stopped this. Obviously it's a cost savings for them as they can now not only divest themselves of the bus contract but the added insurance and, I'm sure, they can save a few pennies on labor getting the luggage to the rooms.
But it further damages the "resort" experience. There was something truly awe inspiring of being pampered as soon as you got off the airplane and got into the "Disney bubble" and, again, I'd grudingly agree with that if they kept the prices reasonable. But they do this and then continue to jack up the rates!
It almost seems like they're trying to match Universal Studios these days - "Well universal doesn't have integrated bus-service and luggage handling so why should we be different?" - THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!
Archie123Dec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Skywise
They stopped it because Disney knows that people will still go no matter what they do or what they take away.
WDWFanRayDec 30, 2021
This is true, but there is a tipping point and when that point on the graph gets below the “magic” line, it’ll costs BIG money for Disney to recover that “top tier” luster. Remember the sub ride at Disneyland? Paul Pressler (Disney CEO and former head of The Gap) decided during his cost cutting to eliminate the $250,000 a year maintenance of the non-operating ride. When Disney decided to reopen the subs with a Nemo theme, tens of millions were needed to make up for the missed maintenance. Saving pennies to lose dollars.
Wendy PleakleyDec 30, 2021
Magical Express is less beneficial for Disney compared to the past, based on personal experience.

It was put in place in no small part to keep people in the Disney bubble. With ME there's less need to rent a car which means less ability to visit other attractions.

At least that's how it used to be for me. Why bother trying to find a way to get to Universal when it's expensive AND Disney's pricing model meant I could just do a 7th or 8th day at WDW for almost no extra cost.

Today, with the advent of ride sharing day trips and split stays just seem more accessible. I'm more likely to get an Uber to Universal whereas 10 years ago it might not have been worth the time or expense.

DME is no longer as beneficial to Disney in terms of keeping people there.
MisterPenguinDec 30, 2021
Disney doesn't need to offer 'free' perks since it is often trying to limit the guests that make MK overcrowded. They've found they can raise prices and take away the freebies and people still beat down their door.

The only hope is that EU is very, very, very good and eats into Disney's capacity. Then the 'free' enticements and perks will come back.

For now, the only perks you may see are for times of the year that are truly reduced attendance. And even then, that won't happen until the pandemic is over.

BTW, the pandemic is a world wide pandemic. And we're in the middle of it. The middle. Two more years to go before we're sure there won't be more Deltas and Omicrons (and much more deadly variants) coming from the unvaccinated of the world. The whole world.

So... we're looking at several more years of no more 'extras.'
mattpetoDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to mikejs78
Labor...
SkywiseDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Wendy Pleakley
I disagree. The point of MDE is "staying onsite" not just being in the bubble. Sure you can Uber to Universal easier now but now it's just as enticing to flip the stay to Universal and Uber to Disney. MDE was one of the perks that I would use to stay onsite at Disney even if it meant spending a few hundred more for the room cost.

With that gone and I'm now forced to find my own way there from the airport - staying at Universal is now looking pretty good as most of the room rates are of a better value and then I'll just Uber to Disney.

On the flip side it's not like losing ME has made them lose people staying on-site (AFAIK) and maybe this is Disney's way of increasing revenue from resort parking fees too. Also factor in the shift to DVC space vs rooms (especially in the Polynesian and now the GF) and maybe they see this as a pure cost issue against DVC membership.

But I still think their math is off and they're not looking at the whole cost impact here. You're going to get a few quarters of "whoo - look at all the monies we got from parking fees and not paying for ME" and then the execs in charge will get their bonuses and then they'll move on and then suddenly Disney will be wondering why park attendance is flattening or even dropping off. Maybe if we just retheme Epcot again...
SkywiseDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to MisterPenguin
And still interesting how the Spanish Flu of 1918 only lasted 2 years...
MisterPenguinDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Skywise
It was more deadly and deadlier quicker. And was spread through people traveling because of war (troops and the displaced).

Once the war was over, people went back to their relatively non-mobile lifestyles. They weren't jetting around the world for business and vacations. This was social distancing by way of a lack of easy and cheap transportation.

And when a disease is very deadly, people take distancing and mitigation very seriously. There was none of this "I'm young, so, I don't have to worry or change my lifestyle crud." The 1918 Flu was particularly bad for young people as well as the elderly.
TikibirdLandDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Beenhereawhile
When my 3 were small, we'd take DME from MCO. I don't think they loved the busses like yours did. But, as parents, we loved it for the convenience of knowing there wouldn't be a hassle with luggage or transportation. We'd get the tags in the mail and that would start our WDW trip planning. I appreciated dropping our bags off at the airport and not worrying about them until after dinner in the hotel that night. Fun times. Not sure what we'll be doing for transportation on our next trip. Last time, we rented a car so we could go to USO. If the cost of rentals are going to be so high nex time, we may have to just drive; if we decide to go again.
Vegas Disney FanDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Skywise
The 1918 Flu is still with us today, we’ve just developed a level of immunity to it that makes it something we can live with.
Wendy PleakleyDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Skywise
That's a good point.

Personally I prefer to stay onsite at Disney (but have shifted to doing split stays with Universal) and that has always been the case regardless of DME. It was a nice perk, but not the driving force for myself.

DME was clever in that the perceived value was much greater than the actual value in my view. The cost per person isn't that much but it was a driver for many people in convincing them to pay Disney hotel rates.
Casper GutmanDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to MisterPenguin
So I assume Disney will be limiting attendance to an absolute fraction of its current levels to ensure that there isn't any crowding either outdoors and indoors. No packing people into monorails or ride vehicles or indoor queues or restaurants. Strictly enforced social distancing everywhere. No massive crowds on NYE, just as we certainly saw none on Christmas. In fact, given how numbers are skyrocketing, WDW will probably shut down.

OR the pandemic is just being used as a disgustingly cynical excuse for all sorts of cost-cutting decisions that dramatically impact the guest experience while measures that might actually make a difference are ignored because they might cut into the profit. But that would be pretty ugly, So I'm sure its not the case.

Also, I'm glad to hear the pandemic will definitely continue for two years and then end. I missed that announcement. Do we have an exact date?
WDWFanRayDec 30, 2021
↩ replying to Casper Gutman
Yes, this is exactly how it works. Use the “going green” excuse to get rid of plastic items and then give away ZipLok bags on Splash mountain, since they were sponsored by ZipLock.
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