Search the Community

Walt Disney World will discontinue Disney’s Magical Express bus service and end its Extra Magic Hours benefit for hotel guests in 2021, the company announced Monday. Later this year, resort guests will begin getting 30-minute head starts in all four theme parks every day, Disney says. Disney Magical Express, a free service that carries visitors from Orlando International Airport to Disney resort hotels, will not be available starting with arrivals on Jan. 1, 2022. It will operate for existing and newly made reservations for 2021 stays. Meanwhile, Extra Magic Hours, which granted Disney hotel guests additional time inside Disney World’s theme parks is being retired. The benefit, which gave early morning or end-of-day access to select parks on select days, has not been offered since the parks reopened from the pandemic-related shutdown in July. Instead, Disney will let its hotel guests into any of its theme parks 30 minutes before opening time. That will be available every day, not on a moving schedule as in the Extra Magic Hours era. This access will begin this year, but a date was not announced. “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,” a Monday post on the official Disney Parks Blog said. Consumer preferences have evolved since Disney’s Magical Express was introduced in 2005, a Walt Disney World spokesman said. “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,” the blog post said In November, Walt Disney World and Brightline announced an agreement to build a station at Disney Springs for its high-speed rail service, which is set to connect to South Florida and Orlando International Airport. Track currently is being put into place, and service to OIA is slated to start in 2022. On-property buses will continue to operate between hotels and parks, as well as the monorail system and Disney Skyliner gondolas, the post said. Buses that connect OIA with the Disney Cruise Line terminal are part of a separate service that will continue. Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theme park news? Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast.

Within the next few days, a confirmation letter and one luggage tag per Guest will be sent by mail to the Primary Guest's reservation address of record. If you would like to participate in luggage delivery service from the airport to your resort room, please attach a luggage tag to each piece of checked baggage. Instructions will be included in the materials you will receive. Your luggage will travel separately from you and may take up to 3 hours after you check in at the resort to be delivered to your room. So before you leave home, be sure to pack any medications, essential items, and valuables in your carry-on bag as you may not have immediate access to your luggage when you arrive in Orlando. Please note that this service is only available for flights arriving between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM. If you arrive after 10:00 PM, please claim your luggage to bring with you on the motorcoach. Once you have claimed your luggage or already made arrangements for luggage delivery service, please proceed to DISNEY'S MAGICAL EXPRESS, located on Side B, Level 1. You may follow the airport signs to Ground Transportation. Please keep the communication you receive handy, as you will need to present it to the Disney representative. You will then be provided with additional information and directed to a motorcoach that will take you to your resort. The day prior to checkout, your resort Front Desk will deliver a DISNEY'S MAGICAL EXPRESS Transportation Notice to your room detailing your motorcoach pick-up time and location. To ensure that you do not miss your flight, motorcoach pick-up times are scheduled approximately 3 hours prior to your flight departure time for domestic flights and approximately 4 hours prior to your flight departure time for international flights. For additional information including frequently asked questions, we invite you to visit www.disneyworld.com/magicalexpress.