Magical Express

[aliceismad]

Thank you for the info, @Weather_Lady! I'm not the OP, but this is super helpful.

 

[A Olson]

Short of a rental car, options (with pre-tip estimates of current threshold prices) include:
- Mears shuttle (~$30-$40 per person, roundtrip)
- Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) (~$50 one way)
- Private towncar (~$85 one way) or limo service (~$150 one way)
- Taxi (~$60 one way)
- (not currently in service, but likely to be resumed within the next few months): Minnie Van (~$155 one way)

Our family of four has had great experiences with towncar service when not using DME (e.g., when we start off a trip at Universal). Although it's a little more expensive than a rideshare, the personal attention, guarantee of a clean and roomy vehicle with sufficient space for our luggage, and convenience (your driver will greet you in Baggage Claim and escort you just outside to the private pickup area, making you feel irrationally fancy and important, and if you need it, a brief grocery stop en route to your hotel is often complimentary) are worth the added cost for us. Just make sure to Google around and check reviews and BBB listings before booking, to confirm that the company you're using has been in business a long time and has a good reputation.

Don't mean to hijack the thread. @Weather_Lady appreciate the info.

Really bummed though this is going away. My kids and we as parents always loved that we get off the plane and immediately get immersed into the Disney ecosystem. We are very disappointed and saddened to see this no longer being offered.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Can someone help me understand Starting Jan 1, 2022 what are the options for getting from MCO to Pop Century for example?

Mears who is currently the provider of Disney's Magical Express has announced they will continue the service under a different name "Mears Connect" and it will come at a cost.
They did say you can start booking in May 2021 so keep an eye on their website.

Orlando MCO Airport to Disney Hotels Shuttle | Mears Connect

24/7 shuttle transportation service between Orlando Airport (MCO), Disney World, Disney Springs and area resorts. Best rate! No need to rent a car, or Uber.

www.mearsconnect.com

Because I trust their service I will likely be using it in the future myself.

 

[Djsfantasi]

Wait I was pretty sure that you have to pay for ANY magic band as of now?

This is correct. You need to pay for ANY MB. You can re-use any MB you may already have.

Plus, Magic Express is no longer automatic. You need to contact them and make a reservation. Otherwise, you may have to wait several hours to get on a bus.

I always book through an authorized Travel Agent. Once I brought this fact to her attention, she made our reservations. As for the multi-hour wait, I spoke to another family at the resort who waited over three hours to get in a bus (our bus was ready and we had no wait).

 

[Djsfantasi]

I rode the magical express in March. They send a letter to your house. Just show the letter to the attendant where you pick up the buses at the airport. The letter had a bar code on it that was scanned.

I had to make a reservation in April. People without a reservation waited hours to get in a bus.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

@Djsfantasi I have never known a time that Disney just automatically added DME. You can add it at the time of booking although I never have.
When using a TA they added it for me and since 2015 I've booked everything myself and have always called to add it once I know my flight info.

As for waiting hours I guess that's just been a hit or miss thing since the reopening with the amount of physical distancing they were doing but now that they no longer have to do that I suspect waits will not be as long.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Short of a rental car, options (with pre-tip estimates of current threshold prices) include:
- Mears shuttle (~$30-$40 per person, shared van, roundtrip)
- Rideshare for 4 people + luggage (Uber XL, Lyft XL) (~$50 one way)
- Private towncar (~$85 one way) or limo service (~$150-$200 one way)
- Taxi (~$60 one way)
- (not currently in service, but likely to be resumed within the next few months): Minnie Van (~$155 one way)
- Mears Connect (taking over for DME, shared motor coach, prices and schedules TBA)

Our family of four has had great experiences with towncar service when not using DME (e.g., when we start off a trip at Universal). Although it's a little more expensive than a rideshare, the personal attention, guarantee of a clean and roomy vehicle with sufficient space for our luggage, and convenience, are worth the added cost for us. Your driver will personally greet you in Baggage Claim, help you with bags, and escort you just outside to the private pickup area, making you feel irrationally fancy and important. If you need it, a brief grocery stop en route to the hotel is usually complimentary. If you're interested in towncar transportation, just make sure to Google around and check reviews and BBB listings before booking, to confirm that the company you're using has been in business a long time and has a good reputation. Also, as with any reservation, carefully read the fine print and take note of any additional charges (taxes, fees, charges for late or early pick-ups, etc.) that will be tacked on, whether your total includes a gratuity for the driver, and what the applicable cancellation policies might be.

Just DATA, no brag....

Given the lack of ME luggage? DW & I opted to go for a MEARS Sedan, round trip, NOV 9 - NOV 17, 2021.
Our total cost was exactly $200, party of two. Already paid.

We still need to pick up & deliver our baggage. But we go RIGHT to & from BRV, without...
1) Loads of humans in a bus.
2) TONS of luggage in a bus, that must be loaded, unloaded, at multiple stops - betting that MDE trip goes from about 1.5 to 3.0 hours .

