Mears Shuttle questions for the new Magical Express.....

[cindyfan]

We are really interested in using the new Magical Express....
2 main reasons....
cost of rental and Convenience!! It will only be me and DD ( no DH this time)...last time it was me driving....I got lost going back to the airport.

anyway.....I have heard and read a lot of bad things about Mears.....being slow, etc.

Does anyone have comments on this?
and don't you think that if they are going to be really pushing this as a perk to stay on site....they would address any of these issues and make it work right?!
It is going to be part of the new ad campaign right? at least that is what I heard. I thought I already saw a commercial about it!

 

[goofy4tink]

I think that with people having to make reservations for this 10 days prior to arrival, they will be able to figure out a better way to get us to WDW. Say on May 16, there are 23 people arriving at MCO and going to POR, 13 going to the Polynesian and 20 going to Old Key West. I would imagine that the POR and OKW people would go together and the Polynesian people would go with others going to resorts at MK. This would do away with the 2 1/2 hours it took some people to get to their resorts. You also wouldn't have to stand in a long line, waiting for Mears to come get you since they already know who's coming and when and where they are going to.

At least, I hope that's what happens. I used Mears on our first trip and it wasn't so awful. They just crammed 8 of us in a van. I had my feet on my luggage!!! At least we were all going to DxL(POR).

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Indeed. Although this new service will be operated by Mears, it will be greatly different, thanks to the preplanning. Pickup and drop off will also be much quicker, since there will only be carryons to store underneath the bus.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

anyway.....I have heard and read a lot of bad things about Mears.....being slow, etc.

Keep in mind that this is not just a rebranding of the current Mears bus and shuttle service. This is a new service, designed by Disney. The transporation will be operated by Mears, using a fleet of "state of the art" motor coaches with video screens.

The biggest advantage is how baggage will be handled. Regardless of what airline you're flying, your bags can go from your home airport directly to your resort hotel room. That means you don't have to wait for your bags at the Orlando International Airport baggage claim, and you don't have to drag them around the airport. So you'll probably be on your way to WDW while others who were on your flight are still at the baggage claim.

The new service is likely to be far more popular than the old service. After all, it's free! That will mean higher volume, more frequent service -- probably with motor coaches that go to specific resort areas, such as the Magic Kingdom resorts, or the Epcot resorts, or the All Stars.

If you're flying home on American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines (including Song), or United Airlines (including Ted), you'll be able to check your luggage through from your resort to your home airport. And the list of airlines may grow.

I'm very optimistic about Magical Express.

 

[katypop]

I'm really looking forward to using this new service in May I have a question though. Those of us that aren't flying home on one of the airlines mentioned in the above thread...we will be allowed to bring our luggage on the bus with us, right?
Kathe

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Those of us that aren't flying home on one of the airlines mentioned in the above thread...we will be allowed to bring our luggage on the bus with us, right?
Kathe

According to the Travel Agent FAQ in the thread at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=703882 -- "Complimentary transportation from the Disney Resort to the Orlando International Airport is available to all Disney Resort Guests."

I assume this means the luggage will be carried in the belly of the motor coach. When you get to Orlando Airport, the folks who were able to check their luggage at their resort will be able to head right into the terminal, perhaps to have meal prior to flying. But if your luggage was on the coach, you'll have to wait for the coach to be unloaded, and you'll have to drag your luggage to your airline's check-in.

 

[katypop]

Thanks Horace. At least I'll only have to drag my luggage one way
Kathe

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Unless I have misunderstood the new sevice, Magical Express is only available to 'Domestic Passengers'. I take this to mean that Magical Express is not available to International Passengers.

Does this mean that when I arrive from/depart to the United Kingdom, I have to continue to use the regular Mears Shuttle? As there will now be far fewer users of the regular Mears service, will they be cutting back on this?

(I use a wheelchair, so I cannot use a towncar service or rent a car)

Andrew

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Thanks Horace. At least I'll only have to drag my luggage one way

Or maybe Disney will be able to talk WestJet, Air Canada, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways into joining the Magical Express program.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Unless I have misunderstood the new sevice, Magical Express is only available to 'Domestic Passengers'. I take this to mean that Magical Express is not available to International Passengers.

Does this mean that when I arrive from/depart to the United Kingdom, I have to continue to use the regular Mears Shuttle? As there will now be far fewer users of the regular Mears service, will they be cutting back on this?

(I use a wheelchair, so I cannot use a towncar service or rent a car)

Be sure to read the travel agent FAQ in the thread at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=703882

According to the FAQ, "The inbound portion of the service (into Orlando International Airport) is available for all Disney resort guests, regardless of the airline they’ve selected – domestic and international flights."

