IMPORTANT: Guests must be 16 or older to travel unaccompanied on Disney's Magical Express
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World and staying at a Disney owned resort, you’ll be able to take advantage of complimentary airport shuttle service, luggage delivery and airline check-in.
Disney's Magical Express service allows guests to check their luggage at their hometown airport and have it taken directly from the Orlando International Airport to their Disney Resort. (This service is patterned after the luggage system used by Disney Cruise Line guests who use DCL transfers.)
At the Magical Express Welcome Center, guests can pre-register for the Resort Airline Check-In Service (You must be using one of the participating airlines as noted below.)
While the inbound domestic airlines are not restricted, outbound pre domestic flight check in at the resort is limited to guests flying on:
AirTran Airways
Alaska Airline
American
Delta
Continental
Jet Blue
Northwest
United/Ted
USAir
If you are not using one of these carriers, you can still use Magical Express but you will need to check-in for your flight at the airport.
In order to pre-register, you must do so at least two calendar days prior to your departure. If the length of your stay prevents you from doing this, you can still go to the desk to use this service.
When pre-registering, you still need to go to the Resort Airline Check-in desk with your bags and to get your boarding pass.
Magical Express guests can check-in at any time on their day of departure as long as it is not less than 3 hours prior to their flight departure time.
The operating hours are 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily. Below is the full set of policies for using the Resort Airline Check-In Service:
Flying domestically (includes Puerto Rico an the US Virgin Islands)
On their day of departure, Guests must check-in no less than 3 hours prior to their flight departure time
Guests with a flight departure time before 8:00 a.m. must check-in at the airport
For families traveling together, a parent or guardian may check-in for their spouse and minor children
Some Guests may be selected to check-in at the airport and may not be able to use the service
Luggage must be 50 pounds or less to use the service
A valid government issued photo ID and Key to the World Card are required
Things you can expect with Magical Express:
Luggage arriving very late
70-90 minutes of transportation time
Multiple stops at Disney resorts for other guests
The Disney's Magical Express complimentary shuttle service is provided by Mears Transportation. Upon arrival at the Orlando International Airport, guests are greeted by a Disney representative. They will then be directed to the Disney Welcome Center which will be located on the Level One/B side of the airport and be scheduled for the next available shuttle.
When returning home, guests are notified the day prior to their departure of the pick-up time. The Motor Coach is scheduled to pick up guests approximately 3 hours prior to their flight departure. Guests are picked up directly from their Disney resort.
Transportation is provided round the clock and is available seven days a week. Guests using the Disney's Magical Express service should anticipate sharing transportation with vacationers staying at the other Disney resorts.
These services are provided through a partnership with the Orlando International Airport, Mears Transportation, BAGS Inc., ARINC Incorporated, the Transportation Security Administration and the participating airlines.
Disney's Magical Express can be booked with any new package or room-only reservation. Disney will need to be provided with the Originating/connecting city into the Orlando airport, the departure destination, the Airline carrier and the flight numbers.
If the flight has not been booked when the Disney resort reservation is made, it can be added up to 10 days in advance.
Documentation will be provided twenty-one days prior to arrival. Guests will receive an Airport Transportation Booklet which will provide an overview of the service and will also have the luggage tags which are to be attached to the checked bags prior to departure. If the Disney's Magical Express service is added inside of 10 days of arrival, alternate arrangements will be made.
This service is for domestic travel only and is not offered to guests staying at the Swan/Dolphin hotels, the seven hotels in the Hotel Plaza Boulevard vicinity and Shades of Green.
Travel on your own schedule!
Get to your resort within 45 minutes of arrival!
No Waiting for others to be dropped off!!
Luggage assistance - your luggage stays with you!!
We recently stayed at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Villas. We had a rental car and transported our own luggage from Port Canaveral. Our bags were checked in at Bell Services until our room was ready. That evening we received a phone call asking us if we had gotten an extra suitcase. We had not, but we couldn't help but wonder if "Magical Express" is the reason some poor guest didn't get all of their luggage.
At the Wilderness Lodge, we saw a lot of suitcases with Magical Express tags lined up on a secluded walkway. We also saw a lot of luggage out in the open at the Beach Club. Again, out of the way, but at least visible.
It made us wonder whose watching your possessions? From appearances, it seems that the volume of luggage is exceeding the resort's storage capacity. Quite frankly, it seemed as if we could have easily taken a bag without anyone noticing. Perhaps our observation was wrong, but we didn't see anyone keeping an eye on them.
At both resorts, the bell staff was very busy. It's doubtful that they would notice anyone wheeling off a bag, particularly from behind the bushes at WL. I hope I'm wrong, but it did give me pause for concern.
I should note that my kids have used Magical Express at both of these resorts without a problem. I also need to mention that I haven't noticed any complaints about this on the Transportation board. Still, seeing what I did combined with that phone call, I'm thinking twice about using Magical Express in the future.
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