Car Service?

[Deede]

Hi. I'll be coming to Disney in October and was wondering what type of car service do people use to get from the airport to their hotel. Thanks!

 

[Disneydonnam]

We always use Happylimo.com 1 888 394 happy. The drivers are great cars are clean. We were there in Dec and paid $100.00 round trip. They also give you a 15 min stop if you want to pick up groceries.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am moving this to the Transportation board.

Remember that if you are staying at a Disney Resort, you can use their free Magical Express service to get from the airport (MCO) to the resort.

 

[CarolA]

Either DME or a rental car.

I have been on these boards a LONG time. I trust NONE of the MCO based car services! There isn't one I have not read more then one Horror story on!

 

[OKW Lover]

Never done a car service, but have used ME and a rental car. Which we use depends on what we are planning for that trip. If we know we want to go off property during the trip, we'll typically rent a car (sometimes for only a part of the trip) but if its a short trip and we don't need to go anywhere else we use ME.

 

[CarolA]

There are car services that give you the greatest of service. You might stay away from the bigger car services, as they normally used sub-contracted drivers. That is not a great policy. There are many excellent services.

One poster, on the boards, has been on the boards to long. She has trouble realizing the difference between fantasy and reality.

Of course the "Glowing" endorsement comes from a driver of a car service.

Some of these links are old since I haven't bothered to do this in a while.(And of course since Edd did not write the posts below they will be "fiction" In his world only HIS postings are "fact" )

Links are to threads on the DIS, posts are from reveiws on Mouseplanet.

Happy Limo
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=6720727#post6720727&highlight=happy+limo

On September 2, 2005 I made the worst mistake of my life by going with Happy Limo service. I took a chance and thought I was making a good choice to reserve with them. This is the one area that any Bride doesnt want mistakes with and I got them all. I instructed the reservationists that I DO NOT want a HUMMER. My husband hates the vehicles and he thinks they are tacky. I also asked for a WHITE excursion. We are not at a funeral here or a prom this is a wedding.

May 19th in Orlando at this time and called 2 times to confirm the addresses and pick up times. I also instructed the reservationists that I give her the directions personally so there are no mistakes and they assured me that they have it under control and they have it all handled. At this point in time the day before a wedding the company should have checked out their equipment to find any problems if there are any at that time. I was instructed that my limo the White Excursion was ready to go and I had NOTHING to worry about because after all there slogan is the last thing you should worry about is your limo.

On the morning of May 20th I went ahead with my day as planned after all it is my wedding it should only happen once in your life and so you look forward to every minute of the day. I had no idea that I would get a call from my husband to be at 1:35 and the limo is not there yet. Still not there at 1:40, I was starting to freak out. Finally at 1:45 my husband calls me to say they are leaving and that the Limo driver has no idea where he is going.

At this point in the day I am having a nervous breakdown because not only is my limo 30 mins late but I also have no video footage of me since my video service was in the limo driving in circles lost. The Video people told me once she got there that he was lost coming back.

My video service once they got there was supposed to take 5 minutes of video of me with my family and my bridesmaids fixing my dress and getting last touches. But instead the limo company being late over 30 minutes I have nothing to show of video footage.

Once the limo arrived the first thing out of my mouth was what the heck is that in the front driveway???????

I asked for a WHITE excursion not a black HUMMER. As previously stated in my letter when making my arrangements I told them over and over that a HUMMER was not acceptable to us and we felt it was not what we wanted on our day. I again was NEVER notified of this switch and was left to be shocked and upset on my wedding day.

We are not at a prom here we are at a wedding. At this point the company was so late what was I supposed to do, the company tells me now why did I take the service if I was so unhappy with it? That line gets me every time. Why?? Do you ask, I took the limo because I had 11 people with me and no car to get there? I guess I should have asked for a taxi to the church or maybe we could have waited at the house till 6 and not get married at all.

