Airport Transportation to Disney World Guide
There are multiple transportation options between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World, including shuttle buses, Uber and Lyft, private car services, and more. This guide covers MCO to WDW ground transportation, pricing, comparisons, and more. Plus, updates on supply/demand and price increases. (Updated August 4, 2023.)
In case you missed it, Walt Disney World ended the Magical Express airport shuttle service. In place of that free bus service between MCO and resort hotels, two paid bus services originally filled the void. One is Mears Connect, which was the operator of Disney’s Magical Express (DME) and now uses the same buses and drivers. The other is Sunshine Flyer, a new service with a fun railroad theme. (More on these “two” services in our latest update below.)
The elimination of Disney’s Magical Express was big and surprising Walt Disney World news, and continues to anger fans. It even took the #1 spot in our List of Biggest Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World, ahead of Genie+ and other cutbacks. Fortunately, there are plenty of viable alternatives, including several that are superior to DME, and we’re here to give you a rundown of the alternatives for airport transportation. First, let’s start with an update…
The biggest news is that Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer have “joined forces” to form Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine. This merger has pros and cons for consumers. Competition is always good for keeping prices and service competitive. In this case, there arguably wasn’t a market for two competing shuttle services between MCO and WDW. The two were stretched thin, and had issues with both supply and demand at times.
We’ve used both Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer (separately), and will be using the combined Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine later this month. Our expectation is that it’ll mostly be more of the same–an economical and reliable way to get between the airport and resorts at Walt Disney World.
Our experiences with both have been entirely uneventful. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but they’ve been solid for airport shuttle buses. Neither will win any awards for speed, but that’s par for the course. We have no complaints. Basically Disney’s Magical Express. Minus the “Disney” part…and the “Magical” part. Okay, and the “Express” part, too. (In fairness, DME was never actually “Express,” either.)
Otherwise, issues with shortages, disruptions, and other ripple effects from the pandemic and resulting economic circumstances are largely in the rearview mirror. This had impacted airport transportation services, rental car companies, and rideshare services–there were plenty of horror stories about supply and demand imbalances for airport transportation at Walt Disney World over the last couple of years.
About the only lingering effect is higher prices for Uber and Lyft. That’s probably the “new normal” as some drivers have moved from rideshare to food delivery and other opportunities that don’t require having strangers in their cars.
If you’re planning on visiting Walt Disney World during peak travel weeks in 2023 (or any year, really)–think Presidents’ Day/Mardi Gras, Spring Break, Easter July 4th, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, NYE, etc–and plan on using an airport shuttle service or renting a car, we’d encourage you to book early.
This is good practice, in general. Airfare and hotel prices increase, availability worsens, and so forth. Well, same applies to ground transportation between MCO and WDW. It’s possible that Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine will sell out ahead of the busiest dates in October through December 2023, and rental car prices will almost certainly increase. That happened last holiday season on certain dates between Columbus Day and New Year’s.
We’ve used Uber and Lyft a lot for getting to and from MCO. This has been easy and efficient, and we’ve never had any issues whatsoever with availability or wait times at the airport or on-property at Walt Disney World. That hasn’t always been the story at Flamingo Crossings–where wait times are usually longer–but it’s also out in the middle of nowhere. (It’s an odd dynamic–middle of nowhere, and yet, tons of people live in that booming area.)
Pricing with Uber and Lyft is all over the place, but the range is definitely above what we experience in 2019. We’re primarily traveling between the Orange Counties (Florida and Southern California), which tends to put our MCO arrivals late at night. For whatever reason, MCO is often slammed late at night, which leads to surge pricing. We’ve paid as much as $70 for a ride to Walt Disney World via rideshare. That’s not even as bad as it gets–we’ve heard of some people paying $100.
We usually depart Walt Disney World early in the morning or in the middle of weekdays, and rideshare prices are almost always significantly lower. In the last two months, our range has been $30 to $40 before tip for these trips. On that note, a couple of suggestions.
First, pull up both Uber and Lyft and compare prices. The vast majority of the time, we’ve found cheaper (sometimes significantly so) rides via Lyft–but not always. Second, opt for the “Wait & Save” option if you’re not tight on time. We did this once, got an immediate pick-up time, and have done it ever since. If you’re traveling at an off-peak time, this is usually easy savings and minimal inconvenience.
