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heydaytravelcompany · 5 years ago

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Disney’s Magical Express: Everything You Need To Know

This is one of our favorite perks to staying at a Walt Disney World resort. The free ride to and from the airport is nice, but I really enjoy not having to deal with the luggage! In this guide, we’ll look at everything you need to know about using the Disney Magical Express.

What is Disney Magical Express?

Magical Express (aka Magic Express or “the sad bus” as my son calls it when we take it back to the airport) is the airport shuttle service operated by Walt Disney World in partnership with Mears Transportation. It provides motorcoach transportation from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to all Disney World resort hotels and back again. It is important to note, it runs ONLY between MCO and Walt Disney World. Although Sanford is considered an Orlando area airport, the Magical Express does not serve that airport. The buses are very nice coach buses with fabric seats and TV entertainment. The TVs show new Mickey Shorts cartoons, some Disney Trivia, and information about the resorts. They run continuously from the airport to all resorts owned and operated by Disney.

Is Disney Magical Express Free?

Yes! Magical Express is complimentary for guests staying at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

What Hotels Does Disney Magical Express Go To?

Here is a list of the participating hotels: Disney's All-Star Movies ResortDisney's All-Star Music ResortDisney's All-Star Sports ResortDisney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo HouseDisney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani VillageDisney's Art of Animation ResortDisney's Beach Club ResortDisney's Beach Club VillasDisney's BoardWalk InnDisney's BoardWalk VillasDisney's Caribbean Beach ResortDisney's Contemporary ResortDisney's Coronado Springs ResortBay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary ResortDisney's Fort Wilderness ResortDisney's Grand Floridian Resort & SpaThe Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & SpaDisney's Old Key West ResortDisney's Polynesian Village ResortDisney's Polynesian Villas & BungalowsDisney's Pop Century ResortDisney's Port Orleans Resort - French QuarterDisney's Port Orleans Resort - RiversideDisney's Wilderness LodgeBoulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness LodgeCopper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Wilderness LodgeDisney's Riviera ResortDisney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa There are a few hotels on the Walt Disney World property that do not offer the service; for example the Swan and Dolphin hotels as well as the Disney Springs area hotels.

How Does Disney Magical Express Luggage Transfer Work?

Not only does Magic Express get you to your resort, but it will also get your luggage there. Of course, they do it in typical Disney style too. You don’t have to worry about stopping by Bell Services at some point, your luggage will be delivered directly to your room! Even if you’re not there. I probably enjoy this aspect more than I should openly admit. There is just something about arriving, hitting the park, and returning to my room to find my luggage waiting for me there. What Time Does Disney Magical Express Run? The option is there if you’d prefer to swing by the carousel on your way to the bus and take your luggage with you. In fact, this is necessary if you’re arriving anytime between 10 pm and 5 am. Although the busses are available anytime, the luggage service is restricted between those hours (5 am-10 pm). How Will They Know MY Bags? Once everything is booked and registered (more on that later), Disney will mail luggage tags to your prior to your departure. These will be yellow tags that go on your checked luggage. This allows the Disney cast members to identify and collect your bags at the airport to have them sent directly to your hotel. This means you do NOT have to go to the baggage carousels and collect your bags! Your bags will be delivered directly to your room at your resort later that day. Delivery usually takes about 3 hours. I’ve heard stories of it taking up to 6 hours, but I have personally never experienced that. At least not that I’m aware of. As I said, we like to arrive and then head out, if not to a park - at least Disney Springs. I cannot stress this enough; Pack anything you’ll need immediately in your carry-on bag! Medications, diapers, MagicBands, sunscreen, swimsuits, possibly a change of clothes (we travel from PA in the winter; what we wear to the airport is not what we usually want to be wearing in the parks), etc. I know I just said immediately, you may want to consider the first 24 hours though. While rare, luggage does get misplaced and could take some time to get to you. Better to have those meds with you than to be left scrambling to figure out a replacement.

How To Make A Magical Express Reservation

This part is really easy. So long as you’re using our services, we take care of it for you. However, if you’re not, there are a few different ways to add a Disney Magical Express reservation: Have your travel advisor add it for you. We’ll ask for your flight information and then supply that to Disney on your behalf.If you made your reservation online directly with Disney and already have your flight information, you can enter it during the booking process. Just select “Add Ground” and fill out their form.You may always call the Disney Reservations line too. The Guest Services agent will be happy to assist you. This option might take some time.

What Terminal Is Disney Magical Express?

