Sunshine Flyer Airport Shuttle to Disney World: Info & Tips
The Sunshine Flyer is a new themed airport shuttle service to Walt Disney World, replacing Magical Express. This covers pricing, transportation info, and everything we know about the bus between Orlando International Airport and resorts, plus commentary on this v. Mears Connect. (Updated January 10, 2023.)
Let’s start with a quick recap. Walt Disney World’s free shuttle service from MCO to the company’s hotels, Disney’s Magical Express, ended early last year. Guests now need to find their own transportation from the airport to their resort, and we cover the range of options in our Guide to Airport Transportation for Walt Disney World. There is no one-size-fits-all perfect solution; it depends on your party size, budget, and other factors.
The first option to launch was Mears Connect. That offers airport transportation service via high occupancy vehicles, including buses and vans. This is the “spiritual successor” of Disney’s Magical Express, using the exact same buses as its predecessor (Mears was the operator of DME and owned the buses). We have more up-to-date details, in Reservations & Pricing for Mears Connect, Disney’s Magical Express Replacement.
Another alternative for Walt Disney World airport shuttle buses from MCO is the Sunshine Flyer, a themed motorcoach bus experience. Offering a convenient and cost-effective mode of transportation, the Sunshine Flyer allows guests to start the themed magic of their Walt Disney World vacation from the moment they step off the plane.
We’ve used Sunshine Flyer since launch, and generally found the service comparable to Disney’s Magical Express. Both are economical and reliable ways to get to Walt Disney World, albeit not particularly efficient. That was also the case with Disney’s Magical Express, where the last word in the name was always a bit dubious. For its part, the Sunshine Flyer does a better job at replicating the “Magical” part of that name, with a fun theme–albeit minus any Disney IP.
January 10, 2023 UPDATE: Sunshine Flyer announced the launch of Sunshine Flyer Direct, its private transportation service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Walt Disney World resorts.
The Sunshine Flyer Direct will provide exclusive, private transportation for guests, and it will be able to pick-up guests at any terminal including the new Terminal C. Guests will have the option to select their preferred vehicle: sedan, luxury SUV, or van; they will also be able to choose their preferred pick-up time. Sunshine Flyer Direct drivers will handle all luggage including meeting guests at the baggage claim to assist with bags.
Like the company’s regular bus transportation, the Sunshine Flyer Direct is well-equipped for kids, including three-point harness seat belts for safety. Plus, a variety of fun offerings to start the trip off on a well-themed foot with free conductor hats, stickers, and coloring/activity books for kids.
Turning back to the buses, above is a look at the range of wraps that the Sunshine Flyer offers on its main fleet. Just like the variety of themed Disney Skyliner gondola designs, it’ll be fun to spot the different train models. Should be a good time for kids with a degree of “re-rideability.”
The Sunshine Flyer’s buses are late model, premium buses with themes that center around old-fashioned passenger cars and train engines. From the bus designs to staff dressed as 1920s rail conductors and engineers, the motorcoaches effectively serve as time-machines, offering a glimpse into 1920s train travel.
Upon entering the Sunshine Flyer staging area, guests will not wait more than 20 minutes to board the bus, and the ride to the resorts is scheduled so the last stop will not take more than 65 minutes.
Originally, Mears Connect made this same 20 minutes promise, but has since quietly dropped it from their website as guests have reported waiting up to 45 minutes to depart. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Sunshine Flyer can do a better job dispatching buses more frequently.
The buses service all Walt Disney World resort hotels and offer with a restroom, USB chargers, and three-point seatbelts for the comfort and safety of all guests. Ahead of travel, guests will book their tickets online and receive a QR code they will scan once arriving at MCO, which will ensure smooth timing and departures to Walt Disney World resorts.
For the return trip to Orlando International Airport, you’ll receive a confirmation email advising you of the motorcoach departure time the day before you check out from your Walt Disney World hotel. It will be approximately 3 hours prior to your scheduled departure time for domestic flights and 4 hours prior to your scheduled departure time for international flights.
