Disney World Ending Magical Express Airport Shuttle
Walt Disney World is ending its Magical Express shuttle service to resorts from Orlando International Airport. This comes after the company “temporarily suspended” Extra Magic Hours, FastPass+, the Dining Plan, and more.
All of this is still top of mind for many Walt Disney World vacation planners, which is clear to us based on the number of questions we receive asking when the Disney Dining Plan, FastPass+, Extra Magic Hours, etc. will be brought back. In most cases, our expectation is that Walt Disney World will restore these things this spring and summer.
When it comes to resuming normalcy at Walt Disney World, it’s clear that this won’t be a simple matter of reverting to the status quo, pre-March of last year. Instead, Walt Disney World will use this period of abnormal to retire and transition away from various offerings to new things, and offer a “soft reset” on the guest experience. We now have our next glimpse of what that means for later in 2022…
Walt Disney World will end the Disney’s Magical Express service for airport transportation starting with arrivals on January 1, 2022. Disney has attributed this to the expansion of options for guests, including the rise of Uber and Lyft. “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.”
Disney’s Magical Express will continue for arrivals and departures through 2021, but anyone planning a Walt Disney World vacation in 2022 will need to rent a car or plan on using Uber, Lyft, or whatever other options are out there. (Although not yet confirmed officially, it’s entirely possible that Minnie Vans have been permanently retired.)
Note that complimentary transportation options within Walt Disney World — such as buses, monorails, boats, and the Skyliner gondolas — will continue to be available without changes. This only impacts Disney’s Magical Express, the airport-to-hotel transportation service, and does not have any bearing on internal or resort-to-park transportation.
It’s worth noting here that the Disney’s Magical Express airport shuttle service is operated by Mears, not Disney itself. Mears is a transportation company with coach buses and taxis that enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the Orlando market for years…before Uber and Lyft debuted.
Last year, Mears furloughed 83% of its workforce and ended up permanently laying off nearly 200 workers. Even prior to that, the company had run into trouble–Mears has been extensively involved with ride-share lawsuits and other litigation over the past few years.
It’s also possible that the relationship between Disney and Mears soured when Minnie Vans were rolled out a couple of years ago. Up until that point, some guests were reticent to use Uber and Lyft due to horror stories, and still opted for the overpriced Mears taxis. From then on, Walt Disney World had a monopoly on overpriced private transportation–it made almost no sense to pay triple the price of ride-share for a taxi when Minnie Vans offered a more polished and “magical” experience.
This is all to say that there might be more to this story than meets the eye. Disney could see the writing on the wall for Mears, or the relationship between the two companies might’ve been irreparably damaged to the point that they could not negotiate a new contract once the current one ends.
Basically, we have a tough time taking this cut at face value–or being entirely due to the reasons given by Disney. As discussed in our Guide to Disney’s Magical Express, the “free” service is incredibly valuable to Walt Disney World because it makes tourists a captive audience, less likely or able to dine off-site, visit other theme parks, or spend money elsewhere.
Long ago, Walt Disney World determined that the increase in average per guest spending with Disney’s Magical Express plus the perceived convenience and goodwill obtained from offering the service outweighs the average per guest cost of offering the service. It’s unlikely that has changed, especially as on-site food prices have increased and Central Florida theme park competition has become more fierce.
Beyond that, this change is being announced at a time when hotel occupancy at Walt Disney World is abysmal–and that’s even with several resorts still closed. With no convention business, minimal outside events, and a travel recovery expected to take until 2023, cutting Disney’s Magical Express will only exacerbate that problem.
We’ve been discussing Walt Disney World’s Disappearing On-Site Advantage for years now, and the elimination of Magical Express only makes that worse. The airport transportation service has been routinely cited by on-site advocates as one reason to still stay in a Disney-owned hotel. Uber and Lyft are great, and we’ve taken them instead of DME several times, but this is still a big blow for consumers.
