Many Disney World fans are still in mourning over the loss of one beloved bus ride.
Disney’s Magical Express was a service that took guests from the Orlando International Airport to their hotels for free. This service is now gone, and it’s been replaced by a few similar (paid) options. But there’s going to be ANOTHER choice for getting from the airport to Disney World soon — and it’s much faster than a bus.
Have you heard about the new Brightline train route that’s going to extend from the Orlando International Airport to Disney World?
This route will take guests to a stop near Disney Springs, where they’ll be able to board a bus to their Disney World hotel. The train will probably not start transporting guests until at least 2026, but now we’ve got a BIG update on its current progress!
According to Brightline, the first train for the Orlando route has officially arrived! This train’s name is “Bright Blue 2,” and it’s a 6-car vehicle with 2 locomotives and 4 passenger cars. It arrived at a maintenance facility close to the Orlando International Airport.
This is the first Brightline train to arrive in Orlando! Bright Blue 2 traveled about 3,000 miles from Sacramento to get to Florida.
This is the second of 5 new trains that are scheduled to arrive in Florida for the new Brightline station in Orlando. Another member of this set, “Bright Red 2,” is already in Florida, although this one is in West Palm Beach right now.
Brightline said this about the trains: “The stainless-steel coaches are made with components from more than 160 suppliers across 27 states. They are designed for luxury and comfort, featuring special ergonomic seating, contemporary communication systems, and enhanced Wi-Fi. Thanks to wide aisles, wheelchair storage, and fully accessible restrooms, the Venture train set exceeds ADA requirements from end to end.”
Brightline also announced that the Orlando extension project is about 70% complete now. Note that this project is connecting the Orlando International Airport to another existing Brightline station (in West Palm Beach). Connecting the airport to Disney World is a separate project, which isn’t expected to begin until 2024.
We’re excited to see this major project start to come together in Orlando! Keep following AllEars for more of the latest news from the Disney parks.
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Would you take the Brightline train to Disney World? Let us know in the comments.
I’m very much looking forward to the train from MCO to Disney World! Yes, I’ll need to reduce my luggage needs to affect an easier transition. Maybe Disney can come up with a luggage shuttle?
And how much is this going to add to a family of 4 to an already much higher cost for everything at Disney
I don’t care so much about state of the art comfort or enhanced Wi-Fi. As a traveler with sometimes four large suitcases to pull, I am thinking about that. Magical Express did a lot of heavy lifting for families. Now luggage/strollers/backpacks and carry ons loom large for us. It is perhaps a number one concern. Where will our luggage go? Then if you do make it to Disney Springs bus stop , what then? I doubt you can load all your luggage on a Disney resort bus. That’s why Mears Connect works so well. It is an exact replica of Magical Express. Except now a family of four has to pay over $100 for what once was a free perk. A perk that contributed peace of mind for millions of Disney guests annually. And I doubt “hopping “ on a train will be that easy. The one problem with Allears and all locals who observe Disney: you are not a tourist traveling thousands of miles on a stressful travel day.
I think the best is two luggage – most trips are for a week. It is a lot of drop offs , mco, train, Disney spring bus. Wifi is needed if you need to check reservations, etc.
“But there’s going to be ANOTHER choice for getting from the airport to Disney World soon — and it’s much faster than a bus.” I’m Wondering how this can be so? After landing at MCO you will need to get yourself and your luggage to the Brightline train station. Then after arriving at Disney Springs you will need to get yourself and luggage to a bus that will take you and your luggage to your resort. That is if you’re the first stop. My guess the busses from Disney Springs to the resort will stop at 3 resorts total.
Getting excited about something that may happen in 2026 is pretty difficult. I would have to see the logistics of this: How easy it will be to access the train at the airport? How frequently it will run? How often the buses to the resort will run and how close to the train station at Disney Springs they will be? How luggage will be handled? And , of course, the cost in comparison to other modes of transportation? A while back All Ears estimated by comparing the cost of what a train will cost from Palm Beach per mile, that a ride to Disney Springs would be like $8 each way. Seems a bit of a stretch to think it will be that cheap. Ultimately , for me, you can look at the shiny new object and say OOOH and AAAH, but the attraction will be in the details.