Sunshine Flyer Long Wait at MCO?

[Little E]

Hi all!

I was at WDW two weeks ago, and my friend and I used the Sunshine Flyer for the first time from MCO to Pop Century. We arrived around 10 pm, and there were just three other families waiting for SF rides to resorts with us. We waited a really long time for our bus to arrive, but once it did, we found the bus service efficient, as it arrived to Pop quickly and Pop was the first stop.

I booked the SF for both my January trip and for my upcoming March trip at the same time back in December, before I had any experience with them. I'm wondering if the long wait is typical with SF? Our March trip from MCO to our resort consists of DH, DS, DS's buddy, and me; barring any flight delays, we are scheduled to arrive at MCO around dinner time. Additionally, my other DS is flying in on a different day, by himself, and I have the SF booked for him from MCO to our resort. Again, barring any flight delays, he, too, is scheduled to fly in to MCO around dinner time.

While I don't want to wait a really long time with my traveling group of 4, I'm not as worried about us as I am about my DS who is traveling solo. He's a college student and flying in from a different state, on a different airline from us, on a different day. He is not used to traveling solo, and I didn't want him to book an Uber/Lyft as a single dude. I liked the idea of him hopping on the SF at MCO and hopping off at our resort, safe and sound. . However, I don't want him to have to wait an eternity for SF either.

I totally recognize that life happens and buses run late for a variety of reasons; I'm definitely willing to give SF the benefit of the doubt. I know this is a new service, and I'm really just curious to know what others have experienced? I'm wondering if the wait for a SF bus from MCO to an on property WDW resort is normally reasonable, or if the wait time is normally long, like our experience in January. Just wondering what folks have experienced, as I still have time to cancel our March SF runs and book something else if the feedback trends that way.

Thanks so much for your insight!

 

[DaviVascaino]

hit or miss. some people report they have waited 20-30 min, others close to one hour. Then some people say the ride itself took 45 min to the final destination, others have said it took them close to 90 min due to multiple stops.

Because of that variance, I decided to cancel my SF reservation and decided to go with a private driver.

 

[Little E]

@DaviVascaino thanks for your info! Was it easy to cancel...were you able to get a full refund?

 

[DaviVascaino]

@DaviVascaino thanks for your info! Was it easy to cancel...were you able to get a full refund?

Yeah, got the refund in a day or two. I just sent an email, really easy

 

[Dakota731]

How much are talking when you say waited a “long” time? We always waited an hour with Disney’s magical express so curious if it’s comparable

 

[Kerr84]

My friend and I used them in September. They called some resorts like 3 or 4 times before they called ours. We were all star sports, so when they called a bus with music and movies, but not us, I had to go to the podium and ask. They had accidentally left us off that bus, so they added us on to it. There was another family of four that was staying at sports too. We stopped at 2 resorts, then they pulled into the all star area, and drove past sports which should have been the first stop. They stopped at music, then movies, and then came back to sports. Since we were left off and added at the end, apparently they had to make the stops that way even though it didn’t make sense logistically. So, it took a lot longer than I anticipated, but it was kind of just a fluke. We had zero problems on our return trip and I would use them again.

 

[KPeterso]

I think it is very hit or miss. Also depends on what resorts they have guests going to. In September, we got out to the SF desk and checked in and one of their employees went running over to a bus to hold it for us since it was leaving for our resort. Got our bags loaded and onto the bus and I swear we were backing out before we were fully seated. So, we waited all of 30 seconds. But there was a huge crowd of people waiting in the area, so I assume most were waiting for their buses to their resorts. We were the 3rd stop as I recall.

Now our return (or lack thereof - cancellation due to the hurricane), that was a problem as the communication was seriously lacking and I found out they were delaying resuming operations an extra day not from SF, but from Facebook. I was ok if they cancelled because of the hurricane - I was not ok that they were not contacting me back or returning emails/voice mails in the previous few days.

My next trip is in March and I have not totally decided if I will give Mears Connect a try or just UBER.

 

[Little E]

Thank you all for your feedback. It's really helpful.

@Dakota731 we waited about an hour, which felt extra long to us, as our flight in to MCO had been delayed 4 hours. The flight delay was definitely not SF's fault, but it was a bummer all the same.

 

[TropicalDIS]

Only taken it once so far, waited 25-30 minutes, this was early afternoon. Buses were rolling in frequently, just had to wait for one for our resort. Once we were on it was smooth sailing.

Booked to try it gain next weekend, this time it will be earlier in the morning. Hopefully not a long wait!

 

[JLTraveling]

He is not used to traveling solo, and I didn't want him to book an Uber/Lyft as a single dude.

No idea about Sunshine Flyer, but this jumped out at me. Has he honestly never used Uber/Lyft in his college town? And why wouldn't you want a single college-aged male to use a rideshare? Just wondering, because I'm a single woman who's used rideshare alone at all hours, in every city I've ever visited, and never had an issue. And all the college kids I know use them constantly. Can't imagine why your son wouldn't just grab one and go.

 

[Little E]

@JLTraveling DS has a car on campus, so he rarely uses Uber/Lyft. He does use the rideshare apps from time to time, so he's totally capable. When I gave him the option to use the SF or Uber by himself to the hotel, he said he felt more comfortable riding the SF. He hasn't had a ton of experience traveling solo, so I want to honor what he's telling me he's comfortable with. I'm glad you feel comfortable using Uber/Lyfts solo...this is good to know, should I ultimately cancel the SF for both of my traveling parties.

 

[JLTraveling]

@JLTraveling DS has a car on campus, so he rarely uses Uber/Lyft. He does use the rideshare apps from time to time, so he's totally capable. When I gave him the option to use the SF or Uber by himself to the hotel, he said he felt more comfortable riding the SF. He hasn't had a ton of experience traveling solo, so I want to honor what he's telling me he's comfortable with. I'm glad you feel comfortable using Uber/Lyfts solo...this is good to know, should I ultimately cancel the SF for both of my traveling parties.

Ultimately you have to do what's right for you/your family. I just use rideshares so often, in so many different places, that it feels super normal. I always get surprised to hear that people aren't comfortable with them. But that's my own "I live downtown and hate driving in the city" bias lol