It’s also potentially going to be detrimental to Walt Disney World. We’re anticipating a ton of negative feedback about this change–likely on par with the addition of resort parking fees a few years ago. As with that change, we can’t help but wonder if Disney will come to regret this move as being one that pushes more guests off-site and ends up costing Disney money in the long run.
We’ve also long been asking Is Walt Disney World Eroding Fan Goodwill? with previous decisions like this. We maintain that they have, but the booming economy has insulated Disney from the negative short-term consequences of so many cuts and guest-unfriendly decisions. Unfortunately, the current hotel woes are pretty easy to hand-wave away given all that’s happening in the world. But we nevertheless question whether occupancy remains low even as park attendance is rising because more guests have already determined staying on-site is simply not worth it.
Finally, while some Walt Disney World fans might point to the Brightline train station at Disney Springs being the eventual replacement for Disney’s Magical Express, that’s still several years away. (The South Florida to MCO link has a scheduled 2022 opening date, but that does not include the Disney Springs station.)
Moreover, that route from the airport to hotels will be convoluted and time-consuming, so it’s not really a viable alternative. To the contrary, the whole reason the Brightline station is being built at Disney Springs instead of the more logical location by the ESPN Wide World of Sports is because Disney did not plan on the train serving as airport transportation for many guests.
We still would not be surprised if Walt Disney World announces a replacement for Disney’s Magical Express before 2022. This just seems like a really ill-advised and short-sighted decision. As discussed above, it’s also potentially a decision that’s out of their hands…
In other breaking news, Walt Disney World announced a permanent replacement for the temporarily-suspended Extra Magic Hours, and has confirmed that EMH will not return. Dubbed Early Theme Park Entry, the new perk will allow Walt Disney World resort guests to enter any of the four theme parks 30 minutes early each day.
Disney indicates that the new Early Theme Park Entry benefit helps better spread visitation across all four theme parks, while providing added flexibility by giving guests extra early park time on each day of their vacation and in the park of their choosing. Please note that guests need valid admission and a park reservation made via the Disney Park Pass system to enter a theme park.
The new Early Theme Park Entry offering will debut later in 2021 and will be promoted as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary offerings. No specific start date has been provided; our assumption is that move is deliberate. Walt Disney World can hold off on rolling it out until hotel occupancy and attendance levels dictate, with the latest debut date being October 1, 2021.
While we’re incredulous about the Disney’s Magical Express news, this announcement we do take at face value. In that same “Disappearing On-Site Advantage” article, we derided Extra Magic Hours as a mostly illusory benefit. Prior to the closure, we actively avoided Evening Extra Magic Hours due to the noticeable spike in crowds as compared to non-EMH evenings.
There are a number of reasons this has happened, but is primarily because the pool of Extra Magic Hours-eligible guests continues to increase. Walt Disney World has cut deals with third party hotels and also built several new Disney Vacation Club properties and otherwise added to its hotel room inventory.
For us, the jury is still out on this new Early Theme Park Entry benefit. We have every reason to believe this will do a better job of spreading out crowds, and could end up being a net positive for guests. Thirty minutes per day is obviously less than than the previous hour, but it’s better than nothing.
There’s also the reality that 30 minutes times 4 parks is a total of 2 hours per day across all of Walt Disney World, which is a net gain as compared to Extra Magic Hours. Obviously, a single guest without the resources for time travel cannot take advantage of that 2 hours, but the point is that this may not be a simple cost-cutting measure by Disney.
It could end up giving on-site guests more time before the wave of crowds hit–or it could amount to being pretty similar to the current unpublished policy of quietly opening the turnstiles before official park opening time. We’ll withhold judgment on this one until experiencing it ourselves.
While the specifics here are not exactly what we anticipated, that Walt Disney World would choose now to make these announcements is not unsurprising. As we covered months ago in What Will Replace FastPass+ at Walt Disney World? we expected these “temporary suspensions” to be a natural transition to new systems.
