Disney’s Magical Express Successor Coming in 2022 via Mears Connect
Earlier this year, Walt Disney World made the bombshell announcement that Disney’s Magical Express is ending in 2022. This post details the spiritual successor to that, Mears Connect, which will be the new shuttle from Orlando International Airport to hotels next year. (Updated May 31, 2021.)
When announcing the end of Magical Express, Disney attributed the decision to the rise of Uber of Lyft, saying there has been an the expansion of transportation options for guests: “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.”
As we’ve pointed out, Disney’s Magical Express is operated by Mears and not Disney itself. This is why Mears Connect is a spiritual successor to Magical Express–it’ll literally use the exact same buses, just minus the Disney-branded wraps. Mears is a transportation company with coach buses and taxis that enjoyed a virtual monopoly on Orlando for years. That is, until Uber and Lyft debuted, at which point Mears sued in an attempt to protect their marketshare.
As with many Central Florida tourism-centric businesses, Mears faced significant challenges last year, furloughing and laying off a large portion of its workforce. This led us to speculate that the original announcement about Magical Express ending resulted from a relationship breakdown between Walt Disney World and Mears, with an alternative offering potentially coming down the road from either or both.
Mears Transportation Group since announced exactly that, releasing a statement that the company will continue offering transportation services to visitors between the airport, area theme parks, and resorts. Starting January 2022, Mears is launching a new service called “Mears Connect.”
According to Mears, this announcement is being made in direct response to overwhelming demand and inquiries by future guests to Central Florida’s theme park and resort areas. Earlier this year, in reaction to news reports of changes in transportation service between the Walt Disney World area and Orlando’s International Airport, Mears made clear their intention, “to continue offering transportation services between the airport and all area theme parks and hotels to meet the demand of our visitors now and in the future.”
Per the company’s press release, “Mears Connect will offer the same safe and reliable service the company has provided millions of guests for decades.” The Mears Connect service will initially operate between the Orlando International Airport and resorts in the Walt Disney World area.
Mears Connect will provide fast and convenient transportation service for visitors in high occupancy vehicles, thereby reducing traffic and lowering environmental impacts. Guests can expect scheduled service, luggage handling, convenient airport terminal staging, and return trips from resorts to the airport.
“We plan to offer the same level of experience, service, and convenience we’ve provided for the last 16 years, on behalf of our longtime partner, as returning guests and first-time visitors can expect nothing less,” said Roger Chapin, a Mears spokesman.
“It is important for visitors to know they still have many of the same safe transportation options for their Orlando visit, all offered by the same company who has been providing seamless, economical, and hassle-free transportation for decades.”
In addition, Mears will offer enhancements to ensure greater convenience and vehicle options. Pricing for all services will be announced later this year, along with the launch of a custom reservation platform.
Per the Mears Connect website, reservations were originally starting in May 2021 (see above). However, this page has been updated and simply states that reservations will begin in “Summer 2021” (see below). It’s entirely possible that this is a normal and unremarkable delay. Mears might be working on ironing out specifics, building its booking system, etc.
However, it’s also possible that the same bus driver shortage that Walt Disney World is experiencing is also negatively impacting Mears’ efforts to get Connect off the ground. As we recently reported, Disney has contracted with outside companies from as far away as Miami to provide additional bus coverage (if you’ve seen Academy-branded buses at the parks or resorts, that’s why).
While the Central Florida labor shortage is particularly pronounced right now, the difficulty finding bus drivers is not a new development. Walt Disney World has offered signing bonuses for bus drivers the last several years. We don’t anticipate that this will prevent Mears Connect from debuting on its January 2022 timeline, but it very well could impact pricing. If labor costs more and the indirect competition (Uber, Lyft, rental cars) are all more expensive, Mears Connect will also have higher price points.
Obviously, Mears Connect will not be a direct successor to Disney’s Magical Express to the extent that it won’t offer Disney branding, on-ride videos featuring characters, music, or any other Disney intellectual property. So from that perspective, it’s sure to be a disappointment for many Walt Disney World fans looking for a “Disneyfied” way to start and finish their trip.