Just our choice... we knew MDE was on it's death bed - so reverted to what we did YEARS ago. 2022? If MEARS has a luggage option? Going for this.

 

[Ayla]

This is correct. You need to pay for ANY MB. You can re-use any MB you may already have.

Plus, Magic Express is no longer automatic. You need to contact them and make a reservation. Otherwise, you may have to wait several hours to get on a bus.

I always book through an authorized Travel Agent. Once I brought this fact to her attention, she made our reservations. As for the multi-hour wait, I spoke to another family at the resort who waited over three hours to get in a bus (our bus was ready and we had no wait).

It's never been automatic. A reservation was always required.

 

[Ayla]

Just DATA, no brag....

Given the lack of ME luggage? DW & I opted to go for a MEARS Sedan, round trip, NOV 9 - NOV 17, 2021.
Our total cost was exactly $200, party of two. Already paid.

We still need to pick up & deliver our baggage. But we go RIGHT to & from BRV, without...
1) Loads of humans in a bus.
2) TONS of luggage in a bus, that must be loaded, unloaded, at multiple stops - betting that MDE trip goes from about 1.5 to 3.0 hours .

Just our choice... we knew MDE was on it's death bed - so reverted to what we did YEARS ago. 2022? If MEARS has a luggage option? Going for this.

The luggage is loaded according to stops. It isn't all unloaded and then loaded again at each stop.

 

[BWW]

Thanks for the info.
My sister and I were debating whether to get new magic bands or use this feature (although we both have androids so we were not sure if it worked with it yet but now we know). Ultimately though we decided even if we could use that feature it seemed no different than using a ticket since you have to pull your phone our just like you'd pull your ticket out where as we love just wearing the magic band and not having to have our phone in our hand even more than we already do. Just like using the app to unlock your resort room. Its awesome if you say left your magic band in the room but otherwise it seems like more of a hassle to use vs just hold up your wrist. Plus what sealed the deal was the black glitter magic band lol. It reminds me of the Pop Century floor.

Thank you! I'd rather not have to get my phone in and out of my backpack or pocket all day. To me, the magic bands just make everything easy.

 

[Parker in NYC]

- Life 360 or another free app that your entire party can download on their phones, that allows to you "track" one another unobtrusively if you split up (so you're not calling someone to find out where they are, only to bother them in the middle of a ride)

Thanks for this suggestion!

 

[nickys]

It's never been automatic. A reservation was always required.

Not true. Anyone staying onsite is eligible to use Magical Express. If you hadn’t booked and turned up at the MCO Magical Express check-in, they would accommodate you. You probably would be reminded to book next time.

You do need to have booked for the return trip to MCO.

 

[Tinkwings]

Mears who is currently the provider of Disney's Magical Express has announced they will continue the service under a different name "Mears Connect" and it will come at a cost.
They did say you can start booking in May 2021 so keep an eye on their website.

Orlando MCO Airport to Disney Hotels Shuttle | Mears Connect

24/7 shuttle transportation service between Orlando Airport (MCO), Disney World, Disney Springs and area resorts. Best rate! No need to rent a car, or Uber.

www.mearsconnect.com

Because I trust their service I will likely be using it in the future myself.

Cool wonder if that includes getting your luggage without you pulling it at MCO to your resort? Hope so!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Cool wonder if that includes getting your luggage without you pulling it at MCO to your resort? Hope so!

My guess is you'll pick it up yourself.

 

[Tinkwings]

My guess is you'll pick it up yourself.

Well time will tell.....hope they tweak it over the next year to restore much of former perks.....

 

[Ayla]

Not true. Anyone staying onsite is eligible to use Magical Express. If you hadn’t booked and turned up at the MCO Magical Express check-in, they would accommodate you. You probably would be reminded to book next time.

You do need to have booked for the return trip to MCO.

Yes, they would accommodate. However, that poster is saying a reservation is automatically added. It isn't and never has been.

 

[Djsfantasi]

Cool wonder if that includes getting your luggage without you pulling it at MCO to your resort? Hope so!

My thought is that you’ll have to pick it up yourself.

The service from the airport to your resort room was with another company. Not related to the bus transportation.

That contract expired a while ago and was not renewed. That’s why ME currently does not provided luggage delivery to your resort room.

 

[Djsfantasi]

It's never been automatic. A reservation was always required.

Oops, my bad! I always booked my trip through a DATA, which included flights. She the made the ME reservation for me.

So, it appeared to me to be automatic.

 

[Tinkwings]

My thought is that you’ll have to pick it up yourself.

The service from the airport to your resort room was with another company. Not related to the bus transportation.

That contract expired a while ago and was not renewed. That’s why ME currently does not provided luggage delivery to your resort room.

Thanks I had not considered that but makes sense......sigh......that was magical.......and allowed us to head right to the park upon arrival....now bagcheck will get some $$$ and take care of it for us......sure would be nice if they put it in your room if it was not ready upon arrival.....hmmmmm.

 

[graphite1326]

That part never changed with DME.

Last time I went all you needed was your magic band.