Universal Is Spending Millions To Make It Easier To Get To the Resort From the Airport, While Disney Ignores the Problem

Longtime Disney World fans will remember the greatness of the Magical Express. Guests would head to the basement of Orlando International Airport and jump on a bus that would take them directly to their Walt Disney World Resort Hotel.

Magical Express Bus pulling up at the resort — Credit: Disney

Disney would take care of your luggage, and it would magically appear in your room later that day. The Magical Express took the hassle out of traveling to and from the airport, and best of all, it was completely free.

However, like many other freebies guests received before the pandemic, the Magical Express has disappeared and shows no signs of returning. Now, guests can pay per person to use the Mears Connect service to take them from the airport to their Disney World hotel. Guests can also take a cab or an Uber, but those can be costly.

There is potential for another, cheaper option to take from the airport to Disney World, but Disney does not appear to be interested in supporting that option.

SunRail is a commuter rail that runs through Orlando and into the suburbs. SunRail does not connect Orlando International Airport to Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort, but that could change.

Last month, the Florida Department of Transportation announced that it was allocating $2 million to conduct a study on the viability of extending SunRail from the airport to Disney World with stops at Universal and the Orlando Convention Center. To aid in the effort, Universal announced that it was contributing an additional $2 million to the study.

Orange and Seminole Counties and the city of Orlando have announced that they will each contribute $500,000. Estimates suggest that the study will cost approximately $6 million.

Fountain at the Orlando International Airport (MCO) — Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the Magic

The study is the first step to getting approval from the state and federal governments. Last year, the Florida DOT estimated that the “Sunshine Cooridor” of the SunRail would cost approximately $4 billion to complete.

Universal has already set aside land near Epic Universe for a SunRail station should the project move forward. However, there is one noticeable absence from this process.

Disney’s Issues With SunRail

Disney World has not yet announced that it will contribute to the study. The proposed station would be at Disney Springs, which could cause additional problems for Disney World guests.

For Disney World guests, Disney Springs seems to be the perfect destination before getting to their resort hotel. Guests took Dinsey World buses to get from Disney Springs to their resort hotel, but that plan had a problem.

Map showing a proposed map of the Sunshine Corridor in orlando, with key locations like disney springs, orange county convention center, and orlando international airport marked, including a legend for route types. — Credit: Florida Department of Transportation

According to Disney World’s websites, luggage is not allowed on Disney Resort buses. So, without the ability to transfer luggage, Disney guests would still have to take a taxi or Uber from Disney Springs to their resort hotel.

This inconvenience adds an additional layer of travel and planning to a Disney World vacation that seems unnecessary and expensive.

So, while Universal eagerly tries to get its guests from the airport to its resort, Disney is still trying to ensure that its guests spend every last dime on vacation.