With that update out of the way, let’s turn to our normal Orlando International Airport transportation guide…
MCO-WDW Shuttle Service
Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine – As noted above, Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer have merged as of August 2023. More accurately, it seems like Sunshine Flyer was absorbed by Mears, the dominant player in Central Florida transportation and the shuttle service by the company that operated Disney’s Magical Express.
This makes Mears Connect the “true” spiritual successor to Disney’s Magical Express. It literally uses the exact same drivers and buses, just minus the Disney-branded wraps. Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine offers transportation in high occupancy vehicles, including buses and vans. The company advertises this as the “same reliable, safe service guests have been using for decades to Disney area hotels” with scheduled service, luggage handling, convenient airport terminal staging, and return trips from resorts to the airport.
Mears Connect has two options: Standard and Express. Standard is a shared vehicle on Mears Connect (bus or van) that is economical. Standard makes a limited number of stops and will have you on your way to your resort within 20 minutes of your check-in to the Mears Connect reception area. The Express level offers direct service with limited to no wait time.
Pricing could vary depending on date and hotel, but the current rate on the standard service is $16 for adults and $13.50 for children for a one-way trip or $32 for adults and $27 for children for round trips. Express is currently priced at $250 per round trip for up to 4 passengers, plus $55 for each additional person.
Mears is a transportation company with coach buses and taxis that enjoyed a virtual monopoly on Orlando for decades. Historically, we have not been fans of Mears. We had several negative experiences with them in the pre-rideshare days–enough to arrive at the conclusion that it was a poorly-managed company doing the bare minimum and not caring about customer service given their aforementioned monopoly.
To the extent that Disney’s Magical Express offered good service, our suspicion is that it was due to contractual requirements with, and oversight from, Walt Disney World. Without the Disney monitoring and mandating service quality, bus frequency, dispatch times, etc., we fear the “spiritual successor” could be worse. In our experiences with Mears Connect thus far, this has not been a problem–but we’ll continue to use the shuttle service and provide periodic updates.
Alternative Airport Transportation
Luxury Car, Limo & Private Van Service – Honestly, we’ve never used private van service for traveling between MCO and Walt Disney World. There are only two of us, so it has never made sense. It also felt of little value from a research perspective, since Disney’s Magical Express, rideshare, or rental car served the needs of 98% of readers.
Obviously, the end of Disney’s Magical Express changes the equation. Now, many families of 4-6 will be find private car service to be a superior and more economical option than the aforementioned shuttles. Moreover, depending upon how things play out with rental car and rideshare prices and waits, private vehicle service might be better than those, as well.
I’ll level with you again: researching private car service in putting together this article has been overwhelming. There are a lot of advertorials and it’s almost impossible to tell what’s objective advice. Fortunately, we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from readers in the months since DME’s demise was announced, and I’ve cobbled that together here. (On that note, please offer more recommendations–I’ll continue to modify this with your top picks!)
Quicksilver Tours – Far and away the “most recommended” option, we’ve heard nothing but good things about Quicksilver from our readers. Many praise the pricing, noting that it worked out to be cheaper for them than Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine. (Just keep in mind that prices will likely go up with demand, which will assuredly increase with the end of DME. So book sooner rather than later!)
Orlando Transportation by Mike – Readers have recommended this service (including in the comments to this post!) and online reviews elsewhere are likewise overwhelmingly positive. Mike’s transportation company gets high marks on communication, courtesy, and cleanliness.
Happy Limo – Based on our research, this is one of the most well-established and largest luxury vehicle services in Orlando. It’s definitely not the cheapest, but appears to offer good customer service, with fewer issues than many alternatives. From our perspective, there’s something to be said for a larger scale operation with years of experience–especially as all of these transportation options adjust to a post-DME environment.
Tiffany Town Car – Readers who have used Tiffany have unanimously praised their service and recommended this luxury limo. However, we’d offer the caveat that online reviews are more mixed, with some red flags from guests with disabilities.
