Our options for getting to Disney World are going to look a little different next year.
Disney’s Magical Express Sign
We just reported that Disney’s Magical Express will be discontinued in 2022, but that doesn’t mean that a similar option won’t be available. Mears, the company that operates Magical Express, has released a statement on the announcement.
Mears spokesperson Roger Chapin told Spectrum News, “Walt Disney made us aware of their decision. While we are disappointed Disney will no longer offer this service, we intend to continue offering transportation services between the airport and all area theme parks and hotels to meet the demand of our visitors now and in the future.”
Disney’s Magical Express
We also reached out to Mears and an employee said that “this service was here before the Disney Magical Express and we will be continuing to cover the whole Orlando area. So for sure, for sure, for sure we will continue to cover that service after the next 11 months when Disney discontinues the Magical Express. For sure that service will be around in 2022 and beyond.”
So, it seems that even if we CAN’T ride on the Magical Express come next year, other Mears services will be an option.
Disney World
Do keep in mind that a Brightline Train is also in Disney’s future. 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.
©Brightline
According to theme park reporter Carlye Wisel, Mears found out about the Magical Express decision the morning that the announcement was made.
EXCLUSIVE: Mears Transportation, who operates Disney's Magical Express, did not find out about the decision until *this morning*.
According to a spokesperson, the notice coincides with the expiration of their current contract.
— carlye wisel 🍭 hosts Very Amusing! 🍓✨🙃 (@carlyewisel) January 11, 2021
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more updates so stay tuned to DFB for all of the latest!
Click here to read about the discontinuation of Magical Express!
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The train for WDW won’t be completed for years. Your information is in correct according to company.
The 2022 date for the Brightline line is in connection of the anticipated completion to MCO. It is said that to Disney Springs it is probably looking at a “second half of 2023” timeline.
The magical express was one of the primary reasons we choose to stay on Disney property. Without this service, we may as well just stay someplace nearby that’s cheaper. Not having to use a car on vacation was one of the perks of a Disney vacation. We may need to rethink this idea for 2022
I would like to be notified when Mears decides what they will offer as transportation to the resorts & parks!!!
Not viable? Just like the massive bonuses and salaries of the executives but I am sure they won’t be reviewed.
You know what ISN’T viable? The continual degradation of the Disney magic . Its going to become a sterile, way overpriced, fun fair at this rate.
Is the train line really to be completed in 2022? Have read varying reports that it may not happen until 2023 or 2024 for MCO to Disney Springs. Thanks!
How will international travellers get from either Orlando International airport or the new Melbourne airport for travellers from the UK get to their Disney hotel in 2022?
Phyllis, you can already see transportation options from Mears between MCO and WDW.
Mears may indeed be available when DME goes away, but it won’t be free. Once guests have to pay there are MANY options other than Mears.
Love the idea that Mears is still willing to help out with Disney customers – please inform us when Mears will be working with Disney Customers and how we can get a reservation. Willing to pay extra to be able to get to Disney without worrying. Just so nice to get off the plane and walking right to a plane and your luggage shows up at the hotel in a few hours and when you leave you get home to your luggage at your home airport Hope they are thinking of doing this also so nice when you have kids with you. So happy Mears is stepping up to the plate.
Magical Express – A wonderful perk that is a HUGE part of Disney Magic. Not having this service will greatly impact our staying in the Disney bubble. The change will open the reality of renting a car and doing split stays and day trips to other areas of FL.. So disappointed this service is going away. Please consider keeping this service even for a nominal fee. (IE: Solution to the Magic Band issue.)
Outrageous! I’m so disappointed in WDW. We have been DVC members since 1993 and have gotten no fewer than 4 additional families to purchase DVC.
I can’t express how disappointed I am in the decisions WDW is making.
It would be nice if DFB could run a story on the other options that will be available after 2022. It would be interesting to see and hear what those may cost and your thoughts on convenience compared to the current magical express system.
I called for a quote for four rooms. Mears quoted me almost 700! No thank you Mears.
Mears wanted almost 700 for.my party. No thank you.
Does anyone know how we can contact Disney directly? I’d like to let them know my family’s thoughts on yet another upcoming loss of service and the associated additional inconvenience and cost to us.