The Sunshine Flyer officially started service from Orlando International Airport last year. The Sunshine Flyer offers transportation to all Walt Disney World resort destinations in Orlando, from Value Resorts to Deluxes.
Tickets for the Sunshine Flyer must be booked at least four days ahead of arrival. The cost is $19.50 per adult and $11 per child each way. There is no round trip discount–prices are $39 and $22, respectively, for round trip adult and child fares.)
The Sunshine Flyer offers a full refund if cancelled 72 hours in advance, or credit towards future tickets if cancelled under 72 hours. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Sunshine Flyer does have some limitations as compared to Mears Connect. For one, Sunshine Flyer reservations are only accepted up until 4 days before service, whereas Mears Connect allows last-minute reservations.
Additionally, the Sunshine Flyer service starts at 4:00 am and services flights starting at 7:00 am. The last bus leaving Orlando International Airport is at 11:00 pm. By contrast, Mears Connect runs 24/7.
Finally, the Sunshine Flyer does not pick up or drop off guests at MCO’s new Terminal C. However, there is a tram that takes guests from Terminal C to Terminals A/B where the Sunshine Flyer is located. Mears Connect offers service from Terminal C.
For most Walt Disney World tourists, none of these differences will matter. The bulk of visitors book airport transportation far in advance, don’t do red-eye flights, and fly into Terminals A or B.
However, this will impact maybe ~10% of you, especially those flying internationally or from the West Coast, and last-minute travelers. To of those things describe us, and as such, we’ve had more challenges using the Sunshine Flyer than Mears Connect. That doesn’t diminish its service or quality–just makes it less suitable for us. As with anything, your mileage may vary!
To its credit, the Sunshine Flyer has a passionate team offering a quality transportation option that immerses Walt Disney World visitors in a themed experience from the moment they land at MCO. “We’re incredibly excited to launch The Sunshine Flyer and give Disney guests the chance to kickstart their vacation with a fun, unique travel experience,” said Frank Sherman, CEO of TMS, the parent company of the Sunshine Flyer.
“Everyone knows the magic of Disney once they’re inside the park gates. But, through The Sunshine Flyer, we’re able to give guests the chance to start their vacation from the minute they step off the plane and turn what used to be a procedural drive into the beginning of an adventure to remember.”
With 25 years of experience as a large events transportation company working with world-class events such as the FIFA World Cup, NBA Finals, and PGA TOUR Tournaments, TMS contends that their company is primed to offer a streamlined and well-executed service.
“By combining our storied expertise in mass transportation management with a creative, themed experience, we have the unique opportunity to offer an experience that’s both stress-free and engaging,” added Sherman.
“After all, Disney guests deserve a trip to remember, right from the start. Whether they’re young or old, travelling in a group or solo, we hope The Sunshine Flyer sparks the imagination and excitement of all of our guests from the moment they step on the bus.”
In celebration of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, the Sunshine Flyer will donate 50% of all revenue from the first 50,000 passengers during the first 50 days of business to Make-A-Wish Central & Northern Florida to support their mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
As a part of the Sunshine Flyer’s commitment to giving back, all Make-A-Wish children and their families will receive complimentary service from the Sunshine Flyer for their Disney wishes indefinitely.
In terms of commentary, this is awesome. Well, at least as “awesome” as going from the free (or at least included in the cost of hotel stays) Disney’s Magical Express to something that costs extra. With that said, the Sunshine Flyer is not to blame for Walt Disney World’s shortsighted decision to eliminate Magical Express. Can’t exactly fault another business for Disney’s ill-advised cutbacks.
What’s awesome about this is that it’s themed–and to something objectively cool. Trains are awesome, as is the golden age of rail travel after which the Sunshine Flyer is modeled. Perhaps I’m biased as a railfan who visits museums, enjoys railroad simulators, and far prefers train travel to all other forms of transportation–but you know who else loved trains? Walt Disney. Even setting aside my own interests, there is a clear “Disney connection” to the Sunshine Flyer’s theme.
