Mears help

[tinkfan4ever]

I've never used mears and am really considering to this time. Car rentals seem to be outrageous the time I'm going to WDW. What are your experiences with Mears? We'll have 7 people going. Will that be enough to fill one of the vans? How long should we plan to get from aiport to the hotel (CR)?

 

[Happy2BGrumpy]

There has been a lot of Mears bashing on these threads, but my DW and I have used them every trip down to WDW (28 since '96). On arrival you can get a van right away or wait 25 minutes (that's our
history). We have always been on a van and not a bus. This will make the drop offs quicker. The vans hold 12 people, and yes it can be cramped, but remember the price your paying before comparing it to other transportation options. We typically land around 9:30 AM, luggage around 9:45 AM and are at our resort between 10:30 and 11:00 AM. Return to the airport is similar, just allow yourself the
2.5 to 3 hours.

The only wild card here is if they put you on a bus. This could elongate
your travel time with more passengers and drop-offs. My guess with
7 to the CR is that you will be on a van with 4 to 5 others. Good luck.

 

[clkelley]

With 7 folks, it will be less expensive to use a towncar service such as Tiffany or Florida Tours.

7 adults with Mears will be $203 plus $1 tip per bag. You won't get a grocery stop and you may share the van with other folks and stop at other resorts.

7 adults with a towncar van with Tiffany will be $105 (with the online coupon) + approximately 20% tip.

You get a free grocery stop if you wish. You get personal door to door service. You are picked up from your resort 2 hours before your flight back instead of 3 1/2 to 4 hours before your flight.

There are several towncar companies to choose from. We have always used Tiffany with great success.

Lots of folks like Florida Tours as the sponsor of these boards.

Carol

 

[pumpkinboy]

Carol is right on here: it will be cheaper and more convenient and comfortable to get a car service () well, probably a van) from MCO to your resort.

We have had good luck with Happy Limo, tho several posters here have not. But since FL tours gets good reviews and sponsors this site, you might want to try them.

 

[amymouse]

Your pocketbook will thank you for getting the van. Also, while I've never had any prob with Mears, you'll certainly have a less time-consuming trip by booking a van from one of the town car companies.

This board is full of suggestions for which service to use. I've had great experiences with Tiffany Towncar to WDW, and just last week had a wonderful experience with Happy Limo to Port Canaveral.

 

[beccasmom]

Up until a few years ago, we used Mears all the time too. The majority of the time, the process was fairly smooth. But if you arrive at a particularly popular time, the crowds can be daunting. What is interesting is that if you arrive at an "off" hour - say about 10:00 p.m. - there are not many vans around and you may still have to wait for one to complete a prior run. In effect, you are waiting longer because less vans are in service.

But if your Mears experience is not pleasant, you do begin thinking about other options. For us that was a towncar service. For others, that many mean car rentals. In my opinion, the way the vans are loaded needs to be examined. It is not fun crawling over other adults to find your way back into the nether regions of the van. For people of size or those with physical challenges (not wheelchairs) it is a gymnastic feat. And then crawling your way back out again….not fun. And once another traveler took my bag, thking it was his. When the stop was made at my airport terminal, it was discovered that his bag had been left behind and he had mine. Luckily, the driver was able to sprint back out of the airport, back in again and catch the guy. I don’t blame anyone for that one – so many black suitcases out there! – but at least now I don’t have that worry.


It may be that I just feel I need more creature comforts and am willing to pay for them. I can't say I ever looked forward to using Mears, but I didn't hate it. I'm a fairly flexible individual. But I think starting out a trip on the right foot is important and Mears was just becoming too much of a hassle for us.