Once the wrong limo showed the fun really began. It was not only 98 degrees that day but the limo had no A/C at all. The company was under prepared, no drinks, no customer service I had to have my bridesmaids help me in the car cause the driver was on the other side of the door not offering a hand at all. By the way he was in Cocco Beach and hour away when he should have been picking me up.
At this point my make up was sweating off my face and my hair was begging to fall from the heat and moisture in the limo. We had to open the window and that caused more damage than good. I had no video footage of me since I was steaming mad and I am so upset and hurt that I cant think back at that moment in time and think of joy and happiness that instead I feel hurt and anger that they took this away from me.
My grandma was in the car not feeling well at all and feeling signs of heat exhaustion.
Once the limo driver got there I had to run into my service and at this point it was 35 minutes late. I had my ceremony cut short and things cut out of the service because of them.
After the wedding I had some photos but lots of photos that I had paid to have done were not taken because we were asked to leave the church by the priest since there was a service after ours. While pictures were being taken I was sweaty and didnt look my best.
After we go outside the limo was not there, they were getting ice and waters, and NO red carpet and NO just married sign, more photos which I didnt get that I wanted. The driver had turned on a movie for reasons I still dont know. He had on Analyze that with Billy Crystal. This is a Rated R movie and not appropriate for children. Once I got in the limo again no help at all from the driver not getting in or out for that matter. We settled in to go and stop near the hotel for our champagne toasts. But on our way there the girls were watching a video and my dad had pointed out to me that there was a sex scene going on and we screamed to the driver to turn it off. He said to us I cant he said we have to but we had no idea how so another reason that I needed to be distracted from my day was to make sure that these kids were not in harms way from watching movies they shouldn't be watching.



Limo company that cannot be named on here
Dad asked to speak with his manager, and he said that he was the owner of the company and could do whatever he wanted. Needless to say we canceled and rode back to the airport on the Magical Express. I have since filed a complaint with the BBB and emailed another disney site to tell them. Use this service at your own risk, especially if you would need to change plans later in your trip.


Tiffany Towncars

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25318180#post25318180&highlight=tiffany

booked with Tiffany based on the recommendation of a unofficial web-site. Normally I use a rental car but thought this would be the better choice since I would be traveling alone with my 5 & 6 yr olds until my husband could join me on 7/1. I asked for multiple confirmations via e-mail & phone. $172.00 total - 6/28 Pick-up of 3 from MCO to Contemporary, store stop. 6/30 pick up of 1, same directions. 7/2 transfer 4 to Universal's Portofino. 7/5 back to MCO.
The driver was courteous and a welcome sight after a tough flight however, he didn't stop at a store and, he charged he the full amount upon arrival. When my husband arrived he then charged him $50 more to $222. I called and tried to get them to adjust the price and they said they would. When my driver came to pick us up for Universal he claimed no knowledge of the situation and complained that the office had made the mistake. Not wanting him to 'forget' to pick us up I made no waves, yet.
7/5 on our return trip I inquired again and got the same run around. Just for fun, our driver threw in some anti-american rhetoric criticizing our system of government. We were not happy, free speech is fine but I was paying for my trip:< At the airport our driver refused to reimburse us so I gently suggested that he try and work things out at his office and take our as yet unpaid tip out of the difference.
Never again



And then there was the Limo driver who cussed like a sailor from MCO to the port in front of my friend's young children. Drove about 100 MPH and anytime anyone in front of him went "too slow" he called them names and gave them the finger. She now rents a car and parks it at the port LOL!



Now there are good reviews for all of the companies too, but for me I have decided the risk of a bad expereince is not worth it.

 

[zurgswife]

LYMI CarolA....you rock....

 

[Edd]

There are some bad remarks about 3 companies, it looks like that is all, and there are approximately 300 car service companies in Orlando. That is less than 1% of the car service companies in Orlando.

Of course. I wonder if there are any bad remarks about the driver of the car service who questioned the remarks of such an elegant poster.

 

[zurgswife]

I think over the years I would have to say that many of the most preferred car companies have had complaints. Everyone is not perfect and people need to be aware that bad situations do arise with all the companies.

That being said. I personally prefer a DME or a rental car to care service.

 

[lghost]

Okay. Wow...clearly there is some hostility going on here. Where's the love people?!!

OP, I am just an ordinary poster, not involved in any DME vs. car service wars.

In the 5 times I have visited disney, I have used two different car services, one being tiffany another can't be named or I violate the rules and have never had a problem. Not once. I think it is always a good idea to confirm your car in both directions which I always do.

Now, can we all agree that there are some good and bad experiences to be had with both DME and car service? It's really the luck of the draw.