Also, if we’re pushed to get a rental car or start booking through Mears directly, we’re finally going to make it out of Disney World and spend part of our vacation at Universal Studios, Sea World, etc.
Losing the Magical Express seems to be a terrible idea, in my opinion. How nice it is not to have to go through baggage claim and have your bags arrive at the resort a short time later.
I see long lines of people with baggage waiting first at the train station then another wait at Disney Springs. Imagine 2 adults and 3 small children with 4 or 5 suitcases trying navigate the station and Disney springs. I hope Disney reconsiders.
Basically what Disney did was transfer the Magic Express cost to the their guests, similar what they have done with magic bands and resort parking for those who stay at property. I hope this cost cut strategy doesn’t affect the parks in the long term what else I foresee Disney becoming a “Universal Resort”.
I think folks are getting the wrong message. Brightline is not like a subway or inner-city light rail system. It won’t be running every 15 minutes. You may wait an hour or more for the next train. You would then take a Disney bus from the Springs to your hotel. Best bet will be to get an Uber or Taxi to your Disney hotel, then ride the Disney Bus system on-property, which is not run by Mears. If you arrive at MCO late in the evening, Brightline may not even be running.
Disappointed in the decision to remove some “magic” from the Disney experience at a time we need to try to hang on to as much of the magic that we can, we are loosing magic due to things we cannot control. Part of the magic is knowing your bags will be in your room after you leave them with the ticket agent at your home airport (I know they already got rid of that), magic is no worries about arranging transportation to and from the airport. Not so magical is picking up my own luggage taking it so somewhere to find my own way to WDW. Maybe I will just drive or rent a car like in (many) years past. That makes it so much easier to explore all the other things that the Orlando area has to offer, like Universal, Sea World, and all the great off-property shopping and dining locations I am sure are out there, but I really have not been interested in visiting for many years.
Disney management has begun a major expense cutting process, as evidenced by the programs and venues that have been eliminated at WDW, with no consideration for the park guest or the DVC owner. The entire focus of Disney management has been changed, demonstrating that Disney no longer cares for the park guest. Looking at long term affect of what Disney has done, It seems that Disney’s ultimate plan is to exit the theme-park business and sell both WDW and Disneyland.
Disney is no longer a happy place to visit and it will get much worse, as people cancel vacations to WDW.
Okay, I’m over it. Honestly we don’t always use Magic Express now, you can get private transportation that is much easier, quicker and will stop at grocery stores for you. Less than $100 each way… Too many people on the Magic Express make it much less magical for me.
It might be hard to sanitize these buses in the COVID era anyway.
Disney management is slowly chipping away at what makes Disney World much better than Disneyland. One of them being the free bus transportation from MCO to the various Disney resorts. Instead of taking away all the freebies for Park goers, Disney should stop contributing to political affiliations. The politicians are not going to keep your Parks going, it’s the everyday people who will do that and Disney is hurting us. This comes from Disney shareholder; Passholder; and DVC member..
My understanding is that once the train is operational, the station will be at Disney Springs. You will have to then transfer to a bus to get to your resort. With your luggage and kids in tow.
The Magical Express was a wonderful service. It also made sense financially for Disney because, without a car, visitors were more likely to stay on site for food and entertainment. As many have said, there are fewer and fewer reasons to stay at a Disney resort.
Is this Disney’s way of trying to negotiate a new contract with Mears?
I think Disney needs to just license the Magical Express to Mears as opposed to contracting them to run the service. That way, Mears bears the full financial responsibility, and Disney still gets to have the transportation option. Downside is that Mears will charge people for transportation, but still, better than no Magical Express.
Before Magical Express, we would take a Mears bus to our hotel. We paid around 35 round trip per person at the time. It wasn’t bad and it was cheaper than a taxi (there was no Uber or Lyft then). It wasn’t “magical” but Disney isn’t very magical right now.
Am I correct in thinking that the Brightline train will be going to Disney Springs from MCO?
How am I getting to my resort from there? Am I schlepping all of my luggage through Disney Springs and onto a Disney Resort bus?
I don’t see how this train service is beneficial.
Loved the convenience of Magical Express when flying into MCO, also the bag check upon departure was Very Apricated. The decision to discontinue it leaves a very sour taste in my mouth, and I have Disney Leadership to thank for it! Right now, VERY conflicted about a return to WDW!
