Any guess what the cost of Mears will be to get from airport to resort?

People keep tossing around costs like $40-$50 per person. But an Uber or Lyft can tale up to 4 people for $40 and they can do it faster and with better service
A couple years ago we paid $35 for SIL’s Uber to MCO from AKL, plus tip. During spring break surge pricing came in to play and some people were getting $80+ quotes one way (one report was $135). That scenario hasn’t been very common but I wonder if it could once DME is offline.
 
But they can also probably use smaller buses at differing times, and roll more resorts into a single trip.

My point is mostly that it has been proven people won't blink at $35 per head. Heck, when they were doing Minnie Vans at whatever ridic cost from resort to MCO they were booked solid.

And people need to remember that there are more than just DVC and those people have to add the cost of parking to any rental car costs. That alone, IMO, will keep those guests using Mears Connect assuming it’s priced reasonably.

I think people will just roll with it in most cases.
 
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A couple years ago we paid $35 for SIL’s Uber to MCO from AKL, plus tip. During spring break surge pricing came in to play and some people were getting $80+ quotes one way (one report was $135). That scenario hasn’t been very common but I wonder if it could once DME is offline.

Surge pricing in effect for us that week. And it was just two. We waited for DME and it probably added an extra 20 minutes since the wait for rideshare was long.
 
There are 50 million passengers traveling through MCO in a year. The idea that every bus provider, rental car agency and rideshare will somehow collude to drive prices through the roof is kinda ridiculous. If vendors try to operate under excessive prices, competitors will line up to steal that business.

Mears probably knows a thing or two about how to operate mass transportation efficiently and profitably. And they seem to be well positioned to fill the void being created by DME. Building a brand and reputation among the millions of travelers visiting WDW and USF--for decades to come--is far more important than gouging travelers from day one.
 


What would you do traveling elsewhere?

Well, I have a car usually. So it is a nonissue. The only place my DD has flown is Disney with DME. I have read horror stories about car seats in cabs. Might be fine, but it definitely gives me pause. I have a Chicco Nextfit Zip, and it's huge. There's no way I would carry it on a plane.

We bought one of these when our DD was that age. Very easy to use and shrinks up nice and small to pack.


This is fabulous! Thank you! Exactly what I would need - an easy quick booster for short cab rides.

On DME, I never worried about car seats and that was definitely a plus with the service. I realize Mears will continue that and I'm open to doing it that way, but if the cost is prohibitive I might just get a cab. This would allow us to have something in a cab for that short drive.
 
the more I think about this, the more it seems like Mears is not going to be successful with this business and it will die quickly. The world has changed in the last 15 years. This is going to be a very difficult product for Mears to run economically. People keep tossing around costs like $40-$50 per person. But an Uber or Lyft can tale up to 4 people for $40 and they can do it faster and with better service. Without DME, Mears has a very limited service it can offer. I would not want to be in Mears marketing for this service.. "Take our new service - we can deliver you to Disney resorts slower than other services for more money and less personalized service! We don't work with Mickey Bands anymore either. And we no longer can even play Mickey video's!" .Economically it's a loss for most consumers or at best a break even,.

To make this make sense, Mears would have to find a way to transport 3 people both directions for under $80. That's the MAXIMUM they can change ang break even with Uber - under $30 per person BOTH WAYS. If they can't do that, they can't stay attractive for a large enough customer base to keep the service alive.

It will stick around for a while because of inertia. Disney is a surprising beast in that so many people who pay thousands of dollars otherwise do not do any research<boggle>. So there will always be a percentage of people that show up expecting everything will already be done for them - and I anticipate mears will take walk-ins - so a number of people will just wander up to them and hand over their credit card for transport to Disney assuming that's how it's done. But that group will continue to shrink as time goes on.

15 years ago, MANY people balked at Uber and Lyft and similar services. It was either yellow cab or Mears. But the world has changed and Mears is going to find itself in a complex and difficult market being squeezed from both ends economically.
I think people were thinking $50 round trip. DCL is $70 round trip and it’s a lot longer ride. If $50 RT is the price I can see using it for my DD to come in and meet us, but I will probably get a towncar and get better service and save $$ on the grocery delivery we always arrange.
 
We used Mears a couple of years ago to go from MCO to Bonnet Creek. I want to say it was around $30/person one way. I recall that it was very slow, there were several non-Disney stops along the way, and we were the last one. We were in a large mini-van.
 


I think people were thinking $50 round trip. DCL is $70 round trip and it’s a lot longer ride. If $50 RT is the price I can see using it for my DD to come in and meet us, but I will probably get a towncar and get better service and save $$ on the grocery delivery we always arrange.

Yup, and what I am saying is that for most family units, $50 per person round trip is too high. They need to hit $30 round trip to compete with Uber wince the average Disney family is 3, so at $30 per person round trip, that would be $90 compared to an Uber for 3 both ways which is $80.
 