Ultimately, we expect plenty more announcements in the coming months about other, similar changes. As discussed in that article, we’d be shocked to see FastPass+ return without any changes. We’re also expecting the Disney Dining Plan and other experiences will have modifications once they return later in 2021. Then there’s the potential transition from My Disney Experience to Disney Genie (or whatever it ends up being called) which is another can of worms. In short, brace yourself for plenty more changes announced between now and October 2021…
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 about Walt Disney World ending Disney’s Magical Express? Upset that you’ll have to rent a car or use Uber/Lyft, or did you find DME too inefficient, anyway? Thoughts on Early Theme Park Entry v. Extra Magic Hours? Disappointed that the amount of time is being cut, or optimistic that it’ll be less crowded during that time? 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!
This is a big disappointment. We don’t always use DME because of the time it took, but when we had smaller kids, it was the best thing ever as our bags were handled. The bigger issue for me is the elimination of EMH. Sure, the early entry is one thing, but that’s like swapping out 1 ride per day vs. what has been anywhere from 1-3+ extra hours in the park. I value the time in the park, enjoying things other than just the headliners. By making the the access in the AM, they clearly are planning all sorts of hard ticket, paid access evening events. It makes me sad and nervous … I feel like I’ll now rip off the band-aid and stay at Universal for our next trip … as a “new bubble”. But who knows … maybe that will be a good thing and I’ll regret having not made the switch sooner.
This decision is not well thought out and causes a negative impact to customer relations. At a minimum, they should have planned an alternative solution and communicated it at the same time. This negatively impacts the Disney experience, leaves their customers on their own, caused frustration and waits at the airport, increases highway congestion, panic at the hotel trying to get to the airport, etc. This is a bad business decision that reflects poorly on operating management and I’m sure will be discussed at the Board level.
Agree 100% they should’ve come out with their statement, when they had an alternative! I have left comments on their Disney Guest Relations site and, have called. The Cast Member I spoke to said a lot of guests were very upset!. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Board Level is already saying “What the Heck is Going On! Who came up with that? And who approved it!
For me, DME was the best perk of staying onsite: no need to manage luggage, to pay for Disney parking, to rent a van or two (we travel with 6 to 10 in our party), or to navigate crowded Orlando highways. I began relaxing as soon as I checked my luggage at my airline. For my April 2022 trip, i will now stay offsite and save money.
I had to book another room today and broached this subject with the CM. He seemed ready for the deluge of irate customers. I sometimes wonder if Disney’s marketing/finance team were actually culinary majors in college. How do they weigh out these choices and say “Yes! We’ll tick off our majority of out-of-towners, risk them staying off property and buying more items from Walmart! Problem solved!” This is a long-game. What business person doesn’t get that? And I’m NOT-I’m in medical! But do they track dollars according to patron’s locations? Do the numbers of international (which should resume this year) travelers and locals pouring out consistent cash justify the ostracizing of the rest of us? I don’t know that. But I sure hope they do.
So does this definitely include the baggage service? I don’t even mind finding my own ride if necessary – it does take away some of the magic, but it’ll get us there faster. But the time and effort saved not waiting or worrying about bags is one of my favorite things about a Disney trip.
It seems silly, but this really may be the deciding factor in going back to DW again or not. The “all inclusive” nature of DW is important to our family, who are otherwise habitual overplanners. It takes the stress off and really lets me enjoy my vacation. I doubt that I’m alone, and I think Disney will have to replace this or risk losing a sizeable segment of their market.
I hear you! We love the “all inclusive” feel of Disney. And we stopped pre planning our trips years ago. Just show up and go. And calling for a cab won’t kill us. But we used to really love the luggage service, especially when our kids were babies. A couple years ago when our youngest turned six we moved to carry on bags only for our family (airlines in Canada were really starting to change too much for checked baggage) and it was a huge huge win! Seems so much more relaxed when you just take the necessary items and drop the rest. The rooms stay tidier and we can walk right off the plane and still have our swim suits and everything else right with us! If we have to check a bag on the way home, no big deal.
