Big changes lie ahead for Disney World guests.
Disney World
For sometime, Disney World Resort guests have used the Disney World Magical Express to travel to and from the airport. Soon, this option will no longer be available. Here’s what we know.
Starting January 1, 2022, Disney World will be discontinuing the Magical Express airport transportation service. Currently, this shuttle serves as transportation between Orlando International Airport and Disney World.
Magical Express
An exclusive Disney statement notes, “As consumer needs and preferences change, we will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service starting with arrivals in 2022. At the same time, we’re also introducing new ways for guests to enjoy their visits, including early theme park entry for Disney Resort hotel guests.”
Disney’s Magical Express Sign
As a reminder, a new Brightline train is set to connect the Orlando International Airport to Disney Springs within the next few years. Disney has previously shared that the,“Brightline’s expansion from West Palm Beach to OIA is on track to be completed in 2022.” And in Brightline’s November monthly ridership report, they revealed that the goal is to start revenue service on the Disney World connection during the second half of 2023. The train could potentially provide transportation to Disney World in lieu of the Magical Express.
©Brightline
Disney’s agreement with Brightline is contingent on, “Brightline’s satisfaction of certain obligations including obtaining all necessary government approvals,” according to the Disney press release on the subject.
©Brightline
We did recently see a reduction in services offered by the Magical Express. With the reopening of the Disney World theme parks, the Magical Express discontinued luggage delivery for both arrivals and departures.
Click here to learn more about the recent Magical Express change.
We also reached out to Disney about the Lyft-based rideshare offering at Disney World, Minnie Vans. In an official answer, Disney noted that at this time, “Minnie Vans will remain temporarily unavailable but they hope to bring the offering back in the future.”
Disney’s Minnie Vans Service
As a reminder, Minnie Vans have been unavailable since the park closures.
Want to learn more about Minnie Vans? Click here!
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more information so stay tuned to DFB for all of the latest updates and news about this discontinuation.
Click here to learn more about the Brightline train!
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That is quite disappointing. We rely upon this “free” service every time we visit, and I doubt there will be any corresponding reduction in the nightly hotel rates to make up for any costs we will now need to incur for alternate transportation.
I’m disappointed by Disney discontinuing the Magical Express between the airport and the resort hotels. It was very convenient, and my family relied on it. The train to Disney Springs will still mean transferring to resort transportation (with luggage) to get to a hotel. Not a magical way to start a magical vacation. 😞
Does this go for the cruise line busses too?
Boy! Chapek is chipping away the magic of Disney with each announcement. 🙄
I love Disney World but they seem to be getting rid of complimentary services, which ends up making your trip even more expensive
AJ, This is very disappointing. I think I need to reconsider my trip in 2023 to Disney. I was so looking forward to it. I was going to take my friend who has never been. And it was going to be our 50th friendship anniversary. We have been saving like crazy. But Disney has taken away so many perks in the last few years and charge us more for less. That right now a Viking cruise sounds better than Disney. After flying into Orlando, having to take a train and then possibly a bus to our resort all the while dealing with our luggage, just is too much.
Extremely disappointing, such a fantastic service. Even if we rent a car we take magical express and only rent on days we needed one on property. I am so frustrated at all these loss of services and increasing prices. Anyone who used to take Mears or as taken the Universal airport bus, knows how superb magical express was.
Well, that’s a huge bummer.
Wondering, how one will get from Disney springs to your Disney hotel. Will there still be bus service between hotels and parks? What about hotel to hotel?
Lame.
Removing Disney’s Magical Express takes away one of the huge selling points for me of staying at Disney’s hotels — the zero friction transportation option! I know it’s not a huge deal to get a taxi but with kids and car seats and luggage, not having to think about how we’re going to get to and from the airport was always great. Without it I think I’d rather stay at a condo and rent a car.
That’s terrible news. We loved the convenience of the Magic express bus. You didn’t have to worry about renting a car if you were staying on property.
When you arrive from Gatwick you are tired out and the thought of having to take a train journey to Disney Springs and then a bus trip to your resort hotel is too much!!
Not sure how to feel about this – one of the things we’ve loved is the ability to check our luggage through to the resort, allowing us to fly in, take DME to the resort, stow any carry-ons with the bell stand and go straight to the parks….at no expense. Honestly I think this will push me to rent a car and possibly spend more time and money off Disney property with my family of 5…As cheesy as it sounds, this was part of the experience and it will factor in when deciding if we go back…
That was one of the biggest perks of staying at a WDW resort, I really feel like this is a bad move, its such a great service especially for those with kids in tow.
