Even though Magical Express was booked free through Disney, MEARS was actually the company that ran the buses, so they were already experts in providing mass airport transfers.
Here is the full list of resorts that MEARS CONNECT can take you to and pick you up from:
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
B Resort & Spa
Disney’s Art of Animal Resort
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disney’s Carribean Beach Resort
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace – Disney Springs
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Disney Springs
Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs
JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort
Orlando World Center Marriott
Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
Walt Disney World Dolphin
Walt Disney World Swan
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs
MEARS CONNECT actually has two different services. The “Standard Service” is the service that you may already be familiar with if you have ever ridden Magical Express. You will share a big motorcoach bus with other guests, and the bus will likely be making additional stops to other hotels. You may get lucky and be the first stop, but you may also be the last.
The current round-trip cost for this service is $32 per adult and $26 per child. Like Sunshine Flyer, you can book one-way trips for half the cost.
The “Express Service” is a service that will take you directly to your hotel, and then directly back to the airport. The price includes all tolls and other surcharges. One thing to keep in mind is that this is NOT a private service. It is still a shared service, so you will be riding a bus or van with other guests (unless you get lucky), but the other guests will have the same destination that you do. You will not have to worry about additional stops causing long delays.
The current round-trip price for this service is a fixed price of $238.10 for up to 4 passengers. If you have more than 4 passengers, each additional passenger will be $52.38 extra. The express service can only be booked round trip from the airport to your hotel and back again. Currently, one-way trips using the express service are not offered.
Before you book the express service with MEARS CONNECT, you may want to check into the price of a private transfer. A private transfer will also take you directly to your hotel, but without any other passengers. If the additional passengers don’t bother you, it would also behoove you to know that some private transfers may be cheaper than MEARS CONNECT’s express service.
On the other hand, one nice thing about booking express service with MEARS CONNECT is that you they have a dedicated area in the airport with customer service agents ready to help you, so you won’t have to worry about not knowing what to do if a driver doesn’t show up. If something goes wrong with a private transfer, hopefully you already know who the driver is so you can just contact them. If not, you will likely have to call the customer service line for the company you booked through.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a replacement for Magical Express, MEARS CONNECT is an easy option that will give you a similar experience. The only difference (other than having to pay for the service) is that you will have to claim your bags before you get on your bus.
Of course, there are also a plethora of private transfer companies to choose from to get you to your hotel and back again. Ride share services, such as UBER and Lyft, are also an option. Then, of course, there are always an old-fashioned Taxicab. I am not going to go into detail for every single one of those options right now. The list would be endless! However, there are pros and cons to every one of these options. For families with young children, the biggest pro for using a shared Motorcoach service, like MEARS CONNECT, is that you don’t have to worry about bringing or renting car seats.
If you need help choosing what is best for you, contact me at
stephen@lostinadventuretravel.com to book your trip. I can go over your best options. I can even get it all set up for you if you choose one of these shared services or certain private transfers.
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