Disney's Magical Express is located on Level 1 of the B Side at the Orlando International Airport. It is very well signed and you can generally follow the crowd of people also wearing Disney apparel. Or, if you want slightly more specific instructions: After you depart your plane, follow signs to Ground Transportation. You will take a short train ride to the main terminal from your gate.Once in the main terminal, find the B Side.Take the elevator, stairs, or escalators down to Level 1.Follow the signs to Magical Express at the far end of Level 1. Remember our packing tips? The first thing they’re going to ask will be to scan your Magic Band (each person in your party needs their band). In case you’re picking your MagicBands up at the resort, or you forgot and packed them or left them at home, they can also pull your information by your Disney confirmation number. If you left them at home, you still don’t need to worry. Guest Services at your resort will be able to assist with replacements. Once you’re all checked-in, they will direct you to the correct bus for your resort. **Pro-tip: Although rare, if you want to be dropped at a resort other than the one you’re staying at, now is the time to mention it. If you try to alter it while registering for Magical Express that will be the resort your luggage is sent to. That will certainly delay it’s arrival to you.

How Long The Disney Magical Express Take?

The Disney Magical Express drive itself takes only about 30 minutes to get to Disney World, depending on traffic. However, I usually estimate 90 minutes from the time my plane lands to the resort. This allows time for getting to the Magical Express area at the airport, time waiting for your bus to depart (which can be up to 20 minutes), and the drive time itself. Your driver will ask several times about which resorts everyone is going to. Each bus will make up to four stops at different Disney World resorts. If your resort happens to be the first stop, then you can expect a slightly shorter trip. Just be sure to pay attention to where you’re stopping… While not impossible, it can be a pain to travel from one resort to another.

Does Disney Magical Express Go To Sanford?

As mentioned before, Magical Express only services Orlando International Airport (MCO). Your best option to get from Sanford Airport (SFB) is to use a ride-share (like Lyft), rent a car, or another ride service.

Do I Have To Use Magical Express?

While the Magical Express is the only free way to get from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Disney World, you still have options. A one-way trip from MCO to anywhere on Disney World in an Uber or Lyft will generally cost $35 and up depending on the type of rideshare you get. A taxi will start at about $50. There are various other services you can use to get from MCO to Disney World, from town cars to limos. And of course, you can rent a car at Orlando International Airport and drive yourself. Remember, once you get to your resort there are other ways of getting around Disney World, you can read about that in our Getting Around Disney World Guide.

How Does Magical Express Work For The Return Trip?

If you have Magical Express scheduled for your return to MCO Orlando Airport, you’ll receive the paperwork on your door the day before departure. This is always a bittersweet moment for us. While we always like returning home to friends, family, and pets. It is still sad leaving. :( Sad as it may be, this paperwork is important and difficult to replace. It will list not only your resort departure time, approximately 3 hours before your plane departs, it will also act as your return ticket. The driver will collect that letter from you when you board the bus. Please be on time and have the letter. Tardiness and misplaced letters can delay other guests returning home potentially making for stressful situations. I suggest being at the Magical Express bus stop (usually very close to the same place where you were dropped off) about 10 minutes before your pick-up time.

How Does Resort Airline Check-In At Disney Work?

As much as I love my bags being delivered to my room; this may actually be my favorite part of the service! Walt Disney World resorts offer a wonderful service called “Resort Airline Check-In”. This allows you to check-in for your flight, receive your boarding passes, and check your bags right at your hotel! This service is available to all guests at the resort, it is not limited to those using Magical Express for their return trip. It is, however, limited to participating airlines: Alaska AirlinesAmerican AirlinesDelta Air Lines (U.S. Domestic Flights Only)JetBlue AirwaysSouthwest AirlinesUnited Airlines The Resort Airline Check-In desks are found in the same area as Bell Services and the Magical Express bus stop. Here are some of the important rules for Resort Airline Check-In: The Resort Airline Check-In is open daily from 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM (noon).Guests must check-in no later than 3 hours prior to their scheduled flight departure, flight delays do not extend this time, to use this service. You may check your bag as early as you’d like.All guests must be present for check-in and have their ID, starting October 1, 2020, they must also be REAL ID compliant.If you are using Magical Express and would rather keep your bags with you, that’s not a problem either. You may take your bags with you and they will be stored under the bus. Bell Services will keep them secure for you if you don’t want to carry them throughout the day.

What Time Will Magical Express Pick You Up?

