If you’re traveling to WDW by way of MCO, you have a few different transportation options that will get you to your Disney resort hotel. We’ve used Mears Connect in the past (which I’ve previously done a full review on—find it here!), or you could get an Uber or a Lyft, if that works for you. When we traveled to Disney World in October 2022, we booked a fairly new transportation option called The Sunshine Flyer. Keep reading to find out our thoughts on this service and whether or not we recommend it!

What is Sunshine Flyer?

Sunshine Flyer is a coach bus shuttle service between the Orlando airport and Walt Disney World. It must be booked in advance (at least 4 days before service), which you can do on their website. When you book, you will need to provide your flight information (flight number and airline) and the name of the Disney resort where you’re staying. They service all Disney World area resorts, including the Swan and Dolphin resorts.

A few days before your service, you’ll receive an e-mail with a link to your “tickets,” which you will use to check in when you arrive in Orlando. And, if you booked round-trip, you’ll also receive an e-mail the day before your return service letting you know what time the bus will pick you up.

Sunshine Flyer does not provide airport luggage services, meaning you need to have your luggage in hand before going to check in for your shuttle service.

Why not use rideshare?

This is a great question, and rideshare might work great for some people! Just a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on using Lyft or Uber as your MCO to WDW transportation: (1) The time you’ll be traveling. Surge pricing for Uber and Lyft is real, and depending on how many people are in your party, it might not make sense to pay up to $75 one way for an Uber from MCO to WDW. (2) If you have littles. It might be tricky to obtain an Uber or Lyft with a carseat unless you bring one yourself. Motorcoach busses do not require littles to sit in a carseat.

the inside of a motorcoach bus with tv screens coming down from the ceiling. on the tv screen it says "thank you for traveling with the sunshine flyer."
Benefits of The Sunshine Flyer

We had an overall great experience using The Sunshine Flyer as our MCO to WDW transportation! Booking was a breeze, and their customer service was exceptional. We ended up with a split stay for our trip, so I had to change our pick-up resort for our return service after we’d already booked. I was able to do it all through e-mail quickly and easily with friendly and helpful service. I so appreciated that I didn’t have to call!

The Sunshine Flyer is themed to look like a 1920s train engine, which is so much fun! Even the bus drivers are dressed like train conductors. If you have kids that love trains, they would absolutely love this! All the staff we interacted with were very friendly and helpful.

It was quick! We checked in around 1:30, were on a bus by 1:40, and were pulling into our resort by 2:10. Possibly the smoothest travel day we’ve ever had! We also loved the on-board entertainment, which included trivia questions and vintage train cartoons.

a motorcoach bus painted on the outside to look like a 1920 steam train in the background with two employees in the foreground, one dressed as a 1920s train conductor. the bus says the sunshine flyer, which is a new mco to wdw transportation option.
Potential Drawbacks

We were very lucky that we didn’t have to wait long before we boarded our bus to our resort. The entire check-in and waiting area for Sunshine Flyer is outdoors. It is shaded, but if you’re traveling during a season when Orlando feels like the surface of the sun, I can definitely see it getting hot and uncomfortable if you have a long wait. Luckily I’ve seen recently via Sunshine Flyer’s Instagram page that they’ll soon be moving their check-in area inside. I hope the waiting area will be inside too!

Unfortunately, we did experience a bit of a chaotic return journey, but I’m sure this was a one-off and not a common experience. Our ride arrived a bit delayed and was not a motorcoach (so no on-board entertainment), but a van. The driver was not very communicative and seemed a bit stressed about getting us to the airport on time. Thankfully we got there with no issues. But it felt a little off compared to the ease of our arrival service.

And lastly, when we used The Sunshine Flyer last fall, the price was exactly the same as Mears Connect. (It cost us about $45 each way, which we felt was reasonable, and we didn’t want to be subject to potential surge pricing of Uber or Lyft.) The prices have changed a little since then, so it will depend on the size of your party on whether or not this would be a good value for you. The requirements for a child fare also vary between Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect (for Mears a child is 3–9, with Sunshine Flyer a child is 3–12). The below screenshot was taken on Sunshine Flyer’s website on January 15, 2023.

Overall

I wouldn’t hesitate to use Sunshine Flyer again! On our arrival day, the service was as smooth and as quick as it could possibly be. Even with our less-than-ideal return journey, I think we’d still use Sunshine Flyer again. For us, it will often come down to cost! I hope Sunshine Flyer stays competitive with Mears Connect. Even with it’s fun theme and good service, I think cost will be the deciding factor for most guests!

If you’ve been to Disney World recently, what transportation service have you used between MCO and WDW? On our next trip we plan to use rideshare, so I will be sure to let you know how that goes for us!

an image of a motorcoach bus painted to look like a green 1920s steam train on the outside. the door to the bus is open along with two door to the luggage compartment on the bottom. above the image the text reads: "the new mco to wdw transportation option: the sunshine flyer."