There’s also the practical reality that this will not be free, or built into the cost of hotel reservations. So those are two big strikes against this right off the bat, which may make Mears Connect a total non-starter for many Walt Disney World visitors.
However, the problem and concern many of you expressed in the 542 comments to the original announcement was that there were no good alternatives, period, to Disney’s Magical Express. Its retirement would either require using Uber or Lyft, hiring a private transportation service, or renting a car.
Many people are downright uncomfortable with some or all of those options. There’s also the practical reality that rental cars and rideshare services have all soared in price this summer as those also experience significant shortages. We’re hopeful most of that will resolve itself by January 2022, but there are no guarantees.
Mears Connect should adequately address all of that. It sounds like it’ll essentially be the same service, in the same vehicles, with the same staff. From a continuity perspective, that’s about as good as it gets.
The wild cards at this point are really just pricing, scheduling, and frequency. All of that will likely be driven by the guest adoption rate for Mears Connect, which we’re guessing will be reasonably high. (Especially if Orlando International Airport continues to have a rental car shortage, thus driving up the price of rental cars…plus Uber and Lyft along with them.)
For years, we used Super Shuttle to get between Disneyland and Los Angeles International Airport. It was an awful company and that service is no longer offered, but that’s not really the point here. For all of its faults, Super Shuttle was fast and relatively inexpensive–we regularly paid $10 to $25 per person, and that’s for a much longer distance than WDW to MCO.
Our expectation would thus be similar pricing–and much better service, comfort, and efficiency–for Mears Connect’s routes between Walt Disney World and the airport. Having a similar schedule and routes to Disney’s Magical Express but charging $20 per person sounds about right. For many families, the economics of that won’t work out and Uber/Lyft or a rental car will make more sense. For others, Mears Connect will be perfect.
The other silver lining that could come out of this is Mears expanding its airport shuttle service to the Swan & Dolphin, Bonnet Creek Resorts, Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, Hyatt Regency, and other options that are more or less on-site.
This would be great for guests of those properties and facilitate more Walt Disney World guests staying in third party hotels. It would also be a way for Mears to poke Disney in the eye, so to speak. Heck, Mears Connect could even service the resorts at Universal Orlando, which could help those hotels–and hurt Disney in the process.
As we’ve been saying for a while, Walt Disney World’s on-site advantage is disappearing. This should be yet another reason to look at nearby third party hotels–some of which are even on-site–before booking your 2022 Walt Disney World vacation.
If you’ve never even considered venturing outside the “Disney Bubble,” we would strongly encourage you to rethink that and check out our Off-Site v. On-Site Walt Disney World Hotel Comparison for a balanced assessment of the pros & cons.
Ultimately, this is a positive development who we’re upset with the practical side of the news about Disney’s Magical Express being retired. While we’re not the biggest fans of Mears taxis, their service with coach buses to and from Orlando International Airport has been solid. The downside is that it’ll cost money, making it “worse” than Disney’s Magical Express from that perspective, but almost certainly “better” than the alternatives presented by ride-share or rental cars.
For those who were upset at the emotional side of the news that Disney’s Magical Express would end, this doesn’t really change anything. Unless Mears works out some licensure deal, this will not be the same magical service…even though it’s literally the same service. There’s still an outside possibility that Walt Disney World will introduce its own shared airport transportation service before the start of 2022, but with this development, we now find that highly unlikely. Mears Connect is probably it.
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 this Mears Connect news? Will you use the service, or is the lack of “Disneyfication” make it a non-starter for you? Will you opt for Mears Connect over Uber, Lyft, or renting a car? Thoughts on pricing, efficiency, or anything else regarding Mears Connect? 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!
If Walt Disney were still alive i believe things would be different. Walt wanted families to be able to come and enjoy his parks while not having to go broke in the process. The CEOs would not be making millions while taking away experiences especially the transportation to and from the airport. Walt must be rolling in his grave.
Things change. That is life. Mears Connect will get us and our luggage to the resort with out having to rent a car. Sounds great to me. No Disney trivia on the bus? Too bad, but a nap could be nice to. Also, it takes away the big hurdle of staying off site, so we may try that too sometime!
