Disney Testing PARTS of Magical Express at Pop Century

Photo and Collage ©Ear Scouts; Magical Express illustration ©Disney

Do you miss the days of dropping your bags off at your Disney Resort on your checkout day and having them magically re-appear at your home airport without you having to lug them around? That was one component of the much-loved Magical Express service that was complimentary for guests staying at Walt Disney World resort hotels before the pandemic closures. It appears that Disney is exploring the possibility of bringing the magic back – or at least part of it.

According to reporting by Blog Mickey, guests staying at Pop Century Resort who are flying Southwest Airlines are currently able to try out a pilot program that allows them to leave their luggage with the luggage services team at the entrance and have it magically arrive at their destination airport. There is a cut-off time to drop off your bags that can be as early as the night before if you have a morning flight and you have to ensure that you already paid the checked baggage fees where applicable.

Magical Express was never run directly by Walt Disney World. There was a baggage partner called Bag Check who handled making sure your luggage magically appeared at your resort and then at your home airport when your plane landed. There was also a transportation partner (Mears) who handled the bus service to and from the airport in Orlando. According to reporting from several outlets at the time the service went away, it was primarily due to the baggage partner ending their service after the extended pandemic disruption. Without that side in place, Disney didn't feel it was worth continuing a much less magical version of Magical Express. According to the report from Blog Mickey, this pilot program is being run by a new company under the leadership of the former owner of Bag Check.

While it is not clear that this pilot could lead to the re-instatement of the full Magical Express service, it does seem clear that Disney is at least thinking about bringing some portion of the much-loved benefit back to Walt Disney World. The pilot service is complimentary, though that is no guarantee that it would continue to be a free service if it returns. As we all know, sometimes free things come back with a price tag attached. (Rest in peace, FastPass – you are gone, but not forgotten.) We do know for certain that Magical Express is at or near the top of many surveys that ask guests to share what they want from their future visits to Walt Disney World and it seems that Disney is listening.