Disney World is Testing Return of a Popular Perk That Was Removed, Could Other “Disney Bubble” Perk Be Next?

Disney World is testing the return of a popular perk that was utilized by many resort guests before the offering was discontinued as part of the reopening period after the COVID closure. This test has us wondering if the popular Magical Express offering could be the next thing to return.

This pilot program is only being offered at one resort right now, but it could be rolled out further if this test proves successful. That could also then pave the way for additional services meant to keep guests inside the Walt Disney World “bubble” as Universal is opening their new park.

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Disney World Piloting Return of Resort Airline Check-In Service

Walt Disney World is testing out the return of the resort airline check-in service at the Pop Century Resort. Guests staying here and checking bags with Southwest Airlines are able to now check-in their bags through to their final destination directly from the hotel. The service will roll out to more value resorts throughout April.

For guests with flights before 1 pm, bags must be checked the night before the flight and for those with flights after 1 pm bags must be checked in at least four hours before the flight. This service is complimentary.

The service is being run by a third party company that is owned by the same person who's previous company ran this offering at Walt Disney World before the offering was shut down. The owner is closely connected to Orlando tourism and served on the governing board of the land where Walt Disney World is located year. He has been making moves, including recusing himself from boards that would pose a conflict of interest, to establish this new company. All signs point to him setting up the company to be able to expand this offering to all of Walt Disney World.

Of course that is his hope and we don't yet know if this offering will be expanded. Only the popularity of this service will prove to Disney that the service should be expanded to be offered at all times at all resorts.

The service is not being promoted at all beyond word of mouth at the resort as part of this initial test. We could see them sharing this to specific guests as part of the test, but none of that communication has gone out at this time. This information was all first reported by Blog Mickey and shared by trusted Disney World source Scott Gustin.

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Could This Mean Disney's Magical Express is Returning?

Disney leaders recently acknowledged the power of the “Disney bubble” and the concept that once you are on property at Walt Disney World, you don't want to leave because everything is there. This includes all of the great on-propety transportation and previously the free shuttle from the airport that meant you never had to think about paying for transportation.

That bubble was weakened by the introduction of inexpensive rideshare around Disney World that easily allowed for guests to hop over to Universal for the day and was then weakened further when Disney removed the free Disney's Magical Express free airport shuttle offering coming out of the COVID closure.

Some have called for the return of Disney's Magical Express as a response from Disney to the new Universal Epic Universe theme park opening this year. It could also just be a great way to generally strengthen Walt Disney World as a destination. It would mean that guests choosing to come to Walt Disney World would have one more reason to not leave property if they were getting an included ride to and from the airport in the price of their hotel.

The return of the luggage service is a promising sign that Disney could be considering returning Disney's Magical Express because the luggage handling was a complex aspect of that offering. Guests could check their bags through from their home airport to their hotel and then back again.

The same way that an outside company was used for the luggage check, an outside company was also used for Disney's Magical Express. That same outside company, Mears, is currently operating the paid shuttle service from the Orlando airport to Walt Disney World. They have maintained the shuttle infrastructure at the airport and even though the shuttles run half-full sometimes, they are still going. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if part of their decision to keep operating was in part to be ready for if/when Disney decided the service should come back.

The perks like the luggage check-in and Disney's Magical Express are key offerings that make it feel like Walt Disney World is a special resort destination. It also helps to drive the value of a resort stay on-property. These additional perks and the offerings like early entry, extended evening hours, and the ease of use of on-property transportation really add up to convince guests that it's worth it to stay on-property.

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