POR transportation to Universal

[IrishNYC]

On Uber's "Surge Pricing" another of the reasons I would never use them.

http://time.com/3633469/uber-surge-pricing/


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/1...mple-of-high-tech-gouging.html?referrer=&_r=0

And a general article on Uber. Draw your own conclusions.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5406643

 

[Laketravis]

Absolutely make your own conclusions, except don't draw them based on sensational articles from over a year ago based on isolated incidents during early testing. Many of those horror stories were fed to the media by vested interests who did not want to see Uber (or Lyft) stay in their market. We saw the same thing here in Austin, a rash of bad press that was exposed by a local TV station for what it was, a strategic effort by monopolized interests concerned they would face competition. I'm betting the opposition they faced in the NY market was tantamount to the cab mafia.

So yes, decide for yourself by downloading the app and trying the service. Otherwise, it's like people telling you how bad FP+ is because they heard someone say it was.

 

[nkereina]

On Uber's "Surge Pricing" another of the reasons I would never use them.

http://time.com/3633469/uber-surge-pricing/


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/1...mple-of-high-tech-gouging.html?referrer=&_r=0

And a general article on Uber. Draw your own conclusions.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5406643

Before you order an Uber car, you are alerted that surge pricing is in effect. You can check the price quote WITH the surge pricing to know exactly how much it will cost you before you send for a car. It's never a surprise. The people out there who were surprised by this after their ride are either idiots, drunk, don't know how to use the app, or ignorant. Or any combination thereof. FWIW, I've only found surge pricing in effect on a Friday night and during rush hour. The one time I paid it, it was about $10 more than it would have been otherwise - so about the same as a taxi would cost normally. It can be more than that at times, but again, you're alerted to it BEFORE committing to the ride and with the more drivers who sign up for Uber, the less likely there will be a shortage of drivers at popular times.

 

[dledger]

I have to recommend the mears round trip service. I called the night before, they gave me a few options of times to get picked up and then they told me where they would pick us up. I've used them twice and both times we were there WELL before opening- this past September we used them and we had two? other stops I believe and went right on our way. We were there an hour before official opening. I called maybe an hour or two before we wanted to leave, went and got a late lunch and then met them at the pick-up spot. We had a few more stops on the way home but you really can't beat it for the price.

 

[nkereina]

I have to recommend the mears round trip service. I called the night before, they gave me a few options of times to get picked up and then they told me where they would pick us up. I've used them twice and both times we were there WELL before opening- this past September we used them and we had two? other stops I believe and went right on our way. We were there an hour before official opening. I called maybe an hour or two before we wanted to leave, went and got a late lunch and then met them at the pick-up spot. We had a few more stops on the way home but you really can't beat it for the price.

What is the price for Mears, out of curiosity? We took a cab for $28 including tip (two people, but they don't charge per person) and I found that to be cheaper than what I was expecting.

 

[dledger]

I don't remember how much it was exactly but I think it was like $17 pp round trip? Maybe 19?

 

[V2000]

If that's your timing, a taxi would probably be your best bet. With no issues it's a 20-25 minute ride but, and I apologize if you already know this, you don't get dropped off right at the park entrance.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Images/PrintableMapsUOR_tcm13-20826.pdf

And, if you don't already have tickets, you'll need time to buy those. So, if you want to be walking into the park when they open the turnstiles, you might want to allow yourself a little more time.

Thank you so much for that information. This is really helpful!!

 

[V2000]

Uber is an app that will connect you with an unlicensed, improperly insured (for taxi service purposes) driver. I do not recommend it, not matter how good a deal it is.

Why do you not recommend it?

 

[V2000]

What is the price for Mears, out of curiosity? We took a cab for $28 including tip (two people, but they don't charge per person) and I found that to be cheaper than what I was expecting.

where did you take a cab from?

 

[V2000]

Does Uber get you to Universal timely? How long does it take (approx)? I am just wondering how fast a Uber can pick you up or should you try to look ahead. I visited the website and I may be interested in this service. Please tell me about your good or bad service using Uber!
If not, I'll take a taxi.

 

[jimandami]

Uber will get you to Universal just as timely as a cab, but cheaper. IIRC it's about 20 min?

The Mears shuttle is now $20/person RT. We have used it twice with good results but for more than 2 people, Uber or a taxi is cheaper and more convenient. We didn't have a problem with the shuttle, but the ride home can be long depending on order of drop off.

 

[nkereina]

Does Uber get you to Universal timely? How long does it take (approx)? I am just wondering how fast a Uber can pick you up or should you try to look ahead. I visited the website and I may be interested in this service. Please tell me about your good or bad service using Uber!
If not, I'll take a taxi.

Same as a cab - about 20 minutes to get to Uni barring no traffic. The difference is that sometimes cabs are already waiting onsite at the resorts, whereas Uber cars wouldn't be. That being said, you can view on the app exactly where the Uber car is and the closest one to you will come. They'll give you an estimated time - usually 5-10 minutes. Longest I've waited was about 10-15 minutes and that was in a busy section of Atlanta on a Saturday night (traffic).

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Can't comment on taxi, but I can comment on the suggestion to leave earlier than 8:30. You will never have your foot into the park at 9am if you leave that late. And that is with a smooth and easy commute.

I would suggest being picked up at 8am. This will allow plenty to time to get there, get through security, get to the ticket booth to get your ticket (if necessary), and get to the gate.

I think when we went, we actually left between 7:30 and 7:45 on a rainy day at the end of January last year. We were not waiting long at all at the gate (we even got picked as The opening family).

So leaving by 8am will assuredly have you entering the park right at 9am opening time.

 

[OBH]

I used Uber last fall to get from my hotel in Long Beach to DLR and back and was very pleased. It was about half the price of a taxi, the cars were extremely clean, and the drivers were very professional. Just this week, I took a couple of taxis in NYC, and while the drivers were nice, I wondered sometimes if I would reach my destination unscathed. If there are any traffic laws in NYC, neither of my drivers obeyed them. Just my experience.

 

[nkereina]

Just this week, I took a couple of taxis in NYC, and while the drivers were nice, I wondered sometimes if I would reach my destination unscathed. If there are any traffic laws in NYC, neither of my drivers obeyed them. Just my experience.

That's just NYC in general. Most taxi drivers would be the same way, if not worse.

The last Uber driver I used in Atlanta actually had a cooler in the backseat with sealed bottles of water and sealed small bags of pretzels for the passengers. Nice touch. Another nice thing about Uber is that you can read reviews of the drivers before you commit to them, so you have a sense of what they'll be like. You can also view their photo.

 

[V2000]

I think when we went, we actually left between 7:30 and 7:45 on a rainy day at the end of January last year. We were not waiting long at all at the gate (we even got picked as The opening family).

So leaving by 8am will assuredly have you entering the park right at 9am opening time.

Thanks for the tip! I will leave at 8am
We need all the extra time we can get because the park closes early that day for HN.

 

[madelyn]

Hoping to use Uber for our upcoming mid-March Spring Break trip for transport between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Universal Studios. We will have a group of six (3 adults/3 kids). I'm assuming Uber also has vans to transport larger groups? Would a van be slightly more expensive? I have done some estimates and they seem to be around $20 to $30 each way. Although since I was just doing an estimate, I never saw a place to enter the number of people needing transport. I've seen some of the coupon codes. So I am assuming if we want to use multiple codes, each adult in our party needs to create their own Uber account since the coupon code is probably one per account?