Also according to the FAQ:

Will the motor coaches accommodate wheelchairs?
Yes. However, the travel agent needs to indicate this at the time of booking and note it as a special request.

Will Disney’s Magical Express provide wheelchairs at the airport upon arrival?
No.​

 

[Luv2Roam]

My understanding is Mears is purchasing specific busses due to ME. I iwll have to see if I can find from the source the details once again. Due to buying additional busses, I would think they figure on this being additional passenegers. Not a cutback from previous numbers.

The main downside to Mears is the time wasted waiting either at the airport or resort, and the multiple stops inbetween.
Other than that at least they are pretty reliable. And considering the service is no additional fee to the guest.....

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I have been thinking about trying this service out also and was concerned when I read it was going to Mears do the shuttle part. But, the more that I think about it the less concerned I am. Disney is doing all of this stuff to get people in their resorts and parks for the entire vacation. They are not going to want the shuttle to take forever getting people to the resorts. The faster the people get to the park and to the resort, the more time the guest has to spend money in the shops and restaurants.

 

[linda8892]

Mears has already ordered 37 new motor coaches that will be dedicated to the DME service. The bus order includes custom exterior graphics and flat panel LCD video monitors; in addition 21 units will have wheelchair lifts and 2 wheelchair tie-down positions.

 

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

Will the new buses have a bathroom on them? Don't laugh...I am very paranoid about having to use the restroom and there not being one around, esp. on a bus.

I wish Southwest would join that list too!

What are everyone's thoughts on luggage getting lost?

 

[cassie]

This sounds like a great deal, not having to get the luggage when you get to Orlando. My concerns are, are the bags all kept together when on the ride down? Does that mean they won't be going around and around on the carousel waiting for a Disney employee to pick them up? Do the bags still have to be unlocked for security checks?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

My concerns are, are the bags all kept together when on the ride down? Does that mean they won't be going around and around on the carousel waiting for a Disney employee to pick them up? Do the bags still have to be unlocked for security checks?

I don't know what you mean by "kept together." Your luggage will normally be on the same flight as you.

Keep in mind that the only luggage that goes to a carousel in baggage claim is the luggage that will be picked up there by arriving passengers. At airports all over the world, luggage that's destined for connecting flights never goes to the carousel. And, at Orlando Airport, luggage that's destined for Disney Cruise Line goes to a truck that takes the luggage to the port. Beginning May 5, any luggage with Magical Express tag will go to a truck too, headed for WDW, instead of going to the carousel.

As far as "waiting for a Disney employee to pick them up," the luggage will be handled by a third party contractor, not by Disney employess.

Yes, bags still have to be unlocked for inspection. You can use a TSA-approved lock or cable-ties if you wish. Your best bet is not to put anything valuable in your checked luggage.

 

[Cinderella822]

I just heard about this service and my first thought was how great it sounded, but my DD has some concerns. She's worried about luggage getting lost and also how long it will take for the luggage to actually make it to the hotel. Does anyone else have these concerns? Does anyone know approximately how soon after the flight the luggage is expected to be at the hotel?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I just heard about this service and my first thought was how great it sounded, but my DD has some concerns. She's worried about luggage getting lost and also how long it will take for the luggage to actually make it to the hotel. Does anyone else have these concerns? Does anyone know approximately how soon after the flight the luggage is expected to be at the hotel?

According to the Travel Agent FAQ, "Guests will board a themed motor coach to their Resort and experience an 'edutainment' video. The tagged luggage is retrieved behind the scenes and delivered separately to their Resort room."

In other words, the guests will be on a bus and their luggage will be on a truck. I assume that in some cases, the guests will arrive at the hotel before their luggage; in other cases, the luggage will be there first.

A bigger reason for luggage delays might be the time it takes to deliver luggage to rooms. I'm sure there will busy times, when more luggage arrives at a hotel than can be taken to rooms immediately. For most guests, this shouldn't be an issue. They'll head off to one of the parks after they check in. Their luggage will be in their room when they return.

Of course, any time you check a bag on an airline, there's a chance that bag will be misdirected. And anytime there's a connection to another flight, there's another chance that the bag will be misdirected. Magical Express is a lot like an airline connection, in that it requires proper "behind the scenes" handling. I would not be surprised if there are rare instances when a guest does not see a Magical Express-tagged bag for 24 hours. Whenever you check baggage on an airline, it's always a good idea to have toiletries, medications, and a change of underwear in your carryon. But the possibility of a delay wouldn't keep me from using Magical Express.

 

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

anyone know about the bathroom question?

 

[localdriver]

If you are talking about the new coaches for the Express, I understand they will have bathrooms.