Mears Transportation

[composer]

After reading the negative stuff about Mears in another thread, I'm a bit scared of what to expect from them on our first-time trip to Disney.

Are they really that bad and will the wait really be that long? Since we're leaving Saturday AM and will arrive around noon I expect peak crowds wanting to take shuttles.

Is it worth switching transportation? (We don't want to be bothered by the extra expense of a car and are already paying more than we should for the vacation as a whole.)

 

[MickeyMike]

Don't be afraid about using Mears for transportation. They have been doing what they do for many years and have things pretty well down. They understand the busy times of day at the airport so they tend to have more vehicles running at those times. If it is a really busy time at the airport it can be a bonus for you. Each bus will fill up with people going to a specific resort so you may not find yourselves going to three other resorts before they take you to yours. The same thing holds true for when you are ready to go back to the airport. I would also say that since you are going for the first time, avoid the hassle of trying to find your way around, parking, paying tolls, etc. Let someone else do the driving. Vacations are for fun and relaxation, right?

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If at all possible I would switch. We had heard negative things about Mears but didn't put much stock in it since DIsney recommended them to us when we called. It was horrible. THere didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason of how you were picked to get on the shuttle. It was really a long wait and they weren't very friendly. I would never use them again and instead would use a towncar service since we saw several of them holding signs when we got off the plane and their customers got to leave right away instead of that free for all at Mears waiting area.

 

[crow11ad]

depending on when you leave...do this...call back to Disney and state that you do not need a ride to and from the airport. There maybe a fee. What I would do, depending on how many are going with you, get a town car. Much more personal and you don't have to ride with people you don't know. We used silver tours and they were awsome.

 

[kkricket82]

We did Mears once, and waited a while. We just got back yesterday and did Tiffany Town Car. Although a little pricier, about $85 roundtrip (there is a $5 coupon on their website www.tiffanytowncars.com) it was well worth it. As soon as we made it to luggage claim, he was already there, and he took our luggage for us, and we were off. I would never wait around for Mears again. We arrived at 10:30 and were in the parks by noon!

 

[Yensid_MD]

I would go with the previous Tiffany Town Cars or www.happylimo.com I have used them both and they are MUCH better than a Mears shuttle. It is a very cool and relaxing way to start the vacation off at Orlando.

 

[loonertic]

I must have posted this 3 times now but never seem to get a strait answer:

I already booked a Mears shuttle for my girlfriend and I, and instead of a refund I could simply upgrade to a Mears town car. Has anyone taken a Mears town car, is it better, or the same dissapointing Mears service?

 

[Suzanne033]

We have used Mears everytime we have gone and never had a problem. I don't ever remember waiting longer than 20 minutes.

 

[shatzjsl]

Originally posted by loonertic
I must have posted this 3 times now but never seem to get a strait answer:

I already booked a Mears shuttle for my girlfriend and I, and instead of a refund I could simply upgrade to a Mears town car. Has anyone taken a Mears town car, is it better, or the same dissapointing Mears service?

I booked Mears shuttle with a package and called them to upgrade to a town car and Mears said no. If you didn't book it with a package they may be able to. You should give them an call and ask them. (407) 423-5566

I cancelled Mears and booked with MH Transportation.

 

[RC Fan]

Hi composer!

I have heard both good and bad about Mears, but I am going to give them a shot anyway. Since there are only two of us, Mears is MUCH cheaper.

 

[dgaston]

DH and I used Mears for our 8/03 trip. Our wait was only 20 minutes at MCO, and I surprised DH with a town car to transfer us to the Hard Rock for the last two days of our stay. Mears towncar was $26 plus tip for the transfer. We then took the shuttle from HRH to MCO on our last day. For the two of us Mears was definitely one of the more economical ways to go.

I am one who like the convenience of the rental car, but sometimes it's hard to justify. I am currently trying Priceline for car rental for our upcoming August trip, but may end up just using Mears again.

 

[June0802]

We didn’t know any better when we went on our honeymoon. We used the Mears shuttle; what a nightmare it took us over 4 hours to get to CBR from the airport. We were very disappointed with them. A year later for our Anniversary we used your ride dot net. We got a town car from the airport to POR for $80 round trip. As soon as we got off the plane they were waiting for us at the baggage claim with a sign with our name on it. It took only about 30-45mins to get us to our hotel. It was wonderful. We are leaving Saturday for a 2nd Anniversary and we are using Your Ride again. If possible I would try to switch.