Another reason this is awesome is because the Sunshine Flyer is not operated by Mears. For those who are otherwise unfamiliar with it, Mears is a transportation company with coach buses and taxis that enjoyed a virtual monopoly on Orlando for decades–before Uber and Lyft arrived on the scene. Since then, Mears has been extensively involved with rideshare lawsuits over the past several years.
Historically, we have not been fans of Mears. We had several negative experiences with them in the pre-rideshare days–enough to arrive at the conclusion that it was a poorly-managed company doing the bare minimum and not caring about customer service given their aforementioned monopoly.
If you’ve read our posts about the Disney’s Magical Express saga, you might find this surprising. We’ve been fairly sympathetic to Mears, which is largely because we have reason to believe they got “done dirty” by Disney (as the kids say). I also don’t like some Time Warner properties, but nevertheless feel pity for how they got screwed over in the AT&T acquisition. Beyond that, Mears was filling a void left by the end of Disney’s Magical Express and would be the default “best” option for many tourists. With the arrival of the Sunshine Flyer, that is no longer the case.
Granted, I have absolutely zero knowledge of or experience with TMS. For all I know, they could somehow be responsible for the plight of Florida’s manatees. I’m guessing not, but it is possible they offer similarly poor customer service. However, I’m willing to take my chances on pretty much any transportation service over Mears. Any company with such an affinity for the golden age of railroads can’t be all bad.
Ultimately, more competition and alternatives for transportation between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World resorts is a good thing for consumers. Even if you’re a monster who hates trains, it’s hard to deny this as positive news from that perspective. As past precedent has demonstrated, Mears having a monopoly is not a good thing. We strongly recommend booking one of these shuttles rather than relying on Uber or Lyft if you’re visiting this year or in 2023.
Without Disney’s Magical Express, rideshare demand has increased, and at times there’s an insufficient supply (or drivers) in the Orlando market at times when travel volume is high. We’re used Uber and Lyft when traveling between the Orange Counties (Florida and Southern California) this year, which tends to put our MCO arrivals late at night. For whatever reason, MCO is often slammed late at night, which leads to surge pricing. We’ve paid as much as $70 for a ride to Walt Disney World via rideshare. That’s not even as bad as it gets–we’ve heard of some people paying $100. Unless you have a large party, using an airport shuttle service is going to be much more economical than that.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Sunshine Flyer? Will you use the service, or is it too expensive for shared transportation? 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!
I used both Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer this past week. I arrived at MCO at 9 pm on Sunday. I chose Mears Connect because they offer 24 hour service. Sunshine Flyer does not. There was no line at all at Mears. I immediately boarded bus and departed within 5 minutes. Driver said there would be 3 stops and the first group to board would be dropped off first. Luckily, my resort was also first stop. There was video about central Florida attractions and the two charities Mears supports – Give Kids the World and Special Olympics.
I used Sunshine Flyer for my return on Thursday. My flight’s departure time was 8:50 and my pickup time was 5:25. At 5:30 I was on the phone with Sunshine Flyer to confirm bus was on the way. I was put on hold. Five minutes later plain white bus with very small Sunshine Flyer blue logo pulled up. There was no train themed wrap and driver was wearing dark pants and a white shirt. I was only person on board. Driver did not tell me how many more stops there would be. After 2 more stops, driver welcomed everyone and said trip would be around 35 minutes depending on traffic which was heavy on his way to resorts. There was no video, only music some of which was Disney music. Upon arrival at airport driver said he would exit bus, unload all luggage and then allow passengers to exit. There weren’t many passengers on the bus, so it was fairly quick for driver to unload. If the bus were full and you had luggage to checkin with airline, I don’t think enough time was allowed. Airport recommends arriving 3 hours early for domestic flights and 4 for international. I would not use Sunshine Flyer again.