Again, we cannot vouch for any of these services as we haven’t used them. Generally speaking, we’d recommend checking policies on luggage handling (included or do drivers assist?), car seats (included or do they cost extra?), airport meet & greet policy (does the driver greet you with a sign in the pickup area of MCO?), grocery stops (whether they’re included, discretionary, and duration), and whether gratuities are included or recommended on top of the base price.
Public Bus – Orlando International Airport has bus stops that are serviced by LYNX local buses. This public transportation is available not only to Walt Disney World, but also Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, International Drive, Downtown Orlando, and a range of other destinations in Central Florida.
We haven’t used the LYNX buses in Central Florida, but are not averse to public transportation. Judging by Google Maps and LYNX’s route map, this seems like a much better option if you’re staying near downtown or I-Drive, which offer more direct routes. (Really, anything to the east of Walt Disney World is better for bus service.) With that said, transit times seem relatively reasonable (~90 minutes from MCO to Disney Springs) but just be aware that you’ll likely have multiple transfers to get to your resort. Probably not ideal with kids in tow, but that’s the nature of public transportation.
Taxi – Available on a walk-up basis at the Arrivals Level (Level 2) on both sides of Orlando International Airport. Taxis may carry up to 9 passengers, and charge the same rate regardless of the number of passengers. All taxicabs picking up at the MCO are regulated by Orlando’s Vehicle-for-Hire Ordinance, which requires fares to be determined by a taximeter. This means there are no flat rates–you’re paying by distance, which typically amounts to $60 to $70 each way depending upon the location of your hotel.
This is another example of where the Mears monopoly comes into play, but there are a handful of alternatives to Mears at MCO. Given the wealth of alternatives, I would not take a taxi from the airport unless really desperate. There’s a decent chance desperation will creep in for some visitors if problems play out with rental car and rideshare services, though…
Rental Cars – This one is pretty self-explanatory, so we’re not going to fixate on the ‘basics’ of it too much. We have an entire post titled Tips for Renting a Car at Walt Disney World that covers the ins and outs of renting a car, along with money-saving tips. If you don’t like waiting at all, like to be in control, and don’t mind driving while on vacation, renting a car is probably for you. This is doubly true if you ever want to leave Walt Disney World property.
When we rent a car anywhere, we typically use either AutoSlash or Hotwire for car rentals and book one of their “blind” Hot Rates. Renting a car can reduce waits and commute times, but we’ve found that sometimes not renting works better for us. Consider your circumstances, how much you want to drive while on vacation, whether you’ll be staying off-site or on-site at Walt Disney World, and how frequently you’ll want to venture beyond the bubble.
Without question, there will be strong demand for rental cars at MCO during peak travel dates. The unknowns are to what degree, whether it’ll exceed supply of available rental cars (and how often), result in more overbookings, and the long-term impact on pricing. If you plan on booking a rental car, it’s wise to lock-in rates as early as possible.
Rideshare – Similar deal here as with the rental car section. Now that they’re reasonably well-established in most cities, we assume most people are familiar with Uber and Lyft–even if you’ve never used them. If not, you can read some of our advice for using Uber and other ride-sharing services in the post Uber & Lyft at Walt Disney World Tips.
In general, we are huge fans of Uber and Lyft, using rideshare services whenever possible rather than renting a car. We’ve almost exclusively switched from renting cars to Uber/Lyft when visiting Walt Disney World. For us, it just makes more sense, is more convenient, and cost-effective.
Using rideshare in tandem with Disney transportation works out really well for us. As with renting a car, you’ll also want to consider your circumstances to determine whether relying on rideshare is right for you.
Ultimately, the end of Disney’s Magical Express has been disappointing to many Walt Disney World visitors, but the good news is that great alternatives exist. Equally as important, there largely are no longer issues with supply and demand imbalances or regular roadway congestion between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World.
Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine is absorbing most displaced DME riders, with rideshare and rental cars picking up the rest of the slack. The bad news is that all of these options cost money. Even though the last couple years have been a roller coaster of supply and demand imbalances, this outcome isn’t all that surprising. After all, Disney’s Magical Express didn’t exist until the 2000s–before the days of Uber and Lyft–and people managed to get to and from the airport just fine, and without issue.
