Disney in a Minute: What was Disney’s Magical Express?

Disney’s Magical Express (DME) was a free airport transportation and luggage-delivery service offered at Walt Disney World. The service gave guests an easy way to get between their hotel and Orlando International Airport (MCO), and was free for guests staying at any Disney World hotel. Disney’s Magical Express ran for 17 years from 2005 until January 1, 2022.

DME made arriving at and departing from your hotel as easy as pie. You made arrangements to use it when you booked your hotel reservation. You tagged your bags with special tags before checking them at your home airport. Then, when you arrived at Orlando International Airport (MCO), you’d head to a special loading area to climb aboard a bus – without even stopping to retrieve your checked bags. Disney picked up your luggage and brought it to your hotel room. It worked like magic (most of the time)!

On your ride to Disney World, the Magical Express bus played Disney videos and trivia games to keep you entertained – and more importantly – to start the magic for your stay immediately! Our kids were 12 and 9 the first time we rode, and they were completely entranced by the whole experience.

When it was time to leave, the process worked in reverse. (Some guests jokingly referred to the return trip as the Tragical Express.) The Magical Express would take you back to the airport in time for your flight. For some domestic flights, there was also an option to check in for your flight at the hotel.

The luggage delivery portion of Disney’s Magical Express never returned after Disney World’s pandemic shutdown; when the World reopened in July 2020, the luggage delivery program was discontinued. Disney’s Magical Express shut down altogether on January 1, 2022. Disney said one reason for stopping the service was that consumer preferences had changed with the rise of ride-sharing services.

To understand this statement, you need to know that early on in the life of Magical Express, if you didn’t rent a car, then heading off-property meant a pricey taxi ride. DME cost Disney money to operate, but in return, they got a pool of guests who were “trapped” in the Disney bubble, spending money on on-property food, etc. The lower costs of rideshare changed this math.

As someone who used the Magical Express for years, I can say I miss it. Was it the fastest way to get to the resort or back to the airport? Nope. But I could get off the plane and get on a bus without standing at the luggage carousel or fussing about calling a rideshare. It put me right into the magic immediately. And more importantly, I felt like Disney really and truly wanted me to have a Magical stay, right from the get-go.

The Magical Express is probably not coming back, but some of the luggage handling features might return. In 2025, Disney is piloting programs to deliver luggage to your resort on arrival, and to check it in at your resort when you depart. But to move the humans, you’ll need to find another way; for current options see How To Get From the Airport to Disney World (And Back).

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a little more explanation? Let us know in the comments!