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!
Went to Disney Saratoga Springs Preferred 5/2021 (4 adults) and went back Bay Lake Tower 12/2021. 9 adults, 1 child, I infant in3 bedroom suite. (DVCmember)
Rude cast members, mousekeeping almost nonexistent. Had to call for fresh towels, coffee, Soap, shampoo, , , ,Baggage nightmare. pay for magicbands. ADR 60 days, Monorail down, ferry boat stopped abruptly midday. Etc etc. Let me say, ” The bloom is off the Rose!”
3/2022 going to Universal Hard Rock
Hotel (2adults)
We just spent a week Jan. 8th – 15. Like most, we are frequent visitors. Can’t deny the quality of “Magic” is significantly lower. Starting your trip without Magic Express is a downer. Plus, all the additional fees to ride. We were able to maneuver the My Disney Experience. But could see where it’s confusing & complicated. Short cuts, like shows, are definitely due to staff shortage but no need for cast members to be less attentive.
In regard to mask mandates, it seems a small price to pay to try & be safe because there is no social distancing on busses or lines & some without masks & no one yo enforce. Result was I had 2 contact tracing notes that I was by someone with Covid for longer than 15 min. Twice — different days.
Because of the elimination of the Magical Express, we just cancelled our 10 day vacation in May at the Wilderness Resort. Along with the many other advantages of staying on site that Disney has eliminated, the Magical Express was the last straw. Are you listening, Disney?
Goodbye Disney and hello Universal!
One more way for Disney to screw its customers, this is beyond nickel and diming us to death. Are they trying to make themselves a park for only elitist who have a butt load of cash to fritter away on service, shows, and rides that have all gone downhill. The parks are not clean like they used to be, security isn’t able to stop fights from breaking out or control people with filthy mouths from ruining the day for families with small children. The staff is untrained in basic Disney Magic Etiquette, they are rude, inattentive, and do not care if you have a “magical day” or not. In the past Disney workers always engaged the guests, they did not turn their backs to them to talk to other staff members about their personal life or check their cell phones. The last two times I went they were generally rude, and often ignored guests concerns for their own safety. For example, last May 2021 we went to ride the Minnie Mickey Ride at Disney Hollywood Studios, we were a party of 6 adults of all shapes and sizes with me being the largest. When our turn finally came, I asked to be place in two cars on the
because of the size difference between me and my youngest daughter and her boyfriend and it would make the seat really cramped. The rude employee refused and made a point of saying loudly if I didn’t like it we could leave. Everyone really wanted to ride the ride so we all got on, the safety bar really only keeping me safe and everyone else was on their own. The ride started and my daughter’s boyfriend came up out of his seat during the ride and if she had not grabbed him, he would have been thrown from the ride, this happened more than once during the ride. When we exited the ride I was really upset and in tears, I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor came and we told her what happened. She had a hard time believing our story, but eventually she did and offered to let us go on the ride again…. honestly we didn’t want to do it again it was such a bad experience. At least in the past if something like that had happened the supervisor would have given you a fast pass to another ride or something, she didn’t offer anything. Typical New Disney Policy of Screw the Guest.
Other ways Disney is sticking it to guests is Parades after hours, so if you want to see them you have to pay more, food prices have gone up and portion sizes have gone done, food quality has gone down, along with the fact that you cannot seem to order it unless you have a smart phone, if your phone dies you are just SOL. Then you have Disney Shopping which is more expensive and lower quality, less choices are available, the list goes on. Finally you have the park entertainment, so many shows are gone, all the things like the shows that were roaming shows or scheduled stages. Examples the I think the group was called “Blood, Sweat and Shears” at Hollywood Studios, The Barbershop Quartet at Magic KIngdom, the Stage that used to be over in Tomorrow Land, Fantasmis, Epcot Fireworks Show, Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios and again the list just goes on and on. I think you get my point. Disney wants more money for less of everything. I think it is time we say get your house in order, lower prices, train your staff and maybe you will get your long time guests back.
I don’t like seeing this but I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think that Walt Disney would be very disturbed by the way the park attendants are but we also need to remember that this is a whole new group of people since the pandemic that have been trained in a very short time and do not have the love that we do for Disney. It is disheartening. Stopping the baggage going from airplane to the room has put a damper on my travel to disney because I have a back injury. It was wonderful to be able to bring your luggage to the airport and not see it again until you got to your room. Thank you for your comments. It is very expensive now. I will start visiting other places now when at one time my only place to go was Disney because I loved it so much.
My wife and I were there from 1-4 to 1-20 and used Uber from the airport (MCO) to All Star Music. It was $31, no waiting, clean 5 star driver, big SUV, fabulous! Took it back to the airport, same price. There is no way I would book through Disney for my transportation. We also took an Uber one day the downtown Celebration to have dinner and walk around enjoying that area. That trip was $11 each way. No parking hassles, clean vehicles, friendly drivers, again great! Disney is far from perfect, but I feel that they will get it together sooner than later. Remember, the best thing to do if you are unhappy is to let them know. Let them know multiple times! When enough people speak out, print it on their shirts, etc, Disney will listen. Going back down from WI the third week in February.
