Top Things You Need to Know About Walt Disney World’s Magical Express

In their continuing attempts to make vacations more streamlined and easier for guests to enjoy, Disney World has Disney’s Magical Express for guests staying at one of their on-property resorts. Magical Express takes care of a lot of the onerous tasks that accompany any vacation. There are aspects of Disney’s Magical Express that you want to keep in mind in deciding whether the service is for you and whether you want to utilize it on your next vacation!

6. Baggage Service

One of the best parts of Magical Express is that they take care of grabbing any checked bags from the airport and getting it to your hotel room.  Prior to your trip, Disney will send you bright yellow bag tags to attach to your luggage to identify your bag as one needing to be picked up.  Disney employees will take your bag from the airport directly to your resort room and deliver it inside so it is waiting for you. The benefit to you is that you don’t have deal with unwieldy bags and you can go directly to the fun once you get to your resort — what better way to relax after a day of travel than a refreshing Dole Whip and stroll in Main Street USA?

5. Add-On Later

Whether you book your vacation yourself or through an authorized Disney vacation planner, you don’t have to commit to Magical Express immediately.  You can always make your reservations and add Magical Express later.  The only issue to be aware of is you may be adding Magical Express to close to your vacation that you may not be able to get the bag tags to have your bags transported by Disney and may have to deal with it yourself!

 

4. Shuttle to Various Hotels

Guests will be grouped with other guests heading to the same resort, as well as nearby resorts.  Each bus handles approximately three to four resorts, so be aware that you might not be the first stop on your shuttle bus.  The bus driver will announce the drop off order before the bus departs the airport so you will know when you will be at your hotel.  After that, sit back and enjoy the ride!

3. Free!

The Magical Express service is free for guests staying on property. Similar to other perks, the cost is built into the cost of your room and it definitely is a service worth taking advantage of.  The flip side of using Magical Express is guests will not have their own personal transportation while on property.  While this may not matter to you, some families may wish to travel to off-property dining, shopping, or daresay that other park across town.  If any of those options appeal to your family, you will have to rely on taxis or ride sharing services.

2. Entertainment

Families with young children will love the entertainment available on the buses.  In addition to being decorated with their favorite characters on the outside of the bus, once onboard, guests will be able to watch informational programming about their visit to Walt Disney World. Once the bus departs the airport, guests will be entertained with a variety of Disney cartoons.  Sit back, relax, and before you know it, you’ll be pulling into your resort!  And not to worry, each bus is equipped with a bathroom.

1. Roundtrip or One Way

Guests can choose whether or not they want a roundtrip. On recent trips where this writer has been traveling solo, I’ve opted not to take Magical Express back to the airport. Guests taking Magical Express back to the airport are required to be aboard their bus 3 hours before your flight leaves, so this cuts into your vacation or your sleep depending on when you are leaving for home. Guests can always take an Uber or Lfyt if they want a little more time to enjoy their vacations!

Magical Express is a great service and may be right for you and your family on your next trip. Have you used Magical Express before? What is your favorite part of the service?