 

[goofy4tink]

I 'think' that most people have good experiences no matter what mode of transportation they use. Yes, there have been not so great experiences with both private car services as well as with DME. Neither mode is able to say that 100% of their guests have been happy.
So....we need to post experiences, without outright bashing of each other please. Experiences can be relayed without rancor or sarcasm...no little digs. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The moderators do read, and we do watch what is said. Just so that we are very clear...no one is getting special treatment or such. There are no closed eyes when it comes to posters here. We value each and everyone of you. You all have great info to share. While I realize that not everyone is going to be 'best buddies' with everyone else, we do need to remain respectful without sniping. Wow...this sounds just like my stock lecture to my 14 y/o dd!!!

Carryon with the great info guys. Enough said by me.

 

[mskayjay]

check on mousesavers.com for recommendations and great rates!

 

[Jaymie]

I've used Murray Hill Transportation 5 or 6 times and have never had a problem.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi. I'll be coming to Disney in October and was wondering what type of car service do people use to get from the airport to their hotel. Thanks!

We've used Tiffany Town Car 3 or 4 times in the past and have had a GREAT experience each and every time . They have always been ready and waiting at the airport, have ALWAYS been courteous and polite, and the cars have always been clean . This is the only car service we have ever used in Orlando and we will definitely use them again .

 

[Lewisc]

There are a handful of horror stories with any form of ground transportation.

rental cars
A couple of posters had to wait hours for a rental car, major agency. Hard sell for extras. Smaller agencies seem to invent new ways to rip off passengers.

car service
Carol hit the major points. A handful of complaints, generally seem to happen when a busy service farms out excess business to an outside driver.

DME
Drivers pitching for tips. A few posters, later at night, had to wait for a bus to somewhat fill. Drivers stopping the bus until passengers said magic words.

The point is there are very few complaints on DIS regarding any form of ground transportation.

I guess a person who is very concerned with booking a reliable towncar company might book with Mears. They are large and have enough cars to make good if there are any issues. You'll pay more

 

[pamjb]

 

[andymattmom]

We are not using ME on our upcoming trip. I have an reservation with an company I can't name on this site. I am still reading about all the services and debating what company we will use. I also plugged the National code that is floating around here in a topic and found that might be just as good --we would have a car for a week- could go to the store, etc when we wanted. That code saved my sister $270 on a minivan rental in Seattle. She had no issues using the code- told her I got 1/2 as a finders fee.

My advice- keep reading and keep checking. Look at this site, read what people say, go to mousesavers, contact the companies you see and see how long it takes you to hear from them. We used Happy Limo in 2003- I wanted to use them this time . Several emails and requests for rates went unanswered so I am not "happy" with Happy Limo, but others love them. I am happy with the emails I have received from this company I am using.


If you have tourguidemike there is info there also on transportation.
Good luck and have a fun trip!

 

[CleveRocks]

Either DME or a rental car.

I have been on these boards a LONG time. I trust NONE of the MCO based car services! There isn't one I have not read more then one Horror story on!

Carol,

You've seen my posts around here for several years now. You know I'm a big fan of DME. But I think I've also built a reputation of being fair, calling 'em like I see 'em. So with that in mind, I can't agree with your logic.

You state you can't trust any of the MCO-based car services because you've read more than one horror story about each of them.

Well, by that logic, you also should not trust DME, because we've read the rare horror story about DME, as well. Rare, but yet we HAVE read them. I'm certain the horror stories about almost all the car services are rare, as well.

So if you can't trust the car services, by your stated logic, then you can't trust DME, either.

And I think I've read horror stories about all of the rental car agencies at MCO, as well. Rare stories, but yet we've read them.

So by the logic of your above post, the only alternative is to walk from MCO to one's WDW resort.

Also, aren't there something like 150 car services licensed to service MCO? I am certain I don't know the names of more than about 10 of them. There are many many car services that serve MCO that I've never read about here on the DIS.

I don't mean to pick a fight, and I'm certainly not angry about any of this. But I just find it disingenuous to promote mistrust of all car services because of some very few horror stories but then ignore the very few horror stories about DME. Know what I mean???

 

[goofy4tink]

Eric makes a good point. I have had good service from just about all the towncar companies I have used to date. Some trips were less good than others...horror stories? No, I wouldn't go that far. But, I have to say that no service is 100% complete customer satisfaction..not one of 'em.
I love DME but have had some experiences that I've been less than thrilled with. Not a deal breaker that's for sure, but not perfect either.
And I hear all the time about those who have had miserable experiences with car rental companies...all of them.
SO..no one service is going to be perfect all the time. Most of the time, things go as planned. It's that small percentage that usually gets posted or written about.

 

[holcomb-mania]

I've used ****** twice, and will consider no other.