Disney World Now Selling Airport Transportation Add-on to Vacation Packages
Walt Disney World has added ground transportation between its resorts, Orlando International Airport, and several other Central Florida travel hubs as a paid option when booking vacation packages. This post shares details and what else you need to know before buying.
This development comes the same month that the free Disney’s Magical Express service ended, with DME buses transporting their last passengers to Orlando International Airport just 20 days ago. That cut was one of the most controversial decisions of last year, right up there with the introduction of paid FastPass via Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. It actually took the #1 spot in last year’s Biggest Complaints About Walt Disney World.
With that said, it’s not exactly surprising that Walt Disney World would replace the free Disney’s Magical Express add-on during its booking flow with something paid. It has “too soon” vibes as fans still mourn DME, but is nevertheless unsurprising that Disney would want a piece of the pie while raising “awareness” of airport transportation for first timers who are unaware of the options…
In this new announcement, the company indicated that private ground transportation to and from Walt Disney World’s resort hotels is now available as a vacation package add-on through the Walt Disney Travel Company.
As part of this offering, there are several options available. This includes exclusive vans, sedans, SUVs, executive limousines and stretch limousines. Private, direct ground transportation can be booked up to five days prior to arrival.
Round-trip transportation from Orlando International Airport to a Walt Disney World Resort hotel can be added online to a Walt Disney Travel Company package via DisneyWorld.com, by calling the Walt Disney World Reservation Center at (407) 939-5277, or by contacting an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (travel agent).
For ground transportation at Tampa International Airport, Sanford International Airport, Orlando Amtrak Station, Kissimmee Amtrak Station, Cape Canaveral, Vero Beach, Daytona and Walt Disney World’s resorts, one-way travel at Orlando International Airport and other modifications, please call the Disney Reservation Center. Both one-way and round-trip fares are available.
Up to one complimentary car seat will be available for children five years old and under, with additional car seats subject to availability. Please note that as part of Walt Disney World’s current health & safety protocol, all drivers and passengers are required to wear face masks in vehicles.
If you go to price out a vacation package on DisneyWorld.com, you can now see this as part of the booking flow.
Once you select a resort and add-on tickets, you’ll be given the option of adding ground transportation. (Note that this is not available without tickets. I also didn’t see any way to add it to our existing resort reservations booked with an Annual Pass discount, but the site was having issues–shocker, I know–when I tried.)
On the next screen, you’re given an option to book a vehicle from Alamo, the official rent a car company of Walt Disney World, or ground transportation via Mears, not the official ground transportation of Walt Disney World (apparently).
For those youngsters who read this blog (some teenagers are calling DTB “cooler than TikTok”), please note that you need parental permission to book ground transportation if you’re under 18. This requirement makes sense given the recent plague of pranks involving children booking unauthorized car reservations for their family vacations.
Anyway, here are the various options on the next screen. You’ll notice that there’s no pricing breakdown showing what the transportation itself costs–just the total in the vacation package. If you think I’m going to do the math and crunch the numbers, you’ve got another thing coming. That consumer laziness is probably what Disney is banking on.
Additionally, this is all private transportation. While this will be the more cost-effective option for some larger families, it’s noteworthy that Mears Connect or another shared shuttle service is not included. Perhaps Disney doesn’t want to draw direct comparisons to the now-defunct, once-free Disney’s Magical Express (RIP).
After making a selection, you’re brought back to the checkout flow. See below.
When it comes to commentary, my main thought is don’t use this.
I’d liken this to booking anything directly from Disney that isn’t an actual service or product that the company itself provides. Most specifically, it reminds me of Good Neighbor Hotels, which is not actually a stamp of approval or endorsement by Disney.
It’s marketing, meant to entice vacation planners to book something through Disney rather than directly from the source. I assume the target audience is those who are afraid to use the rest of the internet or make decisions on their own, and want a recommendation from a “trusted brand” like Disney. But it’s not really a recommendation–it’s another revenue stream for Disney, which gets paid by “approved” Good Neighbor Hotels. Presumably, the same is now true with Mears.
I can count on zero hands the number of times when I’ve found Disney’s pricing for vacation packages with a Good Neighbor Hotel to be less expensive than booking with another provider, like Get Away Today or even Priceline/Expedia/Hotwire/etc. Maybe it’s happened for someone, somewhere, sometime–but I stopped checking because it literally never once worked out for us over the course of several years.
