Disney’s Magical Express service is being discontinued in 2022.
Magical Express
The shuttle currently provides free transportation for Disney resort guests between the Orlando International Airport and Disney property. We’ve taken a look at the best alternative options for you, and Mears released a statement indicating that they would continue to provide transportation services even after the Magical Express is gone. Now, we have a better idea of what that could look like.
Mears has officially introduced Mears Connect! This service will debut in January 2022 (when Disney’s Magical Express services conclude), connecting the Orlando International Airport to the Disney resort area.
©Mears
According to Mears, Mears Connect will be “the same reliable, safe, express service” we’ve come to expect from the Magical Express. You’ll be able to make your reservation starting in May 2021! Mears has not yet released information on pricing, but we’ll keep an eye out.
Disney’s Magical Express
If you’re not interested in this new service, you will be able to travel from the Orlando International Airport to Disney property on the Brightline train — although it could be delayed until 2026. Your other transportation options include a rideshare service, a taxi, or renting a car.
Would You Take a Train to Disney World?©Brightline
Mears operates the Magical Express, so we’re anticipating that Mears Connect will function pretty similarly to the current service. We’ll keep you posted with any further updates! We’ll also keep an eye out for any news on what airport transportation for the Disney Cruise Line will look like in 2022. Stay tuned to DFB!
Read More About the Magical Express’ Discontinuation!
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We have been coming to WDW almost every year since it opened in 1971 regardless of where we lived. The Magical Express was the best idea Disney ever introduced. We are now in our 70’s and are selective about convenient travel options. We will probably use our DVC points to stay at RCI or other exchanges rather than try to wrangle luggage and transportation to and from Orlando airport and WDW resorts. Disney has been gradually cutting perks. Cancelling the ME has the biggest negative effect on the most people of anything they have done in recent memory. We are very disappointed and unhappy with this decision. We just returned from WDW 5/8/21. The odd thing is that when asked, Disney employees, including managers, have no idea why the ME has been cancelled.
I concur with Jean says May 10, 2021 at 4:05 pm
I have no idea why one of there biggest selling points would go away.
Still have no idea why they did not just offer it as an additional cost.
Also I diagree that its like Mears, it may be run by Mears but Mears does not pick your luggage up at the airport or allow you to check in your luggage at the resort, etc. Those are two huge perks for those of us traveling with kids.
Again shame on Disney. I agree with Jean. & Chris..ME was
Wonderful.. and once again Disney takes it away.
Who r the idiots making this decision to stop the mears from doing this and this is so unfair to everyone that goes to Disney world we have annuals and have had for years but there r people that don’t have annuals and only can go maybe one time and if Disney wants them to come back they need to rethink what this decision is doing and also until this service ends why r our luggage not being taken care of Disney needs to watch what is going on before people stop coming there with this covid that tore our lives up and then they do this to people do the idiots that did this to stop this service have no shame of course they r very rich and don’t care and yes we r very angry about this
and Walt Disney didn’t design this for people to b treated this way
I have reservations for Disney World next year and I will be 94 years of age, I would pay extra for Disney to handle my luggage to the hotel room.
This use to be there selling point on the Disney
Commercial on tv . I believe it was on a Disney planning let us take care of your needs . In so many words I loved it ever year I went I had no problems. It was like Disney really care about there customers . Today it is about the money now Disney and Mears did not want to have a contract . No one knows the whole story . I wish someone would tell us so we all would know what happened .
I loved being able to use the Magical Express. Because we will be able to use the Bright line train, Disney decides to do away with the Magical Express transportation. This is a big mistake on the part of Disney. All this shows is that the all mighty dollar comes before customer service. Disney has always been known for it’s customer service. One more indication that Disney needs to focus more on Disney World and Disneyland before it worries about world wide theme park domination.
We are DVC members and with the ME and Magic Bands going away I would not recommend that anyone join DVC. The families that come every year are getting the shaft. It’s just not worth it for anyone to join DVC.
What is going on? Is Disney planning to have the “Minnie” Vans to transport folks to and from the airport? Even though you had to wait for the bus, it worked out fine for travelers of all ages. Disney get it together, reinstate, the Magical Express.
