Most convenient/reliable transportation from MCO to WDW and back?

[DeeBee3]

I had never used Uber until Disney World. I do not live in a city so there really is no use for it. You drive everywhere anyway.

We made sure to load the app and set up our account. We have used it about a dozen times between MCO and WDW.

We get our luggage and then I order a car. The luggage is right outside the door for the Uber/Lyft pickups. It is usually within 5-10 minutes so you need to have all your stuff and be ready. If the Uber has to wait there is a penalty ($) or they could cancel the ride.

I do NOT love it. My drivers have been less than stellar if I am evaluating their actual driving. Some of the cars are in less than stellar shape (check engine light on dash). Also, some of the music choices have not been appropriate. I have kids so I am sensitive to the music/curse words.

I make sure to leave feedback on those things if it comes up. After your trip you can leave a review.

Despite the negatives, the ease and direct route to your hotel cannot be beat. For our next trip, we are debating what we should do as we have never used Mears. Did use Magical Express back in the good ol' days.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I had never used Uber until Disney World. I do not live in a city so there really is no use for it. You drive everywhere anyway.

We made sure to load the app and set up our account. We have used it about a dozen times between MCO and WDW.

We get our luggage and then I order a car. The luggage is right outside the door for the Uber/Lyft pickups. It is usually within 5-10 minutes so you need to have all your stuff and be ready. If the Uber has to wait there is a penalty ($) or they could cancel the ride.

I do NOT love it. My drivers have been less than stellar if I am evaluating their actual driving. Some of the cars are in less than stellar shape (check engine light on dash). Also, some of the music choices have not been appropriate. I have kids so I am sensitive to the music/curse words.

I make sure to leave feedback on those things if it comes up. After your trip you can leave a review.

Despite the negatives, the ease and direct route to your hotel cannot be beat. For our next trip, we are debating what we should do as we have never used Mears. Did use Magical Express back in the good ol' days.

I switched to Comfort/Lux version with Uber/Lyft and that helped the quality of my rideshares. It’s not Towncar level but I don’t get beat up cars or brand new drivers.

 

[Miffy]

OP, I have to say that anything could happen with any of these services--rideshare, Mears, private car service, or taxi.

My sister was in an Uber a couple of trips ago and the driver had a flat tire on the way to the airport. Fortunately, he knew another Uber driver who was, also fortunately, in the area, and that person came and picked up my sister so she was on time for her plane. But if he hadn't? That could've been a serious problem.

We used to use a town car service, and a couple of times the driver was late picking us up at the airport and once they were so early picking us up at the resort for the return trip that we might as well have used Mears Connect.

I mean, these things happen. Nothing is 100% reliable.

The main difference here is price. The least costly thing for 2 adults is Mears Connect. However, since your return flight is so early, you'd probably prefer to take a rideshare at that end, since Mears will show up way early for a 9 a.m. flight.

Rideshare (Uber or Lyft) is usually less expensive than a taxi. I say usually because I have had Uber or Lyft from the airport that's been extremely expensive. It's surge pricing, so it could be anything. As I said in a previous post, I had an Uber from the airport once that cost $70 before the tip, and it was not rush hour.

I had a couple of experiences where I priced out Uber or Lyft after I got my bag and it was so much more expensive than Mears Connect, that I just did that instead. BTW, with Mears Connect you do not need a reservation. You can just sign up at the airport.

The next costliest thing is a taxi. I have never done this, so I cannot really comment on it.

The most expensive thing is a town car or limo service. Now we're talking $200+ round-trip to your resort. Maybe more. I haven't done this in a couple of years.

I always use Mears Connect now to the resort and, depending on when my return flight is, I sometimes use it back to the airport as well.

Some pluses for Mears Connect are: (1) the price is right; (2) the driver knows where they're going (yes, I've had Uber/Lyft drivers get lost); (3) if anything happens--flat tire, engine problem, etc.--an entire company is behind them and will come to the rescue; and (4) the driver speaks English, even if it's not their first language. Numbers two through four are also pluses for a town car service, if you can afford it.

 

[Ross Kratter]

I switched to Comfort/Lux version with Uber/Lyft and that helped the quality of my rideshares. It’s not Towncar level but I don’t get beat up cars or brand new drivers.

The only way to get town car level is to use Uber Black or Lyft Lux Black. That said, the price goes up accordingly.

 

[comicguy]

I have used Uber to move around the WDW resort at times and I have used in in other cities as well for conferences/events and stuff. (I have not used from MCO to WDW ye!)

I have used Mears Connect (and previous DME) virtually the same service but it is a bit less than when Disney had their name attatched to it.

