Disney’s Magical Express to End in 2022

26 thoughts on “Disney’s Magical Express to End in 2022”

• No more FastPass, charges for popular rides, no more Magical Express: The Disney magic is officially gone

• This one makes me angry. I would gladly pay an extortionate fee for this service, but taking it away is upsetting. As a Disney fan who loves the Disney bubble, I feel like I’d be one of the last ones to stay off-site, but I’m seriously considering it now. The benefits are becoming so small for such a huge price premium.

• Well, here’s another perspective. ME made business sense at the beginning because fewer people would rent cars, stay on Disney property their entire vacation and so “give” Disney all their vacation money (a captive audience). Now, with the prevalence of rideshare, it’s easier to get off property and ME doesn’t really keep all those vacation dollars locked in like it used to. Plus Potter became quite a draw to spend a day or 2 outside the bubble. So maybe they weren’t getting the value back from the cost of ME anymore.

  Covid concerns would probably reduce ridership for quite a while too, making it even less valuable (from a business sense). Potentially they also didn’t want the PR nightmare from instead charging for ME. Does anyone remember the uproar when airlines starting charging for all checked luggage? But, it’s still disappointing.

• Brian, thanks for the updated info on the train.

• >>Apparently, the train from MCO to/from Disney Springs may have a lot to do with this.

  Yes and no. The train isn’t supposed to start service to Disney until late 2023, so they’re cutting of ME 1 1/2 years early.
  https://www.wesh.com/article/disney-brightline-2023-start/35066374

• I agree… Magical Express was the beginning of your trip. Kids really enjoyed it and parents really really enjoyed not having to schlep checked luggage. Imagine a family of 5 or 6? Are you supposed to pay for 2 cabs or ubers ? What a decrease in service!
  Sure the new rail will expand to Disney… but won’t that terminate at Disney Springs? Who wants another stop (with all of their luggage) on the way to their hotel. Everyone wants to get moving and get to the parks!

• If Disney wants to cut costs, it should scrap the unnecessary change to Splash Mountain, not eighty-six Magical Express.

• Noooo! I always bragged to friends about how the magic starts before you even leave your home airport! I LOVE the Magical Express- a nice, cooled bus with videos playing and cushy seats. Plus the luggage service was just fantastic. This is sad and frustrating.

• >> The company that handled the luggage delivery went out of business

  Thats just a contract. The company that handled that work did a great job, but that clould be a simple contracted fix once things get closer to normal.

  I do wonder if the idea here is people will rwnt cars and pay for parking, but really I cant see that happening. Some other transportation option (eg Uber) is more likely.

• >> The company that handled the luggage delivery went out of business

  Thats just a contract. The company that handled that work did a great job, but that clould be a simple contracted fix once things get closer to normal.

  I do wonder if the idea here is people will rwnt cars and pay for parking, but really I cant see that happening. Some other transportation option (eg Uber) is more likely.

• Magical express was the start of the magic. It made you feel special to not have to get your luggage, it let you get right to the bus, go to the hotel and get right to the parks. It let you stay at the parks before heading home. It seems like a minor thing but it was part of enabling the bubble that makes Disney an attractive choice.

  Erode too much of those small magic things that make staying on property worth it is a bad long term decision.

• Brian, I suspect the “Extra Magic Half-Hour” at all parks everyday is in response to the end of Magical Express in hopes that people will continue to stay onsite.

• In addition to lowing the value added to on-site lodging this is potentially going to reduce the nights of folks who still stay on-site. I’ve historically stayed in our WDW resort for the duration of our stay even when we’ve had Universal days on our trip, more and more lately I’ve considered a split stay between the two resorts and one thing slowing me down has been the value of Magical Express. Now if I won’t be forfeiting one leg of my complementary transportation I’ve got less reason to stay at Disney the whole trip, I’ll spend a couple days at Universal before I go down to Disney and then won’t need as many nights of their lodging.