My expectation is that booking ground transportation via Walt Disney World will be a similar story. At best, a convenient way to book everything in one place. At worst, an upcharge over what you’d pay by booking directly or via an actual discounted third party site. Additionally, you’re forgoing the ability to buy discount Walt Disney World tickets if you book a package with ground transportation via Disney.
Another potential challenge with booking via Disney or any indirect outlet is making modifications. One of the reasons we do not recommend booking airfare via third parties (see What to Do If Your Flight to Walt Disney World is Cancelled) is because of the difficulties presented by dealing with a middleman.
Exact same idea here. With flight cancellations being increasingly common, you may find yourself having to modify or cancel your ground transportation reservations. We have no clue how (or if) this process will work when booking via Walt Disney World, but anyone who has dealt with their call center recently will likely tell you it’s not exactly fun–unless your idea of a good time is listening to hold music. Personally, I’d rather deal with Mears, Sunshine Flyer, etc. directly.
Ultimately, we see no compelling reason for the vast majority of tourists to book airport transportation via Walt Disney World. There will undoubtedly be some obscure use case that someone will share in the comments, but by and large, most people will be better off booking a private car or alternative transportation on their own.
Speaking of which, it’s worth reiterating that Disney only offers a small subset of options. For the full range of choices, see our Airport Transportation to Walt Disney World Guide. While some guests will be perfectly suited by a limo or car service, more will be better off with a shuttle, Uber, rental car, or something else. As always, it’s good to crunch the numbers and do a bit of legwork yourself–rather than just booking what’s presented to you on DisneyWorld.com and assuming the money-hungry company is looking out for your best interests.
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 Walt Disney World bringing back the ground transportation option in the vacation package booking process…but making it paid? Will you opt for the convenience of buying a Mears service through DisneyWorld.com? Will you opt for Sunshine Flyer, Mears Connect, 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!
Prior to MDE, you could book MEARS through Disney as part of the package, so this is kind of a throw back to then. I found an old receipt from the mid 90s- cost us over $100 to go back and forth.
I am one that does not think all the magic is gone- the magic is certainly still there!! The whole world seems a bit less magical- but you can find joy if you look. We have been back multiple times since the pandemic and have been visiting since 1989. I am an annual passholder, do not live in Florida and love my DVC. Sure they are charging more, but they have also increased salaries of the cast members- not as high as they probably deserve, but that costs money. Stopped doing the dining plan years ago, so much food and focus on reservation- we have found that we spend less and still eat what ever and where ever we want. We loved it when Magical Express was able to manage the luggage, but from what I understand- the company that provided that service went out of business when the pandemic started. Peace all
If WDW is really interested in better serving their guests they would add and optional luggage service to their optional graound transportation reservation procedure.
Luggage handling and small children handling in a busy airport does NOT bode well to the start of a Magical time.
Couldn’t agree more. I go to Disney with my disabled daughter in a wheel chair. We usually stay for at least 2 weeks due to her disability and how often she needs to rest. Trying to handle the luggage and the wheelchair was a nightmare. Having help from family at my home airport and not having to see the luggage again until it reached our room was a MAGICAL life saver. Our last trip was so hard; the wait for a skycap was 2 hours so I had to make it work by myself. I used my ingenuity to be able to even move with the amount of luggage for a 2 week stay and all the equipment my daughter needs. I looked like a whacko trying to make my way in and out of elevators and around the crowd. It is getting harder to take her to Disney as the magic disappears. SO SAD!!!
We were at Epcot the day after Christmas. I was almost embarrassed by the trash everywhere. Bathrooms were awful but even in lines for ride the trash was overflowing. We just went mainly to ride Ratatouille and after waiting all day for that ride a cast emended apparently pushed the emergency stop, we had to walk off and it wasn’t going to be restarted before the park closed. Was not the park remembered of even 5 years shoe.
Sunshine Flyer is largely untested at this point, but I already have a great feeling about them. Had to make a minor change to my upcoming airport pick-up reservation. I emailed the address on my reservation message, and got an almost immediate reply back (written by a human) confirming the change I asked for. So far, great service with no hold time.
The part that made magical express worth it for free or even as a paid option was the luggage aspect, especially for parents carting around a bunch of little ones. Without that it’s nothing special, I’ll book on my own.
Modifying *and* cancelling packages can’t be done as close to arrival date as hotel room only reservations; just because that’s been true for 30 years doesn’t mean it’s not something to remember.