Used Mear Connect several times now 1st and 2nd time no issues good service, 3rd time from MCO to WDW no issues but WDW to MCO our bus never showed up and we were at the bus stop 30 minutes early! We called and they tried telling us the driver did not see us and that we were late (there was also another family who was waiting for the bus with us) My thought the driver forgot to stop at our resort and tried to cover it up. After some back and forth they finally sent a Mears shuttle van to take us to the.airport. The driver and dispatcher were talking in french about us, so when we arrived at the airport we said good bye to them in French, their look was priceless!

That being said, I am using Mears connect for a quick solo trip next month

 

[18sprint]

Ok, trying to navigate the Uber site. I'm simply looking for an estimate so I can do some comparing. For any of you who used Uber, what was your cost from MCO to Old Key West (or somewhere close to it!). Thank you for any info. I realize it can change based on gas prices.

 

[jess2022]

Ok, trying to navigate the Uber site. I'm simply looking for an estimate so I can do some comparing. For any of you who used Uber, what was your cost from MCO to Old Key West (or somewhere close to it!). Thank you for any info. I realize it can change based on gas prices.

I haven’t done to OKW but to Saratoga. It’s typically been in the $35 to $40 range before tip. I usually check both Uber and Lyft for the better price and availability.

 

[hertamaniac]

I have heard from someone recently that gear fusion is a great service from MCO to Disney.

 

[kylenne]

Ok, trying to navigate the Uber site. I'm simply looking for an estimate so I can do some comparing. For any of you who used Uber, what was your cost from MCO to Old Key West (or somewhere close to it!). Thank you for any info. I realize it can change based on gas prices.

Use RideGuru to get a general estimate:

https://ride.guru/

Just be aware that rideshare is subject to surge pricing at times so it could be more expensive.

 

[FLCA026]

Is Mears connect a bus? We are thinking Uber or Mears connect for transportation to and from the airport.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Another vote for Uber. It's very convenient to baggage claim, at least for Southwest. And as a solo female, I'm very happy with how safe it is. I get a description of the vehicle, including license plate number, and picture of the driver before he shows up. It's never taken more than 5 minutes between ordering time and him/her arriving. Also, in the 7-8 times I've used Uber, the price hasn't varied more than $5- although people sometimes talk about "surge pricing, I've never encountered it. My only tip is that when you get in, please verify where you're going. On this last trip, I think I accidentally pressed the wrong button and we were half way to Tampa before I figured out we were going the wrong way and he turned around. So that tip is something I just decided to add!
And although it's super-easy, I agree with trying it out beforehand, even if you're just a passenger. My first experience was watching someone order an Uber for us, then I "paid it forward" by having DH watch me one time ordering an Uber. After that he was all set and ordered an Uber when he was going to the airport himself.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Just back from WDW.
Mears Connect cost approx $ 33.00 r/t per person; Uber WAV would have been $ 70.00 in the same time frame. We took Mears.

I would check the price of Uber and Lyft against Mears during the time I was traveling.

@FLCA026 Yes, Mears Connect is a bus.

 

[CarolynFH]

Is Mears connect a bus? We are thinking Uber or Mears connect for transportation to and from the airport.

Mears Connect is usually a bus, but at times when there are fewer passengers, such as late at night or based on destination, they sometimes use a van. Search the Transportation forum for recent reports.

 

[Akck]

Ok, trying to navigate the Uber site. I'm simply looking for an estimate so I can do some comparing. For any of you who used Uber, what was your cost from MCO to Old Key West (or somewhere close to it!). Thank you for any info. I realize it can change based on gas prices.

What I do is go into the app and make a reservation around the time we would arrive (plus allowance for bags). The app will then bring up availability and cost. I’ve been checking one way rentals for comparison too. Check Lyft too, as they are occasionally cheaper than Uber.

 

[DeeBee3]

Figured I would share that we used Mears going to the resort and Uber on the way back. With so many conflicting reports about Mears, I didn't know what we would experience. I was happy with the service. I booked it the night before. We arrived at the desk, checked in, and the bus was ready maybe 5 mins later. Got on with just a few other people and we took off right away. The bus was almost empty. There were maybe 10 of us on there.

I've had a lot of crazy Uber drivers (their driving style) so I wanted to experience something different. I chose Uber on the way home because I didn't want to get to the airport so early. My Uber on the way to the airport was excellent. One of our other drivers during that same trip had a weird minivan. It was obvious work was done to the car (you could see where the floor had been cut and rewelded) and the back row was not clicked in place. It kept moving slightly back and forth. Those are the kinds of things I've experienced in the past even though the drivers all have had nearly 5 star ratings.

 

[FLCA026]

Mears Connect is usually a bus, but at times when there are fewer passengers, such as late at night or based on destination, they sometimes use a van. Search the Transportation forum for recent reports.

ok thanks