• @David: The company that handled the luggage delivery went out of business due to the pandemic, so the ship has already sailed on that one. Disney ending their deal with Mears for bus service is the surprising news, as Mears has managed to stay in business and the service has been around so long that we all now take it for granted.

• So, if people wind up renting cars, do the Disney resorts have enough parking places for all these
  extra “drivers”? Or are we going to have to make an advanced reservation for our cars?

  Seriously, this is ridiculous. Thousands of people land at MCO headed for WDW. Imagine the lines
  for taxis, ride services, rental cars. Just another reason WDW is losing its “magic” for us. They keep
  chipping away at the magic of staying onsite. Time to plan a vacation elsewhere.

• Responding to ejj:
  January 11, 2021 at 1:20 pm

  Apparently, the train from MCO to/from Disney Springs may have a lot to do with this.
  https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/disney-vacations/disney-world-new-brightline-train-station

  AGREED.
  However it is bad business to announce the removal of a much used service without announcing a replacement.

• Oh no… First thing I did was look at my calendar and make sure it wasn’t April 1st. To me this is shocking! This was a huge reason for us to stay onsite. We loved our luggage just showing up in our room! They should at least offer it for a charge. Very disappointing

• I have seen a lot of negative chatter on the ‘net about this move by Disney. People need to call Disney to express their displeasure.

• Thanks for the news!

  Nitpick:
  “Disney sites that the reason behind this change”
  That should be cites, not sites.

• This is truly horrible news, and yet just one more way Disney has become less “magical”. Instead of deplaning & going directly to Magical Express bus, one will now hafta pick up luggage, schlep it to whatever transportation method one choses, & reverse at hotel.
  If one chooses Uber or Lyft, it will cost around $40 ONE WAY (small car, 1-2 ppl, small suitcases). That’s without busy times rate increases. Taxis more $$ yet.
  Airports with trains have found they barely break even, if that (the trains, that is). With the huge number of ppl coming to/going from WDW at all hrs of the day, this will absolutely and totally inconvenience bus riders *within* WDW. Specifically Disney Springs.
  Lastly, who wants to rent a $$ car for an entire vacation built around supposedly not needing one?! Let alone the fact that resort parking is $25-$32/day (depending on level).
  This is a horrid idea for everyone arriving by plane! I have no idea of percentage of visitors who fly vs. drive, but this is crazy. I too would be willing to pay a fee, rather than canceling service altogether.

• This is terrible news My Disney Experience begins with the ride from the airport aboard the Magical Express. Our family always flys to Orlando instead of driving because of the Magical Express experience. So many memories with my grandkids over-the-top with excitement as the ME gets closer to WDW. Please keep this service. I will be glad to pay a fee.

• This is in my view an incredibly short-sighted move on Disney’s part. I’m sure they’re trying to cut costs wherever they can, and perhaps they believe the Brightline train station will remove demand for Magical Express, but they’re not taking into account the logistical issues of guests ferrying their luggage aboard the train, from Disney Springs to their hotels on resort buses, back to Disney Springs from their hotels, and back aboard the train. While of course the luggage service was suspended due to COVID it was also a huge perk that made me and many others more likely to bring that extra suitcase for souvenirs. Magical Express seriously streamlined the process of traveling to and from Walt Disney World, and while I recognize theme park revenues are down and Disney is desperate to cut costs, canceling this service feels like a terrible mistake. I would be more willing to accept a fee than the total discontinuation of Magical Express.

  Due to the personal fallout of this pandemic, I have no idea when I’ll make it back to Walt Disney World, but I’ll have to seriously reassess my vacation options if and when the time comes. No Magical Express changes the logistics of my Disney trips significantly.

• We knew that COVID losses would have a big impact. The transportation must be quite expensive. Why didn’t Disney keep it for a fee? My family has always used Magical Express….

• Apparently, the train from MCO to/from Disney Springs may have a lot to do with this.

  https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/disney-vacations/disney-world-new-brightline-train-station

• This is a huge cut back. Complimentary transportation was a big plus for staying onsite. This is pretty shocking.

• This move truly surprises me. Wow.

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