UPDATE: Mears Transportation has issued a statement on the suspension of Disney’s Magical Express, confirming that the company will continue providing their own transportation options to the theme parks and resorts. For more information, click here.
Disney’s Magical Express service, which provides guests with transportation between Orlando International Airport and the Walt Disney World, will be ending in 2022.
The service is set to end on January 1, 2022. While Disney’s Magical Express service is still available for stays through that date, DME is no longer providing luggage delivery for those arriving to and departing from Orlando International Airport. Resort airline check-in service is also no longer available.
Below is the official statement from Walt Disney World regarding the cancellation of this service:
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. In light of this shift, when Disney Resort hotel bookings open for stays in 2022, we will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service for airport transportation, starting with arrivals Jan. 1, 2022. We will continue to operate the service for new and existing reservations made at Disney Resort hotels for arrivals throughout 2021. Additionally, complimentary transportation options – such as buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner – will continue to be available within Walt Disney World Resort for Disney Resort hotel guests, including to and from all four theme parks.
Disney’s Magical Express service was launched back in 2005, offering guests complimentary motorcoach transportation between MCO and Walt Disney World Resort hotels as a benefit of staying on-property. The service was operated by Mears Transportation, which has seen a number of layoffs due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other popular benefits for Disney Resort hotel guests have also been modified or suspended:
- Complimentary MagicBands are no longer offered for resort stays
- Souvenir luggage tags and Magical Extras booklets are now only available by request at resort front desks
- Extra Magic Hours will be replaced with “Early Theme Park Entry”, providing just 30 minutes of early access to parks—however, guests now have the option to choose which park
In recent months, Disney and Brightline have reached extensive agreements on the development of future train terminals at MCO and Disney Springs, with expected completion dates of 2022 and 2023, respectively. This new Brightline expansion would link Central and South Florida by way of a 3.5 hour high-speed train ride between Miami and Orlando, and once completed, it may well become the new way Disney opts to shuttle in its guests from the airport… especially if the ever-contentious Minnie Vans fail to return.
