Is there still a Mears bus?

[MomtoGKC]

I just did a search for Mears on here but I coldn't find any threads from the past year. Is there still a Mears shuttle bus? If so is it better than ME? I've read bad things on here about the ME bus and I remember Mears from when I was a little kid. How much does it cost? My mom and some other relatives will be flying to FL so I'm trying to find the best service for them so they don't have to be stressed at the start of their vacation!

Thank you!

 

[bradk]

well.. er.. Mears does operate DME. and from what i've heard, Mears is making sure DME works better than its own shuttle service does because of Disney incentives.

but yes, Mears does offer a hotel shuttle service and I wouldn't doubt it still goes to WDW resorts, because if you want to pay for it, they'll take your money.

DME is an excellent service though. have some had problems or bad experiences? sure. but it's so not the norm.

 

[moorekw]

mears does still maintain shuttle service in orlando... http://www.mearstransportation.com/

in talking with our DME driver traveling to the airport, mears pretty much owns the for-hire transportation market in orlando (shuttles, limos, taxis, buses, DME). mears and disney have apparently even had on-again off-again talks about mears assuming the WDW transportation system as well, though this is reportedly not likely to happen.

 

[mbcary]

By the way, the search feature isn't working.

 

[MomtoGKC]

OK - so Mears is in charge of the ME bus? Well, then I'll just have my mom take that since it's free.

The search feature seems to work for me- I typed in Mears and got tons of results, just not what I was loking for.

Thanks for the quick answers as always!

 

[Shorty82]

By the way, the search feature isn't working.

Old news. There's information about it in the Tech Support thread.

 

[seashoreCM]

You can still go to the Mears counter at Orlando Airport (I think there's one on each side (A and B) down at the lowest level). A ride to Disney costs about $19. No advance reservations. You might be on the same bus as Magical Express guests.

Magical Express needs advance reservations both ways. Going to Disney 10 or more days in advance is recommended although shorter notice (down to 1 day in advance) is workable. Going home, 48 hours is normally needed although most people get it reserved sooner. Without a proper reservation you are on stand by.

It would be quite peculiar for someone to be at a resort needing transportation to the airport but not having stayed there. No regular Mears reservations are taken. Magical Express trips back must be on check out day or before.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/magicx.htm

 

[MomtoGKC]

The CM my mom booked her hotel reservations with already had her sign up for ME so she's already got reservations, I just wanted to make sure that was her best option. Now we just have to wait 6 months!!

 

[mbcary]

Old news. There's information about it in the Tech Support thread.

Thanks!!!

Okay, I just looked over there and I find some threads where it's still not working. What am I doing wrong??
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1619763
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1620625
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1623523
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1612765

Sorry to get off subject, but I thought if someone can help me, I will be ecstatic!

 

[bradk]

i just use google to locate posts.. add site:disboards.com to make it more concise

 

[tjmw2727]

Yep - as others have mentioned you can choose to use Mears and pay but she will end up on the ME bus that she could have ridden for free

If it helps I have used ME 4x and all 4 times it has been Great. I love the luggage delivery feature and the checkin was fast as was the arrival time at the resort. Most recent example was March 07 - we landed at MCO 9:15 skipped the luggage carosel and hit the restrooms for dd, check in with ME and board the bus. By 10:30 we were checked into POFQ and heading to the pool. Our room was ready about 1:30 and waiting inside were our bags and grocery delivery from wegoshop. IMHO it dosen't get much better than that.

Two things that throw people off, one the line to check in for ME can look very long but they have lots of CM's and the checkin is quick. Even when the line was very long my longest wait was less than 5 minutes to check in. The other is the luggage delivery, it can take up to 3 hours from the time you check in to the resort for your bags to arrive. You don't have to wait for them however, your free to enjoy the parks, pool etc. If you pack a carryon with essentials for the first 24 hours your all set. IMHO this is always a good idea because often its the airlines that delay your bags and it could happen regardless of ME.

Hope this helps!
TJ

 

[CanadianGuy]

I'm just going to throw this over to the Transportation board. It's already been answered but that's the best place for it!

Thanks!

Knox

 

[CleveRocks]

I've read bad things on here about the ME bus

It's curious you say that, because there are exceedingly few negative reviews of the DME service, as compared with the many many decent reviews. Personally, I love it.

When I've read bad reviews of the DME service, most of them have been due to misconceptions and unrealistic expectations about the service ... people expecting things that were never promised. For instance, I've read people "shouting" that their luggage wasn't waiting for them in their rooms when they checked in (it's promised within about 3 hours of resort arrival); and people "shouting" that they didn't have baby diapers and baby formula when they arrived (they didn't read the instructions which clearly state that you won't have immediate access to your checked bags if you have DME handle them); and people "shouting" that their luggage wasn't picked up from their rooms by DME on the way home (that was never ever promised, at all).

If you are going to base your decision on a small handful of complaints, then it would be impossible to travel anywhere. Every hotel in every city has its dissatisfied customers, because occasionally things can go wrong due to equipment failure and human error. Disney and DME are not immune from this.

And by the way, Mears does not run DME. Mears is the subcontractor that supplies the buses and drivers. But unlike the old Mears shuttle, Disney sets the policies and procedures, so it's run by Disney's rules. It's not simply a matter of Mears trying to do a good job to keep the contract ... they are following Disney's playbook, not their own. I explain it that Mears is the muscle but Disney is the brains.

There is no way to reserve transportation from MCO to a WDW owned-and-operated resort in advance. You CAN get such a ride by going to the Mears desk at MCO and paying for it (and they may even put you on a DME bus!), but this can't be done by advance reservation.

 

[Edd]

There is a way to reserve transportation from MCO to a WDW owned resort and that is through the car service companies that serve Orlando International Airport. You can locate a list of them on the airport website or search the inter net for them. They will provide extra services for you that the shuttle and bus transportation does not.

"There is no way to reserve transportation from MCO to a WDW owned-and-operated resort in advance. You CAN get such a ride by going to the Mears desk at MCO and paying for it (and they may even put you on a DME bus!), but this can't be done by advance reservation."

I am sure this is a small mistake by Cleve.

 

[CleveRocks]

There is a way to reserve transportation from MCO to a WDW owned resort and that is through the car service companies that serve Orlando International Airport. You can locate a list of them on the airport website or search the inter net for them. They will provide extra services for you that the shuttle and bus transportation does not.

"There is no way to reserve transportation from MCO to a WDW owned-and-operated resort in advance. You CAN get such a ride by going to the Mears desk at MCO and paying for it (and they may even put you on a DME bus!), but this can't be done by advance reservation."

I am sure this is a small mistake by Cleve.

You're absolutely correct, Edd. I certainly didn't mean it how I worded it. Of course, I meant that there's no way to reserve MEARS bus transportation from MCO to a WDW o-and-o.

Sorry about that!