The average family that comes to Disney have children in tow, Probably, renting a car would be the only option! With rid share you don’t know how many people it can accommodate plus all the luggage
DADDY would have to wrangle many times. ME adds to relaxation of the trip and puts guests in the right mood from the very beginning! Being a DVC member myself, this was a key selling point for me. My wife and I are 75 plus and no longer may want to drive to Florida. This was a great plus for ownership planning when we no longer do drive. What;s next? Besides a fee for the parks will there be a charge for every attraction in the parks?This is a big mistake on Disney”s part . I have a feeling this will affect the attendance. It seems that the mouse keeps nibbling away at our perks! Doesn’t he have enough cheese?
Why r they not taking care of our luggage they were saying b cause of covid we don’t think that’s true now the airport is handling all other luggage that comes to the airport and has been Disney is making it really hard for us and others to get to Disney we r not going to share rides r rent a car to drive to sit n their parking lot and pay for a spot when we r paying to stay n the resort that is pure greed we have been coming there for over 40 years and have been there over 100 times and that is b cause we grew up on Disney and my husband and family love it Disney needs to rethink what they r doing they r charging so much to even eat there we have another trip planned but we r sure this will b the last they r trying to make up for all the lost money and it’s to costly to go there after this next trip we will spend our vacations some where else and not there ever again thank u Disney for running us away b cause of the greed
The Disney ME, we feel, has always been a part of the Disney vacation experience. As a single parent, it made things so much easier and worry-free knowing once we get to the MCO airport, we got to take the bus to our Disney resort. I’m not keen on taking a ride-share late at night or in an unknown city for that matter with my child. I’m not happy this is another fee tacked on. Honestly, it was the one perk that made life easier than going to Universal where we had to take the Mears for another $$. First the resort parking fees, then the constant park increases in tickets, merch, food, resorts, now airport transportation. Another thing, we used to LOVE coming to disney when the parks would be open till 1am. What happened to those days… now it’s 9pm if you’re lucky and all these late night and early morning extra pay events. And, of course, paid fast passes are coming. Seriously, pretty soon, very soon, if not already, the average family is not going to be able to afford Disney. I guess as long as the rich can go, that’ll keep Disney happy. We, on the other hand, will sorely miss our trips to Disney, but there comes a point where our income isn’t increasing and the Canadian dollar exchange just isn’t keeping up with Disney costs. We’re lucky if we can go to a Value resort anymore. We used to enjoy the Deluxe resorts. So sad…
Mears is terrible. I can’t tell you how many issues I’ve had with getting picked up by them. One year we had our time to be picked up at universal at 12:15 am. They didn’t pick us up until 1:45. Each time we called we were told the driver was a few minutes away. Then we were told he showed up but we weren’t there. It was awful. The same thing happened the next time we used them. The magic express is one of my favorite parts of the Disney experience.
I have never read so may negative comments about a Disney decision in my life! The decision to do away with Magical Express must go down in history as one of the greatest failures in executive decision making in history! Tops the Best Seller list of “How to Anger Your Most Loyal Customers” and “Companies Who Want to Create Hassle for Their Clients.” Many DVC owners specifically purchased timeshare investments believing they would have hassle free vacations at their home resort using Magical Express AND baggage/airport check-in service for 50 years of their contract. I can not overstate the value of this program in limiting the hassle of logistics in vacationing by air. Magical Express made the vacation just that, magical. I was delighted to place the luggage tags on, and know that Disney was taking care of me. Like a child I would simply get in the vehicle (bus), relax, arrive and my bags would be in my room later in the day. Magic. Disney took care of the hassle, I could feel like a child again in the care of someone else and truly not worry. I trusted Disney. Congratulations Disney! You will win the award for “Best Company to Disappoint Guests/DVC Owners!” I truly hope they fire the people who made this decision and consider the power of guest good will. Please listen to your most loyal guests Disney and be brave enough to fix an error and bring back Magical Express, baggage service and hotel airport check-in! Please do this, it was wonderful! In doing so, you will demonstrate you really DO listen and CARE about your guests! At present, your decisions are proving opposite.