With that said, Walt Disney World attendance is up significantly since then (Magic Kingdom alone has increased by ~6 million guests). A lot has changed since Disney’s Magical Express debuted and Disney attendance still hasn’t recovered to 2019 levels, so there could still be disruptions during peak travel dates. Just something of which you might want to be mindful if visiting Walt Disney World during a particularly busy travel time–it doesn’t hurt to hedge your bets and get something booked sooner rather than later.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the various ground transportation options between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World? Will you opt for Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine, Uber, Lyft, or renting a car? Thoughts on pricing, efficiency, or anything else regarding airport transportation? What do you think about Walt Disney World ending Disney’s Magical Express? Other thoughts on this? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We have used Orlando Transportation by Mike twice with excellent service. One trip was with my parents(3 adults and 2 kids), and included a scooter (a travel scooter that breaks down), and they provided one booster seat and one car seat. The cost for that trip in 2018 was $135 plus gratuity round trip.
But we have been exclusively using Lyft for the past few years. If it can work for your family it is SO MUCH CHEAPER than many of these other options. Once my youngest could legally sit in a booster seat, I bought two very compact/lightweight travel booster seats. I’ve since become an expert on timing the Lyft request on the airport terminal train.
Our mid-Covid trip coincided with the worst of the Lyft driver woes, and I ended up paying for a Lyft XL (more $$) in one direction in order to get a car faster. It was still below $70. To all the families traveling with scooters or car seats, or just a larger party of people, I feel your pain.
This is not about transportation, but since you disable comments on Covid posts I will ask here. Is Disney planning to require masks everywhere in the parks since Florida has so many cases ? Universal is requiring them.
We’ve used Orlando Transportation by Mike whenever we’ve stayed at Swolphin (because no DME) and wanted a grocery stop on the way to the resort. Truly excellent, friendly service!
The other service providers will pick up what the ME was, but can not replace the magic of ME. The best thing that ALL of us can do, is let Disney know how you feel, highlighting the options of staying off site. Only after the masses speak loudly will Disney listen. On our next trip my wife and I are staying at a VRBO in Kissimmee for 15 nights at one forth of the cost of staying on site. And we have tons of great restaurants at reasonable prices! The rental car is under $500 for that time period, but we have made that up in room savings. Go to the Disney site and let them know in a nice way how you feel!
Lynx is an option too. Since the schedule changes two weeks ago, the 11/51/111 from the airport all have connections to the 350/300 serving Disney Springs, Palm Parkway hotels, Hotel Plaza Boulevard and the TTC.
We’ve never used Uber or Lyft, what is this rideshare? We have a March trip and was going to use Mears Connect.
I wish they would bring back Minnie Vans 🙁 At least that would maintain the Disney theming and bubble, even if the cost is high.
We are flying into Orlando Sanford Airport. Do you know of the best transportation to Disney from there?
Mom,Dad, 2 small kids.
Pack all luggage, stroller etc.
Get to airport checkin luggage, kids in tow.
Arrive at MCO kids in tow stroller retreived, go down to luggage claim. wait, & wait, kids in tow for luggage.
grab luggage kids in tow go back to concourse, Cross entire concourse, kids in tow go back down to luggage terminal B go down to DME, or Meirs or Sunshine Flyer. pay $100.00+ for 4 roundtrip tkts to yiyr resort ( was free with your resort reservation) Arrive at resort, kids in tow, Retreive luggage from your bus. Drag your luggage through lobby, angry kids in tow check into resort. Cranky kids in tow, drag your luggage to you room.
WHEN DME was working, your vacation started at your departure airport. no worries about luggage.
WDW is starting to forget their philosophy…. family friendly.
I ,as grandpa, took two grandchildren and five adults to Disney World in August, 2021. I had taken my children to Disney World many times as they were growing up. Every one of those trips truly lived up to being “magical”. I dreamed of returning my grandchildren someday.