We have our first post pandemic trip booked from Canada’s West coast Feb. 2022. Can’t wait!
I’m really sad about losing Magical Express. Why am I sad about a bus service? But so many memories start there for us from our first trip as a family to WDW (as Disneyland nuts) – our son was 3 and he clapped and was so happy to be on that bus, the characters, the kindness of the cast member drivers, all of it.
We are losing all the perks that make staying on-site worth it and made it so different for me, a native Californian who went to Disneyland all the time. Now we live on the east coast and have been planning on going down to Florida many times per year between family and Disney… but we keep losing the special experiences, why would we keep going? Sigh! It’s a conundrum.
I need the magical express and luggage service. I’m a single mom with a daughter in a wheelchair. She has multiple medical needs, which means additional luggage. I do not have enough hands to get and carry. Porter service is not always available. We do not vacation anywhere else because of these issues. I don’t feel comfortable with other options, plus it is difficult to find wheelchair transportation. I have waited almost two hours to get a wheelchair van to take us someplace.
I don’t know if we will return without dependable luggage and transportation available and that breaks my heart. My daughter soars at WDW.
The best part of the Magical Express is that it made going to Disney World so EASY. Put on the special luggage tags, check the bags at the airport- and they show up in your room! Then as soon as you check in at the ME kiosk at Orlando airport, you are in the Disney bubble. On departure, check your bags in at your resort for the return flight, and you don’t have to deal with luggage until you arrive at your home airport. That’s a tremendous convenience! Disney certainly factored the cost of the ME into room rates, and I’ll bet that added cost won’t be backed out with the demise of the ME. Then if you pay for the new “Mears Direct”, you are paying double. Also consider the fact that when Mears drops you and your luggage at the entrance to your resort, you are likely to pay for bell service to deliver the bags to your room. Great for the bell hops, but another cost for you. I’m sure the net result of killing the ME will be great for Disney’s bottom line and for somebody’s year end bonus. I’ve always been an avid Disney fan and patron, but this is about as welcome as a sharp stick in the eye. If the decision to kill the ME without a comparable Disney replacement stands, I’d say it is one of the dumbest marketing decisions ever.
Very exciting news!
It’ll be interesting to see if Mears does indeed expand this to include destinations apart from Disney. I certainly hope so, and can’t see why they wouldn’t, but I also know nothing about operating a transportation company lol.
Any thoughts as to if Disney was planning any sort of replacement of their own? I agree it doesn’t seem they will now, in any case. But I’d be curious to know if they foresaw this development.
We as a family have used Magical Express a few times. It has always been dependable. Remeber there is no such thing as a free lunch. That being said while we all know that the cost for this service was built-in I am now wondering since Disney dosent have to pay for this anymore will they reduce the cost for reservations? I wont be holding my breath. Just another money grab.
Thanks for the update, I am glad Mear Connect is going to slide into and continue the service, lots of unknowns (will they deal with luggage?) especially the pricing?
Still sad that another perk, the Magical Express, is going away.
It’s sad that Walt Disney World continues to nickel and dime visitors while providing less. Every four years I treat my 16 family members to a WDW Vacation but adding $20+ per person for transportation to and from Orlando International and the increase pricing on resort hotel, park tickets, dining plans will remove us from considering staying at WDW.
Seems reasonable to have a charge.
Just get me there!!!!
My concern is my moms and others scooter transportation needs. We have used both, Mears and my Volvo SUV in the past. I don’t see how Lyft or Uber can accommodate us folks at all with their small cars. Additionally, as I get older it’s becoming too heavy to lift her scooter into my SUV so we really only see the Mears buses as a way of transportation. I hope they continue to think this thru because the cost too seems almost prohibitive on top of ticket hikes etc.
Dana,
Your comments are just plain common sense. So be it that we have to do some things ourselves instead of being catered to for every little thing. Our attitude has always been about making things easier for others, not “what can you do for me”. We enjoy Disney and will keep going despite being surrounded at times by extremely selfish people. It’s people like you that make it enjoyable as we interact. See you in June Mickey and Minnie!