We are Canadian and won’t be travelling back until at least 2022, By then DME will be gone. I don’t Uber. Also, how would we book the Mears service?
Mears will HAVE to be competitive bcuz people commonly use Lyft or Uber and will continue to use those services if Mears is more expensive. During peak times, Lyft and Uber are more expensive than normal, but they are still much cheaper than a taxi. Taxi's VERY often rely on the fact that most tourists don't know the shortest or most direct way to go, so they rack up the price by going the longest way. Uber and Lyft can't do that. I took a Lyft last week from MCO to Coronado, and it was 27$.... Mears is no stranger to the cost because they contracted out for ME for years...I'm sure it will be about 20-25$ per Adult, kids will most likely be free. In order for Mears to be competitive, they will HAVE to be cheaper than alternative transportation, and they can because of the capacity of people they can transport at a time. It will most likely be "once an hour" to each resort, type of transportation. That's my best guess. But it's a GUESS. Don't forget that the new train service from MCO has one of their first stops at Disney Springs. Still, I like to Uber or Lyft. I get to where I'm going in a short amount of time and for a small amount of money.
 
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I would bet on a lower cost for children to attract families who are not comfortable with Uber and car seats.
 
like everyone they don’t know the cost but I will expect the cost to be a little higher if you wait until the day to get it. Also might be a little savings for a round trip than two one way tickets.
something like one way in advance 29.99 get it that day 34.99. Round trip trip cost 54.99.
Jus making the cost up but see a little savings in purchasing it in advance and a round trip ticket.
 
I would think it would be less - the port is father away from MCO than WDW, and takes quite a bit longer. Probably more luggage, too.
People travelling to the cruise terminal also have fewer transportation options. MCO to resort is a completely different situation.
 
If the cost is $30-$40 pp one way, wouldn't it be just as economical, comfortable and efficient for families just to use a car service? Of course this might be a trigger for them to increase their prices.
 
If the cost is $30-$40 pp one way, wouldn't it be just as economical, comfortable and efficient for families just to use a car service? Of course this might be a trigger for them to increase their prices.

For us , it's not only the money, but the service. If they used the ME buses, that's fine. But if they use something like large vans and make a dozen stops, even with just the two of us, we'd use a car service. Our days of climbing and squeezing into the third seat of a van are over.
 
I often travel alone so I'd probably be the best candidate for a service like this since the cost per person decreases rapidly for a taxi for multiple people. Yet, since a Uber or taxi is around $40, I wouldn't even think about using it for $20. All prices being floated here seem too hight for me. Getting a cab straight to the resort and leave the airport right when I get out of immigration is really great.
There is a Mears service from Universal hotels to the airport, I think it's $15 pp? I get a Uber, same cost and leaves when I want to.
For a family might be different.
How difficult is to get a Uber of Lyft with a car seat for a kid? I'll be in WDW (if USA let us in) in December with friends with two small kids. We don't plan many transfers (one to Sea world and one to Universal), but should we book a town car service or is taking two Ubers feasible?
 
We are Canadian and won’t be travelling back until at least 2022, By then DME will be gone. I don’t Uber. Also, how would we book the Mears service?
We rent a car from National Car Rental. Do all our grocery shopping and then return it at the Dolphin or Car Care center a few days later...this year we are renting from MCO and again at the end from Car Care center...it is still cheaper, total of $120 for 5 people, and we get it for the grocery runs for the villa and control our return time.
 
I also think a lot depends upon the future of rental car prices. They're high right now, but Orlando used to have a pretty reasonably priced huge rental fleet prior to DME. If rental car prices fall, I think 3 or more people may be the tipping point to a rental car over Mears Connect, when you factor in the convenience of having a car.
 
If the cost is $30-$40 pp one way, wouldn't it be just as economical, comfortable and efficient for families just to use a car service? Of course this might be a trigger for them to increase their prices.

Depends on the group. I booked Tony Hinds for both my July and August trip. He doesn’t charge per person, so we are paying $140 for the 4 of us in June and I am paying the same $140 again in July for just two,

It does include a grocery stop so it was worth it and other prices I found were not really less for the two,

I think we are going to see $40/round trip and maybe $20/round trip for children.
 
Depends on the group. I booked Tony Hinds for both my July and August trip. He doesn’t charge per person, so we are paying $140 for the 4 of us in June and I am paying the same $140 again in July for just two,

It does include a grocery stop so it was worth it and other prices I found were not really less for the two,

I think we are going to see $40/round trip and maybe $20/round trip for children.
What types of vehicles does Tony Hinds offer?
 
Also, how would we book the Mears service?
Without ME there are plenty of other car service options. You could just go on the MEARS site, which allows you to select the type of vehicle you want to book. We have used Tony Hinds. A small company who we have used a number of times. He has always been very friendly and prompt. Just search his name on this forum and you will find other reviews for him.
 

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