This is such a stupid guest inconvenience presented by Disney. The easy fix would be to keep things as they are, and charge the guest a nominal $10 fee each way. Guests would pay it and it would pay for the incredible guest service that the Magical Express provided. Problem solved. Everyone is happy. As far as the train…do not hold your breath, it will never happen.
Discontinuing the Magical Express Program is one of the biggest mistakes that Disney has made and once Disney guests realize the loss in service, they will stop going to on-site Disney hotels and resorts. All other Orlando hotels and resorts do provide transportation services to their hotels and it is free.
Renting a car can be very expensive. Not only will Disney guests have the rental cost, but Disney will also add parking fees at the parks and at their hotels and resorts. The total cost could add up to $1,200 per week to the cost of a WDW vacation.
If Disney does not re-implement the Magical Express Service, including luggage, they will loose revenues and vacationing guests. Time will tell and Disney management will be changed, or Disney will close.
Eliminating the ME is a misguided decision. I can see from the many comments that it was a tremendous selling point for those DVC members. I love the ME, it is hassle free and wonderful perk!!! I hope the team that is ending it revisits the reasons it was implemented in the first place. It is a very poor decision.
I so enjoyed landing in Orlando to go to my ride to Disney! I took my grandkids on numerous trips. I so enjoyed felling safe and taken care of immediately. I question if I will want to continue my visits as I will hate the turmoil this change causes!!!!!!
I’ve been going to WDW since August 1972. It has always been my favorite place, my happy place. I can honestly say that for me the magic is gone. I see Disney as nothing more than a greedy conglomerate that cares NOTHING about their customers. They have gone in the totally opposite direction from Walt’s vision, his goals and his desires. He must be so very disappointed and heartbroken. I’m totally heartbroken myself. Every time I think about going back they break my heart again and I decide it’s just not worth it to pay that kind of money and be disappointed. I truly think they’ve lost me.
I fully agree with David. We are DVC members also and taking away ME and them magic bands, etc… I wouldn’t have bought in if I knew this was coming. I’m afraid to see what else is on the horizon to be taken away. We are massively disappointed. When I spoke with an upper level cast member 2 weeks ago on our vacation, he said it is because Disney’s contract with Mears is ending and they will not be renewing it. I informed him how SO MANY of us are hugely disappointed and that the ME was a huge reason many of us stayed on property and now many of us will not be. I also heard the cast members call Disney’s new CEO the ANTI-WALT, I couldn’t agree more.
Renee D nailed it!!!
The magic express is the best part for guess visiting wdw, canceling this service and the magic bands after spending a lot of money for the hotel, travel, dinning and expensive within the park . family on a budget who plan a vacation here way ahead of there arriving dates to wdw and to cancel this service will make guess re thinking coming to Disney parks. I’ve been going to WDW for year with friends and family It has always been my favorite place, my happy place. I can honestly say that for me the magic is gone . I have a upcoming trip to wdw and most differently will be my last and will go elsewhere .
My husband & I long time DVD members and in our 70’s ARE Very disappointed I. Disney eliminating the airport service. Disney at best could have offered the alt Mears service as a comp or discount!
While Disney is celebrating 50 years, my husband & I while in Disney Feb., celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with some disappointment!
We feel like the powers that b do not care any thing about how we feel every one should stop 🛑 going there and c how their all mighty dollar loss to bob chapek and the huge stock holders that they want to please to keep their pockets full my family has been going to Disney ever since there was only the magic kingdom and now the magic has been ruined we always were so happy to go there and stayed on property at many resorts and used the Disney express for years and the magic started as soon as we got on the Disney bus and all these people that make all these decisions should b fired and now my family can no longer go Walt Disney’s dream has been ruined and that is a shame he was a wonderful man with a heart of a child and wanted that for all of us he has been so disrespected
We have been coming to Disney World for years. In fact, we haven’t missed a year! We decided to vacation else where next year and most likely won’t go back until they bring ME back or a workable replacement. We are not alone. We have talked to many families from California that have expressed the same concerns and will not return.