The Walt Disney World Resort has this week announced that beginning January 1, 2022, Disney’s Magical Express bus transportation service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) will be discontinued.
Unfortunately here will be no FREE replacement option for guests of Disney Resort hotels. Guests can of course utilize paid options such as Uber, Lyft, private car service, etc. or rent their own vehicle – those will be the most likely options Going forward after the end of this year.
The official announcement states that “When Disney Resort hotel bookings open for stays in 2022, we will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service for airport transportation, starting with arrivals Jan. 1, 2022. We will continue to operate the service for new and existing reservations made at Disney Resort hotels for arrivals throughout 2021.”
In addition, Disney has announced that Extra Magic Hours will also be going away and will be replaced by Early Theme Park Entry.
“We know how much guests enjoy extra park time, so coming later this year as part of our 50th anniversary celebration, Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels will be able to enjoy more fun with 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park, EVERY day. It’ll be a great way to get a jump start on your Disney day, no matter the day! As a reminder, the Extra Magic Hours benefit was suspended when Walt Disney World Resort reopened last summer, and as we continue to manage attendance with health and safety top of mind, Extra Magic Hours will not return. The new early theme park entry benefit helps us better spread visitation across all four theme parks, while providing added flexibility by giving guests extra early park time on each day of their vacation and in the park of their choosing. Please note that guests need valid admission and a park reservation made via the Disney Park Pass system to enter a theme park.”
At a time when visitation and revenues have been way down due to covid this really isn’t that much of a surprise and may potentially be followed by other money saving measures – we shall just have to wait and see y’all!