Disney World made the announcement earlier this year that it would be discontinuing its Magical Express service that provided free transportation for Disney hotel guests to go to and from Orlando International Airport.

Magical Express will be officially discontinued on January 1st, 2022. But, there will be a new transportation service replacing Magical Express called Mears Connect. This service will not be free, meaning there is no longer a free option to get to and from the airport and your Disney World hotel (unless you have a friend in the area that wants to give you a ride!). You can take a ride share service like Uber, use a taxi, rent a car, or take the new Mears Connect system. So, let’s take a look at what Mears Connect will cost you!

You may have also taken a Mears bus if you stayed at the Walt Disney World Swan or Dolphin resorts, as they switched over to the company for bus transportation.

Mears Connect will start operating on January 1st, 2022 — the same day Magical Express ends. The service will offer two different levels of transportation you can book: Standard and Express.

Standard service is shared, uses large (buses) and small vehicles, has monitored wait times, and has limited stops. Express service has limited wait times and direct service but is not considered private service.

Standard service is $16 one way and $32 round trip per adult, and $13.50 one way and $27 round trip per child (ages 3-9). Express service (previously called Premium service) is a total of $200 round trip for up to 4 people, and then each additional person is an extra $55. There is currently no one-way Express service — you can only use it for round trip.

So, let’s look at an example! We have a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids flying in on April 17th, 2022, and leaving on April 23rd, 2022. If they use the Standard service for round trip transportation, their total would be $118.

If they use the Standard service for one way transportation, their total would be $59.

Or, they could use the Express service for round trip transportation for $200. This could be better for you if you do not want to share transportation with a lot of other people and want a limited wait time. So, if you’re on a tight schedule, this might be worth the extra money for your party.

And, if this were a family of 5 instead of 4, the cost of Express, round trip service would be $255.

Mears Connect could definitely be worth the cost if you’re traveling solo! You could use the Standard service for $32 round trip, which would likely be less expensive than taking an Uber or a taxi, depending on the time of day and surge prices.

So, it really just comes down to weighing the pros and cons of each service with Mears Connect, or deciding if Mears Connect is better or worse for your trip compared to another form of transportation. If you do decide to use Mears Connect, you can book your transportation right now using their website. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World tips, info, and news.

Click here to see how the cost of Mears Connect compares to an Uber!

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How will you be getting to and from the airport and Disney World without Magical Express? Let us know in the comments!

The post How Much the Magical Express Replacement in Disney World Will Cost You first appeared on the disney food blog.