how should i get to the hotel?

[beansprout]

Hi,
I need some advice on how to get to wdw from the airport - I will be arriving on 8/3 at 8:30 am. I have read that there are basically 3 types of transportation - MEARS shuttle, cabs or the limo service. There will only be two of us, so are advanced reservations necessary? Are you able to hail cabs at the airport? How much does the fare usually cost to wdw?
Thanks in advance!

 

[beccasmom]

You can hail a cab, but they are costly; it can run about $60.00, depending on traffic.

Disney's Magical Express is run by Mears and is free if you are staying at Disney hotel. You must contact DME at least 10 days in advance and they will forward special luggage tags to you. The price is right! We used DME in June and it was fine.

There are lots of towncar options; we've Tiffany in the past. Cost is approximately $125.00.

Here are some links -

http://www.mousesavers.com/transportation.html

http://allearsnet.com/pl/airport.htm

http://www.mearstowncar.com/index.htm

http://www.tiffanytowncars.com/

http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/wdwguide/3_Tripplan/traveling_issues/airport_shuttles.htm

 

[CleveRocks]

People too often confuse Mears and Disney's Magical Express. Mears is the subcontractor on Disney's Magical Express, but they don't own it or run it, if you know what I mean. Disney is responsible for DME, and they make sure it is run in a "Disney" way. The regular Mears shuttle is wholly run by Mears. There are plenty of WDW guests who unfortunately don't know about DME and pay for the regular Mears shuttle when they could be riding on the FREE and very comfy DME bus instead!

-- Eric

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

If you are staying at a Disney resort you should check out the free Disney's Magical Express. You can read about it here and also on mousesaver.com and probably allearsnet.com.
If you want a towncar because you need a grocery stop we used Prestige Town car last month (prestigetowncar.com). Price was $80.00 round trip with the $5.00 coupon they give you for booking online, although I believe the fare went up by $5.00 recently. Great service and definitely recommend them.
For your question about advanced dining reservations(if that is what you are asking)....YES you will need them. Last month we saw a LOT of people being turned away from restaurants becuase they didn't have reservations. The new Disney dining plan is causing large crowds at all the restaurants. Since your trip is coming up soon you better decide what restaurants you want and call Disney dining. All the menus are on allearsnet.com.
If you are asking if you need reservations for car service, again the answer is YES. I understand Mears no longer services the Disney resorts because of the Magical Express. You can grab a taxi, but with any traffic the cost would be pretty high. You cannot get a car service at the airport if you did not make reservations. The drivers are waiting for passengers and will have signs with their names on it.

 

[Lewisc]

Mears used to operate shared shuttle/bus service to WDW resorts. You didn't need a reservation. They stopped running that service to the WDW resorts. They now operate Disney's ME which is free but requires an advance reservation through Disney.

 

[rflorek]

Mears used to operate shared shuttle/bus service to WDW resorts. You didn't need a reservation. They stopped running that service to the WDW resorts. They now operate Disney's ME which is free but requires an advance reservation through Disney.

Mears still runs a paid shuttle to Disney (at least it's still on their official website). It's $17 one-way or $29 round trip.