Any tips on how to get from Tampa international airport to Orlando for family’s who don’t want to hire a car? Thanks
Charlie,
An Uber worked best for my wife and I. They will take you wherever you want to go. No reservations needed and our Ubers were picking us up within minutes of contacting them.
We flew out of Tampa for our Christmas trip. We used Uber, but took 3 or 4 drivers before one actually accepted and then he said he didn’t actually pay attention and probably would have pasted. He said you have to rally out attention to the time so you can get a driver to go that direction. Great airport, great price, just give yourself enough time to get out there between traffic and finding a willing driver.
Looks like the CEO isn’t hurting with his MILLIONS in salary and benefits! Thanks for nothing Disney!
MEARS was the transportation provider for Disney World at the start. They then changed the service name to Disney Express however, it was still MEARS. They still have a less expensive shared shuttle service that can be booked directly with them. Yes, Private transport is expensive.
Thank you for still bringing a smile to my face despite all the negative Disney World news (“if you think I’m going to do the math.., you have another thing coming”). I am going back to Disney World next week and I really hope I still feel some magic. I would hate to lose my “happy place”. Even if I do, I will always read your blog.
At long last we are able to return to WDW from the U.K. We were so looking forward to it and read all of your comments. I’m now thinking that I’ve made such a mistake bringing my family again as most of the comments here are negative and in the pre-pandemic past have had some amazing Christmas vacations. Is it really true that groups regularly go around Epcot drunk? That there are visitors fighting in Magic
Kingdom? That you all go home to never return.
It’s such an undertaking coming across the Atlantic to your great country but should we be leaving with the memories that we already hold rather than hoping for more?
Hey Deborah, I loved our trip to London, Bath, and Alton Towers a couple of years ago. People were so friendly in England! Don’t believe all the Negative Nellys on this site. I believe many negative comments come from the exceptionally heavy crowds during Christmas and lack of staff. I’m an optimist and think 2022 will get better and better. We went to WDW in the fall and it was fantastic. A saw a few giggly people with drinks having a good time at EPCOT, but nothing inappropriate. A lot of people don’t like change… I think Genie+ is great. A little too complex, but better than nothing. Timing is everything. Follow Tom’s suggestions on when to go! Have fun!
There are locals who go to Epcot to “drink around the world” on Friday and Saturday nights, yes. I simply avoid it by avoiding those days at Epcot, or hopping to Magic Kingdom for the evening.
A post like this will result in a lot of justified negative feedback because so many of us are tired of Disney taking away so many of the perks, and charging for things that used to be included. While Disney has probably lost some loyal business, there are many of us who still love it and are making the best of it.
Deborah, some of these comments are based off of news articles that were recently posted. I went in the middle of August and it was amazing. My daughters and I had an amazing time. Yes there are less staff members and the stress level may have been high but they are getting the staff up to the level it once was and I think we are going to see the Magic return and then some. Yes there are changes that people are not happy about but that will always happen. The more feed back disney gets the better the parks will become. The new CEO can only do what he can do. He is one of many that make the decisions. It is still my magical place and I plan to return this December to celebrate My daughter and I both graduating college in 2022 and I have always wanted to see the parks in its Christmas glorify. May you also have a magical time and don’t let these negative posts make you think this is the way every experience is because that is not at all true.
As you suggest Tom…You can absolutely find cheaper private airport transportation than what Disney is now quoting on their res page! I did the quick math (from your screen shot)… it’s comes out to $202 for a sedan/towncar that interestingly notes only accommodates 3 guests? A ridiculously quick Google search returned multiple cheaper quotes… the cheapest one being from a towncar service I’ve used before for $140… a $62 dollar savings! On a side note, this will be our first trip back to DW (this June) since 2011 and I’m concerned by all of the negative comments & unhappy customers. Hoping DW gets it together before this summer!
I’m not returning to WDW either. The magic is gone. Now it’s just an overpriced amusement park. I’d rather spend my money elsewhere where you don’t feel like you’re being taken advantage of at every turn. I used to love my Disney vacations but all these changes have me hanging up my Minnie ears. Not being able to visit other resorts without a dining reservation is the final straw. My sister and her kids used to stay at another resort than us. Per the new rules we wouldn’t be able to visit them there. Lame
Trish, you mention not being able to visit other resorts without a dining reservation. I know they limited parking at the resorts years ago for this. Was there some other limitation now in place, and how are they stopping people? Couldn’t you park at Disney Springs and take a bus to the resorts, or go from one resort to another?
I found that you are correct that Disney limits visiting other resorts unless you have ADR at that resort. Nothing is stopping you from visiting other resorts you just have to use Disney transportation. I believe the resort limitation was put in effect to stop people from driving to the resort to park to circumvent paying for theme park parking. Our last trip we had no problem going to other resorts to enjoy drinks or just to walk around. We just had to get there using Disney transportation – not a big deal.