The word is that the company that provided the baggage service went out of business due to the pandemic. The luggage service is already gone, and should not be expected to return.
I thought one of the main reasons they built the skylines was to try to cut down on the continue my growing traffic at Disney World properties. Taking the Magical Express away only adds traffic. This seems counter productive from transportation planning as now all these guests will be in seperate cars and of guests decide to rent cars because of this that will also increase even more because more guests will likely drive to the parks instead of waiting on the internal didn’t transportation.
So, while I’m disappointed about losing ME, on our last trip (post-COVID), we rented a car because we were concerned about distancing on a Mears bus. We rented a car and it was awfully nice to be able to stop and get bottled drinks, breakfast for in the room and to be able to run out to McD’s for a quick lunch. Granted, we’re DVC so parking is included on a points stay. But if you took what what we would have paid in park for the bottled drinks, that alone almost covered the cost of the car rental.
I know my situation isn’t isolated – so I have to agree with Tom, I think Disney has something in the works. I wonder if there’s a no-compete written in their Mears contract, so they have to stop ME for a bit before the new product can be rolled out.
Wow disney, just wow. I understand it’s a business and that you’re trying to work out kinks from this past year but the entire point of staying in Disney property is that your inclusive in the Disney WORLD! After selling a kidney to the ever growing costs of vacations there, now we have to schlep our luggage to an Uber station and pay more money. Even hotels offer shuttle service. Between the mandatory masks on everyone (outside!!!) especially on children, the list of perks dropping like flies, it really is becoming not worth staying in the park
Tom,
I missed your posted of the customer service email address we should email regarding our thoughts on getting rid of DME.
Can you please post it again.
Had just been online last week looking at options to book an early 2022 trip. Now we will have to rent a vehicle and pay for parking at the resort. Too much expense added to my budget so we will have to make changes like staying and eating off site and I want them to know it! What a shame!! It hurts us to do that- it really lessens the magic for all of us but when enough people start doing the same and it hurts their bottom line they will be the ones really hurt.
This is worrisome because I don’t know how to get Uber at the airport. I mean, in the past, Disney guests are directed to a specific area, separated based on their resorts, and directed into different buses. If I am to get an Uber at MCO, I will have to join the line of Uber riders, all resort guests plus others in a huge line, right? Doesn’t that sound like a mess? Disney should at least organize areas at the airport where people can order Uber/Lyft or taxi to Disney with ease. At the least, MCO should consider doing that. And will there be enough Uber/Lyft to take care of all the needs, or will the surge create a price spike during times when lots of planes land? And people waiting for hours and not be able to find a ride, regardless of how much they are willing to pay? The DME has been around for many years, during which Disney attendance has increased. Disney can’t just dump it and expect Uber/Lyft to suddenly be able to pick up the slack, they need to plan for the transition, at least.
I’ve taken an uber to my resort several times out of MCO, as I completely despise busses. (I also Uber to the parks when I can’t walk/monorail/boat.) I want to put your concerns of long lines and confusion at bay.
The pickup area for Uber / Lyft is outside of baggage claim at a specific claim number (the big numbers overhead when waiting for passenger pickup). I’ve seen others gathered on the sidewalk, but there is no line as the app assigns you a specific driver. When they pull up, you just confirm your name / their name (Uber also has the make/model/color of the car and license plate number, so you know that they’re your driver and you aren’t popping in with a stranger), and hop on in.
I find it infinitely more convenient than taking the bus. You get on the road much faster, and it drops you right at your resort lobby. Several times on the DME, I had to stop at other resorts before mine. I believe the cost is around $30 from the airport to property, depending on where you’re going and the time of day.
I also wouldn’t worry about Disney having to come up with a transition plan. Uber and Lyft are successful because they use independent contractors who are motivated by demand. So if there is higher demand at the airport / Disney resorts, that’s where they’ll be. Even now, I have never waited more than five minutes at the airport or any resort.