Now I’m going to blame Alamo/National/Enterprise for the end of DME. I forgot who was sponsoring the Car Care Center these days!
I’m shocked that this is happening so late; there’s months of people who would have vacation packages booked already if it included transportation one way or the other. The notable thing is that NO ONE is offering transportation AND luggage handling service, when some people would pay extra for it.
“NO ONE is offering transportation AND luggage handling service, when some people would pay extra for it.”
The logistics for pulling that off would require a large-scale service that’s used by a majority of WDW guests–and they’d have to be willing to pay for the extra labor and infrastructure. (Basically, DME.)
Would love to be wrong, but I don’t see it ever happening. Too many consumers will likely choose a shuttle on price, and the one that does *not* offer luggage handling gain too much market share.
I went in September and here are my observations
1. Was asked when I was arriving. I initially said 1pm but we were running early so I changed it to 12 noon. Our room was not ready until 3:50ish… why do you even ask? Got text saying room not ready and that I would get a text in 45 minutes… never got a text.
2. Came back from park on Friday and our door was propped open with no mouse keeping in sight. Thankfully only thing missing was the trash
3. No pool hopping
4. No package delivery from park to resort
5. Can’t go to any other resorts without a dining reservation.
6. Limited hours but same price
7. No bathroom attendant so paper towels and TP not refilled
8. Masks at WDW but not at Universal.
9. Multiple kiosks closed
10. Little things missing… ketchup round up at Whispering Canyon, autographs, etc
11. In speaking to a fellow DVC member on Friday, their room was not ready until 5:30pm… an hour and a half after check in
12. Noticed groups of employees chatting while there were lines all around them
13. Buses seemed few and far between
14. Just not feeling the magic.
15. You need to fire whoever does your Business Continuity and Supply Chain . All the parks were out of so much product. You’ve had a year and half to get things right, it is an epic fail.
16. I was thinking of purchasing additional DVC points but after this stay, probably won’t be doing.
I know I am FAR from the only one that justified the cost of a Disney trip with the now former existence of the “Disney bubble”. They have destroyed everything about that bubble….no dining plans (free or paid), no DME, raised prices while removing perks that MATTER, ugh. This family of 4 will not be returning anytime soon. There’s nothing to entice me to spend so much money anymore. The bubble is gone and so am I. So, Disney, it’s ALL YOU. I classify your business decisions along with KMart’s fatal blunders….”How To Kill Your Revenue Thru Fast Profits vs Generation of Repeat Business” aka “Dehumanization of Customers for Speedy Loss of Long Term Profits”. Inept management and the inevitable results to come from a once marketing genius is stunning to watch. R.I.P.
I don’t disagree with your main points, but wasn’t KMart’s demise mostly predicated upon its inability to modernize in step with Walmart? I thought it basically came down to not having the same efficiencies–and thus not being able to compete on price.
Too soon for Disney to roll this out. It just doesn’t feel right. I was in Orlando yesterday and spotted the Mears’ busses at the airport. So sad , you could still see the Magical Express outlines where the Disney decals were just a few weeks ago. They have turned so many once included options into paid options that the incidental costs associated with an already expensive experience are becoming too much for a lot of families. If you rent a car you have to pay for the car and add daily resort parking, to your budget. Paying for round trip airport transportation previously included adds quite a bit to your budget before you even get to a park . These things while necessary add nothing to your Disney vacation experience. I think it is a mistake for Disney to continue monetizing everything just because they can. I could go further by saying that Genie plus and lightning lanes could have been thought through a little better. These do enhance the park experience, but can add hundreds to the budget for many families who are trying to fit in as much as they can during their vacation. I continue to enjoy going to Disney, but really question much of what they are doing right now .
They’re focused on short term gain at the expense of long-term brand reputation, goodwill, etc.
Walt Disney World’s current approach will work…until it doesn’t. Will be interesting to see how things go when there isn’t pent-up demand or high household savings to support this–or when there’s another recession.
I knew it was a matter of time for this to happen. You knew Disney was going to see if there was another way to grab at the pocket. The only one I am interested in is the luggage pick up that might happen with Mears or even Sunshine Flyer. Since that “may” happen. THAT is the service I would pay for. I have to say though the magic of my Disney trips is no longer magical as it once was. Sad. I will enjoy this trip coming up in the fall. I don’t know if we will be back to see Disney in repeat like we use to.