The discontinuation of Magical Express is a disaster! What is Disney thinking? This service is an essential aspect of the trip for countless thousands of guests. Walt Disney must be flipping in his grave over this decision.
Wow. The perks keep disappearing. This is a big deal and another nail in the coffin of why I probably will stay off property if I return at all. The train offers nothing except dragging luggage around. Why stay at a resort on property at all? Early entry isn’t enough. FPP, if it returns, isn’t enough either. If I drive myself, I’m penalized major money just to park at a resort that I’m already paying dearly for.
I have seen for the last 10 years that Disney World is more about money than the magic. Sad.
I am a DVC Member. If you cancel the Magical Express at the Airport in 2022 ..How am I suppose to get to my resort?
So sad abaout the Magical Express. It was a great help after thhe 10h flight to know there is just that bus waiting for us. Wasn´t the Brightline Train supposed to open at the end of 22?
But what concernes me more is something I just read. No more extra magic hours? Instead only Early Theme Park Entry of measly 30min. Anyone know if that is only for the birthday? I loved the Magic Hours and expecially the extra ones while they opened Galaxys Edge.
One of the BIGGEST draws of staying on-site for me is Magical Express. I am a very casual vacationer, so things like EMH aren’t that big a draw for me. However, not having to worry about picking up and hauling around my luggage was a HUGE deal for me. Also, as someone who uses public transit in her everyday life, there is NOTHING more annoying than tourists who don’t know what they’re doing in the first place, trying to wrangle luggage and children on a bus or a train. I rate this news: -5/10 , active detracts from the Magic
Disney keeps punching itself in the face. Disney’s days are numbered.
Wow! Do they even want these parks anymore???! They are continually destroying their brand. Wow, train wreck
That’s not good. It was nice to get shuttle to the resort from the airport. Not everyone wants to rent a car and drive over. I hope they resolve this issue.
It’s clear as day. Disney simply does not wish to continue serving “low rent”
Parkgoers!
It so sad to see magical express leaving but I can’t no believe it’s for the consumers preference. I highly doubt that. That’s one of the best parts of staying at a resort. It seems to me they are taking away a lot of the magic and none of the cost. If you can’t get magical express, dining plans, or magic hours is it worth paying all the extra money when you can stay off site so much cheaper. I was just planning my next trip and now I’m really going to have to consider this. I love Disney resorts and staying here but is it financially don’t know if it’s the best option now. I would have even paid a service fee like you have too at Universal to use theirs.
No moderation forthcoming. Truth hurts!
I am wondering how my family and I will be able to get to our resort with our daughter in a wheelchair, her service dog and our suitcases. Taking a train to Disney Springs is not an option.
This just makes me sad. We always used the Magical Express and seeing it go the way of free magic bands and luggage tags, and being able to have some one else juggle all our luggage and transportation to the resorts, just allowed the trip to start with a little bit more magic. (Especially for visitors with little ones) We would see the airport folks wearing the Micky hands, directing us to the busses and it just made swallowing all the money spent on our yearly Disney trip a little easier. I realize Disney is a business but they are making it really hard for me to want to go back.
I’ve about had it with the penny pinching ick wad running things these days. The most stressful part of travel is dealing with airport. Magical Express didn’t eliminate the stress but it sure made it bearable. Time to seriously rethink our 14 day 2022 trip.
This really sucks. Not having to worry about transportation to and from the airport, including luggage, was one of the best perks of staying at a Disney resort. I really hope that the train does replace it and they provide shuttles from the train station to your hotel. Otherwise simple trips to Disney World when it’s safe to travel again will be a lot less simple.
The Brightline is scheduled to be complete to Orlando Airport in 2022, there is no date for the start or completion of the line to Disney Springs, which is part of the expansion to Tampa which is still dependent on government approval and had a very tentative goal of late 2023 for completion
WOW! It just reinforces my thoughts that Disney is OFF the Table for future visits Just have to get Used to It !
That S_ _ ks. One of the most impressive of all Disney perks for guests staying on property was the convenience of the Magical Express service. A tremendous loss for guests and one more reason to not stay on property. A sad day.
