Reviews of Walt Disney World’s Magical Express
Reviewed by Georgia G Review Date: 09/29/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
Our family used the shuttle to going from the resort to the airport and everything went really smoothly. I left the room first, so I had my luggage storaged at the resort so I could leave the room and still go to the parks.
Pros:
The ride to the airport went really fast with the interaction on board and the last sprinkles of magic :')Cons:
I think if you do things in a rush, chances are you can mess up - so plan and take your time to follow the instructions, read the info and if you have questions, ask to the cast members before jumping on a bus or to double check if you are ok.Reviewed by ctnbjedi Review Date: 09/29/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
It's always nice when you do not have to struggle with your luggage. You get your luggage tags about a month in advance, and once you drop your bags at your home airport you fo not see them till they arrive in your room.
Pros:
Luggage handling is the best.Cons:
Slow loading and unloading of wheelchair passengers.Reviewed by Jane Buie Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
Who wouldn't love free transportation and delivery of your bags straight to your resort? It's a no brainer... In the "old days" we used to hire a car to and from the airport, depending on the size of our group. Sometimes it would be $150 each way and then add in the tip. After arriving we had to tote our own bags. I think recent new visitors don't realize what a great deal this service is!
Pros:
Everything done for you and you only have to drop your carry-ons (if you have them) at your resort before running to your first park!Cons:
Sometimes the buses take longer than usual but that's very infrequentReviewed by janiceb402 Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
It's a free ride from the airport! You used to have to pay $36 or something like that from Mears. They pick up your luggage for you and deliver it to your room. There are cartoons and fun Disney videos on the bus on the way. What's not to like????? Yes, it does sometimes take a while for your luggage to get delivered to your room. So take your medications, your bathing suit, one set of Florida clothes in your carry-on bag and you are in good shape. If you are traveling with small children, this is the way to go: they can be entertained by the videos during the trip. On one trip I was traveling with a person with a mobility disability. I called ahead and they made sure that we got a bus with handicapped lift. That lift and not having to carry your luggage made all the difference in the world on that trip. One time (out of about 50 Magic Express trips)our bus had to pull over to the side of the highway and we had to transfer to a different bus. They managed to make even that seem like an adventure. Only giving a 9 for the long luggage wait. But I can live with that given all the service that you get for FREE.
Pros:
easy, fun, no extra chargeCons:
sometimes long wait until luggage arrivesReviewed by Karen Schlaker Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
great benefit of staying onsite if you are flying to Orlando
Pros:
very easy to useCons:
pick up time to return to the airport makes you loose park time; would love to see option where you could check your luggage in the morning before going to the theme park and have the bus to the airport pick you up at the theme parksReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (5) Recommended
I have used Magical Express many times without problems, so I know our experience this time is not the norm. We arrived just after an influx of cheerleaders so the line for the All Star Resorts stretched all the way back to the podium where you first tap your MagicBands. One of our party uses a cane, one has a walking cast, and one has a bad back, but no options were offered other than standing in the long, slow moving line (I did not know about 2/3 of these ailments prior to arrival or I would have made alternative arrangements!). Thankfully, we were able to take advantage of the first row of seats reserved for "those in need". We stopped at Animal Kingdom Lodge before All Star Sports, and the bus was continuing on to All Star Movies as well.
I landed at 4:45 and the other members landed at 5:45. We returned from dinner at the Beach Club close to 10pm and there was no luggage in either of our rooms. I know that with online check in and the ability to bypass the front desk, "3 hours after check in" is a little more in flux than it used to be...but that is still a VERY long time. I attempted to call Bell Services but they didn't answer, so I went to the desk in person. The manager said they got slammed with three trucks of luggage delivery at once (darn those cheerleaders) and she could see my room's bags were at the resort, having arrived two hours ago, but weren't "Ready" for delivery yet. She said I "should" have them by 11pm. They arrived at 11:03.
Our friends had even worse luck. One of them called to bell services when their luggage still hadn't been delivered by about 11:15 and was told the woman was "going to check". She was left on hold for about 15 minutes with no update - after 11pm the phone rings to the DME people instead of the bell services desk. When they finally returned to the line, my friend was told they had no flight information on her and didn't know where the bags were. As their travel agent, I had email confirmation of submitting their flight info and having it approved. Additionally, the got onto the bus in the first place with no trouble, so they clearly existed in the reservation system. The luggage was finally found and delivered after 12:15am. I'll continue to recommend this service and use it myself if not renting a car, but I'm not sure our friends believed me that it really isn't normal for this situation to happen and doubt they would use it again.
Pros:
Free, bus is comfortableCons:
Long line due to cheerleaders, very delayed luggage deliveryReviewed by rowansam Review Date: 12/06/2017
Rating: (6) Recommended
I have used Disney's Magical Express since it began years ago. I love how it's accessible and free to all guests staying on site. They recently changed their pick-up procedure from 3 hours to 4 hours ahead of your scheduled departure time. My flight was due to take off at 6:45 AM and I was picked up at 2:35 AM. Not only did I arrive at MCO at 3 AM I also arrived 45 minutes before TSA opened! Since you cannot proceed to your gate till you go through security I was forced to sit for 45 minutes. Once I was through security at 3:05 AM I still had 2.5 hours till my flight even boarded! I think getting people to the airport early is GREAT! But for a 6:45 AM flight I do not think that I needed to be there prior to TSA enjoying their breakfast. Just be aware of when your flight takes off in the morning you might be better off taking an Uber.
Pros:
Free, Comfortable and AccessibleCons:
4 Hour Pick up TimeReviewed by Gingy160 Review Date: 12/06/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
When we go to WDW we go only to WDW, so the Magical Express is fantastic -- easy, convenient. However, the recent change to picking guests up FOUR HOURS before their flight home is uncool for those of us with TSA PreCheck. It's bad enough that we have to leave WDW, but to sit in the airport for over three hours doing nothing is just adding insult to injury. I'm hoping Disney adds the option of taking a later bus if you have PreCheck ...
Pros:
EasyCons:
Pick up is too earlyReviewed by debg32 Review Date: 06/23/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
We have used this many times. It is a great service Disney provides and definitely saves money on a rental car if you do not plan to leave the Disney Resort Area. My only complaint is they do not leave enough time for returning to the airport. We had a 7:50pm flight, boarding beginning at 7:20pm. Our pick up time was 5pm. It would sound like that is enough time but I do not like the stress of "are we going to make it in time". We had 2 stops after we were picked up. With the construction around the Disney property, from pick up time to actually getting off Disney property was 1 hour. You have an approximate 30 minute trip to the airport barring any delays. Then check in and security to get through. Knowing we weren't getting home until late, we wanted to sit and have dinner before boarding our flight. It ended up waiting in line for fast food and rushing to the gate. Disney needs to take traffic and other stops into account when assigning your return time.
Pros:
Saves money on not having to rent a carCons:
Not enough time allowed when returning to airportReviewed by goofy12 Review Date: 04/03/2017
Rating: (5) Recommended
We usually rent a car, but since it was a short trip(March 23 - 26) we used the Magical Express for the first time. Our plane landed at 7:30 p.m.. When we got to the ME check-in, our bus was already there. We waited about 10 minutes for others to board. We checked into Port Orleans Riverside, went to Disney Springs and returned to our room around 11:30. No luggage. I called bell services around 12:15 a.m. and they said our luggage had just left the airport 10 minutes earlier. It arrived at our room at 1:30. Everything I read said it could take up to 4 hours for it to arrive to your room - not to leave the airport. I would consider using ME again if we arrived early in the morning, but never again for an evening flight.