HTH

 

[decker96]

I would switch unless you adding an hour or two each way to your commute time doesn't bother you. Mears isn't horrible, it's just not as convenient as a town car. It took us 3 hours to get to POR once we had our luggage and checked in at the Mears counter. We had a 30-45 minute wait at the airport, then got on the bus and made two more stops at the airport. The trip itself took about and hour and 15 minutes, then we stopped at POFQ first and unloaded everyone staying there and then finally got to POR. It's a long time when you have little kids (and yourself!) that just want to get there. The biggest thing I didn't like about it was that they picked us up at the resort over 4 hours before our flight left to go home. Kids were way bored in the airport. We will definintely be taking a town car next time!

 

[tjmw2727]

We used the Mears shuttle service our first trip and honestly I will never do this again. We got our baggage, waited in line for the transportation vouchers and then waited quite a while in the hot sun for a bus to our resort. Once on the bus we left the airport only to circle around and pick up more passengers at another terminal. We then stoped at several other resorts before getting to ours. The return trip was worse, pick up at the resort 3 1/2 hours before the flight and almost missed it! We picked up at several resorts on the way to mco and then our airline was last, even though I approached the driver and expressed concern.

I don't know if you can get a refund or upgrade but if so I highly recommend it. Perhaps you can upgrade to a Mears Towncar instead of the shuttle. We use Tiffany Town Car but I have read great reviews about several others as well.

Another advantage of the town car is the grocery stop, its nice to get beverages, snacks and even breakfast foods at a reasonable price.

FYI, you may get more information on the transportation board.

TJ

 

[mcgrawfan]

We have used Mears 3 times now without any trouble. We have used them to and from the airport and also to Universal. When you call to schedule a pick up at your hotel they ask your flight times and tell you when you will be picked up. It has always been very convienent for us.

 

[DisneyPete]

Don't forget about taxis. They are a little cheaper than the town cars if you are on a budget and they can take up to 6 people. It was about $40 (with tip) from MCO to ASM.

 

[ligirlz]

We used Mears last year when we went to Universal and we were disgusted at how early we had to get picked up for our departing flight at MCO. We had a 9 AM flight out and we had to get picked up at 5:30 AM no later. We were bored out of our minds at MCO when we got there at 6 15am. The wait for a Mears pickup was about the average 30 - 45 mins and you share with about 3 other couples/groups going to all different hotels so by the time you get to your hotel you waste about 3 hours. This time around we rented a car which was so much easier then taking Mears. We got to ASSp in about 30 mins and for the last day we went to MCO 90 mins before our departure instead of 4 hours. We loved it by not being rushed and the frustrating of waiting. I never tried the others mentioned but they are probably better then Mears.

 

[disneyjunkie]

We've used Mears twice and have had great service each time.

April 2, we used Mears from MCO to Pop Century. I paid for our tickets at 1:05 and we walked into Pop Century at 2:00.

 

[clori]

I used Mears in February. (first week still value season). For $46 round trip for 3 people (dd was free and we had a discount coupon) we thought it was an excellent deal. Dh went straight to the counter to purchase the tickets with no wait while I checked in at the desk. We were on a van with dd buckled into her carseat and on the road within 5 minutes. The van was making 3 stops all on disney property but our stop pop century was the 1st. In under an hour we purchased the tickets and were eating at pop century food court having already checked into our room. Return trip we were picked up at 7:50am or a 10am flight which for us was fine and gave us plenty of time to sit around the airport after going thru security. We have done a towncar once which didn't show up at the airport to pick us up so we have had much better luck with Mears.

 

[Suziequz]

DH and I used Mears on our honeymoon, and it was awful! It took almost two hours to get to POR, and we were not impressed. Perhaps the worst thing was that they seemed so disorganized - just one guy yelling into a crowd of 80-100 people.

We used Mears again in 12/02 with a little better luck. It was still a frustrating experience, compounded by the way Delta treated us on the way down. Anyway, it was that trip when we decided we'd never use them again. DH refers to them as "the evil ones".