So sad that Disney is taking away yet another perk. A Disney vacation has become exponentially more expensive over the past decade and so many “free perks” have been taken away. I agree, much of the magic has been overshadowed or lost in so many ways over the years and that is so very sad.
Exactly what Marilyn Garfinkel says. One less perk for staying onsite. Offsite is looking better and better.
Another “Brilliant” move by Disney. YEAH, RIGHT !!! As long as they get their huge salaries and bonuses is ALL that matters to them.
Before DME existed, one would buy a ticket to ride on the Mears buses going from the airport to the Disney world resorts. So one assumes they are going to resume this service.
If it is in Mears advantage they will make it worth it’s while . It would be for the company to do it on there own . Disney is cutting everything because they are not invisible to the Virus problem of losing money 💰. They are lucky that people are still coming to there parks . Disney should look at the big picture no one is coming over seas they are getting locations residents . But looking like a small child that lost there way they still have a lot of money to make more money on other adventures . Disney brand is still great but do not make customer look bad there is no pay off .
The train has nothing to do with ME being discontinued. The train takes you to DS not to your resort. I’m sure everyone on a family vacation, is excited to trek their luggage to take a train to DS, then go look for their Resort bus stop…. come on, to even try to equate the two, even as a reminder in this article is questionable.
Agree, with those who understand transportation, permits, building etc. and question the completion of the train.
Mears always had paid (overpriced) transportation to and from MCO to WDW Resorts. So don’t look for any freebies. Their prices are why many choose limo services.
I loved Magical Express because I could drop off my luggage at my home airport and it was delivered to my hotel. I could also check my luggage at the hotel and receive it it when I got home. This was a big help for people and also for having to stand on lines to check in and pick up luggage. Now we may rent a car which will add to the Orlando traffic problems
Poor decision by Disney
Disney world so much money to stay n the resorts and then guest r suppose to take more expenses on top of the huge raises n price to eat there they can expect people to stop going there Disney’s powers that b r ruining Walt Disney’s dream and they don’t care it’s called personal greed and they don’t care people want to go there and enjoy them selves and b able to smile again our lives have been thru so much and the pixie dust seems to b going away Disney u need to think of other people and if u don’t maybe there won’t b a Disney world anymore because the powers that b keep pushing it where people can’t go there ha e no one to blame but theirselves that’s what’s wrong And it’s called greed
Years ago, before Magical Express service existed, we took Mears shuttle from the airport to our hotel and it ran about $40 one way. Since that’s been close to 20 years ago you can just guess what the rate will be now. Not to mention no more bypassing baggage claim and having luggage delivered to your room. I love Disney but it really is becoming steadily declining value for exponentially increasing cost.
We are frequent visitors to Disneyland as well as WDW. Disneyland doesn’t have Disney resort direct complimentary transportation with luggage service. Even when completed that last option we want to take is riding the train to DS hauling luggage for 5 for 8 days and then wait to hop on a bus. DL has a Disneyland Express motorcoach line ran by a 3rd party paying Disney licensing to have characters painted on the outside of the motorcoach line. It is pricey but with the exception of the luggage pick up service the other services are virtually the same as the ME. We use it often. Perhaps MEARS will offer something similar. I rather budget for UBER, LYFT etc., than add a stop after a long plane ride, hauling all of our luggage, in particular if we had young kiddos or disabled loved ones with us. It is hard to see Magic Hours and ME go away.
DME is great offering. Used it a few times. If the transportation inside WDW was better, I would still use it. Taking an hour to get to your destination at WDW, when the drive is 10 min., overcrowding on buses, has pushed me to rent a vehicle. Much more convenient and better use of time.
Less “Magic” more expense.
We used Mears for many years before DME came along . They are reliable and efficient and have handicapped accessible vans.
There goes more Disney Magic down the drain, such a loss – during the past year Disney needs to stop taking stuff away and just leave a few things alone till we are back to some basic normal….. That Mears contract cannot be costing that much –
Dawn C., here’s the contact page for Walt Disney World.