Your Magical Express pick up time will be about three hours before your scheduled flight departure. You’re probably wondering, why so early? Well, your bus may make up to three additional stops at other resorts before going to the airport. Also, MCO is a busy airport with more than 46 million annual passengers. It is the busiest airport in Florida and the 11th busiest airport in the U.S. Yes, even with all of that traffic J.D. Power ranked it “Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Mega Airports” in 2017 and 2018. Disney’s Magical Express runs 24 hours a day. Although the buses are always running, remember the luggage service is only for arrivals between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM. Those are actual arrival times, not scheduled. So if you land late it means you’ll be gathering your bags from the carousel yourself. Do keep track of where you are. Your carousel may not be in the same terminal that the Magical Express departs from. So you may wind up taking your luggage back through the airport to the other terminal.

Is There Magical Express At Disneyland?

Sorry, no. Disneyland doesn’t offer complimentary airport bus transfers like Walt Disney World. You may still arrange transfers through Disney, there will just be a charge to it.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Let Us Help YOU!

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heydaytravelcompany · 5 years ago

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How To Get Around Walt Disney World

This is a continuation of our Walt Disney World Guides. So far we’ve covered a general Planning Timeline, Planning guide, Resorts guide, and a Dining guide. If you come across any terms that you’re not familiar with, please refer to these other guides as they’ve defined most of the terms used around WDW. Don’t worry about being whisked away, the links above will open in a new tab. To help we’ve also included maps for your reference.

Walt Disney World Resort Map

Up to this point, we haven’t gone into much detail of how you’ll get around Walt Disney World. As we have mentioned before, it is a big place! With nearly 47 sq miles within its borders, some travel may take a while. In fact, Disney recommends that you plan on at least 1.5 hours when traveling between points. If you’re going by bus that buffer could be consumed quickly. Imagine this: you may have to wait 20 minutes for the bus you want, 20 to 30 minutes on the bus itself, great if that is your final destination (you may only have a 15-minute walk to where you want to be), and unfortunate if you have to wait another 20 minutes for your next 20-minute bus ride. As we said, it is a big place. So why is this important? Unless you’ve been there, it is difficult to appreciate the size of the resort. Time and distance will certainly play a role as you navigate around on your vacation. When you have a 5 pm ADR for Chef Mickey’s and you’re looking at a 4:00 pm FP+ for Expedition Everest you’ll have a sense of its feasibility. Spoiler: it’s not. Expedition Everest is in the Asia portion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is in the back of the park, and you wouldn’t be able to board until 3:55. You’d be fortunate to be exiting the ride by 4:15 pm, with a 15+ minute brisk walk out to the buses, a potential 20-minute wait for a bus to Contemporary Resort, and another 30-minute ride. You’re looking at just over an hour of transit time. If everything goes perfectly, you could make it. We just advocate giving yourself a little more time. Things are hectic enough on vacation, no need for unnecessary stress. This is certainly one of the less glamorous aspects of vacationing at Disney World. It also reinforces why it is important to consult, at a minimum, with people that have recently been there if not experts like the team here at Heyday Travel Company. Sometimes there is just no replacement for experience regardless of how many articles you read. With that out there, let us get on to our article!

Disney Transportation Options

Buses: This service runs primarily from the resorts to the parks and Disney Springs. Busier times of year and days, you may also find them running between the parks at a reduced interval. On average they depart about every 20 minutes. They can sometimes take longer and at peak travel times during the day you could wind up having to wait for multiple buses. Boats: This service is not available at all resorts. However, where they are available, they can be a nice change of pace for transportation. Most commonly available at all of the Magic Kingdom area resorts; running between the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, and the Magic Kingdom. For this guide, we’ll also include the Ferry that runs from the Ticketing and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom. Beyond there, you can also get a boat from Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, as well as Saratoga Springs to Disney Springs and back. Additionally, there are boats running around Crescent Lake. These boats provide transportation between Hollywood Studios, the Swan and Dolphin resorts, Yacht and Beach Club resorts, Boardwalk Inn resort, and Epcot. Monorail: This provides service on three different tracks. There are two loops around the Magic Kingdom area, circling the Seven Seas Lagoon. One is an “express” track from the Ticketing and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom. The other loop is a “local” service starting at the TTC, to the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom, Contemporary then returning to the TTC, in that order. Also available from the TTC is a loop providing service to the Future World entrance at Epcot. If traveling from the Polynesian, we recommend walking to the TTC for the Monorail to Epcot rather than taking the loop around.

