Disney's Magical Express is available to any guest staying onsite at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Guests interested in booking this service can do so online or via phone when making a room reservation. For guests that may not know their flight information at the time they booked their vacation, they can call up to 10 days prior to their flight to schedule Magical Express. Guests must be arriving at the Orlando International Airport in order to utilize the service. Guests receive an information packet and Disney-specific luggage tags via postal mail prior to departing on their vacation. The luggage tags are used to identify incoming luggage at Orlando International Airport and specify which resort and guest name the luggage is to be delivered to. After landing, guest luggage is picked up by a BAGS, Inc. representative and delivered directly to the guest room by a Disney Cast Member, without the guest needing to go to the baggage claim. Guests traveling to Walt Disney World from outside of the United States and Canada do not receive luggage tags; however, they can still utilize Disney's Magical Express. Usually, international guests opt to pick up their own luggage after clearing customs; however, guests wishing to have their luggage delivered to their Disney Resorthotel room can speak with the Cast Members at the Disney's Magical Express Welcome Center at the airport before boarding the motor coach. For the return to the airport, guests are typically scheduled for a motor coach departure from their Disney Resort hotel to Orlando International Airport no less than three hours prior to their flight's scheduled departure time for Domestic flights. Guests must arrive no later than four hours for International flights. On their check-out day, guests can check-in for their flight and check bags at their Disney Resort hotel using the service, available for participating airlines. This service is typically available from 5:00am-12:00 pm at all Disney resort hotels. Those who are not flying with a participating airline, or who wish to forego the service, must check their bags with their air carrier at the airport. Disney's Magical Express also transports guests from Orlando International Airport or their Disney Resort hotel to Port Canaveral for their departures on Disney Cruise Line and back. These buses with Disney Cruise Line livery are used for Walt Disney World Resort transportation during peak times or when there are no cruises departing from port.
History
The Disney's Magical Express service initially faced strong opposition from the Greater Orlando Livery Association and Orlando-area ground transportation companies and taxi cab operators, who argued that it allows Disney to "whisk away" potential customers who would otherwise have continued on to a taxi cab or private transportation service for transportation to their hotel, and keeps them from leaving Disney property during their trip to spend money elsewhere, since they do not need a rental car or other transportation to get to their resort. Despite the initial opposition, the service became extremely popular, carrying 2.2 million people in 2009, and 2.3 million in 2013. In 2010, Allegiant Air announced that they would be moving 10 of their flights from Orlando Sanford International Airport to Orlando International Airport, based partially on the fact that the service only goes to Orlando International. In 2015, Universal Orlando, Disney's main competitor in the area, announced their own airport shuttle to their resort. The Universal service is operated by SuperShuttle, costs $35 round-trip, and has guests take care of their own luggage.
