It’s almost time to say goodbye to the Disney Magical Express. The popular service that provides transportation between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World will end on January 1, 2022.
Disney announced their plan to end the service back in January 2021. Since that time, Mears has announced their own service, Mears Connect, that aims to be a paid replacement.
Disney guests created a Change.org petition hoping to halt the decision. The petition sits just under 10,000 signatures as of the date of this article, but Disney hasn’t changed course.
The end of the Disney Magical Express represents a big shift in how Disney treats their resort guests. The list of perks for on-site guests has dried up in recent years, forcing many to ask why they should continue to pay steep room rates. For many, the Disney Magical Express was one of those “Disney Differences” that made a Walt Disney World trip easy and convenient. Your vacation started as soon as you landed at the airport.
We can’t help but wonder why Disney decided to axe Disney Magical Express completely rather than making it a paid service. It’s possible they didn’t want to continue their relationship with Mears, but Disney passing on a potential revenue source is surprising.
Now, guests will have to find their own way to get themselves (and their luggage) to their Disney resort. That’s a new pain point, among many new pain points (higher costs, Genie+, etc) that convolute a Walt Disney World vacation. It’s becoming more and more difficult to have a spontaneous trip.
Will Disney see any repercussions from these decisions? We predict they eventually will, but it may be too late to do anything about it by the time it becomes apparent.