3.5 hours early? No thanks, that’s crazy town as far as I’m concerned. That was the biggest problem with DME.
I’m flying out next week with my 12 year old. It’s just the two of us, no need for car seats or a lot of luggage. Considering Tom said Uber/Lyft may be backed up in 2022, what do you recommend? Should we try Sunshine Flyer, take Mears, or chance it on Uber?
You can chance it on Uber, but we had a great experience with Mears Connect. If you can’t get an Uber fast enough when you arrive, Mears Connect can be purchased upon arrival right at their airport location.
Thanks! We ended up using Uber and had no issues.
I wanted to point out Mears Connect offers drop off at the non-Disney owned Disney Select Resort Hotels and Sunshine Flyer confirmed with me they Do Not. We will be staying at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs area (which we booked thru Disney’s website) but it was not listed in the Sunshine Flyer reservation form. So Mears Connect it will be for us….since they serve more drop off locations that should count for something too. Wish us luck!
Just returned from a three day stay at Disney World and used the MEARS Connect service round trip. My flight arrived at 7:30am and there was no one (not a soul) in line – I was directed to a small passenger van and taken directly to my resort! Pickup service ran smoothly, I received updates on my drivers arrival via text and was picked up in a bus (only pickup from my resort). We stopped at two other resorts for pickups then went straight to the airport with plenty of time to spare! I’d definitely book with them again!
We just used this today for our arrival at Disney. Overall positive experience even though they definitely have kinks. Their directions to locate could use the fact that they are the first ten bays. A few too many leaders that give conflicting directions, but they’re very nice and solicitous. The buses are nice and not crowded. We were the middle drop off and we were at an hour. So a bit longer than they said for the last drop. However, I would do this again.
Just got back from WDW vacation and we used Mears. The bus left and arrived on time and it was mostly empty but clean. MCO location for buses was the same location as Magical Express. No videos on the screens but a very exuberant driver who talked frequently and asked us many times if we were excited to be going to Disney yet…”I can’t hear you, are you excited yet?” (sigh)
His over-the-top appeal for tips on the intercom was awkward and surprised us.
Mears needs to invest in videos.
Are either Mears or Sunshine Flyer requiring face masks?
Masks are a DOT reuirement, Mears does require them, I don’t know about the flyer but I would imagine they would too as they are also regulated by the DOT.
Tom, thanks for all your info always !
Could you tell me if we will find the Sunshine Buses in the same location
as the Disney Magical Express at MCO?
No, they are on the B side of the terminal but at the opposite end from where DME was. Mears has bus spaces 40-48, Flyer has the spaces in single digits, 4-10 or so. Haven’t been there so don’t know exactly which ones.
Thank you
Do they pick up your baggage from your flight and deliver it to your hotel? That was one of the perks of the prior free transportation. So now we pay for less.
No they do not. You need to collect your luggage first…
I’m hoping this will expand to Swan & Dolphin this year. If not, I wonder if it’s possible to book for drop off at Boardwalk?
I shot them an email, because unless they have an exclusive contract with Disney, they easily could. At any rate, their current list of hotel destinations is definitely not correct; I don’t think they’ll be taking anyone to Reflections any time soon.
Great, thanks! I’d love to hear their response!
We used Mears Connect to the Swan & Dolphin and it was seemless & perfect, both ways. Highly recommend Mears Connect!
That’s great to hear, thank you!
At first I thought this was cool. But then i realised that WDW is 50 years old. A train, a people mover or monorail should have been built decades ago. Most European and Asian resorts have them.
They wanted to build a monorail that would take you from MCO to WDW, but by the time they decided that they wanted to do it, it cost a lot more for each mile of rail needed than it did when they first built the monorail system. That’s also why they don’t have the monorail across WDW property.