The question is – why would Disney end Magical Express before the Brightline stop at Disney Springs is ready? I believe the answer is – saving money. Disney is in FAR worse financial shape can they are admitting. There was the ill-advised purchase of 20TH Century Fox’s movies for 71 Billion (yeah, Billion dollars). Then Covid-19 hit, and most of Disney’s money making departments shut down. Disney has been cutting back on employees, in-park shows, and perks for both passholders and resort guests.
However, this decision may bite Disney in the butt – hard. A rental car enables Orlando visitors to 1) buy vacation supplies and snacks off Disney property, 2) visit other (less expensive) theme parks, 3) dine at less expensive restaurants off Disney property, and 4) shop for clothes and Disney souvenirs at less expensive stores. Even some drugstores in the Kissimmee / Orlando area carry Disney branded merchandise for less.
Their Disney+ streaming service is nowhere near profitable enough to save Disney, and they are cutting back hard, but they are still acting stupid. An eleven million bonus for just one vice-president while so many Disney employees are out of work and waiting in lines for food donations? Stopping work on Tron while proceeding ahead with their super expensive ( $3,000.00 for two days) Star Wars Hotel? Firing their imagineers so other studios can hire them, then remaking Disney’s classic animated movies in live action that absolutely NOBODY wants?
I am watching as Disney is imploding. When a giant as big as Disney falls, it takes a while before the impact is felt. Eisner was the last CEO that actually cared about the Disney legacy. Yeah, the horrible Hollywood Limo ride was his idea, but at least he was trying. Bob Iger just wanted to grow the Disney Corporation, but he overpaid 71 Billion on Fox movies, putting Disney in the hole at the worst possible time. Now we have Bob “Budget Cut Bob” Chepek, who is HUGE on slashing costs. No imagination, no love of the Disney legacy, just a pure accountant with no idea what effect his budget cuts will have with Disney’s (decreasingly) loyal customer base.
So will Disney survive? Probably – but – I doubt that Disney will ever go back to the way it used to be. The magic is gone. The fireworks are gone. The character interactions are gone (Hey you-stay 6 foot away). The perks are gone. And free parking for annual passholders will probably be next perk to be chopped in the name of profit – if AP availability isn’t phased out altogether. After 30 years of being an annual passholder, I will not be renewing my annual pass in March 2021, or visiting Disney again. It’s just not worth it anymore.
Eisner was the last CEO who cared about Disney? He was a over paid CEO that as far as old time Disney people, consider him the demise of what Disney once stood for. Having to see updates here, during Covid when he no longer was CEO and his ‘insight’ please cut me a break.
I don’t like that fireworks are gone, for now. But do you really believe any CEO would or will last , without the Disney magic.
As far as character interactions, they were ‘gone’ a long time ago. When you never had the surprise of walking through the parks and the characters would appear. That is not due to budget but stupid human behavior and security reasons.
I don’t have younger kids but I’m sure as this had become a way of life for now, will take that over DL in the lockdown state of the world.
My issue with the ME being canceled is that I am in a power wheelchair and I’m completely unable to walk or get carried. Finding transportation is notoriously maddening everywhere we go. In addition, since I can’t help carry luggage, that’s an additional frustrating negative. These two benefits alone have made me feel as “normal” as someone who doesn’t have a physical disability.
I know money is the reason for this decision. While I don’t know the amount of money doled out to Mears for their contract, I can guarantee the revenue loss will be greater when there are fewer people visiting.
I just checked the rates for a round-trip shuttle trip via Mears from MCO to WDW. It’s still $40 for an adult as of 2020. To get you from the airport and back to it. That doesn’t sound too bad to me.
We have to pay for transportation when we visit Disneyland, the Disneyland Express is about $40 per person, for 5 of us is about $200 plus tip. For larger families the complimentary ME meant savings plus the possibility of not dealing with lots of luggage, it will be a hard adjustment for some.
@jennincincy your comment made me sad. I did not realize in this day and age that it would be so difficult to find transportation. There may be venues on forums that can help. I know I read trip reports on one that she has disabilities and has learned her way around. Btw, you are normal but I realize it’s about how you feel.. I hope you are able to find ways that you can have ease of transportation.
$40 isn’t ‘bad’ if it’s one. Traveling with several people, then it pays to take a service car. I do need to add that years before ME, Mears had a horrible crash record. Seemed every time we heard about a crash via MCO to WDW… well guess who.