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“Riot” Erupts on Disney World Bus, Guests Trapped on Board

A black and white photo of people sitting inside a Disney bus.
Credit: Disney Tips

A Walt Disney World Resort guest recently shared their harrowing story of getting lost in the Central Florida swampland on a Disney’s Magical Express bus.

Walt Disney World Resort ended the Magical Express bus service on January 1, 2022. The Central Florida Disney park partnered with Mears to offer complimentary transportation to and from Disney Resort hotels and the Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Guests could even put Disney luggage tags on their checked baggage before checking it in at their home airport and have it delivered directly to their Disney Resort hotel rooms.

u/moonbunnychan recently took to Reddit to share an unfortunate experience they had while the Magical Express was still operating. The service made the beginning of their Walt Disney World Resort vacation a “nightmare.”

A Magical Express bus at Walt Disney World Resort.

Credit: Disney Tips

Magical Express used to have a reserved check-in area at Orlando International Airport. Upon arrival, guests would scan their MagicBands, which were complimentary for Disney Resort hotel guests at the time. A Disney cast member would send guests down the correct lane for their Disney Resort hotel.

“I get there and scan my magic band and it has me going through the wrong hotel,” the Disney Park guest wrote. “Took like 15 minutes of arguing and showing them my hotel reservation on my phone for them to let me get on the right bus.”

Although the Magical Express usually made multiple stops at nearby Disney Resort hotels, this one had an unintended additional passenger.

Pop Century

Credit: Disney

“I was going to Pop Century and they randomly put someone going to[Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge] on the bus, which is NOWHERE nearby and the bus driver ended up getting lost,” the guest continued. “We ended up driving around Disney property for a solid hour, turning around in another hotel’s parking lot and you could just feel the tension on the bus rising. Like it legit felt like a riot was about to happen.”

“The bus driver ended up flagging down one of the regular Disney Transportation bus drivers to ask for directions,” they continued.

Before checkout day, Disney Resort hotel guests would receive a packet on their door with their Magical Express pickup time. Sadly, the packet never came to this guest.

Pop Century room

Credit: Disney

“Then when it was time to go back to the airport I never got the Magical Express packet in the door, so I went down to the hotel concierge, they scanned my Magic Band, and it showed me as being booked on a Magic Express bus back two days ago,” the guest recalled. “They were able to fix it but it was a huge fail just all the way around.”

Magical Express has been discontinued for three years.

But Walt Disney World Resort still offers complimentary bus service between Disney Resort hotels and Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney Springs, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, and Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Monorail, watercraft, and Disney Skyliner transportation is available between select destinations.

Monorail outside Magic Kingdom

Credit: Inside the Magic

When traveling from MCO to Disney Resort hotels, guests must book third-party shuttle services, rental cars, or rideshares.

Have you had an unusual experience on a Walt Disney World Resort bus or Monorail? Share your story with Disney Tips in the comments. 

About Jess Colopy

Jess Colopy is a Disney College Program alum and kid-at-heart. When she’s not furiously typing in a coffee shop, you can find her on the hunt for the newest Stitch pin.

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