Agree! There is always someone ready to do business. The slack will get picked up. And with a year to sort it self out I think we will see some new options pop up and it won’t surprise me if Disney provides one of them.
i will add to this with my real life experience in 2018(at Disneyland) … i am from Canada and do not get reasonable priced data out of canada, so I dont get it. I ordered an uber from john wayne since the people we were meeting up with were running late because of traffic. I went to the uber site… no back into the airport where i could access the wifi… then RAN back to the site when i got the notification when the notification came it it was there… to be greeted by 5 black cars that looked like the one i was looking for and no way to access the license plate with no internet. Only positive was the uber driver was great.
Taking an Uber out of MCO hasn’t been a problem in the past because hundreds and hundreds of Disney people weren’t trying to get an Uber, they were getting on the ME. The days of a 5 minute Uber wait will be long gone come 2022. Worst Disney decision ever.
While I prefer to have my own transportation having small children, if we had a shorter trip and could suffer through a cramped hotel style room rather than an offsite suite, DME was great. With small children, other options aren’t readily available and not having to haul safety seats is a huge plus.
For early entry, I’m sour on this change. Resort guest or not my family has been entering at soft opening 30-45 mins ahead of the published opening time. If staying offsite, the early entry is going to mean missing out on that benefit but staying onsite really isn’t worth the added cost for just that half hour window. I think the crowds of offsite guests lined up outside waiting to get into every park every day will make this change temporary.
You said ” This only impacts Disney’s Magical Express, the airport-to-hotel transportation service, and does not have any bearing on internal or resort-to-park transportation.”
I say “not yet. But how do you know it won’t in the future?”
I mean, I know it’s hard to imagine, WDW getting rid of its free internal transportation, but whoever would have imagined the DME being taken out even a year ago? It’s a slippery slope, man. Your article says something about Disney having disagreements with Mears. I understand that, but couldn’t Disney arrange some other way of transporting guests if Mears don’t work out? This simply cutting out the airport transportation is just weird. In fact, Disney can even give out Uber/Lyft airport to WDW coupons, if it comes to that. Instead of just toss the baby out with the bath water.
Highly unlikely current number of Uber/Lyft drivers and car rentals could even handle the volume of passengers that ride DME. Highways and parking lots will be further clogged. How does that promote Disney’s environmental agenda? High speed rail may be a start but further discussion on how to not clog Disney Springs is needed. Tom included Customer Service’s email below. They should have had a better backup plan. Discouraging for all faraway travelers. 2022 plans are now on hold.
I have just cancelled my June 2021 trip and will be going to Universal. I just can’t take the pain of diminished returns any longer.
This is so devastating as the Magical Express was part of the experience for us when visiting. Stepping right into Disney from the airport without having to deal with luggage (pre2020) or managing our own transportation started the vacation that much earlier. We even enjoyed the bus videos! Arrival at the resort and being greeted off the bus by name also makes the trip more special. The loss of this perk definitely dusts more of the magic off any future stay. We used to stay off site but have been solely onsite for years now. Not sure it will be worth it anymore and very disappointed in the direction things seem to be going.
R.I.P. Disney World… I really don’t know how you can come back from something as pathetic and embarrassing as this. Its a literal slap in the face to Disney fans everywhere. Not sure if management is brain dead, hopelessly detached from the needs and wants of their consumers, greedy – or the likely combination of all three. This is whole new level of stupid that Universal can and WILL capitalize on… and as a heart broken Disney fan i can say that they will deserve every penny. Words cannot express how earth shatteringly moronic this selfish, short sighted decision was…
What a shame. Let me be fair — I don’t even really like DME. The waits are often long and you’d waste precious minutes of a WDW vacation. But I’ll never forget my very first trip to Walt Disney World, where I marvelled at the ease of hopping onto the DME and the special corner of the airport just for Disney and starting my vacation. It was all part of the “on-site” experience – getting the DDP, having Magic Bands to pay for everything and to enter the parks, etc. – I could leave all my things back in the room and even go to the water parks without worrying about my credit cards or my wallet – truly a lovely, carefree first experience. It was truly so enjoyable and the immersiveness of it all turned me into an ardent WDW fan. Over the years, I’ve relied on DME whenever I travel by myself to WDW (for instance, to meet up with friends who travelled from a different city or country) and I felt safe knowing that no matter how late at night I arrived, I could get to WDW safely without worrying about taking a rideshare late at night by myself in a city with unfamiliar roads. The service must have also been a godsend for parents dealing with little kids. I will miss it dearly. For all of its inefficiencies, it was a door-to-door route, and one less thing to worry about on a Disney vacation (not just the planning, but worrying about whether it would/could go wrong).