Lynn, I agree with your comments about the bubble bursting. We travel to Florida often and add on Disney days whenever possible, doing a Disney-only trip every few years. The cost of our last week-long trip two years ago took an astronomical turn upward and for the first time we felt nickel-and-dimed (actually more) for services once free or complementary (ex. parking, extra hours- which is by choice, yes, but the older version no longer exists). The room rates and cost of a meal are bonkers. I recently checked the rack rate of the one-bedroom villa that has been our favorite for years- in 6 years since we were married there it’s nearly doubled to over $1000 a night! And now you must pay for more out of pocket. We had thought about visiting next year for the 50th anniversary but maybe it’ll be a one night add-on instead of a week Disney long trip. Sad thing is that I used to get the Disney itch every time we’d arrive to MCO or pass the sign but since that $$ trip, I have had no desire to go to give them more money. I love my Disney memories and will stop in here and there- but my travel dollar will last longer on different types of vacations and that’s okay. Bubble officially and sadly burst.
Reply To Dale
I was the same way talking this all up to friends. BUT. Then pandemic hits. The things you don’t like right now is due to that. Getting your own luggage at the airport and not being able to do airline check ins at the hotels is more about the whole Covid thing and point of contact of other peoples belongings. This is also why the hotels don’t come in to clean your rooms daily. And when they do it’s just for fresh towels and emptying garbage. And they will NOT touch any of your things to get to your garbage. If your belongings are in the way they won’t take it. This isn’t Disney taking away perks. This is just basic Covid protocol these days. Once this pandemic is over things will come back. Yes everything is different but so is the whole worlds way of doing things. Not just Disney. I miss a lot of the little things too but just came back from there in February and we had a GREAT time. We were perfectly capable of making our own beds and cleaning our area. If we needed something we just called the front desk and they brought it. No big deal. It’s all about lessening contact which is done EVERYWHERE. Ride times were 30 minutes or less. Food was great. I’m vegetarian and there were more options then I expected. I do miss fireworks though and characters. We’ve already booked our trip for next year !!
And as far as Magical Express goes it sounds like Disney didn’t own that service or the buses. This is typical business. If contracts are up and Mears decides that it can do better on their own that’s their choice. Everyone can choose what ever they want but if that option is still there we will use it whatever they call it. It’s still cheaper than a rental car. We’ve used Mears transportation to go to Universal and it was $34.00 round trip for 3 adults It was a very comfortable ride. And reasonably priced. Will use again. Summed up point is a lot of things people are complaining about isn’t necessarily “Disney cutting things out” The pandemic has changed how things are done everywhere.
Prediction: Disney will soon start offering Mears Connect as a costly add-on to your hotel reservation.
Good news, traveling from Brazil we arrive with tons of luggage, kids, we need the bus, there’s just no way around it. Just hope they keep the Disney theming.
So, worse service that costs more? That’s Chapek’s business strategy.
I really enjoy your blog and find your info helpful, thank you! I was super bummed about Magic Express going away, as a West Coaster, it was so cool to hand over all that luggage full of souvenirs and not have to touch it again until we were on the other side of the country. But just wanted to say, we reserved some Mears rides during our last trip (early 2019), 3 different excursions outside the Disney bubble, even a long trip to Cape Canaveral, and found their cars to be clean and the drivers to be kind and courteous. Just for what it’s worth, they did a nice job and it prompted me to use them for a Disneyland February 2020 trip (ya know, right before everything went to heck in a hand basket!).
Losing perk after perk that usually comes with staying onsite is hugely disappointing. Free parking was a huge loss. Pandemic losses were at least acceptable, but the prices keep rising. We are losing, and yet we have to pay more for each loss.
While I am now looking at hotels off site, the convenience of walking to the parks is now the only thing that is appealing. However in order to do that we will not go as often as we once did. A once a year or more likely every other year deluxe splurge as opposed to 4 times a year in a value or moderate. It’s just not worth it if you have to pay for all the magical extras now. Staying onsite and being inside the bubble sadly looks as if the bubble has burst.