Mears launching new shuttle service to Disney resorts starting in 2022 — but it’ll cost you
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For an overwhelming number of visitors landing at Orlando International Airport (MCO), getting to the Walt Disney World area is the first order of vacation business.
Loyal park visitors got a shock earlier this year when an official statement released by Walt Disney World announced the move to terminate the complimentary Disney’s Magical Express bus service, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
To fill that gap next year, Mears Transportation Group, which currently operates Disney’s Magical Express bus, has announced it will launch its own direct shuttle service to Walt Disney World resorts from the airport, starting in Jan. 2022.
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According to an official statement from the Central Florida transportation company, the Mears Connect service will initially link visitors arriving at MCO to resorts in the Walt Disney World area aboard “high occupancy vehicles” and offer similar amenities — including luggage handling service, return trips and convenient staging at the airport terminal, enjoyed by passengers on Disney’s Magical Express since 2005.
A significant difference, of course, is that the new service will not be free.
While prices have yet to be announced, guests will be able to make reservations for 2022 bookings starting this May, according to the Mears Connect website, where you can sign up for notifications.
“It is important for visitors to know they still have many of the same safe transportation options for their Orlando visit, all offered by the same company who has been providing seamless, economical, and hassle-free transportation for decades,” Roger Chapin, a Mears spokesman, said in an official company statement.
The termination of Disney’s Magical Express Bus is just one of many changes at Walt Disney World to keep in mind when planning a trip in 2021 and beyond.
And while the Disney Magical Express will continue to offer service until its official termination date, luggage delivery is no longer provided for passengers arriving and departing from Orlando International Airport.
Keep in mind that MCO is serviced by rideshare options like Lyft and Uber and airport taxi service, too, in case the group shuttle thing was never for you, anyway.
Feature image by Summer Hull / The Points Guy.
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