Magical Express Ending: Disney Stopping Bus Service From Airports

Come 2022, Disney World will no longer offer its beloved Disney Magical Express service to incoming visitors. The service — a bus shuttle between Orlando International Airport and Disney World hotels — will continue servicing any existing reservations throughout the rest of 2021. The news was first announced Monday morning via a Disney Parks Blog posting from Disney World comms manager Avery Maehrer.

“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,” the posting reads.

The Magical Express was previously operated by Orlando’s Mears Transportation. Though Disney and Mears won’t continue their partnership, the transportation provider says it will continue offering its own service from Orlando International to most local theme parks and hotels.

“Walt Disney [World] made us aware of their decision. While we are disappointed Disney will no longer offer this service, we intend 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,” a Mears Transportation spokesperson tells Spectrum News 13.

In the same Disney blog post, the company also announced an “Early Theme Park Entry” to help celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary. Any Disney Resort guests will now be able to enter any Disney theme park 30 minutes prior to the general public.

“The new early theme park entry benefit helps us better spread visitation across all four theme parks, while providing added flexibility by giving guests extra early park time on each day of their vacation and in the park of their choosing. Please note that guests need valid admission and a park reservation made via the Disney Park Pass system to enter a theme park,” the post adds.

It concludes, “As with every other change we’ve made in our history, we will help guests navigate through these next steps and will continue to deliver on what’s expected from a Disney experience. We remain focused on exploring new ways for guests to spend more time with their friends and families and creating memories to last a lifetime.”