One of the benefits of staying at a Disney World resort hotel is the complementary transportation to your resort. The Magical Express bus has service to and from the Orlando International Airport (MCO). When you book your hotel you can add this service one-way or round trip for all guest traveling in your group. If you don’t have your flight information at the time of booking you can add it later by calling (407) 939-1936.
If you book the Magical Express and your flight arrives between 5am and 10pm you have the option of letting Disney get your checked bags for you. About 2 weeks before your travel date you will get yellow luggage tags for each guest. If you attach these to your checked bags Disney will bring them to your resort room for you, no need to wait around at baggage claim! It does take about 3 hours after your flight arrives for the luggage to be delivered to your room. If you are getting in later in the evening be aware that your bags may not be delivered until the following morning. Also make sure your magic bands and any other important items are not in the checked luggage if you will need them right away.
Once your flight arrives at the airport just make your way over to side B on the ground floor. There are plenty of signs leading they way. Make sure you have your Magic bands available since they will be scanning those to verify which resort to take you too.
The Magical Express buses do not have set times for leaving but they try to get as many guest on board based on incoming flights. They also make multiple stops, the driver will let you know the order of the resort stops before you take off and announce each hotel as you stop. One of the downside to using this service is that it can take a bit to get from the airport to your hotel. If you are booking fastpass or dining reservations keep in mind it takes over 30 minutes to arrive at the first resort stop from the airport.
If you have luggage with you the driver will store it below the bus, there is a little overhead space on board for smaller bags. Some buses have seat belts and some don’t and they do not allow car seats so babies can just sit in your lap. During the drive to your resort you can watch a video with info on how to make the most of your Disney vacation and once that’s ended classic Mickey cartoons play. Before you know it you will be at your hotel and ready to start your vacation.
If you are taking the Magic Express back to the airport at the end of your vacation Disney will place your return information on your hotel door the day before you depart. This will have your scheduled pick up time listed and it’s usually about 3 hour before your flight take off time. Depending on which airline you are flying out with you may be able to check your luggage at the resort and Disney will bring it to the airport for you.
The Magical Express can be a great benefit when staying onsite at a Disney World hotel. The only downside is that you are on their time and it can take up to an hour to get to your hotel if you are the last stop. But this is a great money saver for us and one of the main reasons we stay at a Disney resort. It is also great to not have to worry about carting around your luggage, especially if you are traveling with kids.