We go to Tokyo Disney in the same way — after spending a few days in Tokyo proper, we take the bus direct from the Shinjuku Bus Terminal or from Ikebukuro (depending on where we are staying). The train is easy, but the bus helps you avoid daily train crowds and stairs when you’re carrying a heavy luggage full of Japanese souvenirs! The bus service in Tokyo (like many, many other things) is always timely, clean, safe, and with excellent service. Plus, it even has wifi and outlets, so the 40ish minute drive generally goes by quick.
I didn’t realize there was a direct bus from Shinjuku to TDR! We lugged our things on the train, transferring a couple of times – the bus would have been much easier. Thanks for the info! We’ll definitely work that into our plans next time we go to Tokyo.
Wow that stinks. The Magical Express was (and is) a wonderful part of the whole “stress free” magical experience when you stay onsite at a Disney resort hotel. It is truly wonderful to NOT have to worry about ANY of the logistics after you land in Orlando!!!! There is enough pre- planning that goes into a vacation at Disney as it is, such as which hotel your going to stay at, which park(s) to visit on which days, what Fast Passes to reserve ahead of time for each day, where your going to eat and what reservations you need to make in advance, etc etc. The Magical Express adds to the complete worry free, magical experience and its a perk that sets a trip to Disney apart from other all inclusive vacation destinations.
Darla, you said it perfectly. My wife and I went to WDW 5 times in the 12 months (2019/2020), before COVID attacked the world. We always fly, always stay on property, and once we dropped our luggage at our departing airport, the magic had begun. We went to WDW to have a no-worry, always magical vacation, with Disney doing the worrying for us. Hakuna matata. Well, apparently not any more. Yes indeed: Wow, that stinks.
I wish they would create a robust transportation system (light rail or even an expanded Skyliner) from the Disney Springs Brightline station to all of the resorts and theme parks. Get rid of all of the busses and develop a more eco-friendly mode of transport.
Well this feels a bit sad. We love DME, such a fun way to arrive. We travel to Disney World twice a year for 7-10 days at a time. We enjoy the trip because every member of our family has a great time regardless of age (and we have a large age spread). We stay on-site because it is stress free, not because it offers value. We enjoy the on-site transportation, being in familiar surroundings and knowing what we want to do and eat. Our older kids can get around on their own and we love the “bubble”. But, we do not stay on-site for “value”. I just can’t say there is any financial upside to staying on-site, I am not sure there ever has been.
The cost of a taxi to and from the resort won’t stop us returning to Disney. We go because we love the experience and the time together. We will miss getting off the plane and letting the kids lead the way downstairs to the buses. We will miss the feeling of the holiday starting at the airport, but its still a great holiday and after flying from Canada we can certainly wait another 30 minutes for the feeling to start. I am optimistic Disney will have something similar to replace this service.
Disney is a business, they need to turn a profit, but they do get marketing. They know it can’t be all take and no give, they didn’t get where they are by missing that. I suspect we are just in the middle of a transitional time and we will see the gives soon too.
I think the Disney “Planning and Scheduling” department should be renamed “Dreaming and Scheming”. Ok, that was with my tongue in cheek. I also expect the replacement to My Disney Experience to be called “The Wishing, Hoping, Dreaming and Praying” department. Tongue still in cheek.