This breaks my heart. We live 10 hours away and love to fly into MCO. My sons use wheelchairs to get around so the Magical Express was the only way for us to get from MCO to WDW. (Renting wheelchair accessible vans or hiring TWO Minnie Vans just to get to WDW is outside of our budget). I’m so sad!! In my opinion there is no longer a reason to stay on property.
Wow! We Loved Disney’s Magical Express and the fact that we didn’t have to worry about our luggage. We could start our vacation when we arrived at the airport. I’m trying to be hopeful that Disney will come up with something even more ‘Magical’ for our transportation needs/wants. I don’t complain about pricing when it comes to Disney, because they have always been top notch in all areas, but I will be kind of bummed if there isn’t something comparable, if not better! Looking forward to some exciting updates!!
Very disappointed to hear that the Magical Express would be discontinued beginning next year. So many of our enjoyable experiences have been cut back due to Covid and may not be coming back. Hotels and ticket prices are still high and now we will have to pay for transportation to and from the airport. This is all making it harder for a die-hard Disney World fan like me to justify the trip.
All i can say about not having this service … is Disney was built on supreme guest services … i feel with this move it makes the magic of Disney .. more of a slight of hand trick .. I would tell everyone i knew about how Disney took care of there guest so well that they would make sure your check luggage got to your room what a relief that was
This is extremely bad business on Disney part. Magic Express is a service I love and depend on as part of my vacation. Car rental is expensive and I dislike driving the Florida highways. I guess Florida will make money on the tolls.
Possible game changer. “Easy” factors like Magical Express, luggage transfer, resort airline check in, resort package delivery, etc, are significant reasons why I do multiple WDW trips every year. As these vanish, I’m more inclined to put my vacation planning efforts (and budget) towards other destinations.
They keep cutting and cutting……DME was something guests really liked, especially the part where your luggage magically appears in your room!! What a shame. All the magic of Disney is disappearing….
This was our #1 most important perk of staying on site at Disney. What a huge disappointment! The value of a Disney vacation (for our family) is plummeting every day! 🙁
I’m really bummed about the removal of Magical Express. It was a wonderful perk of paying so much to stay onsite. They are chipping away at what makes Disney so magical.
I’m very sorry to hear that Magical Express will be ceasing their services. I’ve used them for several years and always enjoys the convenience they offered with my baggage. And meeting people who were traveling from other states and countries to visit Disney World. I’ve had some very pleasant conversations. I will be watching what will be replacing them.
Wow…the cost of getting to Florida, room cost,food cost and now add taxi service to the hotel….fantastic
That is horrible! The cab service from the airport to Disney is really, really, expensive! Now, we will be forced to rent a car that will sit in the parking lot the entire time…what a waste.
This is a potential game changer for future Disney visitors!
Will there be a cost for Brightline for Disney guests? What happens if Brightline can’t meet Disney conditions? Not excited about paying for a taxi or Uber ride to Disney and we stopped renting a car years ago. I realize these are “unprecedented” times and Disney needs to cut costs, however, I think they should reconsider.
All Disney has been doing is cutting things out and no reduction of costs. It’s getting ridiculous and then constantly taking political stands is unacceptable. It’s time to go to other places.
And yet another perk gone. One by one . The Magic decreases on a regular basis – covid or no covid
I suggest that members of the Disney Vacation Club contact the main office to negotiate the termination of their contract (have Disney buy you out of the remaining contract period). Without the bus service to and from the resort, luggage handling and transfer, airline baggage check in on departure the DVC has diminished the value of this time share investment. Being vocal to family and friends who are considering purchase of DVC shares would find this information beneficial to their decision. The DVC is a huge cash flow resource for Disney, it “feeds” the parks, please consider making Disney aware of your feelings. Even if you still go to Disneyworld, there are more reasonable accommodations off, but near, property. After all, it is your money and your decision who to give it to.
This is not a surprise to me, seeing the Brightline expanding to WDW. Personally, the train would be my choice of travel. It would be nice if they could coordinate or even overlap the services a couple weeks or until kinks are worked out, (and it would be nice if it was free for either, again until Brightline is reliable.
Hopefully, 1) Minnie vans are an option again to get from station to hotel, and 2) that Brightline has a robust schedule so you don’t have to wait hours to catch a train, especially after long air travel.
What I look forward to (since I enjoy train travel) is taking Amtrak and hooking up with the Brightline. WDW bookended by relaxing train travel!