Mears

[ZZUB]

Has anyone used Mears to get from MCO to Disney World? We've always rented a car in the past. However, we are travelling with our daughter who is just over a year old. The last time we rented a car it took me almost 45 minutes to get the car seat in tight enough before I was willing to put my little girl in it. Since we won't need a car to get around, we thought we'd avail ourselves of Mears and, therefore, we wouldn't need to worry about installng the car seat.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it always a bus? Or is it sometimes a van?

2. How long do you have to wait at MCO?

3. When you leave WDW and head back to the airport, how much time before your flight do you need to allow for Mears?

4. Was it a pleasant experience/would you do it again?

5. Are there any discounts or is always full price?

Thanks for your help.

 

[DaveH]

I would check into a towncar. The cost should be near the same or slightly more for the 3 of you. The driver is waiting for you when you a rrive and you are on your way. The return trip they can pick you up later than Mears would.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Defintely do a towncar from and back to MCO. We used Mears once and will never again. It's simply a shuttle service that takes many people to many different hotels along the way. It can take a very long time to get to your hotel and you sure do not want that hassle with a baby.
With a towncar the driver will be waiting for you at the bottom of the escalators and take your baggage. You will be taken directly to your hotel (unlesss you want to make a stop at a store along the way).
The cost is not that much more and it's 1000 times more convenient. You will arrive at your hotel much faster and be far more comfortable.

When making a towncar reservation let them know that you will need a car seat for the baby.

 

[inkkognito]

I'll toss in another vote for a towncar. Before we were experienced Orlando travelers, we used Mears and Transtar (which no longer operates out of MCO). We were usually in a van, although occasionally it was a bus, and we generally had to wait a while while the vehicle filled. You will be crowded in with lots of other people, especially if it's a van. But the worst part is having to stop at multiple hotels on the way to yours. You know how the grocery line you get in always turns out to be the longest one? It works that way with Mears too...no matter what van you get in, your hotel is sure to be last. We are just two people, so I can't even imagine shuffling a child. Now we use Happy Limo for our WDW trips and Disney cruises, and we are totally spoiled by towncars...we could never go back to a shuttle. You have your own vehicle, with no waiting for anyone else, and a driver to assist you. If you do a towncar, you won't regret it.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[linda8892]

Just as an FYI Transtar Transportation now operates out of MCO under the name Star Taxi.

 

[ZZUB]

Thanks for your advice. I find it telling that not one person suggested we use Mears. I called Happy Limo and they were very helpful. You might even say happy. But the downside to using them is that I will still be the one installing the car seat. They won't do it for us because of the obvious liability problems.

So if I'm the one who has to do it either way, I think I may rent a car after all. The price difference is negligible and we'll have the car for the duration of our trip.

Finally, am I the only person who finds it incredibliy difficult to install a car seat?!

 

[DaveH]

ZZUB, I would think you will have to install the car seat even with Mears. You could call them to make sure.

 

[inkkognito]

Interesting...I didn't realize that Transtar was around as Star!
The reason we tried them many years ago was that we were heading for Mears, and a Transtar person tried to lure us away (probably highly against the rules at MCO). He asked what hotel we were going to, and when we told him, he said they had a van leaving immediately that would be stopping there first. I told him we had a Mears coupon, and he said they would match it. So I think that was the only time back when we used to take shuttles that our hotel was the first stop!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[kosmo]

Zzub-

We were just down there last week. We stayed offsite at Marriott Royal Palms. After doing all of my prior research, we ended up renting a car and are VERY happy we did. Mears would have cost us $28/person RT to hotel from airport and then $11/person RT to parks. With 2 of us and 4 trips to the parks, this already brought us up to $144. This included no shopping, no other site seeing and a lot less freedom. For $138 we rented a 4-door 2003 Ford Escort from Enterprise for 7 nights. We did have to pay $7-8 for parking at each park so we ended up spending approximately $30 more for the car but the ability to drive anywhere anytime was well worth it for us. HTH!

BTW - we had NO problems w/Enterprise. Shuttle to office was waiting right outside baggage terminal when we arrived and returning the car was a breeze with the return shuttle ready to go when we arrived back at the office (returning our car, we were in and out in less than 5 minutes).

 

[Beast fan]

DW and I used to take Mears, but will use a townecar service in the future. In Oct. 1997, about 2 days after we found out that DW was expecting our first child (NOW DS5!!!!!!!!!!!), we used Mears and had the unfornate luck of 1) Having a driver with a very limited knowledge of the English language, and 2) being the last stop. He kept confusing Wilderness Lodge with Fort Wilderness. He must have circled the park twice and pulled into Fort Wilderness about 4 times. Finally, someone at Fort Wilderness (who was equally upset with the driver) told the driver exactly how to get to Wilderness Lodge. We got to the resort about an hour later than we should have (don't worry all, the first phone call I made upon arrival at the resort was to Mears to insist he be trained or re-trained on WDW, whichever necessary). This was only a "long-weekend" trip and time was of the essence. (We did use Mears again, with good results, in 2002, btw.) If your time on vacation is important to you, I frankly wouldn't use Mears.