I have to admit, but I did not see this option coming so soon. But a lot of first time visitors are going to click that option to pre-purchase transportation. At least until the word from blogs like this gets out.
Me neither.
Sorta feel bad for Mears. First they get blindsided by Disney’s announcement (according to Mears) that DME is ending, and now they’re likely giving Disney a kickback for the “privilege” of having their service advertised.
It’s beneficial to most readers that they’re pushing this. These are people who would otherwise “discover” ride-sharing upon arrival.
What I think of Disney finding any excuse to pick the pockets of the uninitiated is another matter! 🙂
That’s a good and fair point. This is indirectly beneficial to guests who won’t use it, as it removes people from the rental car and rideshare pools, theoretically lowering the costs of both. Probably not by a whole lot, but still.
After our recent trip at the beginning of the month we will not be returning for a long time. The magic is gone and I felt like a walking ATM. The parks are too crowded and the vibe has changed. Alcohol is pushed on you way to much – a draw the line at them pushing carts through Disney Springs selling beers. When I witnessed huge groups of parties totally drunk at 5PM in EPCOT – I knew it was time to call it a day. 4 Days in the parks cost me nearly $3000 in total (not including hotels) and sorry but it was not worth it. Disney has lost a long time fan.
Interesting. I don’t disagree with your main points, except the prevalence of alcohol. That’s been a thing for at least the last 5 years, and I feel like it’s one of the few things that’s getting better rather than worse. Maybe I just don’t notice it as much, but I feel like I see far fewer college-aged “drinking teams” and whatnot.
(Granted, we almost never go to Epcot on weekends now. That undoubtedly plays a part.)
I’m curious about how Disney decides whether or not to charge guests for parking now. It used to be based on if you arrived via DME or not. A couple of times we drove down and returned the rental car after arriving but were charged for parking. (The CMs at OKW were great about removing those charges though.) Now that there is no longer DME, are they defaulting to adding parking charges for everyone who doesn’t book transportation through Disney?
My understanding is that it’s always been if you tap your MagicBand when entering the security gates, it’s automatically added.
We’ve had spotty success going directly to the security guard instead, and explaining that this is a rental car (or Uber, as the case may be) and the vehicle isn’t staying the night. Still have had parking charges added about 50% of the time that way.
We just got back from a weeklong trip. I had joined a Facebook group dedicated to businesses started my furloughed cast members. Several offer airport round trip transportation and reserved with one of them. It was a little more expensive than Uber or Lyft (had good experiences with those in the past, though) but it felt nice to support the CMs. It was also cheaper than getting a rental car and paying for parking at the hotel. But I had gotten a rental car reservation when I got our tickets through Undercover Tourist. Rental by itself would have only been $175ish (amazing deal!). Parking was outrageous, though, so I cancelled rental car. It is nice to have the rental car for groceries and flexibility, but the rental car lines have been a nightmare before and after Covid at MCO. I would definitely try the Sunshine Flyer sometime. Looks like a fun way to start a trip!
I assume you’re referring to the “Ear for Each Other” group on Facebook? (If not, please feel free to share which one.)
That’s a great idea–I hadn’t even thought of that!
Yes, that’s the one!
Bet you made a profit on selling those DVC points though? Not happy about DME either but hay perspective.
We just got back and took a Mears transport to resort from MCO. It was on time and quick. The driver openly pleaded for tips which was somewhat uncomfortable. Other than that, it was fine.
(we gave him $5)
I wonder if the add on has to be for your whole group? We are 6 ppl arriving 3 different ways at different times (some of us driving and the rest arriving on 2 different flights)…I am sure it’s easier to just book directly but we can’t be the only moderately sized group with adults coming from different locations.
LIZ: Each add on equals ‘1’ round trip not multiple trips per group. So if your party are coming at different times than you either decide to wait til you are all together or you pay for multiple trips. That was also why DME was such a benefit for travelers.
We were furious when Disney cancelled Magical Express along with he airport checkin at the resorts. ANY transportation Disney offers, we will decline, unless DME is brought back. We will use Uber or Lyft for our transportation needs for our trip planned for end of March. We did consider a rental car till we saw the significant price increase. Hopefully, someday, prices will decrease… just wishful thinking.
WDW has turned into the biggest money grab I have ever seen. I am so down on them to the point we sold our DVC and will not go back. It’s a real bummer because we loved it there. It’s just not enjoyable to us any longer and that’s really sad