sandam1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
One word of caution re. the shuttle service - Please understand that you are booking with a third-party. It might have Universal's name on it, but they are not in charge nor can they/will they help you out if you have a problem.
My shuttle experience goes back about 7 years now (and admittedly there was a different company doing the shuttle service at that time), but it is telling in what can go wrong. I flew down for a very short budget-friendly trip. My friend/travel partner was staying in Florida to visit family afterward so the shuttle was most cost-effective.
On departure day, I waited to be picked up Cabana Bay - and waited - and waited - and waited. I talked to the bell services people and they couldn't help me/didn't know who to contact. Thankfully, I found a phone number for the shuttle to call. The operator said that they were on their way and to give them 10 more minutes. And I waited - and waited. I called a second time and got the same answer. After the third call, I was getting panicky. Then a shuttle van finally showed up - and was there to pick up another group. Apparently, my pickup had gotten lost in their system. I explained to the driver my situation (I was almost in tears at this point). He was fantastic and went above and beyond to help me make my flight (thank God for curbside check-in and pre-check or I NEVER would have made it).
The kicker was that neither the shuttle company nor Universal cared about their mess-up. (Note: this is how I found out that the shuttle isn't run by Universal, I had assumed that it was when I booked it). All I wanted was an apology and what I got was an "oh, well." From then on, I went with transportation that was either on demand (ride-share) or a small company that had an awesome reputation for customer service. It just isn't worth the risk to me.
My shuttle experience goes back about 7 years now (and admittedly there was a different company doing the shuttle service at that time), but it is telling in what can go wrong. I flew down for a very short budget-friendly trip. My friend/travel partner was staying in Florida to visit family afterward so the shuttle was most cost-effective.
On departure day, I waited to be picked up Cabana Bay - and waited - and waited - and waited. I talked to the bell services people and they couldn't help me/didn't know who to contact. Thankfully, I found a phone number for the shuttle to call. The operator said that they were on their way and to give them 10 more minutes. And I waited - and waited. I called a second time and got the same answer. After the third call, I was getting panicky. Then a shuttle van finally showed up - and was there to pick up another group. Apparently, my pickup had gotten lost in their system. I explained to the driver my situation (I was almost in tears at this point). He was fantastic and went above and beyond to help me make my flight (thank God for curbside check-in and pre-check or I NEVER would have made it).
The kicker was that neither the shuttle company nor Universal cared about their mess-up. (Note: this is how I found out that the shuttle isn't run by Universal, I had assumed that it was when I booked it). All I wanted was an apology and what I got was an "oh, well." From then on, I went with transportation that was either on demand (ride-share) or a small company that had an awesome reputation for customer service. It just isn't worth the risk to me.