I had no problem visiting other resorts in August. We enjoy traveling to the other resorts and look at the different scenery and we had no problem doing that.
I, for one, cannot wait to see Disney fall on its face. As a life time Disney fan, the last year or so has totally and completely killed the magic for me. Their “business plan” couldn’t care less about the customers, and it is glaringly apparent in every decision they have made.
Did we forget that there was a pandemic and there have been changes world wide. Prices for everything have gone up not just at Disney. We as a society have to be willing to look at these changes and let people know if they are hurting the integrity of the Disney name but to say I will never do something again is harsh. Have we all hardened our hearts so much that we can’t find joy anymore. I have also noticed the negativity of the general public and the “ I’m entitled to everything” society. Disney is doing its best to move forward from a devastating event. During that time they did amazing things to help out our country and other country’s in our time of need. We need to now step up and help them get there spark back and in the Words of Cinderella’s mother have courage and be kind. When did Kind become that four letter word we are not allowed to say. BE KIND!!!!!!!!!
We put our wallets to work January 8-15 and took our first ever Universal trip. We booked a week at the Royal Pacific in a club level/concierge room. We had breakfasts, bottled water, snacks, and evening food, plus limitless glasses of wine, beer, cider. We charged all our other meals to our room, and upon checkout it was $2,700 for the week.
Universal sold us three of their lowest tier annual passes for under $1,200, and they didn’t care that we live outside of Florida.
We took Uber to and from the airport, so for less than $4,000 we had a week of fun, boat rides, strolls to the theme parks, included front of the line express pass, an hour early entry every day, no buses, great food, and tons of live entertainment. Even with our flights on Southwest the whole vacation was under $5,000.
Since we have annual passes we are coming back at least once in 2022, maybe twice.
To stay at the Polynesian concierge level would have been $7000 and that price doesn’t include tickets and wouldn’t include fast pass! After tickets, meals, and paid fast pass, and flights, plus airport transport, we would have paid over a $10, 000 So, Disney can kiss my vacation dollars goodbye. They want to charge twice as much for a lower quality product. Simply, unacceptable.
To those who would say Poly is nicer than Royal Pacific, I disagree, completely. We had a rainy day and could easily go to restaurants, purchase stuff from the store, see the front desk and never leave our building. That is NOT available, at any price, at the Poly. Plus, boat service was much more frequent and the security easier to manage. There weren’t hoards of people loitering the grounds who weren’t booked at the hotel, and the pool restaurant, Bula, had the best fish sandwich I have ever had.
Universal is winning the vacation destination war in Florida by a country mile. The Harry Potter lands far exceeded anything at Disney, and the employees were absolutely lovely. Our hotel staff was absolutely on par with anything Disney has to offer. Also, my room was expertly cleaned and resupplied every day by room service.
Our Concierge staff were impeccable.
Hope you all don’t mind an off topic question, but does anyone have experience with DVC Store and renting DVC points? I submitted a request for a Grand Floridian Villa 2 weeks ago (paid the deposit) and haven’t heard anything yet. My requested dates are in November, and I know it takes longer to secure a villa when you book far in advance, but just wondering if anyone has experience with this, how long it usually takes, etc.
Thank you for any thoughts!
We rented points for a Bay Lake Towers stay in mid October. We wanted a 2 bedroom suite. It took a couple of days to find someone with enough points and had to upgrade to a Lake View due to availability.
Alternative… we just rented BWV 1 bedroom through Dave’s DVC rental for the week after Thanksgiving… All rental places are basically renting at about the same rate. Depending on when you plan on going, pre confirmed reservations or renting points can go very quickly. Ours was posted for less than 1 hour.
There are 15 of us that have gone every year since 2016 – the last trip being Oct 2021 ~ ages 1 – 75. (7 of us being under 10). One of the best things for our family in all of our past trips was checking bags in our home town and not having to handle them again until they show up in our resort. Picking up 30+ bags at the airport then maneuvering our way to the magical express was a nightmare. Please add the bag handling back to all the transportation! To and from. Have you every tried to get 15 people and 30 bags to the check in at Orlando airport- especially with Covid and no bagger handlers to help. We loved the airport checkin at the resorts ~ That definitely needs to come back!!! Disney used to be the most magical place on earth but after out last trip we didn’t fill as fulfilled as we have in all the precious trips. Felt a little empty. PLEASE BRING THE MAGIC BACK. we’re planning another trip for this December. Hoping and praying that the magic returns by then.
Going in April and not sure how to get from airport to hotel yet. Probably Mears. Using the service being offered you’re only allowed 1 bag each. We have 11 people, which includes 2 infants and 2 toddlers. Among the 11 we will have probably 20+ bags which includes playpens for the infants to sleep…and don’t forget souvenirs on the way home. Sounds like Mears will accommodate this in their coach buses.
Did someone above mention you can’t go hotel hopping unless you have reservations at the restaurant at the hotel?
You can go resort hopping as long as you do not have a vehicle. Supposedly, they are not allowing people to park at a different resort unless they have an ADR. Also, not a problem to resort hop is you are using WDW transportation.