So have you actually used the Sunshine Flyer from MCO to a Disney Property yet? I would be interested in your personal experience as this seems like the transportation option we would be most interested in.
Not yet. We’re actually going to use *both* of them (Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect) on the same date at the same time towards the end of this month. Since Sunshine Flyer just launched, we want to give it a bit more time before doing the test, since the experience now might not reflect a normal experience.
Can someone explain more about Mears standard vs express options. Express is more than twice as much for a party of 5.
Thanks so much for the info about the sunshine flyer and past experiences with Mears. We’ve never had to use the bus before but don’t want to bring car seats
Standard is the shared bus service and Express is personal car or small van service for your party only. For Express your children will need car seat if they are required to use them by law. I don’t know if Mears has an option to request them like uber/Lyft does.
One of my concerns using Mears is our need for car seats. With DME we knew we’d have a bus, so didn’t need car seats. It looks like that’s the same with Sunshine Flyer. However, since Mears has a varied fleet it is possible to have non-bus transportation, requiring us to bring a car seat just in case.
The standard option is like DME, you may have to wait in the bus to leave the airport. The express option is that you leave the airport almost right away and are guaranteed to be the first stop. It is not necessarily a private vehicle, there may be others on it with you. Similar returning to the airport, you would be the last picked up and then taken directly to the airport. If you want a private vehicle, try mears black car service: https://www.mearstransportation.com/black-car-luxury-transportation-service/suv/
Or Select transportation: https://www.selecttransportationflorida.com/index.cfm?
The standard option is like DME, you may have a little bit longer wait before leaving the airport with the standard option, but Mears tries to limit wait time to 20 minutes or less after your check-in. The express option offers minimal wait time, direct, guaranteed first stop, service to and back from your resort. The Express service may not be private service, it may be shared, depending on time of day & level of demand. If you are looking for a private vehicle, we recommend Mears Orlando private black car service, which you can reserve through: https://www.mearstransportation.com/black-car-luxury-transportation-service/,
or Select transportation: https://www.selecttransportationflorida.com/index.cfm?
@donnadonny — Flight time is the scheduled time your flight either arrives or takes off (depending on whether you’re arriving at or leaving from MCO).
If you’re trying to do this on a computer, when you’re trying to enter that information, rather than typing it, there’s a small little clock at the right side of where you can type. Click that little clock and select your time (hours, minutes, and AM or PM) and it will likely be more successful for you.
If you’re trying to do it on a mobile device (and I only have an iPhone to test with, so it might be different if you have an Android phone), when I tapped on the “Flight Time” box it pops up a little box that lets you select the time the same way (hour, minute, AM or PM) and then you can tap the word “Done” when you’ve set the right time.
Hope this helps anyone who might have similar problems!
I want to book tickets for this Sunshine Flyer but I don’t succeed filling in the “flight time”. Very strange thing if you ask me. On the other hand what do they exactly mean with “flight time” ?
I second this. The.great thing about magical express and hotel baggage drop was not handling our luggage. Any word on how either of those will be handled?
Disney discontinued the DME luggage service during COVID and we understand that it’s not yet available, due to the pandemic. Mears says on their website that they will try to bring it back, so hopefully, things will ease and they can make it happen.
Disney is a money hungry outfit
Tom,
I wasn’t able to comment on your Covid update post. I understand why you turned off the comments but I wanted to say that I appreciate you writing those posts. I know it sucks to write them but the Covid updates are extremely helpful. Thank you for posting not just the case numbers because you are right, those are irrelevant, what is far more important is local hospital capacity. Please keep writing them, even if they are zero fun.
Apologies if I missed it, but I didn’t see mention of how luggage will be handled. Guessing guests will need to retrieve our own luggage before boarding the Sunshine Flyer?
Tom, If you truly love trains and train museums you’re going to have to come to the northeast.
The people who maintain Walt’s Train barn are the best and though they are open one Sunday a month with a little notice they will try to oblige out of towners.