positive mears shuttle experience

[clori]

I have read lots of threads here with negative reviews of mears shuttle though irl have heard positive reviews. Dh and I decided to try mears since we had no need for a grocery store stop and didn't mind seeing other resorts along the way. Also we decided ahead of time that once dd turns 4 we will go back to using a towncar like our last trip (she will be 4 in May). We arrived at MCO at about 5:30pm on Saturday Feb 1st. We collected our luggage and walked out to Mears ticket counter. There was no line so it took about 3 minutes to purchase the tickets using the $3 discount coupon. Then we went outside to the shuttle stand and was immediately directed to the shuttle. There was one party already on it and another right behind us. The shuttle was actually a minivan and we were surprised (and happy) that we were able to use dd's carseat. The shuttle was going to 3 resorts, Disney's Contemporary, Corononado Spings, and Pop Century. Pop Century was the first stop which was our hotel. The driver was very friendly and told us a little bit about things we passed etc. He estimated the trip to be a total of 45 minutes with our stop being 22 minutes. One party was excited about the estimated time since the superbowl was coming on. I didn't pay attention to actual times but we checked into the hotle at approximately 6:30 and were in our room by 6:45pm. On the way back we had a 7:50am pick up and this time a mears bus arrived at approximately 7:54am. This was a full size bus. We were the second stop and the shuttle went to one more resort Carribean Beach then went to the airport. The driver was again friendly and talkative. At the airport there were two stops, terminal A and terminal B based on passenger airlines. The trip was about 40 - 50 minutes. Not including baggage handling tip (optional but recommended) the round trip was $52.

 

[Daisimae]

Glad you had a good experience with them. I used them prior to 2000 and never had a problem either.

 

[seashoreCM]

Mears' experiences would be greatly enhanced overall if there were frequent identifiable vehicles that did only Disney resorts, not getting hung up at red lights along International Drive, Rte. 535, and Hotel Plaza Blvd through Downtown Disney, and not doing side jogs and having to backtrack.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[justhat]

There's no charge for children 3 and under right? But you can still use a carseat for them? I was thinking I would take Mears when I arrive at the airport since it's just me, a friend, and my infant daughter, but on the way home we'll have a towncar (well van actually) since most of my family is leaving at the same time as me. Getting Mears one way is lots cheaper than a towncar, but I wasn't sure if you could definitely use a carseat or not.

 

[clori]

There is no charge for children ages 3 and under (paying starts at age 4). There is zero guarantee that you can use a carseat. You never know until you get there if you will be on a bus or a smaller van. I think it would also depend on how many other people are on the same vehicle as you. Our shuttle had room for 1 more person I think so dd was able to get her own seat as well as one other young child. Both children were able to sit on the side where the seatbelts with shoulder harness made using a carseat doable (sitting in different rows). I would think if more people were on the shuttle you would be required to hold a free child on your lap.

 

[Lori-n-NY]

I have used MEARS many times and did not have any problems. It is just two of us so the extra cost for towncar is the cost of a character breakfast for me and DD10. So I let her decide and the breakfast wins out. I will be using Mears in May arriving MCO at 6:30 pm going to POP and have no other plans but touring the grounds and swimming so the quickest transportation is not important for me. If I was arriving 2 or 3 in the afternoon then I would not want to take 60-90 minutes to get to hotel and waste park time. So I guess it depends on the number of people in party and what time your arriving as to whether MEARS s a good option for you.

I give MEARS a for being a good source of transportation.

Lori

 

[justhat]

I understand if you take a bus that you couldn't strap in a carseat, but if you're in one of their vans, isn't it against Florida law to hold an infant rather than putting them in a carseat? I don't particularly like the idea of travelling all the way to WDW in a bus where I can't use a carseat, but I know they're designed differently and we'll be using buses there all week without a carseat so I can't complain about it too much. But if we're in a van, that seems to be a completely different situation, since they don't really have the high seats and stuff and if I were riding in a van anywhere else I would use a carseat. Ugh, I thought I had our transportation figured out, but now I'm not sure since I would definitely want a seat for her on a van.