Skyliner: This is the newest mode of transportation offered on-site, a gondola system. The main station is located at Caribbean Beach with 3 different legs running to; the International Gateway entrance of Epcot by way of Riviera Resort (which has its own station), Hollywood Studios, and the Hourglass Lake station providing access to the Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts. This has quickly become a favorite among guests and quickly reached transporting 1 Million guests after only a few weeks. Walking: Although technically an option from anywhere, it is only feasible from a few of the resorts. The Epcot resorts around Crescent Lake (Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Clubs, Swan, and Dolphin) can walk to Hollywood Studios or Epcot. Most of the Magic Kingdom area resorts can walk to that park with the Contemporary being the most convenient, with the Grand Floridian and Polynesian resorts now being able to with the new pedestrian bridge being completed.

Ride-hailing / Minnie Van: This service isn’t complimentary as the others are. So what you gain in convenience and time will cost you some money. Sometimes this is well worth the tradeoff. While we do suggest using the other options first, the one area these services really excel is when you’re looking to travel between resorts. Many of the most desired ADRs are at resort locations making it difficult to get there from or back to your resort. In these moments the $15-$20 (approximate averages we’ve spent) is quickly worth it rather than the multi-leg journey otherwise needed. The Minnie Van is a specific service offered in partnership with Lyft in which the drivers are Disney cast members. Recently, this service has been expanded to include more resorts and the Orlando International Airport. This helps maintain the Disney feel while using an outside service and there is an increased cost for this over even regular ride-hail costs. One definite benefit to this service is if you have someone using an electric scooter in your party. Minnie Vans are able to accommodate these but need to be requested at bell services because not all vehicles are equipped to. This may lead to an extended wait for the specific vehicle to come available. Driving: Some people also prefer to rent or drive their own car from the resort to the parks. Keep in mind, there are charges for parking at the parks. I don’t really have much to comment on this other than I know some people like to. This isn’t anything that I’ve done while staying on property.

Disney Theme Parks

With knowing how to get around, we’ll take a look at the 4 primary theme parks in Walt Disney World. Disney's Magic Kingdom Theme Park Map

The Walt Disney World Resort opening on October 1, 1971. At its opening, there was only the Magic Kingdom, now covering 154 acres, and two resorts: Contemporary Resort and Polynesian Resort. All arrivals to the Magic Kingdom take place the front of the park by way of Boats/Ferry, Monorail, and Buses. From the train station at the front of the park, it is about a 10-minute walk to Space Mountain on the right side of the map or Big Thunder Mountain on the left side. These times don’t include what it may take to get from your transportation through security and the ticket kiosks. Disney's Epcot Theme Park Map

Epcot, formerly EPCOT Center, opened October 1, 1982, covering 305 acres, more than twice the size of the Magic Kingdom. The park is divided into two areas, Future World and the World Showcase, currently undergoing a reimagining over the next several years. Epcot allows you to enter at the front of the park into Future World by way of Monorail or Bus. Spaceship Earth is a quick 5-minute walk after security and ticket kiosks with all other locations in Future World taking about 10 minutes. To reach the farthest parts of the World Showcase from the front can easily take you 20 minutes with crowds. You can also enter directly into the World Showcase by way of the International Gateway shown on the right side of the map. This is a quick walk from any of the Crescent Lake area resorts, Boats, and the Skyliner. Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park Map

Disney’s Hollywood Studios, originally known as Disney-MGM Studios, opened May 1, 1989, covering 135 acres. After the recent additions of both Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge, the park now covers 154 acres. All entry to Hollywood Studios is by way of the front gate by way of Buses, Boats, and Skyliner. Galaxy’s Edge, top left of the map, can take you about 10 to 15 minutes to reach after entry depending on the crowds. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, right side, will normally take you about 10 minutes. Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park Map

Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998. It is by far the largest of all of Disney’s theme parks covering 500 acres. To give you some perspective, all of the Magic Kingdom could fit inside of the savannah of the Kilimanjaro Safaris. All-access to Disney’s Animal Kingdom is from the front gate with only Buses servicing the park. It is secluded by design to protect the animals from the noise of fireworks at the other parks. Also because of its size, you can expect to do significant walking here. After entry, it will take about 10 minutes to reach Discovery Island (the central hub) and easily another 10 minutes for all of the other areas from there. If you’re traveling to the Conservation Station your travel time will be extended. There is both the wildlife express train that you’ll take and additional walking after that. “Wow – that’s more geography than I was expecting to need for my vacation!” is a common response. This all contributes to the steep learning curve we’ve mentioned before. Fortunately, that’s what we’re here for! Check back soon as we’ll be covering the FastPass+ system and the attractions with the highest demand.

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