Our recent trip had many negatives and disappointments. As others have said, Disney World has lost much of its magic. The pandemic certainly didn’t help. Also, we all know how expensive it is to take a large group to Disney World. Disney seems to have forgotten how to provide magic and reasonable prices. They need to realize there are limitations as to how much they can charge for everything. Essentially by doing away with Magic Express they have simply made the trips more expensive. Fortunately, we were still able use Magic Express. However think of how expensive it would’ve been if it had already been discontinued when I took everyone in August. For the first time, I truly have no desire to return to Disney World given their current thinking and policies
I’ve been reading your blog for a couple years and appreciate your articles for both info and commentary. We currently have a Mears luxury car service reservation for our trip in late January. It was only $24 more for our family of 3 vs the Mears Connect Express service and we thought would be more efficient and “safer” in the era of COVID (no other passengers). I see you didn’t mention that option at all, but did pan Mears in general. Do you have any opinions on that part of Mears service? I have time to book another option if needed.
My guess is that Mears or any luxury car service offers superior service to the shuttles. Personally, I would not book anything Mears when presented with a comparable alternative, but that’s in large part due to our negative firsthand experiences over the years. So I’m biased.
With that said, we also do not have the firsthand experiences with luxury car services to recommend/not recommend anything.
Thought I’d update this comment since the article was updated. We did use Mears Luxury Car service during our April 2022 trip and everything went fine. The cars were clean, the drivers courteous and professional and the trip was quick both directions. The price included gratuity too. We did give a little extra on the return trip due to the driver taking us to two different airport locations (one to return the stroller, the other for our actual departure terminal).
All in all, we were quite happy with the experience and wouldn’t hesitate to go through them again.
I have to say, I spoke to many cast members about the “loss of magic” on my last trip…. And they’re seeing it the most. It’s completely heartbreaking! With all these stressors though, people are taking it out on the cast members, too. Which is by far even more heartbreaking. DME is a huge loss to DW, and I’m personally devastated as I’m a passholder that lives in Michigan. Not to beat a dead horse…. But BC needs to GO. I could slightly understand once the train is complete? But c’mon. I am however excited to see about other companies that can somewhat tie into the Disney themes though! The railroad busses are GENIUS!!! (And Walt would have LOVED the concept).
Agreed. Cast Members being “less magical” has come up repeatedly in the comments here. I think what fans fail to realize is just how low morale is among Cast Members and how demoralizing the last year-plus has been. This isn’t to make excuses for poor service, but we’re honestly lucky it’s not even worse given how guests and the company are treating them.
Since we stopped renting cars we use a small private van service. Excellent service, always on time, store stops included, competitive price. We were always eligible for ME but this is so much better.
Our last visit to DVC DW in July was a disappointment after over thirty years of many visits and Charter members of DVC Old Key West since 1991. There was litter inside the attraction areas as well on the grounds. Gone were the smiles and happy greetings of the cast. Disney keeps raising the cost of everything so they should be able to hire more cast members, pay a living wage, and own their own transportation system to and from the airport.
I have had a hard time making sense of the cancellation of DME, as I would think (besides guest satisfaction) it also hurts the Disney “bubble” and people being trapped on site. Why voluntarily push people towards having a way to leave the bubble as they dont have a free transportation option anymore? Perhaps Disney is banking on the majority of people using Mears Connect or Sunshine Flyer, therefore keeping the “bubble” mostly in tact? That would obviously be a win win for them, reduced cost without loss of the bubble and the revenue it provides.
None of these alternatives will take care of routing your baggage to your hotel like DME, will they?
I used a van service with my 5 member family recently. The cost was at $200 round trip plus a grocery stop. The service was excellent and was private. Worth every penny.
I am handicapped and have a folding scooter I must travel with. My daughter also has a non- folding mobility scooter. On none of the companies mentioned was there any comment made about transportation with mobility scooters. A van would accommodate two mobility handicapped Senior Citizens with two scooters and luggage. Are there no van options available for transportation to and from airport and resorts.
This is just another way the magic is disappearing from Disney. The build up one gets from DME was incredible. What is going on with Disney? Is it just gonna keep getting worse? Do they sense the loss of magic across the board?
the problem with rideshare and taxis is car seats if you have kids that need them. some people swear they won’t use anything but rideshare anywhere, but unless you’re in one of the very limited cities where you can request a car with car seat, you’re out of luck.